Vestaburg at Morrice – – Girls Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – December 1, 2021 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the Bleacher Denizen’s travels take him to Downtown Morrice where the Orioles will host the Wolverines from Vestaburg. This is the first game of Vestaburg’s season while Morrice owns a win over Perry already.

Vestaburg Coach Matthew Koutz was generous with his time and gave me some information about his Wolverine players.

Natalie Skowron is a good scorer who slashes to the basket well. Her athletic ability suits her well on her inside defense. Gwendalynn Koutz can play either guard position and is a good perimeter defender. She has an injury that may limit her time tonight. Kaitlyn Palmer is the starting point guard; she is a fine ball handler and a strong perimeter defender. Allison Wichert is an athletic guard who can help out at the point. She is a terrific on-ball defender and has a high motor.

Rebecca Bornman is a team captain and plays inside. She rebounds and defends well and can score inside or on mid-range jumpers. Felina Gondek is another strong on-ball defender. Kelsie Zinn is a versatile athlete who can defend every position.

Morrice Coach Doug Doerner provided me with this information about his Oriole players.

Lily Nowak is an absolute defensive demon on the perimeter. She has tremendous energy and can keep it up for the entire game. Makenzie Doerner has a great basketball IQ. She works hard and always knows where to be on defense and where to move the ball on offense. Kaylee McGowan plays in the post where she is an excellent rebounder.

Abi Beem is an athletic perimeter player who can swish shots from the three point line or slash effectively to the basket. Mallory Munro provides the Orioles with perimeter defense and midrange scoring. Aubrey Rogers is an athletic player who defends well either on the perimeter or inside. She handles the ball well and is a big threat when she slashes to the basket. Marlaina Ash works hard on defense and helps defend in the post.

Vestaburg jumped off to a 17-2 lead at halftime and rolled to a 33-13 win.

Kenzi Beem led the Morrice JVs with 9 points. Zora Persichini and Albri Larner each added 2 points.

Mickiah Allbee led the victorious Wolverine JV with 17 points. Sasha Page scored 4 points. Addison Neelis added 3 points. Lorelai Halgren, Ashlyn Mortenson and Brooklyn Kirby each tallied 2 points. The final 2 points were scored by a Morrice player who inadvertently scored in the Vestaburg basket.

It is now time to look at the events of this game through the (hopefully) observant eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball. People criticized his defensive mobility, but to be fair, few people had good movement, especially laterally, in the chain mail uniforms people wore back when the Bleacher Denizen had brown hair and attempted to hoop.

Vestaburg wins the opening tap. Makenzie Doerner dives and ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow likes her aggressive hustle and awards the ball to Morrice. Rebecca Bornman knocks pass out of bounds to prevent an Oriole layup. Natalie Skowron steals the ball for the Wolverines. Vestaburg misses a layup. Morrice blocks a Vestaburg putback. Aubrey Rogers drives and hits a layup to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead.

Vestaburg misses a ten footer from the side. Makenzie Doerner passes to Lily Nowak, who makes a layup for Morrice. Vestaburg loses the ball out of bounds. Natalie Skowron blocks a Morrice shot; the ball goes out of bounds and Morrice gets another opportunity. Kaitlyn Palmer steals the ball for Vestaburg. Aubrey Rogers returns the favor and steals the ball for Vestaburg. Morrice is fouled on a shot, but misses both free throws. With 5:26 to go in the first quarter, Morrice has a 4-0 lead.

Makenzie Doerner knocks the ball away from the Wolverines and Savannah Miles picks it up for the Orioles. Abi Beem passes to LIly Nowak for a Morrice layup. Makenzie Doerner steals the ball for the Orioles. Aubrey Rogers passes to Abi Beem, who swishes a three point shot to give the Orioles a 9-0 lead.

Lily Nowak steals the ball for Morrice. Natalie Skowron blocks a Morrice shot and goes coast to coast for a layup to score the first Vestaburg points. Abi Beem responds with a three point basket for Morrice. Vestaburg throws a pass out of bounds. Natalie Skowron knocks the ball away from Morrice and Gwendalynn Koutz picks it up for Morrice. Vestaburg misses a ten foot shot from the baseline. Natalie Skowron steals the ball for Vestaburg. Vestaburg misses a fast break layup. Felina Gondek gets an offensive rebound for the Wolverines. Makenzie Doerner steals a Vestaburg pass. Morrice misses a driving layup. Natalie Skowron hits a layup to trim the Oriole lead to 12-4.

Morrice loses the ball out of bounds against the Vestaburg press. Savannah Miles steals the ball for the Orioles. Kaitlyn Palmer steals the ball for the Wolverines. Lily Nowak forces Vestaburg to throw a pass out of bounds. Makenzie Doerner passes to Aubrey Rogers, who scores a fast break layup to push the Morrice lead to 14-4.

Abi Beem steals the ball for Morrice. The Orioles miss a fast break layup. Makenzie Doerner blocks a Wolverine shot. Gwendalynn Koutz steals the ball for Vestaburg. The Wolverines travel with the ball. (Basketball cliches can be interesting. I don’t suppose travelling without the ball is terribly newsworthy.) Morrice misses a ten foot shot from the side. Mallory Munro pulls down the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Morrice misses a shot. Marlaina Ash hits a putback to give Morrice a 16-4 lead.

Lily Nowak steals the ball for the Orioles. Morrice turns the ball over. Vestaburg misfires on a triple try from the corner. Morrice misses a ten foot shot from the baseline. Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Morrice misses a twenty-five foot heave at the buzzer.

After one quarter, Morrice holds a 16-4 lead.

Morrice has the ball to start the second quarter; the Orioles miss a layup. Aubrey Rogers steals the ball for Morrice. Morrice misses a fast break layup. Kaylee McGowan gets the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Morrice misses a layup. Aubrey Rogers knocks the ball out of bounds; Vestaburg retains possession. Marlaina Ash knocks the ball away from Vestaburg and Abi Beem grabs it for Morrice. Morrice is whistled for carrying the ball. Kaylee McGowan gets her hand on a pass; Vestaburg loses the ball out of bounds.

Allison Wichert steals the ball for Vestaburg. Vestaburg misses a layup. Kaitlyn Palmer gets the offensive rebound for the Wolverines. Vestaburg misses a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and Vestaburg retains possession. Vestaburg loses a pass out of bounds. Morrice misses a layup. Natalie Skowron hits a layup for Vestaburg. Natalie Skowron steals the ball and passes to Felina Gondek, who is fouled on a layup. Felina Gondek hits one of her two free throws to trim the Morrice lead to 16-7 with 5:11 remaining in the first half.

Natalie Skowron blocks a Morrice shot and goes coast to coast for a Vestaburg fast break layup. Natalie Skowron ties up the ball to prevent a Morrice layup. The Possession Arrow must have been distracted by a video game as it awards the ball back to Morrice. Morrice misses a threeball from the top of the key. Lily Nowak gets the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Morrice loses a pass out of bounds. Aubrey Rogers stands tough and draws a charging foul from the Wolverines.

Natalie Skowron blocks a Morrice layup. Felina Gondek knocks an Oriole pass out of bounds to prevent a layup. The Orioles get another opportunity. Allison Wichert steals the ball for the Wolverines. Savannah Miles steals the ball for the Orioles. Kaylee McGowan makes a banked hook shot to give Morrice its first points of the second quarter. The Orioles lead 18-9.

Makenzie Doerner steals the ball for Morrice. Morrice misses a six footer in the lane. Makenzie Doerner gets the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Morrice is fouled on a layup, but misses its free throws. With 2:46 to play in the second quarter, the Oriole lead remains at 18-9.

Makenzie Doerner knocks the ball away from Vestaburg and Aubrey Rogers grabs it for Morrice. MOrrice misses a three pointer from the wing. Vestaburg throws and outlet pass too long and out of bounds. Felina Gondek steals the ball for Vestaburg. Vestaburg misses a layup and two putbacks. Kaitlyn Palmer pulls down an offensive rebound. Natalie Skowron is fouled on a shot and hits two free throws to close the Morrice lead to 18-11 with 1:35 remaining in the half.

Morrice misses a three point shot from the corner. Sydney Wyzga gets the offensive rebound for Morrice. Makenzie Doerner is fouled and makes two free throws for Morrice. Vestaburg misses a driving reverse layup. Morrice travels while making a spin move. Mallory Munro steals the ball for the Orioles. There is not enough time for Morrice to get a shot before the halftime buzzer.

At halftime, Morrice has a 20-11 lead.

Natalie Skowron has 10 points to lead Vestaburg.

Abi Beem has 6 points for Morrice and Aubrey Rogers has 4 points.

Vestaburg has the ball to open the second half. The Wolverines miss a layup. Allison Wichert gets the offensive rebound for Vestaburg. Savannah Miles steals the ball for Morrice. Allison Wichert steals the ball for Vestaburg. (The Bleacher Denizen wonders about all the stealing going on tonight. Should we be calling the police? The mind ponders and boggles!!) Morrice misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Abi Been blocks a Vestaburg fast break layup. Savannah Miles passes to Aubrey Rogers, who is fouled on a layup. Aubrey Rogers makes one of her two free throws to extend the Oriole lead to 21-11 with 6:47 to play in the third quarter.

Vestaburg misses a six footer from the side of the lane. Morrice misses a three point shot from the wing. Natalie Skowron blocks an Oriole putback. The ball goes out and Morrice has another chance. The Oriole miss a threeball from the corner. Vestaburg fouls on the rebound. Morrice misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Vestaburg takes possession.

Vestaburg misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Morrice misses a three point shot from the wing. Makenzie Doerner gets back quick to give a foul to prevent an easy Wolverine layup. Allison Wichert hits one of her two free throws to shave the Morrice lead to 21-12 with 5:23 remaining in the third quarter.

Morrice misses a three pointer from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Vestaburg misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Kaylee McGowan hits a putback for Morrice. Kaylee McGowan steals the ball for Morrice. Morrice misses a layup. Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the side. Aubrey Rogers passes to Mallory Munro, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws to lift the Morrice lead to 24-12 with 3:13 left in the third quarter.

Kaylee McGowan gets the offensive rebound for Morrice. Morrice misses a layup. Lily Nowak steals the ball and hits a layup for Morrice. Lily Nowak steals the ball for Morrice again as she seems intent on starting her own personal crime wave!! Morrice is whistled for a travelling violation.

Kaylee McGowan knocks the ball away from Vestaburg and Makenzie Doerner picks it up for Morrice. The Orioles miss a three point shot from the wing. Abi Beem knocks a Vestaburg pass out of bounds, but the Wolverines retain possession. Lily Nowak steals the ball again for Morrice. Morrice misses a layup. Lily Nowak steals the ball yet again! Abi Beem throws in a threeball from the wing to give Morrice a 29-12 lead.

Vestaburg misses an eight foot shot from the baseline. Gwendalynn Koutz ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow coldly ignores her great hustle and awards the ball to Morrice. Aubrey Rogers is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws. With 50.9 seconds left in the third quarter, the Morrice lead is at 30-12.

Vestaburg misses an eight foot shot from the baseline. Makenzie Doerner passes to Marlaina Ash, who hits a sixteen foot jumper for the Orioles. Aubrey Rogers nearly steals the ball, but her momentum causes her to lose it out of bounds. Kaitlyn Palmer inbounds the ball to Rebecca Bornman, who hits a ten foot shot from the side of the lane as the third quarter buzzer sounds.

With three quarters in the books, Morrice has a 32-14 lead.

Vestaburg inbounds the ball and the fourth quarter is underway. Vestaburg misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Morrice misses a layup. Vestaburg misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Morrice misses a driving, scooping layup. Lily Nowak gets back really quickly to foil a Wolverine fast break. She knocks the ball out of bounds; the Wolverines keep possession. Rebecca Bornman hits a layup to shave the Morrice lead to 32-16.

Morrice misses a driving layup; Aubrey Rogers gets the offensive rebound. Morrice is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. Rebecca Bornman passes to Kelsie Zinn, who hits a ten foot shot from the baseline for Vestaburg. Morrice misses a layup and a putback. Vestaburg misses an eighteen footer from the baseline. Vestaburg gets the offensive rebound. Abi Beem knocks a Vestaburg pass out of bounds; the Wolverines retain possession. Kaitlyn Palmer passes to Rebecca Bornman, who hits a six footer in the lane to reduce the Morrice lead to 32-20.

Morrice throws a pass out of bounds. Allison Wichert passes to Rebecca Bornman, who hits a jump shot from the free throw line. Vestaburg has scored the last eight points to chop the Morrice lead to 32-22.

Aubrey Rogers is fouled on a five foot spinning banked shot. She makes one of her two free throws to stop the Vestaburg run. Abi Beem knocks the ball away from Vestaburg and Lily Nowak grabs it for Morrice. Morrice misses a six foot shot. Vestaburg is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. With 4:08 remaining in the game, Morrice has a 33-22 lead.

The rebound is tied up and the Possession Arrow awards the ball to Morrice. Allison Wichert blocks a Morrice shot. Morrice retrieves the loose ball and is fouled on a layup, but misses both free throws. Lily Nowak knocks the ball out of bounds; Vestaburg retains possession. Vestaburg misses a layup. Rebecca Bornman gets the offensive rebound for the Wolverines. Vestaburg misses a layup. The rebound is tied up; this time, the Possession Arrow, after some research, awards the ball to Vestaburg.

Vestaburg loses a pass out of bounds. Morrice misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline. Vestaburg misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Rebecca Bornman gets the offensive rebound for the Wolverines. Vestaburg misses a fifteen foot shot from the wing. Abi Beem passes to a teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses her free throws. With 2:25 remaining on the clock, the Morrice lead remains at 33-22.

Aubrey Rogers pulls down the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Morrice misses a layup. Lily Nowak gets the offensive rebound for Morrice. Morrice is fouled on a layup and misses two more free throws. Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the corner. Kelsie Zinn is fouled on the rebound and hits one of her two free throws to trim the Morrice lead to 33-23 with 1:59 left on the clock.

Makenzie Doerner drives and dishes the ball to Aubrey Rogers; she is fouled and makes her free throw. Allison Wichert is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws for Vestaburg. With 1:32 to play, the Morrice lead is at 36-24.

Aubrey Rogers passes to Abi Beem for an Oriole fast break layup. Abi Beem ties up the ball; the Possession Arrow was paying attention this time and awards the all to Morrice. Morrice misses a driving layup. Vestaburg misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Ashlyn Mortensen gets the offensive rebound for the Wolverines. Vestaburg is fouled, but misses two free throws. Allison Wichert gets the offensive rebound for Vestaburg. The Wolverines miss a twelve footer from the side of the lane. Morrice misses a layup. Vestaburg misses a threeball from the side at the buzzer.

Morrice wins the game 38-24.

Natalie Skowron led the Vestaburg scoring with 10 points. Rebecca Bornman contributed 8 points. Kelsie Zinn added 3 points. Allison Wichert put in 2 points and Felina Gondek tallied 1 point.

For the victorious Orioles, Abi Beem led the scoring with 11 points. Aubrey Rogers supported her with 9 points and 10 rebounds. Lily Nowak added 6 points and also contributed 10 steals. Marlaina Ash and Kaylee McGowan each scored 4 points. Mallory Munro and Makenzie Doerner each had 2 points. Makenzie Doerner also had a lot of fine defensive plays and some great passes.