Waconia Wins 1, Drops 1 in Fall League Opener

     The Breakdown Fall League is always a sure sign that the season is nearly upon us. The residual impact of the Cats summer season was evident as league play began on Sunday for many of the players looked like they were not too far away from mid-season form.

     There were unusual circumstances in the first game vs. Bloomington Jefferson as one of the baskets was unable to drop completely so the teams played half of each half shooting at a 10'8" rim with the backboard at an angle. There is no doubt both teams had their struggles dealing with this bizarre situation, but the Cats were able to overcome and earn a 19-15 win.

     Jefferson dominated the glass for the first 18 minutes but Waconia was still able to maintain a 10-8 lead at intermission. It was the Wildcats who would dominate the boards in the 2nd half but they were not able to pull away from Jefferson. Two Steph Dressen free throws put the Cats ahead 15-14 with 5 minutes to play. A Sarah Christians turnaround shot in the paint made the margin 3 with 1:54 left and Miranda Schultz buried two free throws to ice the game in the final minute.

     Dressen led the rebounding parade with 6. Schultz, Nicole Dressen, and Madeline Dammann each grabbed four rebounds.

     The Esko Eskimos and their 6'8" center Savanah Trapp proved a "tall" order for Waconia in the 2nd game. Despite the obvious pun, it was actually the Esko guards that gave the Wildcats the most trouble. Penetration by point guards and lights out 3 point shooting propelled Esko to a 26-5 halftime lead. Waconia would play much better in the 2nd half but the final score was 46-19 in favor of Esko. 

     Waconia would actually finish the game with more rebounds than their much taller opponents. The Cats collected 26 rebounds to the Eskimos 15. Poor shooting and 15 turnovers made it hard for Waconia to keep up with the hot shooting Esko squad.

     The Cats JV dropped 2 games on the first Sunday of action. In their first game they fell to Farmington 18-12 then in game two they lost to conference rival Orono 32-21.

     Next week the JV faces Eagan at 4:20 and Jefferson at 5:05. The Varsity tussles with Stillwater at 2:40 and St. Peter at 3:25.