Dec. 23—NEW LONDON — To really reach its potential, the
wants to beat a top-of-the-line opponent.
The Cardinals are out to a 4-2 start this season. In their four victories, they have outscored teams by an average of 77.25-30.25. The four wins have come against teams with a combined 5-24 record.
Willmar’s two losses have come against top teams in the Central Lakes Conference. They fell 48-41 to Alexandria (8-1) and 63-59 to Brainerd (4-2).
“We’ve done a really good job in the games that we feel like we’re the better team and taking care of those games early on,” said Cardinals head coach Brendan Hedtke. “Close games against teams that are equally matched or maybe a little better than us … last year we didn’t get any wins against those teams. And this year against Brainerd and Alex so far, we’ve played really good first halves against those teams. The second halves, with a shorter rotation with seven girls, maybe there’s some fatigue where they’re playing a little bit of a longer rotation and we get a little bit looser with the ball or we don’t rotate over on defense every step right away.”
The Cardinals will potentially get another shot to prove their mettle against a top team this week at the WildCard Holiday Tournament at
.
Willmar opens the four-team tournament with Redwood Valley at 5:30 p.m. Friday, followed by NLS/Hutchinson at 7 p.m. The third-place game takes place at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by the championship at 3 p.m.
The Wildcats have won five consecutive WildCard championships, all against Willmar, from 2019-24. There was no tournament in ’20 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think that NLS, if we get the opportunity to play against them … I think that’s a team that’s someone that we feel that if we can play a good game, we should be able to beat them,” Hedtke said. “They’re a well-oiled machine every single year, so it’s never going to be easy.
“That’s the next step we need to take to get to our ultimate goal at the end of the season. You got to beat teams like that now. It’ll be on their floor, which will be a disadvantage for us. But I think that our girls are itching for it.”
Going into the WildCard, the Cardinals are adjusting to life without a key backcourt contributor.
Willmar will be without junior guard Isley Ripperger for the rest of the season after she tore her ACL against Sauk Rapids on Dec. 5. Starting in her place has been freshman Emmy Saulsbury.
“Since Isley’s unfortunate injury, Emmy’s stepped up so well,” said senior guard Telilie Lange. “In the Brainerd game, she scored (eight) points and just set off the defense for us and (got) transition buckets. That’s exactly what you need.”
That makes two freshman starters for Willmar this season. Ailya Reiman, a 6-foot-1 freshman, has started at forward for the Cardinals. And both are excelling early on.
Reiman is averaging 11.3 points per game, third on the team behind Maddison Molacek (15.2) and Lange (13.0). She’s also third on the team in rebounds per game (5.0) and second in blocks per game (1.5). In three games after Ripperger’s injury, Saulsbury is averaging 11.0 points and 6.0 steals per game, filling Ripperger’s role as a defensive pest.
“Emmy is a super crafty player and just so poised for a freshman on the offensive side of the ball,” Hedtke said. “Isley and Emmy are both really good offensive players but it changes a little bit of the style of offense we can play. Emmy’s really good in the pick-and-roll. She’s very patient and sees the floor really well.”
While they’re the youngest players in the rotation, Saulsbury and Reiman’s chemistry has carried over from their pre-varsity days.
“I’ve known that they’ve been really talented players since I took over four years ago and they were sixth-graders,” Hedtke said. “I know their parents well. Super talented group of girls, those two. They’re both capable of averaging double figures.”
Lange has played varsity for the Cardinals since her freshman season. Fast-forward to her senior season, Lange surpassed 1,000 career points on Friday against the St. Cloud Crush.
If anyone on the team can relate to Saulsbury and Reiman’s situation, Lange can.
“I hope that I’m giving them confidence,” Lange said. “That’s what I needed when I came up.”
“It’s the little things,” Lange added. “Being confident in them, like, ‘Hey, nice shot. Keep going, you’ll do great.'”
With their mix of youth and experience, Willmar is hoping for a WildCard win and a chance to excel against a high-level squad like NLS.
“Some of our seniors have had a lot of shots at winning the WildCard tournament and haven’t done it yet, so they’re excited for it,” Hedtke said. Willmar’s last WildCard championship came in 2017. “Hopefully with a good couple practices Monday and Tuesday and be ready to go on Friday.”
When: Friday and Saturday
Where: New London-Spicer High School, New London
Schedule
Friday:
5:30 p.m. — Willmar (4-2) vs. Redwood Valley (0-7)
7 p.m. — New London-Spicer (6-0) vs. Hutchinson (5-2)
Saturday:
1:30 p.m. — Third-place game
3 p.m. — Championship game
