L:R: Clarissa Sauer, Lucy Fitch, Camrie Macal, Katelyn Ubl, Macy Donnenworth Photo: Craig Johnson
(KWMN)- After a back and forth opening ten-minutes, the Rambler girls caught fire from deep, behind 32 points from Senior Forward Clarissa Sauer as Cotter takes the first installment of the I-90 Rivalry, 87-62.
It hasn’t yet been confirmed how many points Sauer actually scored. According to one scorer, she had 32, another, she had 35. That’s significant because the school record is 35. One which she might’ve tied. While they figure out how much Sauer actually finished with–Head Coach for the Ramblers, Pat Bowlin, can find solace in the win anyways,
“It feels good. We needed to get a win. It’s funny, we just haven’t played, so it’s been a slow start…Obviously, our offense was very good tonight, I do think our defense was not very good.”
Cotter beat Rushford-Peterson for the 15th straight time. The Trojans last win over Cotter came back in 2016.
Rushford held their own for the opening ten minutes. At one point the game was tied at 20-20. The Ramblers then hit four consecutive three pointers, and they went on a 17-0 run. Cotter finished the first half on a 34 to 10 run, keeping it at minimum a 20-point game throughout the remainder of the contest.
The Ramblers welcome back most of their top producers from last season’s run to the section championship game. Most importantly in Sauer, who averaged 22.2 points a game one season ago. That’s the goal once again, and with the experience they have, they should expect nothing less.
“This team is very experienced. One of the most experienced I’ve had in a while. They really know what we’re trying to accomplish. It’s fun, because you can start at a higher level, and then build from there. So, I really feel like, from an understanding the system [perspective] we’re probably at mid-season form…I think we’re in a good spot. I really do,” Bowlin said afterwards.
Cotter will have quite the litmus test ahead. After Thursday night’s game with La Crescent, they’ll face defending state champions Providence Academy on Saturday. Who has star guard Maddy Greenway, who’s already committed to Kentucky.
As for the Trojans, It’s a different sense early in the season. Rushford lost their top two contributors from last year in Ellie Ekern and Tayler Helgemoe. Head Coach, Joe Hatch, knows the biggest key early will be finding that experience, and quickly,
“Part of our thing this season is going to be developing some consistency, I think. Early on, with a lot of youth, a lot of kids who didn’t get heavy minutes last year, we’re expecting to be up and down here. You saw that tonight. First eight minutes we played pretty well…First couple games will be learning, figuring out the details of where we’re at, and what we actually need to do to improve, and then trying to be consistent with those details,” Hatch said.
There were moments, as he mentioned, where the Trojans showed a glimpse of what could be. Torynn Schneider, now in her junior year, is already showing her ability and how much she’ll lead this offense. Returners like Neveah and Nadia Happel have more confidence on the hardwood. With sophomore’s, freshman and even 8th graders getting into the mix, it will be a process to put it all together.
“I think the talent of our group, and the work ethic of our group continues to grow. I’m excited about what our future can look like for our team–even though we’re young. That just means, in my mind, we have a lot of room to get to our ceiling. I think we have a good group to do that, a group that has already bought in…We felt hungry [afterwards] to get back to work,” he continued.
Rushford will continue a gauntlet of a week, as they’ll face Caledonia on Friday. Caledonia finished off Cotter in the season opener, 50-37.
High School Basketball will return to the Winona Sports Network Thursday Night, with the Winhawk Boys hosting Rochester Century.
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