Laingsburg at Bath – – CMAC Girls Co-Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 21, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the Bleacher Denizen is off to Bath High School to watch as the Bee Girls host the Wolfpack Girls from Laingsburg. Bath is 11-4 and in third place in the CMAC. Their overall record is 15-4. Laingsburg is 9-6 and in sixth place in the CMAC. Their overall record is 11-7.

While we wait for this game to start, I hope you will enjoy this piano solo of “Feed the Birds” (Mary Poppins) from my You Tube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw2KWzZEUZA

Tonight is “Senior Night” in Bath, so the Bees will start five seniors and give them special recognition along with their parents. They were also kind enough to give a shout out to the Laingsburg seniors.

Aubri Torok is a good athlete with an excellent basketball IQ. She is an excellent scorer who can both slash to the basket and hit the three point shot. She is also an excellent perimeter defender who generates a lot of steals which turn into bast break baskets. Kassi Buck is a four year varsity player who gives the Bees a classic point guard. She handles the ball well and makes good decisions. She is also a tough perimeter defender who can slash to the basket and/or get hot from the three point line.

Aubrey Schaibly is an excellent defender, mostly in the post and an excellent rebounder. She gives Bath another excellent scorer who can power to the basket for layups or shoot three point shots. Anna Schaibly is a fine perimeter defender who has a great three point shot. Kylie Grennell is a senior guard who will be starting tonight.

Abby Smith plays in the post where she is a good defender, rebounder and scorer. Anna Poppema is a tough perimeter defender who can shoot the three point shot. Kaitlyn Dickey is a good defender in the post who can step out and hit either midrange or three point shots.

Ella Merrell is a third year varsity player for Laingsburg. She drives to the basket well and can hit shots from the outside. She is a tough, gritty player. Callie Clark defends the perimeter well and has an accurate outside shot. Ashlee Hawes is a versatile player who can play any position. She can score either by slashing to the basket or shooting from the outside.

Bella Strieff defends and rebounds well in the post. Kyleigh Luna is a speedy guard who handles the ball well. Her speed is a big asset to her perimeter defense. Mallory Woodbury can slash to the basket or shoot from the midrange. She is a great rebounder who can get the ball even in a crowd. Payge Woodworth is a fine ball handler and outside shooter who also has a great basketball IQ.

Harper Strouse is a hard worker who is willing to take contact when necessary on defense. Justine Miller is a hard worker with a great attitude that helps keep her teammates on a good level.

I was able to get to the gym at halftime of the JV game. Bath had a 29-5 lead at halftime. Laingsburg outscored Bath 21-13 in the third quarter to pull within sixteen points, but the Bees outscored the Wolfpack 8-5 in the fourth quarter. Bath won the JV game by the final score of 50-31.

Alayna Merrell led the Wolfpack JVs with 12 points. Mallory Woodbury supported her with 7 points. Bella Latuszek added 6 points. Paige Erickson tossed in 3 points. Savvy Stirm scored 2 points and Lili Morrill tallied 1 point.

Maci McCrimmon led the victorious Bee JVs with 12 points. Braelynn Barber joined her teammate in double figures with 10 points. Aubrey Dunckel chipped in with 8 points. Faith Hughes contributed 5 points. Olivia Brimley and Riley Hart each scored 4 points. Mackenzie Hills notched 3 points. Grace Norton and Macey Pascoe each had 2 points.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the occasionally diligent perspective of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in the ancient days. Unfortunately, he threw up so many bricks that damaged so many of the peach baskets we used to shoot at. The coach could not afford to replace all the peach baskets and had to limit your Bleacher Denizen’s playing time.

Laingsburg wins the opening tap. Bella Strieff passes to Callie Clark, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give the Wolfpack the first three points of the game. Bath misses a driving layup. Laingsburg misses a threeball from the wing. Bath misses a threeball from the side. Aubrie Schaibly grabs the offensive rebound for the Bees. Kylie Grennell passes to Abby Smith for a Bee layup that trims the Wolfpack lead to 3-2.

Laingsburg misses a three pointer from the wing. Ella Merrell pulls down the offensive rebound for the Wolfpack and passes to Payge Woodworth, who hits a three point shot from the top of the key for Laingsburg. Bath misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Laingsburg gets the ball. Payge Woodworth hits a fourteen foot shot off the dribble to give Laingsburg a 10-2 lead.

Kassi Buck passes to Aubrie Schaibly, who hits a layup, is fouled, and hits a free throw for Bath. Laingsburg misses a fourteen footer from the side of the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and Bath takes possession. Aubri Torok passes to Aubrie Schaibly, who hits a layup for Bath. Laingsburg misses a jump shot and a putback. Bath misses a threeball from the wing. Callie Clark is fouled on an eight foot shot in the lane and hits one of her two free throws to give the Wolfpack an 11-7 lead with 2:46 left in the opening quarter.

Lili Morrill blocks a Bath layup; Bath fouls trying to recover the loose ball. Callie Clark passes to Bella Strieff, who hits and eight foot banked shot in the lane for Laingsburg. Aubri Torok passes to Anna Schaibly, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Bath. Laingsburg misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble in the lane. Kassi Buck hits a threeball from the top of the key for Bath to tie the game at 13-13.

Laingsburg misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Callie Clark pulls down the offensive rebound for the Wolfpack. Laingsburg misses another jump shot from the free throw line, but grabs the offensive rebound. (Your aging Bleacher Denizen apologizes for not being quick enough to process who got the offensive rebound. I guess I’ve legitimately earned most of my grey hairs.) The Wolfpack turns the ball over.

Bath misses a layup. Laingsburg misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Ella Merrell snags the offensive rebound for the Wolfpack. Laingsburg misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Ella Merrell knocks the ball away from Bath and Ashlee Hawes grabs it for the Wolfpack just before the first quarter buzzer decides to briefly interrupt the proceedings.

After one quarter, this game is a 13-13 tie.

Bath inbounds the ball to start out the second quarter. Aubri Torok passes to Anna Poppema, who hits a three point shot from the side to give the Bees a three point lead. Laingsburg misses a three point shot from the wing. Callie Clark gets the offensive rebound and passes to Kyleigh Luna, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Laingsburg to tie the game at 16-16.

Ashlee Hawes knocks a Bee pass out of bounds to prevent a layup; Bath gets the ball back. Bella Strieff gets her hand on the ball for Laingsburg. Abby Smith recovers the loose ball and hits a layup for Bath. Bella Strieff passes to Ella Merrell, who hits a three point shot from the side to give the Wolfpack a 19-18 lead.

Aubrie Schaibly hits an up and under scooped bank shot for Bath to give the Bees a one point lead. Callie Clark hits a three point shot from the wing to give the lead back to the Wolfpack. Kassi Buck hits a fifteen foot shot from the side for Bath and is fouled. She misses her free throw. The game is now tied at 22-22.

Laingsburg misses a fifteen foot shot in the lane. Mallory Woodbury gets the offensive rebound for the Wolfpack. Laingsburg misses a layup and fouls on the rebound. Kyleigh Luna gets her hand on a Bee pass into the lane and Bath loses the ball out of bounds. Anna Poppema gets her hand on the ball, but Laingsburg is able to recover the ball. Aubri Torok gets her hand on the ball and Laingsburg loses it out of bounds.

Bath misses a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and Laingsburg gets the ball. The Wolfpack misfires on a triple try from the corner. Bath misfires on a triple try from the wing. Laingsburg is fouled on a ten footer from the baseline, but misses two free throws. With 3:30 to play in the second quarter, the game remains tied at 22-22.

Bath misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the side. Laingsburg misses a three point shot from top of the key. Mallory Woodbury fights and ties up the rebound for the Wolfpack. The Possession Arrow and its Croquet Committee vote to award the ball to Laingsburg. Laingsburg misses a jumper off the dribble from the free throw line. Bath misses a three point shot from the side.

Aubri Torok gets her hand on the ball and Bath loses it out of bounds. Aubri Torok hits a ten foot jump shot off the dribble from the baseline to give her Bees a two point lead. Laingsburg misses a six foot shot from the baseline. Bath misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and Laingsburg takes possession. Payge Woodworth hits a jumper off the dribble from the free throw line for the Wolfpack to tie the game at 24-24.

Payge Woodworth steals the ball for the Wolfpack. Kaitlyn Dickey gets her hand on the ball, but Laingsburg is able to save its possession. Laingsburg misses a driving layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and Bath takes the ball. Bath misfires on a threeball from the wing. Laingsburg pulls down the rebound as the buzzer announces that this half of basketball has come to its conclusion.

Laingsburg and Bath are tied 24-24 at halftime. My intuition tells me the game will also be tied at 24-24 when the third quarter starts.

Callie Clark and Payge Woodworth each have 7 points to lead Laingsburg’s scoring at halftime.

Aubrie Schaibly has 7 points and Kassi Buck has 5 points for Bath.

Bath’s pep band is always one of the best bands in the area. They entertained at halftime; I was busy with notes, etc. so I did not hear everything. They did a really nice job on Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4”. All the songs were played really well. It was fun to hear them show their stuff!!

As the readers cannot hear the halftime entertainment, I hope you will enjoy a couple tunes from my You Tube Channel while we wait for the second half to begin.

“A Man Like Me” is an original tune! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTdeYRUEOkc

And here is a different take on “Chopsticks!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIqXxw1t5V0

I glanced up at the scoreboard and saw that the score is indeed 24-24 as the third quarter is starting. It is always heartwarming when a prediction comes through!!!

Bath ignores the Bleacher Denizen’s egotistical self-congratulation and inbounds the ball to open the third quarter. Callie Clark steals a Bee pass. Laingsburg misses a three point shot from the side. Bella Strieff gets the offensive rebound for the Wolfpack. Laingsburg misses a layup. Bath misses a threeball from the side. Anna Schaibly gets the offensive rebound for the Bees. Aubri Torok passes to Abby Smith, who hits a layup to give the Bees a 26-24 lead.

Laingsburg misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Lili Morrill hits a putback for the Wolfpack to tie the game. Kassi Buck responds by sinking a threeball from the corner to give her Bees a 29-26 lead.

Laingsburg misfires on a triple try from the corner. Bath misses a fast break layup. Payge Woodworth passes to Ashlee Hawes, who hits a layup to trim the Bath lead to one point. Callie Clark knocks the ball out of bounds; Bath retains possession. The Bees miss a three pointer from the corner. Anna Schaibly gets the offensive rebound for the Bees. Bath misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Kaitlyn Dickey hits a putback to give Bath a 31-28 lead.

Aubri Torok’s aggressive defense forces a Laingsburg traveling violation. Lili Morrill knocks the ball out of bounds; Bath retains possession. Bath misses a layup. Aubrie Schaibly pulls down the offensive rebound for the Bees. Bath misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Wolfpack gets another opportunity. Bella Strieff is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to trim the Bath lead to 31-29 with 1:52 left on the third quarter clock.

Aubri Torok drives and hits a layup for Bath. Laingsburg misses a ten foot banked runner. Bath misses a driving reverse layup. Aubri Torok steals the ball for the Bees. Bath misses a jump shot from the free throw elbow. The third quarter buzzer announces that it is time for everyone to move on.

With three quarters in the books, Bath has a 33-29 lead.

Laingsburg inbounds the ball to get the fourth quarter underway. Callie Clark passes to Ella Merrell, who hits a layup, is fouled and makes her free throw to chop the Bath lead to one point. Aubri Torok passes to a Bee teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses both of her free throws. Callie Clark passes to Ella Merrell, who is fouled on a twelve foot shot in the lane and sinks both her free throws to give the Wolfpack a 34-33 lead with 6:24 left in the game.

Aubrie Schaibly passes to Abby Smith, who hits a layup for Bath to retake the lead. Laingsburg misses a three point shot from the side. Kassi Buck is fouled on a fast break layup and hits one of her two free throws to push Bath to a 36-34 lead with 5:59 remaining in the game.

Kassi Buck and Abby Smith team up to steal the ball for Bath. Bella Strieff blocks a Bee layup. Laingsburg misses a layup. Bath misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Laingsburg gets the ball. Laingsburg misses an eight foot shot in the lane. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow and its Christmas Party committee vote to award the ball to Bath. Aubri Torok passes to Kassi Buck, who hits a three point shot from the side to boost Bath to a 39-34 lead.

Laingsburg watches a layup go in and out of the basket. Bath misses a driving layup. Kaitlyn Dickey knocks a Laingsburg pass into the lane out of bounds; the Wolfpack retains possession. Laingsburg misfires on a triple try from the wing. Callie Clark knocks the ball away from Bath and Lili Morrill picks it up for Laingsburg. Lili Morrill is fouled and makes one of her two free throws to shave the Bath lead to 39-35 with 2:42 left on the clock.

Bath loses a pass out of bounds. Laingsburg misses a layup. Callie Clark grabs the offensive rebound for the Wolfpack. Laingsburg misses an eight foot banked shot from the side. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow consults its Magic 8 Ball and decides that Laingsburg should get the ball. Laingsburg misses a jump shot from the free throw elbow. Laingsburg commits its fourth foul on the half and quickly fouls Aubri Torok to force Bath to shoot free throws. Aubri Torok hits two free throws to give Bath a 41-35 lead with 48.5 seconds left.

Anna Schaibly gets her hand on the ball and Laingsburg loses it out of bounds. Bath is fouled, but misses two free throws. Aubrie Schaibly gets the offensive rebound for the Bees. Bath is fouled, but misses two free throws. Kaitlyn Dickey gets the offensive rebound for the Bees. Aubrie Schaibly is fouled and hits one of her two free throws to push Bath to a 42-35 lead with 20-4 seconds to play.

Bath pulls its seniors and gets a round of applause for all five seniors as Kassi Buck, Abby Smith, Kylie Grennell, Aubrie Schaibly and Kaitlyn Dickey all are saluted!

Laingsburg misses a three point shot from the wing. Bath dribbles out the clock.

Bath wins this CMAC matchup by a 42-35 score.

Ella Merrell had 8 points to lead the Wolfpack scoring. Callie Clark and Payge Woodworth each pitched in with 7 points. Bella Strieff contributed 5 points. Kyleigh Luna and Lili Morrill each scored 3 points. Ashlee Hawes tallied 2 points.

Kassi Buck had 12 points to lead the victorious Bees. Abby Smith and Aubrie Schaibly each supported their teammate with 8 points. Aubri Torok tossed in 6 points. Anna Schaibly and Anna Poppema each had 3 points. Kaitlyn Dickey notched 2 points.