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St. Michael-Albertville buries White Bear Lake to capture the St. Michael-Albertville tourney title

By Ricky Campbell, SportsEngine, 12/29/16, 5:45PM CST

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Rae Johnson led the way with 13 points in the Knights' 57-38 win over the Bears.


Rae Johnson (4) led the Knights with 13 points in St. Michael-Albertville's decisive 57-38 win over White Bear Lake on Thursday night. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

St. Michael-Albertville's Rae Johnson knows how to get to the free-throw line.

The senior guard is so adept at it, in fact, that she scored 11 of her team-leading 13 points from the stripe Thursday night, as the Knights cruised past White Bear Lake 57-38 in the championship game of the St. Michael-Albertville Tournament.

Johnson, listed at 5-foot-8 and headed to Iowa State in the fall, kept driving the lane, putting up shots that just wouldn’t fall. But nearly every time she drove, she caught a Bears defender slapping her wrist or finding more skin than rubber ball. Johnson was 11 for 15 from the line, and that’s what makes her one of the toughest players to defend, Knights coach Kent Hamre said.

“With Rae, she always has the green light. Tonight, it just wasn’t falling for her. Getting to the free-throw line is key then,” he added. 

Both Hamre and White Bear Lake coach Jeremy Post said rosters consisting of younger players had an affect on the rematch from last year’s Class 4A state quarterfinals, when the unseeded Bears toppled a No. 2-seeded Knights team.

The first half of Thursday's game was a constant back-and-forth battle for possession and capitalizing on turnovers, while the second was called “sluggish” by Hamre.

“We responded with toughness in the second half,” Post said. “We just dug ourselves into a hole and swimming upstream the rest of the game.

“We’re young and inexperienced and our timing wasn’t good, because of what they were doing,” he added. 

Jordan Ferrand, a 6-2 junior center, led the Bears with 12 points, including two baskets from behind the arc. The team's remaining 26 points were spread around, with Courtney Crouch tallying seven and Alexa Molin and Ella Janicki both with five.

St. Michael-Albertville’s Makenzie Kramer, a freshman guard, shook things up, too, finishing the night with 11 points. Eighth-grader Kendall Cox finished with nine points, including a three-pointer.

“We wanted a little bit more transition and attacking the basket,” Hamre said. “We weren’t opening up by hitting any outside shots. It was a little lethargic at points, and that’s what it was.”

But even when Johnson couldn’t sink those shots her coach said she “usually” doesn’t have trouble with, she made the White Bear defense pay. 

Asked what she saw in the St. Michael-Albertville offense, Johnson said, “The lane was open, so I took it. 

“We moved the ball pretty well. If I get an open shot, I take it. My teammates help out pretty well,” she said.

Besides two lopsided losses at the Tip Off Classic in Hopkins earlier this year, the Knights have dominated their opponents this season and entered the championship of its home tournament holding a 448-390 edge in scoring through seven games – with all but one win being by double digits. 

Thursday’s game added a bigger spread to that total.

And the memories from last year’s White Bear Lake upset haven’t been forgotten. The Knights are going to keep pushing to be better – and Johnson is still going to be driving the lane.

“We’re always aiming for better,” she said. “We want to get to the sectional finals and get to the state championship. That’s obviously our goal.”


Lizzy Heil (5) drives the ball up court for the Knights. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

First Report

It was a home tournament and St. Michael-Albertville wanted to win.

After heading into Thursday’s championship game of the St. Michael-Albertville varsity girls basketball tournament by squeezing out a five-point victory over Maple Grove the night before, the Knights wanted to come out on top – and they did, defeating White Bear Lake 57-38.

In a rematch from last year’s Class 4A state quarterfinals, St. Michael-Albertville senior and Iowa State commit Rae Johnson led the Knights with 13 points. Eleven of those were from the free-throw line.

Makenzie Kramer, a freshman guard, made a splash too, finishing with 11 points. 

St. Michael-Albertville coach Kent Hamre said the second half was “sluggish,” with both teams struggling to make any impact. The Knights, however, kept piling on the baskets and escaped with the tournament title.

St. Michael-Albertville (6-2) heads into conference play next week, facing against Big Lake.

White Bear Lake (6-4, 2-0) played a physical game, matching the intensity of St. Michael-Albertville, but the Bears couldn’t create the offense opportunities. White Bear Lake coach Jeremy Post said his young team lost the game in the paint, especially on the defensive end. 

Jordan Ferrand, a 6-foot-2 junior center, led the Bears with 12 points, including two shots from behind the arc.



Junior Jordan Ferrand (30) blocks out freshman Vanessa Alexander (45). Ferrand led White Bear Lake with 12 points. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

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