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Watertown-Mayer uses second-half outburst to best Norwood Young America

By Ryan Williamson, SportsEngine, 12/22/17, 10:00AM CST

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Monika Czinano’s performance propelled the No. 6 Royals to an upset win over the No. 4 Raiders.

Monika Czinano (25) looks for the shot but is forced by Norwood Young America's Bren Fox (23) to make a pass to the corner. Czinano led scoring with 19 points as the Royals held on to defeat the Raiders 45-41 in a Class 2A top-10 matchup. Photo by Cheryl

Monika Czinano (25) looks for the shot but is forced by Norwood Young America's Bren Fox (23) to make a pass to the corner. Czinano led scoring with 19 points as the Royals held on to defeat the Raiders 45-41. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

In nearly any basketball game, there are numerous individual matchups that take place on the court. There was one that was hard to miss during Friday’s game between Watertown-Mayer and Norwood Young America.

It took place between the teams’ starting centers. It was between Bren Fox of the Raiders and Monika Czinano of the Royals. They’re a pair of seniors who are averaging more than 15 points per game and stand at least 6-foot-2.

After a hard-fought battle, Czinano proved victorious. While playing staunch defense on Fox, Czinano scored a team-high 19 points while also grabbing 10 rebounds in Watertown-Mayer’s 45-41 win against Norwood Young America.

The Royals, who are ranked No. 6 in Class 2A by Minnesota Basketball News, knew of Fox’s strong post presence and prepared accordingly.

“We wanted to make (Fox) unable turn to her right and make her shoot from the elbow,” said Watertown-Mayer coach John Rosholt. “Monika did a really nice job of staying composed.”

In the win, the Royals (7-1, 1-0) executed their plan to perfection. Fox had just 10 points for the No. 4-2A Raiders and scored only four in the second half.

“Bren was definitely hyped up for this,” said Norwood Young America coach Gary Lembcke. “(Czinano) took her out of her rhythm.”

While Watertown-Mayer was shutting down Fox, the Royals had their own troubles on the offensive end against the Raiders’ 1-3-1 zone defense. At the 11-minute mark, both teams had just five points and ended the half with 34 points combined.

Once the second half began, however, Watertown-Mayer started to find its way. With 11 minutes to go in the second half, the Royals led 31-25 and had nearly doubled its first-half point total.

The offensive effort started with Czinano, who was able to get the ball in the post and score on close shots against Norwood Young America (7-2, 4-0).

The ability to get the ball in the post not only benefitted Czinano. Other players were able to get points via shots from the perimeter and driving to the basket.

“The thing about playing against a zone is you get complacent,” Rosholt said. “You forget about the dribble-drive. Once you move the ball like that, you can look into the post and cause a little havoc.”

Watertown-Mayer started to pull away and led by as many as 14 points. But as the game was winding down, the Raiders put the pressure on the Royals and got it down to a two-point game.

In the end, however, Watertown-Mayer held on and hit two crucial free-throws to give the Royals a four-point win.

“We missed a couple bunnies and gave away the ball too much,” Rosholt said. “The good thing is the girls fought off that run and didn’t get rattled. They’re a real good team.”

The Raiders’ rally back was a result of players knocking down shots and a lot of pressure on the Watertown-Mayer ballhandlers. Prior to that, Norwood Young America had struggled on the offensive end.

“We didn’t move at all in the first half,” Lembcke said. “We held onto the ball too much. Once we started moving, things started to go well.”

Though there might have been some frustration on the Raiders’ side, Norwood Young America will likely be a force when the postseason comes around. The Raiders’ two losses have been by a combined five points.

“I’m really pleased with our defense,” Lembcke said. “We just have to be more consistent offensively and move the ball.”

For the Royals, Friday’s win is another notch in the belt for Czinano.

“She’s gone up against quite a few quality post players and has done a really nice job,” Rosholt said. “She’s stepped up big time and showed a lot of mental toughness.”

Following the win, there was no shortage of excitement for Czinano. While she held a straight face most of the game, her excitement couldn’t be hidden when the final buzzer sounded and her team knocked off the highly-ranked Raiders.

“When the game ended I just ran over and jumped in my teammates’ arms,” Czinano said. “This was a super-big win. My teammates have been great on getting me to loosen up.”


Libby Heilman (12) drives the sideline past defender Abby Mackenthun (20). Heilman connected on two key three-pointers in the second half helping to build the Royals lead to 14 points. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

First Report

After leading by as many as 14 points in the second half, Watertown-Mayer held on to defeat Norwood Young America 45-41 at Watertown-Mayer High School on Friday.

The Royals, ranked No. 6 in Class 2A by Minnesota Basketball News, relied on senior forward Monika Czinano in a big way. Coming into Friday's matchup averaging more than 26 points per game, the 6-foot-2 post had 19 in the win.

Watertown-Mayer (7-1, 1-0) also got some help from the outside. Sophomore guard Libby Heilman knocked down a pair of three-pointers.

The No. 4-2A Raiders had trouble getting the ball into the post. Senior center Bren Fox -- who's averaging more than 15 points per game -- scored 10, including being limited to just four points in the second half.

Senior guard Kali Grimm also struggled in the loss with just 8 points for Norwood Young America (7-2, 4-0). She came in averaging more than 14 points per game.

Bren Fox (23) calls for the ball on the post. Fox came into the contest averaging 15 points per game but was held to 10 in the Raiders' 45-41 loss. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

Bren Fox (23) calls for the ball on the post. Fox came into the contest averaging 15 points per game but was held to 10 in the Raiders' 45-41 loss. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

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