Wednesday, 2/27/08 @ Hopkins
Varsity vs. Robbinsdale-Armstrong
Section Playoffs—First Round
Park led 22-21 at the half, but Robbinsdale-Armstrong exploded for 37 second half points, and beat the Orioles 58-42 in playoff action.
Alison Johnson, in her final high school game, led Park with 13 points, Kika Greenlee dropped in 12, Sarah Thompson 9, Ashle Johnson 4, and Laishema Hampton 4.
Park finished with an impressive 15-10 record, 14-6 in North Suburban League play. Park had three 3-game winning streaks, and only lost two games in a row once all season.
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Season highlights:
Kika Greenlee: High points—27 points vs. Chisago Lakes 12/4/07; High Rebounds—10 vs. Stewartville 12/28/07 and vs. St. Francis 1/4/08; high assist—5 vs. Cooper 1/8/08
Ali Johnson: High Points—30 vs. Chisago Lakes 1/22/08; High Rebound—6 three times; Assists—3 vs. Richfield 11/30/07 and vs. Chisago Lakes 12/4/07
Sarah Thompson: high points—17 vs. Fridley 2/6/08; high rebounds 8 vs. St. Francis 1/4/08; high steal 6 three times; high assist 5 vs. Totino Grace 12/14/07.
Laishema Hampton led Park with more than 10 rebounds per game. High point game—18 vs. Spring Lake Park 2/22/08; high rebounds 17 vs. Columbia Hts 12/21/07.
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Friday, 2/22/08 @ Spring Lake Park
Park Varsity vs. Spring Lake Park
Park blew out Spring Lake Park, 81-55, Friday night.
Stats:
Alison Johnson—22 points, 1 rebound, 5 steals, 2 assists (including three 3-pointers)
Laishema Hampton—18 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist
Kika Greenlee—17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist
Ashle Johnson—8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist
Hannah Tessien—6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist
Taylor Latvala—5 points, 1 assist
Sarah Thompson—3 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist
Tricia Bartholomay—2 points
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2/19/08 @ Irondale
Varsity vs. Irondale
Park led Irondale by one point at the half, then pulled away in the second half to beat Irondale, 60-52.
Laishema Hampton led Park with 15 points and 16 rebounds, and Sarah Thompson added 14, including 7 of 8 clutch free throws.
Stats:
Laishema Hampton—15 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Sarah Thompson—14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals
Alison Johnson—13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals
Kika Greenlee—7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Hannah Tessien—7 points, 4 rebounds,1 steal
Ashle Johnson—4 points, 1 assist, 1 steal
Taylor Latvala, 2 rebound, 1 assist
Alison Agather—5 rebounds
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Friday, 2/15/08 @ SLP H.S.
Girls Varsity vs. Cooper
Park won a thrilling game Friday night, 59-50, over Cooper.
Laishema Hampton got Park on the board with a free throw, and Sarah Thompson followed with two of her own. Cooper rallied for an 8-3 lead before Kika Greenlee made a great spin move and layup to cut the lead to three.
Thompson got her defender up in the air on a head-fake, then drove to the lane for a basket, followed by a great Ali Johnson pass to Ashle Johnson for a layup and 9-8 lead.
Cooper scored four straight points before Hannah Tessien scored on a nice drive. Cooper took a 17-11 lead, and Greenlee hit two free throws and Ali Johnson hit a three-pointer to cut Cooper’s lead to one, 19-18, with 5:27 left.
Greenlee it one of two free throws, Hampton hit one of two, and Ashle Johnson grabbed an offensive rebound and hit the put-back to tie the game at 22-22. Cooper hit a three, and Ali Johnson hit a wide-open Greenlee for a three-pointer to tie the game at 25-25. Greenlee hit a 15-foot jumper with seconds left, and Cooper took a 29-27 lead into the half.
After Cooper scored the first basket of the second half, Thompson stole an errant pass and fed Ashle Johnson for a layup, then hit a layup of her own to tied the game at 31-31.
Ali Johnson hit a three from the corner to give Park its first lead since the opening minutes of the game. Cooper fought back and took a 35-34 lead, but Ali Johnson hit Thompson with a back-door pass and layup (click here for video) for a one point Park lead, 36-35.
Thompson hit a lefthanded layup, and Ali Johnson hit a three-pointer to pshed the lead to six, 41-35, but Cooper cut the lead to one with 7:39 left in the game.
One a defensive switch, Ali Johnson found herself guarded by a 5’-4” guard and she scored inside for a 43-40 Park lead. Ashle Johnson scored off a nice pass from Tessien to push the lead up to five, 45-40, but Cooper cut the lead back to three with an outside jumper.
On an inbounds play under the basket, Greenlee found Ali Johnson for an easy layup, and Ashle Johnson hit a long jumper for a 49-44 Park lead.
Cooper battled back and cut the lead to one, 49-48, with three minutes left.
Thompson hit a free throw, then Greenlee had a three-point play on a nice drive to give Park a 53-48 lead with 2:12 left.
Cooper cut the lead to three on a jumper, then Taylor Latvala scored off a nice pass from Ali Johnson to push the lead back to five. Over the last minute of play, Cooper was forced to foul Park, and Greenlee hit one of two, Thompson three of four, to make the final 59-50.
Video from game:
Ali Johnson three-pointer
Sarah Thompson backdoor layup
Stats:
Kika Greenlee—14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 assist, 3 blocks
Sarah Thompson—14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist
Ali Johnson—13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Ashle Johnson—10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
Hannah Tessien—4 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist
Laishema Hampton—2 points, 13 rebounds, 1 steal
Taylor Latvala—2 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal
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2/12/08 @ St. Francis
Park Varsity vs. St. Francis
The only things worse than losing, is driving to St. Francis and losing. With that in mind, Park fell to St. Francis, 79-51.
St. Francis, 21-2 on the season, led 44-25 at the half, and ran away from the Orioles in the second half, with four players scoring in double digits.
Stats:
Alison Johnson—12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals
Ashle Johnson—10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Laishema Hampton—10 points, 7 rebounds
Sarah Thompson—6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Kika Greenlee—6 points, 3 rebounds
Hannah Tessien—3 points, 3 rebounds
Taylor Latvala—3 points, 1 assist
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Friday, 2/8/08 @ Columbia Hts.
Park Varsity vs. Columbia Hts.
Park crushed the Hylanders, 64-34, Friday night, with Ali Johnson’s 22 points leading the way.
Stats:
Alison Johnson—22 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals
Hannah Tessien—8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
Ameila Klatt—8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
Ashle Johnson—8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Laishema Hampton—7 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist
Sarah Thompson—4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals
Taylor Latvala—3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals
Alison Agather—2 points, 1 rebound
Tricia Bartholomay—2 points, 1 assist
Stephanie Ritchie—1 rebound
Reed Maday—1 rebound
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Wednesday, 2/6/08 @ Fridley
Park Varsity vs. Fridley
Park beat Fridley Wednesday night, 58-52, with Sarah Thompson’s 17 points, and Laishema Hampton’s 15 rebounds leading the way.
Stats:
Sarah Thompson—17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals
Alison Johnson—14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Ashle Johnson—10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
Laishema Hampton—9 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
Hannah Tessien—4 points, 4 rebounds
Taylor Latvala—3 points, 3 rebounds
Alison Agather—1 point, 1 rebound
Amelia Klatt—2 rebounds
Tricia Bartholomay—1 steal
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Friday, Jan. 11, 2008 @ SLP H.S.
St. Louis Park Varsity vs. Irondale Knights
The five-headed monster of Ali Johnson, Kika Greenlee, Ashle Johnson, Sarah Thompson, and Laishema Hampton combined for 55 points, 23 rebounds and 17 steals, and Park’s free throw shooting was outstanding, as they outlasted Irondale, 66-61, Friday night.
Ali Johnson had the hot hand from the start, scoring the first four points for Park, off one driving layup and another off a left-handed hook-shot, then Thompson nailed a three-pointer off a nice pass from Hannah Tessien to give Park a 7-2 lead. Hampton had a hoop-and-one for a 10-4 Park lead, then Greenlee did the same for a 13-4 lead.
After an Irondale hoop, Ali Johnson nailed a three, Ashle Johnson hit a free-throw and a jumper, and both Hampton and Thompson hit two of two free throws for a 28-16 lead with 5:23 left in the half. Thompson brought the crowd to their feet when she took a charge from a rather large Irondale forward, but Irondale clawed back into the game and went on a run to cut the Park lead to six, 28-22.
Greenlee hit a runner, and Ashle Johnson had a steal and went coast-to-coast for a lay-up to put Park back up by 10, 32-22. Thompson again hit two of two free throws, and Greenlee hit a pull-up jumper with a minute left to give Park a 14-point edge.
Irondale scored on their last possession of the half, but Amelia Klatt hit a buzzer beater and Park carried their 14-point lead into the half.
Irondale started the second half with a 6-1 run (Park’s point came on an Ali Johnson free throw), and cut the lead to nine, 39-30.
Park’s free throw shooting continued to shine as Ali Johnson hit two of two, but Irondale wouldn’t go away.
Greenlee hit Ali Johnson with a great pass on an inbounds play for an easy basket, and Park held a 52-40 lead with four minutes remaining.
Greenlee was fouled on a drive, made the basket and free throw, to take a 55-44 lead, and three free throws (one by Hampton, two by Greenlee) pushed the lead to 12, 58-46.
With 2:32 left, Irondale cut the lead to eight, 58-50, and Ali Johnson nailed a three-pointer, and the game seemed to be on ice, 61-50. No one told Irondale, though, and they hit a layup and three-pointer to pull within six, 61-55, before Ali John was fouled and hit—you guessed it—two of two from the line for a 63-55 lead.
Irondale hit another three to pull within five, and Thompson was fouled and hit—you guessed it—two of two to push the lead back to seven, 65-58.
Irondale hit another three to pull within four, 65-61, and called a timeout with 7.3 seconds left! During their timeout, Irondale probably wondered who the heck to foul since Park couldn’t seem to miss from the line. When play resumed, Irondale fouled Ali Johnson, and she hit one of two to seal the deal, and the clock ran out with Park on top 66-61.
Stats:
Ali Johnson—26 pts, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
Kika Greenlee—12 pts, 4 rebounds, 6 steals
Ashle Johnson—9 pts, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist
Sarah Thompson—9 pts, 3 rebounds, 5 steals
Laishema Hampton—9 rebounds, 2 steals
Amelia Klatt—2 pts
Hannah Tessien—4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Taylor Latvala—1 assist
Alison Agather—1 rebound, 1 block
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Friday, December 7, 2007 @ Benilde
Girls Varsity Basketball vs. Benilde
Reported by Katie Hinz
The Orioles improved to 2-0 in conference play with an impressive 59-48 win over Benilde Friday night, their first win against the Red Knights in five seasons.
Ali Johnson led Park with 27 points, 22 in the first half, Sarah Thompson scored 10, and Laishema grabbed 13 boards in the win. Sarah Thompson, senior co-captain, had a great second half, with eight points, to help Park seal the deal.
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Friday, November 30, 2007
@ Richfield High School
St. Louis Park Varsity Girls vs. Richfield
Park played a hard-nosed game Friday night, but Richfield had too much muscle inside, and the Orioles fell, 75-58.
Park missed its first four shots, possibly from first game jitters, before Laishema Hampton hit two free throws — both bank shots — to tie the game at two!
For much of the half Richfield would go on a run, then Park would answer to keep the game close. Trailing 9-3, Sarah Thompson nailed a three, then Richfield scored the next 7 points. Richfield had two strong post players, and dominated Park on the boards, getting tons of lay-ups and second shots.
Park trailed 20-8 before Kika Greenlee made a beautiful turn-around jumper from the baseline, and an Alison Johnson three-pointer from the left corner cut the lead to 7; after a 4-0 Richfield run, Johnson nailed another three from the same spot. Park cut the lead to 9 later in the half when Taylor Latvala nailed a three and Johnson hit two free throws. Richfield cranked up their full-court press over the last three minutes of the half but Park did a nice job of handling the ball.
Greenlee hit a bank-shot from the wing, Thompson powered up a lay-up off an offensive rebound, and Thompson hit Greenlee with a backdoor pass and layup, bringing Park to within 7, 34-27! Johnson took the ball to the hole on Park’s next possession, was fouled, and hit both free throws to pull Park to within five, then Richfield forced the ball inside for easy baskets, and it took a Greenlee three-point play as the half ran out to get Park to within 11, 43-22.
Greenlee had the hot hand, with 10 points, and Johnson, who started out slowly, also scored 10 thanks to her perfect free-throw shooting.
Park’s shooting picked up in the second half, but so did Richfield’s, with Richfield’s star, Pamela January, a Division 1 prospect, taking over and scoring inside and outside almost at will.
Alison Johnson opened Park’s second half scoring with a three-point bomb, and two free throws a moment later, but Richfield came back with a three-pointer of their own that led to a Spartan run.
Trailing by 18, 59-41, Ashle Johnson hit a free throw, then nailed a step-back jumper to cut the lead to 15. Park cut the lead to 14 with an Alison Agather free throw, then, after a Richfield basket, Hampton grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in to make the score 64-50. Despite the 14 point deficit, Greenlee dove into the stands and landed in her mother’s lap chasing a loose ball.
Park and Richfield exchanged baskets down the stretch, with Tessian and Alison Johnson both hitting threes, and the game ended in a 17-point Richfield win.
Alison Johnson led all Park scorers with 18, Kika Greenlee added 13, Ashle Johnson and Sarah Thompson had 8, Laishema Hampton 6, Hanna Tessien 4 and Alison Agather 1.
Hampton grabbed 11 rebounds, Agather 3, Ashle Johnson 3.
Greenlee and Alison Johnson each had 3 steals, and Amelia Klatt had Park’s only block.
Johnson both hitting threes, and the game ended in a 17-point Richfield win.
Alison Johnson led all Park scorers with 18, Kika Greenlee added 13, Ashle Johnson and Sarah Thompson had 8, Laishema Hampton 6, Hanna Tessien 4 and Alison Agather 1.
Hampton grabbed 11 rebounds, Agather 3, Ashle Johnson 3.
Greenlee and Alison Johnson each had 3 steals, and Amelia Klatt had Park’s only block.
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