St. Ignace at Rudyard – – Girls Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 17, 2022 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen is making a journey from Lansing to Rudyard where the Rudyard Bulldogs will host the Saints from St. Ignace. (One of these days I need to find out what I need to do so I can get to call my travels an “odyssey.” It would be SO much cooler!) It was a surprisingly easy drive; in the Lansing area, they were predicting freezing rain, snow and generally difficult travel, so I was not sure I could make the trip until 11 AM this morning. This time, at least until noon, there was nothing (other than very cold weather) to make the drive difficult.

This is my first ever visit to Rudyard High. The host Rudyard Bulldogs enter the game with an 8-6 record. Coach Carlos Molina was really generous with his time. I learned that I missed seeing the Bulldog Girls by one game last year. (Carney won the quarterfinal over Rudyard and played Fowler in a semifinal game I covered.) He also gave me a lot of background information about the Bulldog Program as well as the following information about his players!

Brooklyn Besteman is a versatile player who excels at all phases of the game. She is tall enough to be a force on offense and defense in the post. In addition, she handles the ball well enough where she can run the point when necessary. She also has a great shot from the three point line. Tristin Smith runs the point for the Bulldogs. She is a dependable ball handler, a fine leader and an energetic perimeter defender.

Emily Kopitz is a strong shot blocker and rebounder. Delaney MacDowell is a persistent perimeter defender. Karlee Mayer is another athletic player and strong defender.

The St. Ignace Saints have a 15-2 record coming into this game. Coach Dorene Ingalls also was really helpful in providing information about her team. Ally Schultz has more range on her three point shot than any other player I have seen this year. One thing that constrains her range is the rule that baskets only count when they are shot from in bounds. She, like all the Saints, is a strong, persistent defender who can play in the post or on the perimeter.

Natalie Ryvolova is a strong defender and rebounder in the post; she gets a lot of layups and putbacks on offense. Heidi Dorenbecker and Mariana Zaragoza are quick, dynamic perimeter defenders. Jillian Fraser has a nice three point shot. With her strong athletic ability, she also gets her share of rebounds and blocked shots. Allison CeCe provides toughness in the post. Skylar Seccia can hit the three point shot.

Riley O’Rourke is a versatile player who can play in the post or on the perimeter. She works really hard on her game and is a solid defender. Helena St. Onge, a good three point shooter has a knee injury and will not be able to play tonight.

It is now time to look at the results of this game through the grizzled eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league in the ancient times when he attempted to play basketball. His career took a severe hit when he learned that he would not be permitted to use a medieval catapult to launch his three point shots. Who knew?? Oh the humanity!!!

St. Ignace wins the opening tap. The Saints miss a fifteen footer from the side. Natalie Ryvolova gets a hand on the ball, but Rudyard is able to recover. Ally Schultz steals a Bulldog inbound pass. Brooklyn Besteman steals the ball for Rudyard. Ally Schultz steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace is whistled for a three second violation. Jillian Fraser steals the ball for St. Ignace. Jillian Fraser throws in a threeball from the side to give St. Ignace the first three points of the game.

Ally Schultz draws a charging foul from the Bulldogs. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the side and fouls on the rebound. Natalie Ryvolova steals the ball for St. Ignace. St. Ignace misfires on a triple try from the wing. Riley O’Rourke steals the ball for St. Ignace and draws a foul in the process. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Natalie Ryvolova gets the offensive rebound for the Saints. Tristin Smith dives to tie up the ball for Rudyard. The Possession Arrow consults its international panel of judges; they all agree that Ms. Smith’s effort was impressive, so Rudyard gets the ball.

Allison CeCe knocks the ball away from Rudyard, but the Bulldogs recover. Heidi Dorenbecker ties up the ball. This time, after some discussion, the Possession Arrow’s international panel awards the ball to St. Ignace. St. Ignace misses a three point attempt from the top of the key. Allison CeCe directs the offensive rebound to a teammate. Delaney MacDowell gets a hand on the ball and the Saints lose it out of bounds. Rudyard loses the inbound pass out of bounds.

St. Ignace misses a three pointer from the wing. Natalie Ryvolova gets the offensive rebound. The Saints miss a layup. Allison CeCe steals the ball for St. Ignace. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the corner. The rebound goes out of bounds and Rudyard takes possession. Allison CeCe’s tough defense causes Rudyard to lose the ball out of bounds. Jillian Fraser passes to Natalie Ryvolova for a layup that boosts St. Ignace to a 5-0 lead.

Delaney MacDowell drives and hits a layup for Rudyard’s first points. Jillian Fraser answers with a three point shot from the wing that gives St. Ignace an 8-2 lead.

Natalie Ryvolova steals the ball for St. Ignace. St. Ignace misses a threeball from the wing. Rudyard misses a jumper from the free throw elbow. St. Ignace misses a fast break layup. Rudyard misses a three point shot from the wing. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Bulldogs take possession. Rudyard misses a layup. Brooklyn Besteman hits a putback to trim the St. Ignace lead to 8-4.

Rudyard’s intense defense forces St. Ignace to turn the ball over for failing to inbound the ball within five seconds. Delaney MacDowell drives and dishes the ball to Brooklyn Besteman for a Rudyard layup. Jillian Fraser passes to Natalie Ryvolova for a Saint layup; St. Ignace leads 10-6.

Rudyard misses a three point shot from the top of the key. St. Ignace loses a pass out of bounds. Ally Schultz draws a charging foul from the Bulldogs. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the top of the key just before the buzzer.

After one quarter, St. Ignace holds a 10-6 lead.

St. Ignace inbounds the ball to start the second quarter. Brooklyn Besteman knocks the ball away from St. Ignace and Tristin Smith picks it up for Rudyard. Karlee Mayer drives and hits an eight foot runner from the side for Rudyard. Tristin Smith steals the ball for the Bulldogs.

Rudyard is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. Brooklyn Besteman gets the offensive rebound for the Bulldogs. St. Ignace blocks a layup; Rudyard recovers the all, but misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Rudyard gets another possession. Tristin Smith is fouled and hits one of her two free throws to trim the Saint lead to 10-9 with 6:51 left on the first half clock.

The rebound from the missed free throws goes out of bounds and St. Ignace gets the ball. St. Ignace misfires on a triple try from the side. Karlee Mayer is fouled on a shot and hits one of her two free throws to tie the game at 10-10 with 6:25 to play in the first half.

St. Ignace misses a layup, but gets the offensive rebound. Ally Schultz goes into the lane and hits an eight foot shot off the dribble for St. Ignace to retake the lead. Natalia Ryvolova steals the ball for St. Ignace. Victoria Phillips passes to Riley O’Rourke, who is fouled on a shot. She hits one of her two free throws. With 5:32 to play in the first half, St. Ignace has a 13-10 lead.

The rebound from the missed free throw goes out of bounds and Rudyard gets the ball. Ally Schultz steals the Bulldog inbound pass and hits a layup for St. Ignace. Rudyard loses the ball against the St. Ignace press. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Natalie Ryvolova steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a jumper from the free throw elbow; the rebound goes out of bounds and St. Ignace gets another opportunity. Tristin Smith steals the ball for Rudyard.

Rudyard travels with the ball. (HMMM – – basketball cliches can be interesting. I don’t imagine that traveling without the ball would be terribly newsworthy.) St. Ignace throws a pass into the lane and loses it out of bounds. Rudyard misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Brooklyn Besteman runs down the long offensive rebound for the Bulldogs. Brooklyn Besteman is fouled and sinks to free throws to shave the Saint lead to 15-12 with 3:37 to play in the half.

Delaney MacDowell blocks a Saint layup. The ball goes out of bounds and St. Ignace gets another possession. St. Ignace is fouled on a six foot shot from the side and misses two free throws. Natalie Ryvolova steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace misfires on a threeball from the wing. Heidi Dorenbecker steals the ball for St. Ignace and breaks up a Rudyard fast break. Ally Schultz is fouled and sinks both free throws in a one and one opportunity to give St. Ignace a 17-12 lead with 2:24 remaining in the first half.

Rudyard misses a three point shot from the wing. Brooklyn Besteman blocks a Saint jumper from the free throw line. St. Ignace recovers, but misses a ten footer in the lane as well as a couple putbacks. Emily Kopitz is fouled and makes one of her two free throws to cut the St. Ignace lead to 17-13 with 1:37 to go in the half.

The rebound goes out of bounds and Rudyard gets the ball back. Ally Schultz steals the ball for St. Ignace. The Saints miss a fast break layup; they are fouled on a putback, but miss two free throws. Ally Schultz knocks the Bulldog inbound pass out of bounds; Rudyard retains possession. Rudyard misses a six foot banked shot from the side of the lane. St. Ignace misses a layup and a putback. Emily Kopitz hits a putback for Rudyard. Ally Schultz is fouled and hits one of her two free throws to give St. Ignace an 18-15 lead with 22.4 seconds to play in the half.

Tristin Smith is fouled with 12.1 seconds left and hits two free throws to pull Rudyard to within one point. St. Ignace misses a ten foot shot off the dribble in the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds as the first half buzzer makes its presence known.

St. Ignace takes an 18-17 lead into the locker room at halftime. If basketball conventions are followed, they will continue to have an 18-17 lead when the third quarter starts.

Brooklyn Besteman has 6 points to lead the Rudyard scoring at halftime.

Ally Schultz has 7 points for St. Ignace and Jillian Fraser has 6.

As there is no halftime entertainment tonight, here is a video from my “Chuck Krafft” You Tube Channel that will hopefully fill the void!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol3R-ZL9568

A review of the scoreboard reveals that St. Ignace indeed DOES have an 18-17 lead as St. Ignace inbounds the ball to get the third quarter underway. Ally Schultz passes to Natalie Ryvolova, who hits a layup for the Saints. Ally Schultz steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a layup; Ally Schultz is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to give the Saints a 21-17 lead with 7:37 to play in the third quarter.

Rudyard misses a layup; Emily Kopitz hits a putback for the Bulldogs. St. Ignace misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Jillian Fraser pulls down the offensive rebound for the Saints. St. Ignace is whistled for a traveling violation. Brooklyn Besteman gets into the lane and is fouled on an eight foot shot. Brooklyn Besteman hits one of her two free throws to pull Rudyard to within one point at 21-20 with 6:48 to go in the quarter.

St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Ignace gets another possession. Ally Schultz drives and hits a layup for the Saints. Natalie Ryvolova knocks a Rudyard pass out of bounds; the Bulldogs get the ball back. Rudyard misses a layup. Ally Schultz passes to Jillian Fraser, who hits a layup for St. Ignace. Brooklyn Besteman throws in a threeball from the wing for Rudyard to trim the Saint lead to 25-23.

St. Ignace turns the ball over. Heidi Dorenbecker steals the ball for the Saints. Riley O’Rourke passes to Natalie Ryvolova, who hits a layup for St. Ignace. Rudyard loses a pass out of bounds. Megan Bradley knocks the ball away from St. Ignace and causes a tieup. The Possession Arrow’s consulting team meets and decides Megan Bradley’s hustle and effort will earn a possession for her Bulldogs. Ally Schultz blocks a Rudyard layup; the ball goes out of bounds and Rudyard gets another possession. Rudyard misses an eight footer in the lane; the rebound goes out of bounds and St. Ignace gets the ball.

St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Allison CeCe knocks the ball away from the Bulldogs, but Rudyard recovers. Ally Schultz kicks the ball and Rudyard has to restart its offense. Ally Schultz knocks the Bulldog inbound pass out of bounds. Allison CeCe steals the ball for St. Ignace. St. Ignace misses a six foot runner in the lane. Heidi Dorenbecker draws a charging foul from Rudyard.

St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Jillian Fraser pulls down the offensive rebound for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Rudyard misses a layup. Brooklyn Besteman is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws to pull her Bulldogs to within three points of St. Ignace at 27-24 with 2:38 to play in the third quarter.

St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Delaney MacDowell passes to Emily Kopitz for a Bulldog layup and Rudyard is within one point. St. Ignace misses a layup. Mariana Zaragoza knocks the ball out of bounds; Rudyard retains possession. Rudyard is cited for a double dribble violation. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the side. Mariana Zaragoza pulls down the long offensive rebound for the Saints. Rudyard blocks a Saint layup. The ball goes out of bounds and St. Ignace gets it back. Ally Schultz is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to boost her Saints to a 29-26 lead with 1:00 to go in the quarter.

Rudyard misses a layup. Delaney MacDowell’s tough defense forces St. Ignace to call time out to avoid a turnover. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the corner and fouls on the rebound. Ally Schultz steals the ball for St. Ignace and goes coast to coast for a Saint layup. Rudyard misses a thirty foot heave at the buzzer.

After three quarters, St. Ignace has a 31-26 lead.

St. Ignace has the ball to start the fourth quarter. The Saints miss a ten foot shot from the side. Heidi Dorenbecker gets the offensive rebound for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a layup. Natalie Ryvolova gets the offensive rebound for St. Ignace. The Saints miss a layup. Rudyard misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Rudyard gets the ball back. Rudyard misses a fifteen foot shot from the side; the rebound goes out of bounds and St. Ignace takes possession.

St. Ignace misses a threeball from the corner. Natalie Ryvolova knocks the ball away from Rudyard and Allison CeCe grabs it for St. Ignace. St. Ignace misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Jillian Fraser gets the offensive rebound for St. Ignace. Tristin Smith steals the ball for Rudyard. Tristin Smith passes to Brooklyn Besteman, who hits an eight foot shot in the lane for Rudyard. St. Ignace misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Delaney MacDowell passes to Tristin Smith, who throws in a threeball from the wing for Rudyard to tie the game at 31-31.

St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the corner. Natalie Ryvolova is fouled on the rebound. Ally Schultz drives and dishes to Jillian Fraser for a layup to give the Saints a two point lead. Emily Kopitz hits a layup for Rudyard to tie the game at 33-33.

St. Ignace misses a jump shot. Natalie Ryvolova blocks a Rudyard twelve foot shot from the side. St. Ignace is fouled on a fast break layup, but misses two free throws. Rudyard loses the ball out of bounds. Ally Schultz whips a pass to Skylar Seccia, who hits a three point shot from the side to give the lead to St. Ignace. Jillian Fraser dives and steals the ball for St. Ignace. Skylar Seccia hits a layup to give St. Ignace a 38-33 lead.

Rudyard misfires on a three pointer from the side. Tristin Smith steals the ball for the Bulldogs. Ally Schultz knocks a Rudyard pass out of bounds; the Bulldogs get the ball back. Natalie Ryvolova knocks the ball away from Rudyard and Heidi Dorenbecker picks it up for St. Ignace. St. Ignace is fouled, but misses the first shot in a one and one opportunity. Rudyard misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Brooklyn Besteman hits a putback for Rudyard. Ally Schultz is fouled and makes both free throws in a one and one opportunity to give St. Ignace a 40-35 lead with 1:36 left on the clock.

Karlee Mayer is fouled on a driving six foot banked shot and hits two free throws for Rudyard. Ally Schultz is fouled and hits two free throws for St. Ignace. With 1:14 remaining, the Saints have a 42-37 lead.

Mariana Zaragoza dives and ties the ball up for St. Ignace. The Possession Arrow’s panel was on an ice cream break and missed the play; the ball is awarded to Rudyard. Rudyard misses a ten foot shot from the side. Brooklyn Besteman steals the ball for Rudyard. Rudyard misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Rudyard gets it back.

Heidi Dorenbecker nearly steals the ball for the Saints, but her momentum makes her travel. Heidi Dorenbecker knocks the ball out of bounds; Rudyard retains possession. Karlee Mayer is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws to pull Rudyard to within four points at 42-38 with 40.4 seconds left in the game.

Emily Kopitz steals the ball for the Bulldogs. Allison CeCe knocks the ball away from Rudyard and the Saints take the ball. St. Ignace is fouled, but misses two free throws. Jillian Fraser gets the long offensive rebound for the Saints. Ally Schultz is fouled and hits one of her two free throws. St. Ignace leads 43-38 with 14.3 seconds to go.

Natalie Ryvolova knocks the ball away from Rudyard and Ally Schultz picks it up for St. Ignace. Brooklyn Besteman blocks a Saint fast break layup as the final buzzer sounds.

St. Ignace wins this tough game by a 43-38 score.

Brooklyn Besteman led the Rudyard scoring with 15 points. Emily Kopitz supported her teammate with 9 points. Tristin Smith and Karlee Mayer each added 6 points. Delaney MacDowell tallied 2 points.

Ally Schultz led the St. Ignace scoring with 19 points. Jillian Fraser joined her teammate in double figures with 10 points. Natalie Ryvolova pitched in with 8 points. Skylar Seccia added 5 big points in the fourth quarter to break up a tie game. Riley O’Rourke scored 1 point.