Portland St. Patrick at Fowler – – Girls Basketball – – MHSAA Division 4 District Final – – The Bleacher Denizen – – March 4, 2023 – – by Chuck Krafft

Your Bleacher Denizen was all geared up to come to blog the District Final between Portland St. Patrick and Fowler last night, but Mr. Weather had other ideas. However, it’s Saturday afternoon and the game is on today!! Fortunately, because it is so warm today (around 45 degrees), most of the snow melted and the BleacherDenizenMobile had a relatively easier time getting to Fowler to blog the game!

As the teams warm up, I hope you will enjoy the latest video from my You Tube Channel. This one is an original song; we set John 3:16 to music. This song is really special to me because my father, Richard Krafft actually wrote more than half the lyrics not taken directly from the Bible. I hope you’ll take a couple minutes to listen. It also features a smoking lead from Lansing Guitarist, Keith Minaya!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYixQ0OWsd4

Portland St. Patrick brings a 15-7 record into the District Final and Fowler is at 16-7. These teams finished second and third in the rugged CMAC Conference behind Division 3 Dansville.

Fowler’s Eagles are led by returning All-State player Emma Riley. She has missed about half the season with a severe ankle injury suffered in volleyball, but is now almost back to being her old All-State self. She is a smart and skilled player who is a clever and persistent perimeter defender. She has the complete package on offense as she understands the game, knows when to pass, when to shoot, when to penetrate and even when to chill. She is an excellent three point shooter who can almost always get a good shot when she slashes to the basket. She is also a fantastic ball handler and passer.

Grace Epkey has started on two successive Eagle basketball champions as well. She is the rare player who is quick, tall and strong enough to defend all five positions on the floor. This is one of the reasons the Fowler’s excellent defense slows down just about every other team. She is a great defender inside or out, blocks a lot of shots and gets her share of steals. She is also a really tough rebounder. On offense, she scores mostly on layups and putbacks, but can hit the three point shot if left alone outside.

Avery Koenigsknecht is another starter who is back from the two successive state champions. She is a tough, persistent perimeter defender who is really disruptive to opposing offenses. She is a fine three point shooter as well. Taylor Weber was the first perimeter substitute in most of Fowler’s last games last year. She is another fierce, quick and determined perimeter defender who can get hot from the three point line.

Quinn Watts brings toughness and quickness to Fowler’s defensive scheme. Grace O’Hare is tall enough to defend in the post and quick enough to be a perimeter disruptor as well. She is able to score near the basket and her three point shot is a big threat as well. Katie Spicer got a lot of playing time at the point while Emma Riley was out with her injury. She picked up a lot of confidence and experience. She is also a solid perimeter defender. She is a solid ball handler who is really clever and creative at scoring when she drives to the basket. She is also one of the best three point shooters on the Eagle team.

Ella Hufnagel seems to always be in the game in the last couple minutes and creates at least one turnover for the opposition during that time.

Natalee Teachworth is a senior leader for the Shamrocks from St. Patrick. She is the tallest Shamrock; she combines this with fantastic quickness and leaping ability to present a defensive nightmare to any opposing player trying to drive to the basket. Of course, these abilities make her a first class rebounder on offense and defense. On offense, she is able to shoot mid-range shots over most defenders and is really good at turning offensive rebounds into Shamrock baskets.

Laynie Meredith puts the “Q” in quickness and the “E” in energy as she is one of the fiercest perimeter defenders around. She can knock the ball away or steal the ball from anyone at any time. On offense, she is a fine ball handler who uses her athletic ability to go just about anywhere she wants on the court. She passes and drives to the basket to score really well. She is also a threat from the three point line.

Rylee Scheurer is tall enough to defend on the perimeter as well as being quick enough to guard in the post. (HMMM – – do I have those backwards? Suffice to say, that Ms. Scheurer is the one of the fastest players anywhere. Her length, quickness and coordination are huge additions to the Shamrock defense. On offense, she drag bunts well and is a threat to steal bases at all times. (Oops, that’s softball, a sport where Rylee excels, but not basketball. Sorry Rylee.) In basketball, she is no offensive slouch as she scores on fast breaks and can hit the three point shot as well.

Addy Scheurer is a quick perimeter defender who has an excellent three point shot. Opposing defenses know better than to leave her open. She is also a fine ball handler and passer. Gracelyn Rockey may be an eighth grader, but she has totally proven herself as a member of the Shamrock starting lineup. She is a tough inside defender and rebounder. She uses strength and toughness to score on layups and putbacks. She is also a strong three point shooter.

Tori Sandborn is a good perimeter defender and ball handler; she and Sophia Schrauben, a quick and tireless defender, are the usually the first perimeter players off the bench for St. Patrick. Mattie Honsowitz comes in to help out in the post where she is a solid defender and has great footwork that helps her score lots of layups for her team.

It is now time to review the events of this District Final through the somewhat bleary eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape from church league when he attempted to hoop in ancient times when many considered him to be “young.” Alas, until it was too late, the Bleacher Denizen never realized that the coach was not complimenting him when he referred to “matador defense.”

(You can google “Matador Defense”. I may be dating myself by using that older phrase. Suffice it to say, that I learned the hard way that few if any basketball coaches are amused when you shout “OLE!” as your defensive assignment bursts past you for layups.)

St. Patrick wins the opening tap. Grace Epkey steals the ball for Fowler. The Eagles miss a fast break layup. Quinn Watts pulls down the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. Grace Epkey gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the wing. (Okay, this was a Shamrock player, not the Saint, himself.) Natalee Teachworth pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Gracelyn Rockey hits the second of her two putbacks to give the Shamrocks a 2-0 lead.

Emma Riley hits a layup for Fowler to tie the game. St. Patrick loses a pass out of bounds. Fowler misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Lainey Meredith passes to Rylee Scheurer, who hits a three point shot from the side for St. Patrick. Emma Riley is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for Fowler. With 5:54 remaining in the first quarter, the Shamrocks have a 5-4 lead.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets the ball. The Shamrocks miss a driving layup. Fowler is fouled on a fast break layup, but misses two free throws. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Natalee Teachworth hits a putback to give St. Patrick a 7-4 lead.

Fowler misses a threeball from the wing. Grace Epkey snares the offensive rebound for the Eagles and passes to Emma Riley, who hits a three point shot for Fowler. The score is now St. Patrick 7 Emma Riley 7.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Fowler misses an eight foot shot in the lane. Avery Koenigsknecht hits a putback to give Fowler the lead. St. Patrick misses a driving six foot banked shot. Gracelyn Rockey pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Grace O’Hare blocks a Shamrock layup. The loose ball goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets another opportunity. St. Patrick drives the baseline and is fouled on a layup. The Shamrocks miss both their free throws. With 3:06 remaining in the quarter, Fowler has a 9-7 lead.

Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick takes possession. The Shamrocks miss a layup. Sophia Schrauben busts it and almost saves the loose long rebound in the corner for St. Patrick, but it goes out of bounds and Fowler takes possession. The Eagles commit an offensive foul. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the wing. Mattie Honsowitz gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. The Shamrocks turn the ball over.

Fowler misses a three pointer from the side. St. Patrick misses a fast break layup. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. Katie Spicer gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Emma Riley hits a layup for Fowler. St. Patrick misfires on a triple try from the wing. Fowler reciprocates and misfires on a triple try from the wing. St. Patrick misfires on another triple try from the wing. Katie Spicer hits a three point shot from the side for the Eagles. St. Patrick misses a long heave at the buzzer.

After one quarter, Fowler has a 14-7 lead.

Fowler inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. The Eagles miss a three point shot from the wing. Grace Epkey gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. Emma Riley gets the offensive rebound for Fowler. The Eagles miss a layup. Avery Koenigsknecht knocks a Shamrock pass out of bounds; St. Patrick retains possession. The Shamrocks miss a threeball from the side. Addy Scheurer gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks.

Grace Epkey blocks a Shamrock shot and ties up the ball in one motion. The Possession Arrow and its garden club were too engrossed in watching videos about Philodendron care and missed the play. The ball is awarded to St. Patrick. St. Patrick turns the ball over. Fowler misses a jumper off the dribble from the free throw elbow.

St Patrick misses a scooping layup. Fowler misses a layup. St. Patrick travels with the defensive rebound. Fowler misses a driving layup. Addy Scheurer passes to Gracelyn Rockey, who hits a jumper from the side with her toe on the three point line to trim the Fowler lead to 14-9.

Emma Riley passes to Grace Epkey, who hits a layup for Fowler. Addy Scheurer responds with a made threeball from the wing for St. Patrick. Lainey Meredith steals the ball and is fouled on a driving layup. She makes one of her two free throws to shave the Fowler lead to 16-13 with 4:55 left on the first half clock.

Fowler misses a three point shot from the corner. Rylee Scheurer drives and dishes the ball to Natalee Teachworth, who hits a ten foot shot from the side of the lane to cut the Fowler lead to one point. Fowler loses a pass out of bounds. Grace O’Hare knocks the ball away from the Shamrocks and causes St. Patrick to turn the ball over on an over and back violation. Fowler misses a layup. Grace Epkey gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup.

A bad Shamrock pass causes another over and back violation. Gracelyn Rockey blocks a Fowler ten foot jump shot. Grace Epkey grabs the loose ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. St. Patrick misses a layup. Natalee Teachworth grabs the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Addy Scheurer passes to Lainey Meredith, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give St. Patrick an 18-16 lead.

Katie Spicer dribbles up the court and throws in a threeball from the side to retake the lead for Fowler. Grace O’Hare’s fierce defense forces a Shamrock traveling violation. Lainey Meredith and Gracelyn Rockey apply a ferocious double team to a Fowler ball handler and cause an Eagle offensive foul. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Lainey Meredith’s tough defense causes an Eagle dribbler to lose the ball out of bounds. Tori Sandborn passes to Addy Scheurer, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give St. Patrick a 21-19 lead.

Avery Koenigsknecht passes to Emma Riley, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give the lead back to Fowler. St. Patrick losers a pass out of bounds. The Shamrocks block a Fowler layup. Fowler gets the offensive rebound, but misses a three point shot from the side; the Shamrocks foul on the rebound. Taylor Weber inbounds the ball to Grace Epkey, who spins and banks in a hook shot to extend the Fowler lead to 24-21.

St. Patrick loses a pass out of bounds with just 5.2 seconds to go in the second quarter. Fowler misses a thirty foot shot as the halftime buzzer comes up of its shell and blares its notice that the half is over.

Fowler has a 24-21 lead at halftime.

Addy Scheurer has 6 points to lead St. Patrick’s scoring. Lainey Meredith, Natalee Teachworth and Gracelyn Rockey each have 4 points.

Emma Riley has 12 points to lead Fowler at halftime. Katie Spicer has 6 points and Grace Epkey has 4 points.

As there is no halftime entertainment, I’ll show a couple videos from my You Tube Channel and hope you enjoy them.

The first one is the most popular song on my Channel. It has been drawing about 100 listeners a day for the last week and as of now has 3,746 viewers. I hope you will enjoy “Little Brown Church,” a song written over 100 years ago that is still popular today! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOnetrJFi6o

I guess since we are listening to religious songs, here’s another popular Christian Standard, “Just a Closer Walk With Thee.” I hope you enjoy the jazzy piano work and singing! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0IFWZLHHuc

Thank you for indulging me and listening!!! I agree that we need to look at the second half of action to see how the game ends and who will go on to win the District Title!!

Fowler inbounds the ball to get the third quarter underway. The Eagles miss a three pointer near the fop ot the key. Grace Epkey gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. St. Patrick misses a ten footer from the baseline. Rylee Scheurer gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Avery Koenigsknecht grabs the ball and throws it off a Shamrock player to earn a possession for the Eagles.

Emma Riley dribbles through thick traffic to get to the basket. She is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws to give her Eagles a 25-21 lead with 7:06 to play in the third quarter.

St. Patrick misses a three point attempt from the side. Grace Epkey hits a fast break layup for Fowler. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the side. Gracelyn Rockey pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. The Shamrocks miss a layup. Fowler misses a threeball near the top of the key. St. Patrick reciprocates and misses a threeball near the top of the key.

Natalee Teachworth steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Laynie Meredith passes to Gracelyn Rockey, who his fouled on an eight footer from the baseline. Gracelyn Rockey hits two free throws to trim the Eagle lead to 27-23 with 5:22 to play in the third quarter.

Fowler misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble in the lane. Laynie Meredith passes to Gracelyn Rockey, who hits a three point shot from the corner to cut the Fowler lead to one point. Gracelyn Rockey gets her hand on the ball and knocks it out of bounds. Fowler retains possession. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing and fouls on the rebound. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the side. Fowler misses a three pointer from the wing. Grace O’Hare grabs the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Katie Spicer hits a fifteen foot shot from the side to give Fowler a 29-26 lead.

St. Patrick misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline. Fowler misses a three pointer from the wing. Taylor Weber gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Eagles get another opportunity. Fowler misses a driving layup. St. Patrick drives the baseline and is fouled on a layup. The Shamrocks miss two free throws. With 3:06 remaining in quarter number three, Fowler has a 29-26 lead.

The Shamrocks foul on the rebound from the second missed free throw. Fowler drives the baseline, but misses a layup. St. Patrick misses a twelve foot shot in the lane. Gracelyn Rockey steals a Fowler pass. St. Patrick misses a fast break layup and fouls on the rebound. Fowler misses a three point shot from the top of the key.

St. Patrick misses a short jumper. The Shamrocks get the offensive rebound. St. Patrick misses a three point attempt from the side. Natalee Teachworth gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Gracelyn Rockey knocks the ball away from Fowler and Tori Sandborn grabs it for St. Patrick. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the side, but gets the offensive rebound. The Shamrocks misfire on a threeball from the side. Rylee Scheurer pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a jumper from the three point line.

Fowler misses a fourteen foot shot in the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Eagles get another opportunity. Emma Riley is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to give Fowler a 30-26 lead with 18.9 seconds remaining in quarter number three.

Emma Riley knocks the ball away from St. Patrick and Avery Koenigsknecht picks it up for Fowler. Fowler has no time to shoot before the buzzer announces the end of the third quarter.

With three quarters in the books, Fowler has a 30-26 lead.

St. Patrick has the ball to start the fourth quarter. Avery Koenigsknecht steals a Shamrock pass. Emma Riley passes to a teammate who is fouled on a jump shot from the free throw line, but misses her free throws. Ella Hufnagel grabs the long offensive rebound for the Eagles. Gracelyn Rockey steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a fourteen foot shot off the dribble in the lane. Fowler is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. With 7:00 remaining in the contest, Fowler’s lead remains at 30-26.

St. Patrick misses a threeball from the side. Rylee Scheurer taps the rebound away from Fowler and Natalee Teachworth ties it up for the Shamrocks. The Possession Arrow ignores her tough defense and awards the ball back to Fowler. Fowler misses a ten footer off the dribble from the side of the lane. Addy Scheurer passes to Lainey Meredith, who hits a three point shot from the corner to cut the Fowler lead to 30-29.

Avery Koenigsknecht, passes to Emma Riley, who hits a three point shot from the corner to get the Eagle lead back to four points. St. Patrick misses a fourteen foot shot from the side of the lane. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. Natalee Teachworth passes to Gracelyn Rockey, who hits a three point shot from the corner for St. Patrick to chop the Fowler lead to 33-32.

Fowler misses a driving layup. Ella Hufnagel gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. She passes to Emma Riley, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to give Fowler a 35-32 lead with 4:18 left in the game.

Avery Koenigsknecht steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a fast break layup. Avery Koenigsknecht gets the offensive rebound for Fowler. Gracelyn Rockey steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler takes possession. Tori Sandborn forces a Fowler dribbler to turn to Laynie Meredith, who steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline.

Gracelyn Rockey knocks the ball out of bounds; Fowler gets the ball back. Sophia Schrauben knocks the ball away from Fowler, but the Eagles recover. Emma Riley is fouled. This is the tenth Shamrock foul of the second half, so Emma Riley will automatically shoot two free throws; she makes both of them to give Fowler a 37-32 lead with 2:07 left on the clock.

Laynie Meredith passes the ball to Gracelyn Rockey, who hits a three point shot from the side to reduce the Fowler lead to two points. Laynie Meredith knocks the ball out of bounds; Fowler retains possession. Ella Hufnagel steals a Shamrock pass. Lainey Meredith knocks the ball away from Fowler. Rylee Scheurer dives and briefly grabs the ball. Grace Epkey picks up the loose ball for Fowler, is fouled and makes two free throws to give the Eagles a 39-35 lead with just 42.9 seconds to go.

St. Patrick drives the ball and tries to dish it to a Shamrock player for a shot, but Grace O’Hare knocks the pass out of bounds. St. Patrick gets the ball back. Emma Riley blocks a Shamrock threeball from the side. Lainey Meredith recovers the ball for the Shamrocks and is fouled. As this is only Fowler’s sixth foul of the half, St. Patrick does not shoot free throws.

The Shamrocks miss a layup. Ella Hufnagel ties up the ball for the Eagles. The Possession Arrow refuses to look up from its Home Shopping Network program, misses the play and awards the ball to St. Patrick. The Shamrocks watch as a threeball from there side goes in and out of the baseline. Rylee Scheurer gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Grace O’Hare grabs the rebound for Fowler and is fouled.

Grace O’Hare hits one of her two free throws with 11.2 seconds to play to give Fowler a 40-35 lead.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Fowler dribbles out the clock.

Fowler wins this District Final by a 40-35 score and moves on to play Allen Park Cabrini in Tuesday’s Regional Semifinal.

Eighth Grader Gracelyn Rockey led the Shamrocks with 15 points. Laynie Meredith scored 7 points. Addy Scheurer chipped in with 6 points. Natalee Teachworth added 4 points and Rylee Scheurer put in 3 points.

Emma Riley led Fowler with 21 points. Grace Epkey and Katie Spicer each contributed 8 points. Avery Koenigsknecht scored 2 points and Grace O’Hare added 1 point.