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Breakdown Tip Off Classic preview: Cambridge-Isanti vs. Wayzata

By Breakdown Staff, 11/30/11, 4:15PM CST

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3:00 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 3, Lindbergh Old Court

Preview


C-I's Natalie Larson

Game No. 3 on the “Old Court” is yet another game of two Claaa AAAA schools with state tournament aspirations. Wayzata is currently ranked No. 12 in our Breakdown polls, but due to section alignment, Cambridge-Isanti sits with a much greater chance of their state tournament dreams coming true. Both teams are led by a duo of seniors who will all be playing scholarship basketball at the next level next fall.

Cambridge-Isanti heralds from Section 7, where Anoka made an unbelievable Cinderella run into the state tournament field last season. It is a wide open section, but Cambridge is our pick this season. They are led by seniors Whitney Olson and Natalie Larson. Olson has already signed to play at Wayne State next fall, while Larson is still exploring her options and will be a late sign at the D1 or D2 level.

Wayzata comes into this game already riding high after a win last night against No. 3 ranked Bloomington Kennedy in dramatic overtime fashion. The Trojans are led by a duo of Division 1 bound seniors in Kayla Timmerman (Iowa) and Marissa Grossfeld (Illinois-Chicago). The road to the state tournament is little tougher here, as No. 1 ranked and defending state champion Hopkins stands in the way.

Key Players


Wayzata's Kayla Timmerman

Natalie Larson, Cambridge-Isanti vs.
Kayla Timmerman, Wayzata

This will be a great test for Larson, as Cambridge-Isanti does not play against Big Ten type talent very often. Both players are 6-foot-1+ and athletic and both do the majority of their scoring using their jump shots. Timmerman has the advantage here, as she is more polished and has an inch or two on Larson.

Prediction

Why Cambridge-Isanti will win:

  • Brynn Liljander is able to take some pressure off of Whitney Olson, by providing a huge scoring game from the guard position.
  • Larson is able to keep Timmerman in check both in the scoring department and by keeping her off the boards.

Why Wayzata will win:

  • Marissa Grossfeld, keeps her hot scoring streak going, after scoring 24 points at Kennedy. She gets a ton of shots in their offense, so if she gets going, she could have a huge game.
  • Katie Schulz will neutralize Whitney Olson, frustrate her, and force her into bad shots. Without Olson scoring a bunch, Cambridge doesn’t have much of a shot.

Our prediction: Wayzata

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