From the get-go on Tuesday, Lakeville South made life difficult for the Irish with a full-court press.  

“Their press is tough,” Rosemount coach Chris Orr said. “Not a lot of teams do that for 36 minutes. We had some good looks early but did not knock them down.” 

Eventually, the Irish found their footing and battled to a 21-21 tie at the half while also slowing down Lakeville South. 

“Our goal was to handle that press,” Orr said. “We also wanted to make them play in the half-court. They do well in transition.” 

The early minutes of the second half saw the teams trade baskets until Lakeville South finally broke through and went on a 10-0 run to grab a 7-point lead, the Cougars’ largest of the night. Senior Whitley Ronn propelled that run with eight second-half points and 10 for the game.  

Following that run, Orr took timeout as the Irish looked to regroup. 

“I told the girls there was a lot of game left and it was going to start on the defensive end,” Orr said. 

That timeout was the start of the emergence of Ang. From that timeout, Rosemount went on a 23-5 run to end the game. Fourteen of those points came from the freshman as she knocked down five shots in that stretch, including 4 three-pointers.  

“After I hit the first one, I just kept shooting,” Ang said. “Then, I just kept hitting more threes. Once I make one, they keep coming.” 

The big second half is part of an uptick in her scoring. She has averaged 14 points per game in her last three games. Prior to that, she averaged just under four points per game. 

“The last few games, she has not been playing like a freshman,” Orr said. “She’s a special player and only a freshman. But all of her teammates have all the respect and confidence in the world for her.” 

Besides Ang’s hot shooting, the entire team ratcheted things up on defense and held Lakeville South to just two field goals in the game’s final nine minutes. 

The loss brings Lakeville South back to the pack in regards to winning the South Suburban Conference title. But going up against a program like Rosemount, which played in a state final two seasons ago, provides some room for growth for the upstart Cougars. 

“Rosemount has been there and knows how to take the air out of us,” Iverson-Ohnstad said. “We’ll learn from this. It’s good we’re getting these games so we can be playing our best basketball at the end of February into March.” 

Meanwhile, the Irish seemed to have a freshman learning on the job that is contributing in a big way. 

“She’s not playing like a freshman,” Orr said. “She puts in the time. It’s fun to see her have that success.”