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Lyle-Pacelli holds off Cromwell-Wright's second-half push

By Adam Holt, SportsEngine, 12/09/17, 4:45AM CST

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Kristi Fett's 30 points lifted the Athletics past the Cardinals.


Six-foot-5 center Kristi Fett (50) towers over Cromwell-Wright defenders under the basket. Fett had a game-high 30 points in Lyle-Pacelli's 64-53 win in the Breakdown Invitational at Minnetonka High School. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

Not many teams in Class 1A girls' basketball feature 6-foot-5 centers.

Count the Athletics among the few, and credit them also for knowing it will take a full team effort to get where they want to be by the end of the season.

Lyle-Pacelli entered its Breakdown Invitational matchup with Cromwell-Wright ranked No. 1 in Class 1A by Minnesota Basketball News. The Athletics are led by the aforementioned 6-foot-5 senior, Kristi Fett, who had a career-high 30 points in her team’s 64-53 win over the Cardinals on Saturday.

Aiding their teammate, experience and talent on the perimeter have helped Fett flourish.

“You’re not going to go to the state tournament and win a state championship with one player; you need a complete team,” Lyle-Pacelli coach Justin Morris said. “We’ve got that. We’ve got obviously the centerpiece, but we’ve got a lot of really good parts and pieces around her that function and allow her to be herself.”

Fett used her height advantage to not only score 30 points, but attract enough attention to open up driving lanes and open shots for her teammates. Fellow senior Brooke Walter is a six-year starter and runs the point, and she had 13 points against the Cardinals. Kendal Truckenmiller, Olivia Christianson and Abigail Bollingberg also found room to operate, and contributed to an offense that had plenty of options.

“I think it’s really key,” Fett said. “Our outside shooters put in a lot of time, so if I’m off-balance or not able to score inside, it’s really nice to know they have my back if I kick it out to them.”

Against a No. 11-1A Cromwell-Wright roster that featured no one taller than 5-foot-10, Fett saw plenty of double- and triple-teams when she got the ball in the post. The Athletics (5-0) knew the importance of decision making, as far as when to feed Fett inside and when to be ready for a kick-out.

“It’s crazy how fast it goes. I don’t even think about it,” Fett said. “Sometimes it’s just like, I see I have somebody on me, and even if it’s a chance, if I know that I can’t take the shot, then I’d rather give it to my teammate. We always do this drill in practice, it’s about ‘one more.’ We know if we don’t got it, the next person does.”

Morris elaborated on how his team handled the extra bodies covering Fett.

“If you can make good decisions out of that double-team, you’re playing 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 and you should get open opportunities,” Morris said.

Fett’s seen teams choose to defend her a number of ways, and Cromwell-Wright used a number of strategies, most of which the Athletics’ center overcame. Next year, she’ll face more players her height, as she’s committed to playing at Minnesota State Mankato. It’s a prospect she said is both exciting and nerve-wracking.

For now, the Athletics have a big win — a season-defining win, according to Morris — over a Cardinals (3-2, 1-0) squad that was third in state last season. Lyle-Pacelli has its sights set on a greater finish than that, as the Athletics have essentially seen their season end to the eventual state champion the last three years. They fell in the 2015 state semifinals to Ada-Borup, and lost to Goodhue in sections the last two seasons. In all three games, they led at halftime.

“We’re crazy motivated,” Fett said. “Us three captains are seniors. It’d be a dream come true to go out with a state championship. Being rated No. 1, we know we have a target on our backs. We know that means we have to work that much harder. We’re hungry, and we’re definitely motivated, using all that emotion from the past to fuel us.”


Teana Hakamaki (11) came out hot in the second half, scoring seven three-point shots to lift Cromwell within reach of Lyle-Pacelli, but the Cardinals would go on to lose 64-53 to the Athletics. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

First Report

The top-ranked team in Class 1A by Minnesota Basketball News kept rolling behind Kristi Fett’s career-high 30 point effort at the Breakdown Invitational on Saturday as No. 1 Lyle-Pacelli defeated Cromwell-Wright 64-53 at Minnetonka High School.

Lyle-Pacelli started the game with a 9-0 run but the Cardinals (3-2, 1-0) responded early to get within 9-7, but were outscored by 20 points the rest of the half.

The Athletics had a 38-16 halftime lead, but Lyle-Pacelli (5-0) saw it cut to seven with about four minutes to play in the game. The No. 11-1A Cardinals went on a 13-2 run to start the second half, and Cromwell-Wright senior Teana Hakamaki scored all but two of her 24 points after the break. She made seven second-half three-pointers to help get the Cardinals back into the game.

Fett, a 6-foot-5 center who’s committed to Minnesota State Mankato, had 17 points in the second half as she took advantage of the smaller Cromwell-Wright roster. She added 10 rebounds.

Brooke Walter tallied 13 points for Lyle-Pacelli and Abigail Bollingberg had nine.

Cromwell-Wright’s Taya Hakamaki had 15 points for the Cardinals, and Shaily Hakamaki added 10.

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The MN Girls' Basketball Hub polls are for entertainment purposes only.

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