Clara Glad drives the lane around defender Malayna Dille-Starks. Glad and teammate Alli Born both scored 12 points leading the Royals to a 58-42 win over Northwest Suburban Conference foe Robbinsdale Armstrong. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine
The Rogers girls basketball team is having a season they never could have imagined.
Last season, the Royals finished with a 10-10 record and an exit in the second round of the Class 4A, Section 8 playoffs. But because of a few different factors, Rogers has taken a massive leap in 2021-22.
With a 58-42 win at Robbinsdale Armstrong on Feb. 25, Rogers finished the regular season with a 24-2 record. To top it off, the Royals closed out the regular season on a 21-game winning streak and were ranked ninth in Class 4A.
Photo Gallery: Rogers vs Robbinsdale Armstrong
When asked how the team managed to take a major step in the right direction, head coach Karlee Anderson slowly laughed and responded “I don’t know,” but it didn’t take long for Anderson to find an answer.
“I just expect a lot out of them in our practices but we have fun together. I think when they play a little more loose and know they are having fun playing basketball, then baskets just fall,” Anderson said. “I don’t know if it’s the seniors saying ‘This is it, this is my last year and I’m going to step in and step up.’ I like to think that.”
The loose energy almost proved to be costly against the Falcons Feb. 25. Rogers held the lead throughout the majority of the game, but the Royals were never comfortable. They struggled to find a rhythm offensively, as leading scorer and senior guard Ellie Buzzelle finished with only eight points, 13 less than her points-per-game average this season. Robbinsdale Armstrong also forced the Royals into poor passes throughout the game.
While it might have been frustrating that one of their leaders was not as successful scoring the basketball, Anderson thinks this team can be successful in the postseason because of all the other players who contributed. Rogers was fairly balanced offensively against Robbinsdale Armstrong with five players scoring at least seven points.
“That’s the thing with our team. If someone’s down, we’ve got someone else. We are dangerous in that sense where if someone isn’t scoring, we’ve got other weapons who can step in,” Anderson said.
Despite the immense accomplishment of finishing the season with 21 consecutive wins, Rogers is not settled yet. Anderson originally wanted to use the final game as a way to tighten things up before the section playoffs.
“We’ve got to have three solid practices now. We have to tune up some little things and prepare for the team we will be playing,” Anderson said.
Rogers' Alli Born (25) eyes up her shot before sinking a three-pointer in the first half. The Royals win over the Falcons on Friday night puts their winning streak at 21 games. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine
First Report
It wasn’t what head coach Karlee Anderson might have expected, but Rogers still pulled out a 58-42 victory at Robbinsdale Armstrong Feb. 25.
The Royals were carrying a 20-game winning streak into the matchup while the Falcons were at a losing record. The play on the court, however, was close between the teams, as Savannah McGowan and Karlee Fisher kept Robbinsdale Armstrong within striking distance.
Rogers had been led throughout the season by senior guard and leading scorer Ellie Buzzelle, but the Falcons were able to neutralize Buzzelle on offense. Buzzelle’s first points did not come until midway through the second half, and she finished with eight points.
The Royals relied on many other players to step up to secure the win. Guards Clara Glad and Allison Born led Rogers with 12 points each. Rogers pulled away from Robbinsdale Armstrong in the first half thanks to junior forward Payton Daun coming off the bench and scoring seven points to close out the first half.
The Falcons hung around in the second half after Fisher drained two three-pointers to cut Rogers’ lead to six. Robbinsdale Armstrong was never able to overcome the deficit. Fisher finished with 12 points, while McGowan led all scorers with 20.
Rogers ends the regular season with a 24-2 record and a 21-game winning streak. Robbinsdale Armstrong finishes at 11-15. Both will now wait to see who they will face in the section playoffs.
Savannah McGowan (52) reaches for a rebound under the arms of Katelyn Maciej (31). McGowan led all scoring with 20 points. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine
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