The Year of the RabbitsWabasso wrangles win

By JEN SEAVEY

Journal Sports Editor

MINNEAPOLIS -- For a brief moment in the fourth quarter of Wabasso's State Class A championship game, the Rabbits did not have total control of the game -- but the moment was fleeting.

The Rabbits defeated Underwood 59-48 after a slightly weaker fourth quarter in a game that, overall, left no doubt which team was the state champion.

"In the fourth quarter, there was definitely some concern," Wabasso coach Neil Dolan said. "They had a couple of threes, and once you lose momentum, it is tough to get it back. But we were in control of 85 percent of the game."

When Underwood's Sarah Stroschein sank a three in the fourth quarter and Ashley Samuelson got a fast break bucket off of a steal, Dolan called a time out with 4:21 remaining. The Rabbits began to regain control, and just after another time out, when Jessica VanLoy caught Katie Schumacher for a jump shot down low, the Rabbits had their spark back..

"I called a time out, we got the basket, and got the crowd back into it," Dolan said. "It settled the girls down again."

"We knew we had to pick it up," Andrea Fennern said. "We were going slow and had to get back at her [Samuelson]," Fennern said. Samuelson scored 17 of her 23 in the fourth quarter.

Underwood had briefly turned the tables on the Rabbits, going on a 22-5 run from the end of the third quarter through half of the fourth quarter.

"You've gotta stave off those storms -- if you do that, you're gonna be fine," Dolan said.

Earlier in the game, sparked by back-to-back Fennern 3-pointers, the Rabbits had rifled off 13 unanswered points during a 24-4 run in the second quarter.

"That got us pumped up right away and [the 3-pointers] got them out of the game," Fennern said.

Wabasso had began the third quarter with nine unanswered points, including buckets off of consecutive steals by VanLoy and a fast break basket by Melissa Plaetz.

"I had a couple of good plays in a row, and it gave me some confidence -- it felt great," Plaetz said. The senior had dished back-to-back assists to VanLoy and Fennern as the Rabbits took a 31-11 lead in the second quarter. "But I had some girls back there catching those passes that made those plays."

Fennern finished with 23 points, tying Samuelson. VanLoy and Katie Schumacher each scored 11. Schumacher and Ashley Prokosch each grabbed seven rebounds.

Seniors Chelsey Wegner and Prokosch scored six points apiece.

"What makes Wabasso great is our role players like Wegner," Dolan said. "That kid put us over the top ... Plaetz and [Andrea] Schueller put us over the top. Those kids don't get a lot of press, but they're why we win. Four [great players] is tough, but five is impossible to defend."

"Wegner makes 'em pay, and that's the difference," he said.

Fennern, Schumacher, VanLoy and Prokosch all made the all-tournament team, along with Samuelson and Underwood's Liz Glesne.

The Rabbits steamrolled through the state tournament and return to Wabasso 29-4 as the town's first state champion basketball team.

"There were some good teams -- we just really came out ... and showed 'em who Wabasso was and that made it look easy," Plaetz said.

Wabasso 59, Underwood 48

UNDERWOOD(25-4)

Glesne 4-19 0-0 8, Borgos 0-1 0-0 0, Wigdahl 2-6 0-0 6, Samuelson 7-14 7-8 23, Kugler 1-3 0-0 2, Peterson 0-0 0-0 0, Uhlmann 3-6 0-1 7, Stroschein 0-0 0-0 0, Leitch 0-0 0-0 0, Gorr 0-0 0-0 0, Stewart 0-0 0-0 0, Wold 0-1 2-2 2, Lee 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-50 9-11 48.

WABASSO(29-4)

Wegner 2-6 0-0 6, VanLoy 5-12 1-2 11, Schumacher 5-7 1-2 11, Fennern 7-15 5-6 23, Prokosch 2-7 2-4 6, Beranek 0-0 0-0 0, Schueller 0-0 0-0 0, Dallman 0-1 0-0 0, Plaetz 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 22-49 9-14 59.

First quarter--Wabasso 12, Underwood 5. Halftime--Wabasso 36, Underwood 16. Third quarter--Wabasso 45, Underwood 23. 3-Point Goals--Underwood 5-14 (Samuelson 2-5, Wigdahl 2-6, Uhlmann 1-3), Wabasso 6-12 (Fennern 4-8, Wegner 2-3, VanLoy 0-1). Fouled out--None. Rebounds--Underwood 32 (Glesne 12), Wabasso 30 (Schumacher, Prokosch 7). Assists--Underwood 2 (Glesne, Samuelson 1), Wabasso 7 (Fennern 3). Total fouls--Underwood 15, Wabasso 14. A--NA.