Pewamo-Westphalia at Portland St. Patrick – – CMAC Girls’ Basketball Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – December 16, 2025 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the BleacherDenizenMobile is pointed at Portland Junior High, where the Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick will host Pewamo-Westphalia in a contest between two of the top girls’ basketball teams in the CMAC. Both these teams enter the game undefeated with a 2-0 record.

I had a busy day today as I played for seniors at a home in Bath today. (Here is one of the songs I played! O Tannenbaum sung in German) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=443EYOrZw0w

After that, I came to Grand Barber Shop in Portland to get a haircut and stopped by Olivera’s for their fantastic salmon salad.

Here’s another one from my You Tube Christmas playlist, “Snoopy’s Christmas” from the late 1960s!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1pZCnDBHL0

When I got to Portland Junior High to cover the game, it was time to talk to the coaches to learn some more about their teams.

Coach Michelle Smith from St. Patrick gave me this information about her six full time varsity players. (Four JVs play “fifth quarter” to make sure the Shamrocks have bench players when needed.)

Grace Rockey is a junior in her fourth year of starting for the Shamrocks because she was needed and able to contribute a lot as an eighth grader. Now she is strong at every facet of the game. She is tall and athletic, so she is formidable rebounder and defender in the post. She is also fast, quick and very well coordinated, so she is a formidable perimeter defender as well. On offense, she has excellent ball handling and passing skills. She is able to score in the post, slash to the basket and hit three point shots as well.

Mattie Honsowitz is a tough post player with a great grasp of basketball fundamentals. She is a fine rebounder and defender near the basket. She has great hands, so she can catch entry passes in the post. Once she gets the ball, she uses great footwork to free herself for close-in and midrange shots that she hits with regularity.

Macie Smith is a versatile defender who can cover opponents in the post or on the perimeter. She seeks the floor well and is a good passer. She also rebounds well and can score on slashes to the basket. Lily Sandborn is a senior leader who runs the point for the Shamrocks. She is a determined perimeter defender and a fine ball handler and passer. She also can score on slashes to the basket.

Marian Davlin plays inside. She is a tough post defender and rebounder who communicates well with her teammates on defense. She scores on putbacks and other shots in the post. Macie Leonard is a freshman who has strong guard skills. She is a solid perimeter defender with a good basketball IQ who handles the ball well, passes well and is a threat from the three point line.

Pewamo-Westphalia Coach Steve Eklund shared this information about his Pirate players.

Elly Bengel is a senior four year starter who has a great three point shot. She is also a fine perimeter defender and ball handler. Adrianna Eklund is a tall versatile defender who can stop people in the post or defend them effectively on the perimeter. She handles the ball well and is a fine shooter from the three point line.

Alonna Thelen is a fine perimeter defender who slashes to the basket well and can shoot the three point shot. Renell Eklund is an excellent post defender and rebounder. She passes well from the post to open teammates. Brenna Thelen is a tough perimeter defender who handles the ball well and gives the Pirates another threat from the three point line. Peyton Eklund is another excellent three point shooter.

I was able to see the JV game. The Pirates got off to an 11-0 lead after one quarter and controlled things the rest of the game on their was to a 40-17 win.

Jordyn Lansdell and Maci Morris led the Shamrock JVs with 4 points each. Alice Newman added 3 points. Morgan Krieger, Vivan Rockey and Joanna Dugan each tallied 2 points.

Sidney Thelen led the Pirate JVs with 12 points. Lauren Nurenberg joined her teammate in double figures with 10 points. Adelyn Thelen and Lyla Pohl each put in 4 points. Dakota Trierweiler and Julia Paxton each tossed in 3 points. Miley Thelen and Joslyn Smith each scored 2 points.

It is now time to look at this game through the occasionally clear lenses of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league. When your Bleacher Denizen realized that the good players could not shoot or handle the ball any better than him when the basketballs were deflated, he started deflating them before practices in an attempt to earn more playing time. When the coach caught him doing this, the Bleacher Denizen’s playing time deflated faster than the basketballs. Life can be cruel – – –

St. Patrick wins the opening tap. The Shamrocks miss a layup. Mattie Honsowitz steals a Pirate pass. St. Patrick misfires on a triple try from the side. Brenna Thelen passes to Elly Bengel, who hits a threeball from the wing to give P-W the first three points of the game. Grace Rockey is fouled on a driving banked hook shot and hits two free throws to trim the Pirate lead to 3-2 with 6:42 remaining in the opening quarter.

P-W misses a threeball from the wing. Adrianna Eklund is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws for the Pirates. The Shamrocks are whistled for a traveling violation. P-W misses a ten footer from the side of the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Shamrocks take possession. Renell Eklund and Adrianna Eklund double team a Shamrock player and force a tieup. The Possession Arrow is shoveling last weekend’s snow but is able to see the play and decrees that the Pirates shall have the ball.

Macie Smith steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Renell Eklund blocks a St. Patrick hook shot. P-W misses a fast break layup. Macie Smith is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to trim the P-W lead to 4-3 with 4:32 to play in the first quarter.

Mattie Honsowitz pulls down the offensive rebound for St. Patrick. St. Patrick misses a layup. Adrianna Eklund fires in a threeball from the wing for the Pirates. St. Patrick misses a driving layup. Grace Rockey pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Marian Davlin steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick throws a pass out of bounds.

P-W misses a three point shot from the side. Trinity Pohl knocks the ball away from St. Patrick, but the Shamrocks are able to recover. Grace Rockey drives, spins and hits a six foot banked hook shot for St. Patrick. P-W misses a threeball from the side. Macie Leonard drives and hits a reverse layup for St. Patrick to tie the game at 7-7.

Elly Bengel passes to Alonna Thelen, who hits a layup to give the lead back to P-W. St. Patrick misses a jump shot. The rebound goes out of bounds and P-W takes possession. P-W misfires on a triple try from the side. St. Patrick misses a layup. Alonna Thelen hits a fast break layup and is fouled. She hits her free throw and Pewamo-Westphalia has a 12-7 lead with 15.1 seconds remaining in the quarter.

St. Patrick misses a threeball from the side. Marian Davlin gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup just before the first quarter buzzer decides to arise, blare and end the opening quarter.

After one quarter, Pewamo-Westphalia has a 12-7 lead.

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to start out the second quarter. Adrianna Eklund steals the ball for the Pirates. P-W misses a fast break layup. Elly Bengel blocks a Shamrock six foot shot in the lane; the loose ball goes out of bounds and P-W takes possession. The Pirates miss a threeball from the corner. Alonna Thelen grabs the offensive rebound for P-W. Elly Bengel passes to Adrianna Eklund, who hits a three point shot from the corner to boost the P-W lead to 15-7.

St. Patrick is whistled for a double dribble violation. P-W misses a three pointer from the side. Elly Bengel grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Lily Sandborn taps the ball away from P-W and causes a tieup. The Possession Arrow is chipping slush from its driveway and misses the play; the ball is awarded to P-W. Elly Bengel tosses the ball to Peyton Eklund, who hits a three point shot from the wing to extend the Pirate lead to 18-7.

St. Patrick misses a driving layup. P-W loses its outlet pass out of bounds. Elly Bengel blocks a Shamrock shot; St. Patrick recovers the loose ball. Elyse Thelen steals the ball for the Pirates. Grace Rockey steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Elly Bengel’s fierce defense causes St. Patrick to miss a layup. Alonna Thelen is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws to give P-W a 19-7 lead with 3:25 remaining in the half.

The P-W press forces St. Patrick to throw the ball out of bounds. P-W misses a threeball from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick takes possession. Renell Eklund blocks a Shamrock layup. The loose ball goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets another opportunity. Peyton Eklund plays tough defense to force a Shamrock traveling violation. Grace Rockey knocks the ball away from P-W and Mattie Honsowitz picks it up for St. Patrick.

St. Patrick misses a layup. P-W misses a driving layup. Renell Eklund gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W misses a layup. Elyse Thelen pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Adrianna Eklund hits a fifteen foot shot from the side for P-W. Jordyn Lansdell drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick to cut the Pirate lead to 21-9.

P-W missed a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick takes possession. Adrianna Eklund steals the ball and is fouled on a fast break layup. She hits two free throws to push the Pirates to a 23-9 lead with 1:07 remaining in the half.

St. Patrick gets called for traveling. Adrianna Eklund passes to Elly Bengel, who hits a three point shot from the wing for the Pirates. Elyse Thelen steals the ball and passes to Alonna Thelen for a Pirate layup. Marian Davlin is fouled and hits one of her two free throws for St. Patrick. With 13.2 seconds remaining in the half, P-W has a 28-10 lead.

P-W throws a pass out of bounds with just 2.9 seconds to go. St. Patrick misses a heave at the buzzer. (Actually, to be accurate, the ball was probably actually aimed at the basket.)

At halftime, Pewamo-Westphalia has a 28-10 lead.

Grace Rockey has 4 points to lead the St. Patrick scoring at halftime.

Adrianna Eklund has 11 points for Pewamo-Westphalia. Alonna Thelen has 8 points and Elly Bengel has 6 points.

While we wait for the teams to resume play, I hope you will enjoy a couple videos from my You Tube Channel.

“Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” describes a tragic incident that changed the life of Grandma and her loved ones forever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oACFZptPUZs

For those of you who would like to know “The Rest of the Story” (as Paul Harvey would put it), here is my original song “Grandpa Did It” which exposes the sad underside of Grandpa’s dealings in this tragic situation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp3FW5dhL3E

It is time to get back to basketball and St. Patrick inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. Elly Bengel attacks a Shamrock dribbler and knocks the ball out of bounds; P-W takes possession. The Pirates throw a pass out of bounds. The Shamrocks reciprocate and throw a pass out of bounds. The Pirates misfire on a threeball from the side. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow takes a moment from trying to start the snow blower and awards the ball to P-W.

P-W drives into the lane, but loses the ball out of bounds. Elly Bengel steals the ball for the Pirates. P-W is fouled on a layup, but misses both free throws. St. Patrick misses an eight foot shot from the side. P-W misses a three point shot from the wing. The Bleacher Denizen misses seeing the ball go into the basket. Lily Sandborn drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Alonna Thelen drives and hits a six foot banked shot for the Pirates. She is fouled on the play, but misses her free throw. With 5:11 to play in quarter number three, P-W holds a 30-12 lead.

St. Patrick misses an eight foot shot from the side. Mattie Honsowitz blocks a Pirate layup. P-W retrieves the loose ball, but misses a three pointer from the wing. St. Patrick misses a driving reverse layup. Mattie Honsowitz knocks a Pirate pass out of bounds; P-W retains possession. The Pirates miss a three point shot from the wing. Macie Leonard passes to Mattie Honsowitz, who hits a layup. The P-W lead is at 30-14.

P-W misses a three pointer from the side. Elly Bengel pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W misses a three point shot from the wing. Adrianna Eklund grabs the long offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W misses a threeball from the top of the key and St. Patrick fouls on the rebound. Macie Leonard knocks a Pirate pass out of bounds; P-W retains possession. Grace Rockey steals the ball for the Shamrocks.

St. Patrick misfires on a triple try from the wing and fouls on the rebound. P-W is whistled for an offensive foul. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. Macie Leonard gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. P-W steals the ball. P-W misses a three point shot from the wing. Brenna Thelen gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Marian Davlin gets her hand on the ball, but the Pirates are able to recover. Elly Bengel passes to Alonna Thelen, who is cutting to the basket and hits a layup to give P-W a 32-14 lead.

Grace Rockey is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws for the Shamrocks. P-W misses a ten foot shot off the dribble in the lane as the attention-seeking buzzer sounds off to end quarter number three.

With three quarters in the books, Pewamo-Westphalia has a 32-15 lead.

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to open the final quarter. Mattie Honsowitz passes to Grace Rockey, who is fouled on a layup and hits her free throw to cut the P-W lead to 32-18 with 7:55 left in the game.

P-W misses a threeball from the side. Elly Bengel snags the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Elly Bengel passes to Adrianna Eklund, who hits a three point shot from the side for the Pirates. The P-W press forces a St. Patrick traveling violation.

P-W misses a three pointer from the corner. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets the ball. Adrianna Eklund gets her hand on a pass and the Shamrocks lose the ball out of bounds. Lily Sandborn knocks the ball away from P-W and Marian Davlin picks it up for St. Patrick. Grace Rockey passes to Marian Davlin, who is fouled as she shoots a layup. She hits two free throws. With 5:21 left on the clock, the P-W lead is at 35-20.

Elly Bengel drives and hits a layup for P-W. Elyse Thelen knocks the ball away from St. Patrick; Elly Bengel picks the ball up and hits a fast break layup for the Pirates. Elly Bengel steals the ball for the Pirates, but her momentum makes her travel. Renell Eklund blocks a Shamrock ten foot shot in the lane. St. Patrick recovers the ball and is fouled on a layup. The Shamrocks miss two free throws. Macie Leonard gets the long offensive rebound for the Shamrocks and passes to Mattie Honsowitz, who is fouled on a layup. Mattie Honsowitz hits one of her two free throws and the P-W lead is at 39-21 with 3:59 to play.

Alivia Miller passes to Adrianna Eklund, who drives and hits a layup for P-W. Alivia Miller blocks a Shamrock layup. The loose ball goes out of bounds and P-W takes possession. Alonna Thelen is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to boost P-W to a 43-21 lead with 2:57 remaining.

St. Patrick is fouled, but misses two free throws. P-W misses a driving reverse layup. Peyton Eklund steals the ball for P-W. The Pirates misfire on a threeball from the corner. Adelyn Thelen steals the ball for P-W. The Pirates miss a driving layup. St. Patrick is called for traveling. P-W misses a jump shot from the free throw elbow. St. Patrick drives and dishes a pass out of bounds. Alivia Miller passes to Adelyn Thelen, who hits a ten foot shot from the side of the lane just before the final buzzer puts an end to things.

Pewamo-Westphalia wins this game by the score of 45-21.

Grace Rockey led the St. Patrick scoring with 8 points. Marian Davlin and Mattie Honsowitz each scored 3 points. Lily Sandborn, Jordyn Lansdell and Macie Leonard each had 2 points. Macie Smith tallied 1 point.

Adrianna Eklund led the Pewamo-Westphalia scoring with 16 points. Alonna Thelen chipped in with 14 points. Elly Bengel joined her teammates in double figures with 10 points. Peyton Eklund put in 3 points and Adelyn Thelen added 2 points.