Portland St. Patrick at Morrice – – Girls Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 5, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Today, your Bleacher Denizen’s basketball journey takes him to Morrice where there is a girl/boy basketball doubleheader! In the first game, Portland St. Patrick’s Shamrock Girls will compete against the Morrice Oriole Girls. St. Patrick enters this game with a 12-2 record while Morrice is at 9-3.

While we wait for this game to start, I hope you will enjoy this original tune, “A Man Like Me” from my You Tube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTdeYRUEOkc

St. Patrick leads in the CMAC Girls Basketball standings and is coming off a big win against conference rival Fowler. They have a team full of talented players; any of the starters is capable of putting up 15 to 20 points.

Laynie Meredith is an incredibly energetic defender who generates a lot of turnovers and can beat everyone up the court for fast break layups. She is a complete offensive player who can handle the ball and pass well; she also is a threat from the three point line. Grace Rockey may be a freshman, but she is already in her second year of starting on the Shamrock Varsity. She is a player who is big and strong enough to defend in the post and also quick enough to control opponents on the perimeter. She scores a lot near the basket where she can frequently overpower opponents with her athletic ability. She also has an accurate three point shot and is an excellent rebounder.

Rylee Scheurer is a track star who is tall enough to defend in the post and quick enough to defend on the perimeter where her height creates awkward moments for opposing offenses. She is a good rebounder who can drive to the basket for scores. This year, she has improved her three point shot and can shoot opponents out of games when she gets hot. Addie Scheurer is a quick, agile and determined perimeter defender who handles the ball well and has an accurate three point shot. Mattie Honsowitz is a post player who is a tough defender and rebounder. On offense, she has great footwork that allows her to get a lot of layups or to get space for her accurate midrange shot.

Tori Sandborn is a tough perimeter defender and dependable ball handler who has an accurate three point shot. Hannah Weller has an accurate midrange shot. Bella Russman and Megan Myers are good post defenders who can rebound.

Morrice Coach Steve Goodine provided me with the following information about his Oriole players. Aubrey Rogers is a complete player. She is tall enough to play offense or defense near the basket and quick enough to do the same on the perimeter. She is a good enough ball handler to occasionally run the point. She is nearly unguardable when she drives to the basket for layups. She also brings a solid three point shot to the Orioles. On defense, she blocks a lot of shots, forces turnovers and generally causes problems for opposing offenses. Aubrey scored her 1000th career point earlier this season.

Payton Goodine is a freshman point guard who is a good perimeter defender. She has an effective floater in the lane and is an effective midrange shooter as well; she also will hit the occasional three point shot. Alexa Rose is a good post defender and rebounder who can also score in the lane. Isabelle Nieto brings speed and quickness to the Oriole perimeter defense.

The people at Morrice asked me to sing the National Anthem; I was happy to do that. I managed to get through it without causing and glass-breaking or other disasters!!

It is now time to review the events of this basketball game through the open (and hopefully observant) eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to hoop in the ancient times when he was considered to be “young.” He threw too many bricks and damaged too many of the peach baskets we used to shoot at. Thus, the coach could not afford to give him playing time.

St. Patrick wins the opening tap. The Shamrocks misfire on a threeball from the side. Laynie Meredith steals the ball and passes to Rylee Scheurer, who hits a layup to give St. Patrick the first two points of the game. Mattie Honsowitz steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a fast break layup. Mattie Honsowitz is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws to give St. Patrick a 3-0 lead with 6:52 to play in the opening quarter.

Morrice misses a three point shot from the wing. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Aubrey Rogers hits a twelve foot banked shot off the dribble from the side to give the Orioles their first two points of the game. Laynie Meredith passes to Riley Scheurer, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give St. Patrick a 6-2 lead.

Addie Scheurer steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the side. Morrice misses a threeball from the top of the key. Payton Goodine knocks the ball away from St. Patrick and Aubrey Rogers picks it up for Morrice. Morrice misses a jumper off the dribble from the free throw elbow. Addie Scheurer throws in a threeball from the side and St. Patrick has a 9-2 lead.

Aubrey Rogers passes to Payton Goodine, who hits a three point shot from the side for Morrice. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. (Actually this was a Shamrock player and not the Saint, himself.) Mattie Honsowitz ignores the Bleacher Denizen’s over-attention to detail and hits a putback for the Shamrocks to boost their lead to 11-5.

Grace Rockey knocks the ball away from Morrice and Addie Scheurer picks it up for St. Patrick. Audrey Rogers hustles back on defense to block a St. Patrick fast break layup. St. Patrick recovers the ball, but misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Grace Rockey gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Addie Scheurer passes to a teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses both her free throws. With 3:18 remaining in the opening quarter, the Shamrock lead remains at 11-5.

Hannah Weller gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Aubrey Rogers blocks a Shamrock shot. Aubrey Rogers hits a fast break layup for the Orioles. St. Patrick misses a layup. Morrice misses a threeball from the wing. St. Patrick misses an eighteen foot shot from the side. Hannah Weller knocks an Oriole pass out of bounds; Morrice gets the ball back. Tori Sandborn forces a tieup. The Possession Arrow is in the middle of a polo match and misses the play; the ball is awarded back to Morrice.

Hannah Weller knocks the ball away from the Orioles and Addie Scheurer picks it up for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misfires on a triple try from the corner. Morrice misses a three point shot from the wing. St. Patrick reciprocates and misses a three point shot from the wing. Tori Sandborn picks up the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Hannah Weller grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Alexa Rose knocks the ball away from St. Patrick and Aubrey Rogers picks it up for Morrice.

Hannah Weller forces a tieup. The Possession Arrow was caught up in a poetry reading and missed the play. The ball was awarded back to Morrice. Morrice misfires on a threeball from the side. St. Patrick misses an eighteen foot shot from the wing. Aubrey Rogers hits a sixteen foot shot from the side for the Orioles to trim the Shamrock lead to 11-9.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. Rylee Scheurer grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Tori Sandborn hits a three point shot from the corner just before the first quarter buzzer tells us that it is on duty!

St. Patrick has a 14-9 lead after one quarter.

Morrice has the ball to open the second quarter. The Orioles are whistled for a traveling violation. Alexa Rose steals the ball for Morrice. Morrice misses a sixteen foot shot from the wing; the rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick takes possession. Payton Goodine and Adyson Balsley double team the St. Patrick ball handler and force a traveling violation. Payton Goodine hits a twelve foot fast break shot off the dribble from the baseline to whittle the Shamrock lead down to 14-11.

Aubrey Rogers knocks the ball away from the Shamrocks, but St. Patrick is able to recover. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the side. The Shamrocks get the offensive rebound, but miss a three point shot from the corner. Grace Rockey blocks an Oriole twelve footer from the side of the lane. Adyson Balsley knocks the ball away from St. Patrick and Payton Goodine picks it up for Morrice. Morrice misses a jump shot; St. Patrick fouls on the rebound.

Laynie Meredith knocks the ball away from the Orioles, but they are able to recover. Morrice throws a pass out of bounds. Alexa Rose knocks the ball away from the Shamrocks, but they are able to recover. Laynie Meredith drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Morrice misses an eight foot runner in the lane. Payton Goodine snares the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Laynie Meredith steals the ball for the Shamrocks and is fouled on a fast break layup. She hits two free throws to give her Shamrocks an 18-11 lead with 4:58 remaining in the opening half.

Aubrey Rogers hits a ten foot shot off the dribble in the lane for Morrice. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Mattie Honsowitz grabs the offensive rebound for St. Patrick. Rylee Scheurer hits a fifteen foot shot from the side for St. Patrick. Mattie Honsowitz steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Laynie Meredith hits a fast break jump shot from the free throw line to boost the Shamrocks to a 22-13 lead.

Grace Rockey ties up the ball; the Possession Arrow and its executive committee vote to award the ball to the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. Addie Scheurer gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the wing. Mattie Honsowitz taps the ball away from the Orioles and Rylee Scheurer picks it up for the Shamrocks. Rylee Scheurer hits a fast break layup to give St. Patrick a 24-13 lead.

Grace Rockey forces a tieup. The Possession Arrow was focused on its Mah Jongg game and missed the play; the ball is awarded to the Orioles. Payton Goodine passes the ball to Aubrey Rogers, who sinks a threeball from the wing to cut the Shamrock lead to 24-16.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and the ball belongs to the Orioles. Tori Sandborn ties up the ball. This time, the Possession Arrow and its Horticultural Committee were focused on the game and awarded the ball to the Shamrocks. St. Patrick is whistled for a traveling violation. Morrice misses a three point shot from the wing. Adyson Balsley gets the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Morrice misses a layup.

St. Patrick is cited for carrying the ball. Morrice misses a ten foot shot from the sideline. Payton Goodine knocks the ball away from St. Patrick, but the Shamrocks recover. St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the side; Hannah Weller gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks.

Adyson Balsley and Payton Goodine team up to tie up the ball for Morrice. The Possession arrow loves their hustle and gets its Finance Committee to vote to give the ball to the Orioloes. Morrice is whistled for a traveling violation. St. Patrick is whistled for an offensive foul. Aubrey Rogers passes to Payton Goodine, who hits a twelve foot shot in the lane to trim the Shamrock lead to 24-18.

St. Patrick misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Megan Myers grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Bella Russman is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws for St. Patrick (with just 7.1 seconds remaining in the half.) Morrice misses a three point shot from the wing just before the halftime buzzer makes its presence known.

At halftime, St. Patrick has a 25-18 lead.

Aubrey Rogers has 11 points and Payton Goodine has 7 points for Morrice at halftime.

Rylee Scheurer leads the Shamrock scoring with 9 points and Laynie Meredith has 6 points.

As there is no halftime entertainment, I hope you will enjoy a couple videos from my You Tube Channel!

Your Bleacher Denizen gets in a bit of yodeling in this classic country tune. “Cattle Call” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlPaiHsbOnA

This is a different sort of (hopefully) comedic version of “Chopsticks!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIqXxw1t5V0

Just before St. Patrick inbounded the ball to open the third quarter, I looked at the scoreboard and noted that St. Patrick still has a 25-18 lead. It is amazing how often the score at the start of the third quarter equals the halftime score! The mind boggles!!!

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. The Shamrocks misfires on a threeball from the wing. Mattie Honsowitz is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to St. Patrick. With 7:48 to play in the third quarter, the Shamrocks have a 27-18 lead.

Laynie Meredith knocks the out of bounds; Morrice retains possession. Rylee Scheurer blocks an Oriole shot. Addie Scheurer passes to Mattie Honsowtiz, who hits a fast break layup for the Shamrocks. Laynie Meredith knocks the ball away from Morrice and Mattie Honsowitz picks it up for St. Patrick. Mattie Honsowitz passes to Laynie Meredith, who hits a fast break layup to give St. Patrick a 31-18 lead.

Morrice loses its inbound pass out of bounds. Mattie Honsowitz passes to Addie Scheurer, who throws in a threeball from the corner for the Shamrocks. Grace Rockey steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for St. Patrick. Grace Rockey’s tough defense forces Morrice to lose the ball out of bounds. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the wing. Aubrey Rogers passes to Isabelle Nieto, who hits a three point shot from the wing to shave the Shamrock lead to 36-21.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Morrice gets the ball. Grace Rockey ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow was working on its wretched opera singing at the time and missed the play; the ball is awarded to Morrice. Addie Scheurer knocks the Oriole inbound pass out of bounds; Morrice retains possession. Morrice misses a jump shot from the free throw elbow. St. Patrick misses a threeball near the top of the key. Laynie Meredith hits a putback to give St. Patrick a 38-21 lead.

Morrice misses a layup. Payton Goodine knocks the ball away from St. Patrick and Isabelle Nieto picks it up for Morrice. Addie Scheurer knocks the ball away from Morrice and Laynie Meredith picks it up for St. Patrick. Mattie Honsowitz hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Aubrey Rogers drives and hits a hook/layup for Morrice. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Mattie Honsowitz is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws to push St. Patrick to a 41-23 lead with 5:45 remaining in quarter number three.

Aubrey Rogers passes to Payton Goodine, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws for Morrice. Aubrey Rogers knocks a Shamrock pass out of bounds; St. Patrick retains possession. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Hannah Weller grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Adyson Balsley blocks a Shamrock shot. Addie Scheurer steals the ball for the Shamrocks.

St. Patrick steps out off bounds. Tori Sandborn knocks the ball away from Morrice and Grace Rockey picks it up for St. Patrick. The Shamrocks miss a threeball from the corner and foul on the rebound. Morrice commits an offensive foul. Hannah Weller hits a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw elbow to give St. Patrick a 43-24 lead.

Rylee Scheurer knocks the ball away from Morrice and Laynie Meredith picks it up for St. Patrick. The Shamrocks throw a pass out of bounds. Morrice misses an eight foot shot off the dribble from the sideline. St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the wing. Laynie Meredith steals the ball and passes to Rylee Scheurer, who hits a fast break layup to give St. Patrick a 45-24 lead.

Mattie Honsowitz knocks the Oriole inbound pass out of bounds; St. Patrick takes possession. Aubrey Rogers nearly steals the ball for Morrice, but her momentum forces her to travel. Grace Rockey passes to Megan Myers, who is fouled as she catches the ball. Megan Myers hits on e of her two free throws to give the Shamrocks a 46-24 lead with 34.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Morrice misses a layup. St. Patrick is fouled on the rebound, but misses two free throws. Megan Myers gets the first of three offensive rebounds for the Shamrocks. Aubrey Rogers blocks three Shamrock putbacks before the third quarter buzzer finally puts a brief end to the proceedings.

After three quarters, St. Patrick holds a 46-24 lead.

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to start out the final quarter. Payton Goodine steals the ball for Morrice and is fouled on a fast break layup. Payton Goodine hits one of her two free throws for Morrice. St. Patrick misses a ten foot shot from the baseline. Megan Myers pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Grace Rockey gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup.

Mattie Honsowitz tips a pass away from Morrice and Grace Rockey picks it up for St. Patrick. Aubrey Rogers blocks two Shamrock layups. Mattie Honsowitz picks up the loose ball and hits a layup to give the Shamrocks a 48-25 lead.

Lily Sandborn steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Belle Hoy causes St. Patrick to commit a double dribble violation. Lily Sandborn’s defense forces a Morrice traveling violation. St. Patrick misses a layup. Aubrey Rogers goes coast to coast to hit a layup for Morrice to shave the Shamrock lead to 48-27.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Morrice throws a pass out of bounds. Isabelle Nieto steals the ball for the Orioles. Morrice misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the side of the lane. St. Patrick misses a twelve foot shot from the side. Megan Myers snags the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the wing. Morrice misses a layup. Bella Russman passes to Tori Sandborn, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give St. Patrick a 51-27 lead.

Morrice misses a tweelve foot shot in the lane. St. Patrick misses a twelve foot shot from the side. Megan Myers gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks and passes to Macie Smith, who hits a twelve foot shot from the side for the Shamrocks. Payton Goodine passes the ball to Aubrey Rogers, who drives and hits a layup foer the Orioles. She is fouled on the play, but misses her free throw. With 1:44 left in the game, St. Patrick has a 53-29 lead.

St. Patrick misses an eighteen foot shot from the side. Aubrey Rogers passes to Briana Binkley, who hits a layup for Morrice. St. Patrick misses a layup. Morrice misses a three point shot from the wing. Briana Binkley gets the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Morrice misses a jumper from the free throw line. Morrice is fouled on a putback, but misses two free throws. St. Patrick travels. Aubrey Rogers hits a shot just past half court as the final buzzer sounds to give her Orioles three more points.

St. Patrick wins by the final score of 53-34.

Aubrey Rogers led the Morrice scoring with 20 points. Payton Goodine supported her teammate with 9 points. Isabell Nieto had 3 points and Briana Binkley tallied 2 points.

Rylee Scheurer led St. Patrick’s scoring with 11 points. Laynie Meredith and Mattie Honsowitz each got into double figures with 10 points. Tori Sandborn and Addie Scheurer each chipped in with 6 points. Grace Rockey added 4 points. Hannah Weller and Macie Smith each scored 2 points. Megan Myers and Bella Russman each had 1 point.

Morrice and St. Patrick played a boys’ game when this one was complete. Here is a play by play of the boys’ game. https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2024/02/06/portland-st-patrick-at-morrice-boys-basketball-the-bleacher-denizen-february-5-2024-by-chuck-krafft/