Portland St. Patrick vs. Lansing Christian – – MHSAA District Tournament Semifinal – – The Bleacher Denizen – – March 2, 2022 – – by Chuck Krafft

Lansing Christian won over Fulton Monday night to advance to the semifinal. The Pilgrims come into the game with a 12-9 record. Mia Judd is an all-State player who is a fine scorer. She rebounds really well, is a solid defender either in the perimeter or in the post and can score from the three point line. She is really determined and a great slasher to the basket. Audra Usiak defends well and handles the ball well at the point guard position. Ellianna Gaines rebounds well and plays tough defense in the post. She can also score on slashes to the basket or putbacks.

Avery Wayner has a nice mid-range shot. Grace Sullivan can slash to the basket or snipe away from the three point line. Ashlyn Kephart is a good perimeter defender.

The Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick have had a great season and enter the game with a perfect 20-0 record. Lydia Meredith is an extremely versatile and athletic basketball player. She is tall for a guard and uses that along with her quickness to play smothering defense on the perimeter. On offense, she is an excellent ball handler and passer. Because of her height, strength and determination, she is nearly unstoppable when she drives to the basket. She is also a good mid-range shooter and can hit the three point shot.

Katelyn Russell is an excellent three point shooter who has the height and the skill to defend either on the perimeter or in the post. Mara Schrauben plays in the post, where she rebounds, defends and scores really well. She has great footwork that she uses to get open for shots and can hit the three point shot when she is open. Carly Scheurer is a strong perimeter defender who moves the ball well on offense. Ellayna Meredith puts the “e” in energy as she is an extremely sticky and determined perimeter defender who always finds ways to disrupt the opponent’s office.

Natalee Teachworth is an extremely athletic defender and leaper who plays excellent defense in the post and soars for blocked shots and rebounds. She is difficult to defend in the post when she goes for a putback or gets the ball from the perimeter. Rylee Scheurer is a tall, athletic player who defends really well either in the perimeter or in the post. Addison Scheurer provides an accurate three point shot and solid ball handling.

It is now time to start recording the events of this game through the somewhat clear eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league in the days of yore when he attempted to hoop. People would criticize the Bleacher Denizen’s ball handling, to be fair, the cannon balls we used to have to play with in the days of yore did not bounce as predictably as today’s basketballs do.

Cameron Damesworth sang the National Anthem and did a great job. He sang with confidence and his pitch was great!! I also liked that he did a traditional rendition. I always enjoy saluting a student performance well done. I’ve been a professional musician most of my adult life. Here is a song from my “Chuck Krafft” You Tube Channel!

Here is an original song where I do most of the singing (although the video pictures other things related to the Trinity.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5–h6fXMRnw

St. Patrick wins the opening tap. The Shamrocks miss a driving layup; Mara Schrauben pulls down the offensive rebound for St. Patrick. St. Patrick misses a layup. Carly Scheurer gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Katelyn Russell passes to Mara Schrauben, who hits a layup to give the Shamrocks the first two points of the game.

Christian misses a threeball from the top of the key. Mia Judd knocks the ball away from St. Patrick and Ellianna Gaines picks it up for Christian. Christian misses a three pointer from the side. Lydia Meredith passes to Katelyn Russell, who throws in a threeball from the side to give St. Patrick a 5-0 lead.

Christian misses a jumper off the dribble from the free throw line. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound hits the top basket support and goes out of bounds; Christian takes possession. Ellayna Meredith knocks the ball out of bounds; Christian retains possession. Audra Usiak passes to Ellianna Gaines, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws. With 6:04 to play in the first quarter, St. Patrick has a 5-1 lead.

Mia Judd knocks the ball away from St. Patrick and Lydia Brogan picks it up for Christian. Christian misses a jump shot from the free throw line. The rebound is tied up; the Possession Arrow polls its Facebook Friends and decides to award the ball to Christian. Lydia Meredith steals the ball and passes to Ellayna Meredith for a fast break layup. She is fouled on the play, but misses her free throw. With 5:25 to go in the first quarter, St. Patrick has a 7-1 lead.

Ellayna Meredith steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Grace Sullivan ties the ball up; most of the Possession Arrow’s Facebook Friends were watching kitty videos and missed the play; the ball is awarded to St. Patrick. Katelyn Russell inbounds the ball to Ellayna Meredith, who hits a layup for St. Patrick. Audra Usiak passes to Mia Judd, who hits an eight foot shot in the lane to trim the Shamrock lead to 9-3.

St. Patrick misses a twelve foot shot from the side. Katelyn Russell gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Ellianna Gaines ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow’s Facebook Friends decide to award the ball to Christian. Ellayna Meredith steals the ball from the Pilgrims. The Shamrocks miss a three point shot from the wing. Ellayna Meredith knocks the ball away from Christian; Lydia Meredith grabs it for St. Patrick and goes in for a fast break layup that gives St. Patrick an 11-3 lead.

Christian is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. Katelyn Russell passes to Lydia Meredith for a Shamrock layup. Christian misses an eight footer off the dribble in the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets the ball. St. Patrick misfires on a triple try from the corner. Christian misses a threeball from the wing. Ellianna Gaines hits a putback to trim the Shamrock lead to 13-5.

St. Patrick misses a sixteen foot shot from the side. Christian misses a fast break layup. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the corner; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Shamrocks get the ball back. St. Patrick misses a ten footer off the dribble in the lane. Christian throws a pass into the lane and out of bounds. Rylee Scheurer passes to Ellayna Meredith, who throws in a threeball from the corner to boost the Shamrock lead to 16-5.

Christian loses a pass out of bounds. Ellayna Meredith drives and dishes the ball to Lydia Meredith for a Shamrock layup. Audra Usiak drives and is fouled on a hook/layup. She hits one of her two free throws to trim the Shamrock lead to 18-6 with 45.5 seconds remaining in the quarter.

Rylee Scheurer passes to Natalee Teachworth, who hits a layup for St. Patrick. Addison Scheurer plays tough defense and causes a Christian traveling violation. Ellayna Meredith passes to Natalee Teachworth, who spins and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Christian has no time to shoot before the buzzer.

After one quarter, St. Patrick has a 22-6 lead.

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to start out the second quarter. Mia Judd knocks a pass out of bounds; the Shamrocks get the ball back. St. Patrick misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Ellayna Meredith steals the ball and is fouled on a fast break layup. She hits one of her two free throws to give the Shamrocks a 23-6 lead with 7:15 to play in the quarter.

Lydia Meredith steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Mia Judd knocks a St. Patrick pass out of bounds to prevent a layup; the ball goes back to the Shamrocks. Ellianna Gaines ties up the Shamrock inbound pass. The Possession Arrow’s Facebook Friends share the video and decide to give the ball to Christian. Christian misses a sixteen foot shot from the side. Ellianna Gaines steals the ball for Christian. Christian misses a fast break layup. Lydia Brogan gets the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a three point shot from the side.

St. Patrick misses an eighteen footer near the top of the key. Christian misses a three point shot from the corner. Grace Sullivan steals a Shamrock pass into the lane for Christian. Lydia Meredith steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for the Shamrocks. Christian misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Katelyn Russell hits a jump shot off the dribble to give St. Patrick a 27-6 lead.

Christian misses a driving layup. Addison Scheurer makes a long pass to Ellayna Meredith, who relays the ball to Lydia Meredith, who hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Audra Usiak passes to Ellianna Gaines, who makes a three point shot from the corner for Christian to trim the Shamrock lead to 29-9.

Natalie Teachworth dives to try to save an errant pass from becoming a turnover. About three Pilgrims dive a second later and the ball is tied up. The Possession Arrow declares that the ball shall belong to St. Patrick. St. Patrick misses a layup. Jamelyn Forist pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Ellianna Gaines blocks a Shamrock layup. St. Patrick gets the offensive rebound. Mara Schrauben is fouled on a three point shot; she hits one of her free throws to give St. Patrick a 30-9 lead with 3:05 to play in the first half.

Jamelyn Forist steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Katelyn Russell passes to Mara Schrauben, who uses some of her excellent footwork, spins and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Christian is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. Lydia Brogan knocks the ball out of bounds; St. Patrick retains possession. Audra Usiak steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a layup. Katelyn Russell passes to Natalee Teachworth, who hits a layup for the Shamrocks to boost their lead to 34-9.

Natalee Teachworth stands tall in the lane and forces a Christian traveling violation. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Hayley Fleischer gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Anna Mayer steals the ball for Christian. Lydia Meredith blocks a Pilgrim pass; the ball goes out of bounds and Christian gets another opportunity. Mia Judd throws in a threeball from the wing for Christian to cut the St. Patrick lead to 34-12.

St. Patrick misses a layup. Carly Scheurer knocks the ball away from Christian, but the Pilgrims recover. Christian throws a pass out of bounds. Mia Judd blocks a Shamrock layup. The ball goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets the ball back. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the corner at the buzzer.

At halftime, St. Patrick holds a 34-12 lead.

Ellianna Gaines has 6 points to lead the Christian scoring at halftime and Mia Judd has 5 points.

Lydia Meredith has 10 points to lead St. Patrick. Ellayna Meredith has 8 points. Natalee Teachworth has 6 points and Mara Schrauben has 5 points.

There is no halftime entertainment. As both schools are Christian schools, I’ll use this Christian Standard from my You Tube page as the entertainment!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaC7y-WhVEw

Christian has the ball to open the third quarter. The Pilgrims miss a threeball from the corner. Audra Usiak hits a putback for Christian. St. Patrick misses a ten foot shot from the baseline. Audra Usiak passes to Ellianna Gaines, who hits a three point shot from the corner for Christian to trim the Shamrock lead to 34-17.

St. Patrick misses a shot. Katelyn Russell steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Carly Scheurer forces a Pilgrim turnover. St. Patrick is whistled for a traveling violation. Audra Usiak dribbles through the Shamrock press and passes to Ellianna Gaines, who hits a three point shot from the corner to cut the Shamrock lead to 34-20.

Lydia Meredith hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Ellianna Gaines drives and hits a layup for Christian. Katelyn Russell inbounds the ball to Addison Scheurer, who hits a three point shot from the top of the key for the Shamrocks. Christian misses a driving layup. St. Patrick misses an eight foot banked shot from the side. Mia Judd takes the ball coast to coast for a Christian layup; St. Patrick leads 39-24.

Ellianna Gaines ties the ball up; the Possession Arrow’s Facebook Freezes up and the Possession Arrow has to make its own call. The ball is awarded to Christian. Christian misses a three point shot from the corner. Ellianna Gaines steals the ball for the Pilgrims; Christian misses a three point shot from the wing. St. Patrick reciprocates and misses a three point shot from the wing. Ellayna Meredith gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks and passes to Natalee Teachworth, who hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 41-24 lead.

Rylee Scheurer steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for the Shamrocks. Christian misses a driving six foot banked shot. St. Patrick misses a fast break layup. The rebound is tied up; the Possession Arrow still has no help, but is impressed with the Shamrocks’ hustle and awards the ball to St. Patrick. The Shamrocks commit an offensive foul. Addison Scheurer knocks the ball out of bounds; the Pilgrims retain possession. Audra Usiak drives and scoops in a six foot shot in the lane to trim the St. Patrick lead to 43-26.

Rylee Scheurer inbounds the ball to Natalee Teachworth, who is fouled on a ten foot shot in the lane. She hits one of her two free throws to give St. Patrick a 44-26 lead with 2:03 to play in the third quarter.

Rylee Scheurer knocks the ball away from St. Patrick; the Pilgrims are able to recover. Christian misses an eight foot shot in the lane. Mia Judd pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Christian misses a layup. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Addison Scheurer gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Rylee Scheurer passes to Natalee Teachworth to give the Shamrocks a 46-26 lead.

Christian misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Mia Judd hits a putback for the Pilgrims. St. Patrick is assessed with an offensive foul. Lydia Brogan drives in for a Pilgrim layup. She is fouled on the play and hits one of her two free throws to reduce the Shamrock lead to 46-31 with 27.7 seconds left in the corner. Lydia Meredith passes to Mara Schrauben, who scores a two point basket for St. Patrick. Mia Judd picks up a loose ball and hits a jumper from the free throw elbow for Christian at the buzzer.

After three quarters, St. Patrick holds a 48-33 lead.

Christian has the ball to begin the fourth quarter. Mara Schrauben steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a fast break layup. Lydia Meredith steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Lydia Meredith passes to Rylee Scheurer for a Shamrock layup. Christian misses a twelve foot jump shot. St. Patrick fouls on the rebound.

Ellayna Meredith knocks a Pilgrim pass out of bounds; Christian retains possession. Mara Schrauben knocks the ball away from Christian and Katelyn Russell picks it up for St. Patrick. Ellayna Meredith is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to give St. Patrick a 41-33 lead with 6:40 left on the clock.

Christian misses a driving layup. St. Patrick reciprocates and misses a driving layup. Ellayna Meredith knocks the ball out of bounds; Christian retains possession. Ellayna Meredith ties the ball up. The Possession Arrow is excited by her aggressive hustle and awards the ball to the Shamrocks. Katelyn Russell passes to Lydia Meredith for a Shamrock layup. Lydia Meredith steals the ball and hits a fast break spinning hook shot to boost the Shamrocks to a 55-33 lead.

Christian misses a layup. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. Lydia Meredith gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Mara Schrauben hits a layup for St. Patrick. Lydia Meredith steals the ball and hits a left handed fast break layup for the Shamrocks. With 3:39 to play, St. Patrick leads 59-33 and St. Patrick pulls some of its starters from the game.

Audra Usiak passes to Mia Judd, who hits a layup for Christian. St. Patrick loses a pass out of bounds. Christian misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Lydia Brogan knocks a Shamrock pass out of bounds; St. Patrick retains possession. The Shamrocks miss a layup. Jamelyn Forist gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Mara Schrauben hits a layup to boost the Shamrock lead to 61-35.

Christian misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Ellayna Meredith passes to Mara Schrauben, who hits an eight foot shot from the side of the lane for St. Patrick. Christian misses a three point shot from the corner. Rylee Scheurer passes to a Shamrock teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses both her free throws. Mia Judd drives and hits a layup for Christian. Mia Judd steals the ball and is fouled on a fast break layup. She makes one of her two free throws. With 1:26 left in the game, St. Patrick has a 63-38 lead.

Anna Mayer ties up the ball; the Possession Arrow loves her effort and awards the ball to Christian. Sophia Schrauben steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one opportunity. The rebound is tied up and St. Patrick gets the ball. St. Patrick misses a layup. Hannah Weller gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Sophie Hazelton steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Hannah Weller knocks the ball away from Christian; the Pilgrims recover. Christian is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. With 35.8 seconds to play, St. Patrick has a 63-38 lead.

Tori Sandborn steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Emma Cooper steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Christian is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. Sophia Schrauben drives and hits a hook/layup for the Shamrocks. Hannah Weller knocks the ball away from Christian and causes a tieup. There are only 1.9 seconds left. Christian is awarded the ball and misses a forty foot shot at the final buzzer.

St. Patrick wins 65-38 and will face the winner of the Fowler/Morrice game in the District Final Friday night.

Mia Judd led the Lansing Christian scoring with 16 points. Ellianna Gaines joined her teammate in double figures with 14 points. Audra Usiak scored 5 points and Lydia Brogan tallied 3 points.

Lydia Meredith led the St. Patrick scoring with 18 points. Mara Schrauben supported her teammate with 13 points. Natalee Teachworth chipped in with 11 points. Ellayna Meredith scored 9 points. Katelyn Russell added 5 points. Rylee Scheurer put in 4 points. Addison Scheurer had 3 points. Sophia Schrauben tallied 2 points.

Here is a link to the second game of tonight’s doubleheader; Fowler played Morrice.
https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2022/03/03/fowler-vs-morrice-mhsaa-girls-district-semifinal-the-bleacher-denizen-march-2-2022-by-chuck-krafft/