Knights hold off Indians

By JEREMY BEHNKE

Journal Sports Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- After three quarters in St. Mary's' crosstown rivalry game with Sleepy Eye Public, the Knights led the Indians 33-28.

While that score seems somewhat low between two Tomahawk Conference powers, what happened in the fourth quarter was as atypical of a performance either team has shown all year.

St. Mary's managed just two points in the final quarter, which in most cases, would mean its demise.

But the Knights still managed to hold off the Indians 35-33 in a game that was decided after Sam Widmer's shot fell short at the buzzer.

The win improved St. Mary's record to 6-2 overall and 5-1 in the Tomahawk, while Sleepy Eye slipped to 6-3 overall and 4-3 in the conference.

"We were stuck on 33 forever," St. Mary's coach Bruce Woitas said. "And again, we were getting good looks and kids were taking their shots, and sometimes when we weren't hitting, we were starting to press a little bit, and it just makes it a little bit harder to fall."

The Knights didn't scored until the 2:20 mark in the fourth quarter when Molly Mathiowetz ended the long drought.

But the story of the game was defense. Defense that created a lot of turnovers and defense that created a lot of missed shots.

"It's a crosstown thing," Woitas said. "Both schools are off to really good starts this year. There's a lot of hype in that game, and we came in a little bit sloppy offensively."

The Knights were also considerably undersized against the Indians, but managed to keep the talented trio of Allie Renberg, Charlotte McMullen, and Elizabeth Piotter in check. The seniors combined for 23 of the Indians 33 points.

"We actually came into this game emphasizing defense," Woitas said. "That was going to be our focus more so than anything. You have Renberg who's been really hot for them, you have Charlotte McMullen who's been playing real well for them. I think that maybe had something to do with the game too."

Molly Mathiowetz led the way for the Knights with 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four blocks.

In a game that looked more like a chess match than a basketball game, the teams were tied 2-2 after the first four minutes of the game. A Laura Huiras free throw gave the Knights a 10-7 lead after one quarter.

In the second quarter, McMullen's layup on a breakaway gave the Indians their only lead of the game at 21-20. McMullen led the way with eight points. Renberg and Piotter each scored seven.

The Knights led 23-20 after two quarters and 33-28 after three.

In the fourth quarter, Renberg scored off a turnover to cut the St. Mary's lead to 33-30. Then, with 2:20 left, Mathiowetz scored what would be the game-winning basket. McMullen's jumper brought the Indians to within 35-33, but the Indians didn't foul quickly enough, and finally fouled with 15.1 seconds left.

Brynn Braulick missed the free throw, giving the Indians life, but they were unable to convert.

"We missed a lot of opportunities at the foul line, especially late to put it away," Woitas said. "But it was a good defensive game, a little sloppy at times, but you're going to have games like that once in a while, and when you do, its nice to win 'em."

Maria Gangelhoff scored eight points, had five rebounds and three steals for the Knights.

Jeremy Behnke can be reached at jbehnke@nujournal.com