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2005-06 Main Page Team Picture Schedule Roster Results Schedule (Fr) Roster (Fr) Results (Fr) | |||||||
The Storm capped off a tremendous season with a second place finish in the MSHSAA Missouri Show-Me Showdown in Columbia. Congratulations to all the players and coaches.
Anna Florzak and Morgan Henderson continue to receive honors. They have both been selected to the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association All State Team for Class 5. Congratulations to Anna Florzak and Morgan Henderson on being selected as DiRenna Award Finalists.
More post-seaason awards: Metro Sports has selected Anna Florzak and Morgan Henderson to their 1st team All-Metro team and Amanda Barnard to the 2nd team All-Metro. Mike Dunn was honored as their Coach of the Year. Congratulations all! Complete list
The Kansas City Star has announced its All-Metro basketball team for 2006. Congratulations to Storm players Anna Florzak, named to the 1st team, and Morgan Henderson, receiving Honorable Mention. The Storm also finished first in the final rankings.
MoSports.com is proud to announce Notre Dame de Sion point guard Anna Florzak as the next of its McDonald's High School All-American nominees. (see complete article).
The second player from Notre Dame de Sion to be nominated for the McDonald's High School All-American team is forward Morgan Henderson. The 6'1 post player will be attending the University of San Diego in the fall. (see complete article).
Earlier this week, Notre Dame de Sion senior Morgan Henderson played the role model for a bunch of fourth-grade girls. On Friday, Henderson played the surprised award winner — beating out a stellar list of finalists to win the DiRenna Award as Kansas City’s best girls’ basketball player. Henderson stood centered in between a cast of Division I players and high school stars, and when the award was announced, she was the center of attention. Teammate Anna Florzak, a two-time DiRenna award finalist, immediately hugged the daylights out of Henderson. To her right, Henderson also received congratulations from Olathe East’s Danielle McCray, a three-time finalist, and Lindsay Ballweg, another repeat finalist, from St. Thomas Aquinas. But despite the greatness surrounding her, it was Henderson — a University of San Diego recruit and a first-time finalist — who cradled the golden basketball trophy. “This is amazing, it’s a night I’ll never forget,” Henderson said. “It’s an honor to be even nominated with these girls.” Henderson averaged 15 points and five rebounds during the Storm’s runner-up finish in Missouri Class 5 basketball. Henderson gave her award speech like a pro, thanking all the right people, sending love to Mom and Dad and teammates. Henderson must have grown accustomed to taking center stage; on Thursday, she and Florzak visited a 10-and-under girls’ team. The Storm teammates taught the girls some drills and proper shooting technique and fielded questions like “Does your coach yell at you?” “It was so cute,” Henderson said. Coach Mike Dunn commended both his players for their stellar season and post-career honors. “This is a pretty neat deal,” Dunn said. “They’ve made countless All-State (awards) this year. Both of them have been acknowledged by every possible award given out. It just puts a nice finishing touch on an absolutely great season.”
Complete article So is that all? Five months of watching the Kansas City area’s best and largest school basketball teams and all we got was disappointment? A season that will likely be remembered more for Raytown South legendary coach Bud Lathrop’s on-again, off-again, now on-again (for now, at least) retirement produced no local Missouri Class 5 or Class 4 state champion for the third time in four years. Not that there isn’t reason for our local athletes to be proud, particularly from the boys and girls state tournaments at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Lincoln Prep’s boys kept alive a good run of Interscholastic League representation by finishing third in Class 4. The Tigers lost in the semifinal to eventual champion St. Francis Borgia, then defeated Ozark in the consolation game. “We have a lot to be proud of,” Lincoln senior Greg Smith said. “Not a lot of people thought we could do what we did.” Rockhurst used a lineup made of football players and qualified for its second consecutive Class 5 tournament. The Hawklets lost to eventual champion and St. Louis power Vashon in a semifinal that has to be one of the best games of the season. Rockhurst had the lead for much of the game before a late run by Vashon produced a 68-65 victory. Another loss to Kirkwood in overtime in the consolation game meant fourth place and no banner on its gymnasium wall for a team that proved to be the area’s best. On the girls side, Lee’s Summit West qualified for the Class 4 state tournament in the school’s second year of existence. The Titans defeated St. Charles Duchesne in the semifinal but lost in the final to Ozark, which won its second consecutive state championship. In Class 5, the multiplier pushed Notre Dame de Sion into the big-class bracket, where it breezed past Hazelwood East to the state final and a rematch with Incarnate Word Academy of St. Louis. Sion lost for the second time to Incarnate Word, this time 48-38. If there was one instance to be disappointed in any team, it happened shortly after the championship game’s final buzzer. Notre Dame de Sion’s players, visibly disappointed, left the court without their runner-up trophy. There is nothing for Sion’s players or coaches to be ashamed of about their play, but such an act on a stage like that is something people from all over the state notice. Besides that, this basketball season gave us many thrilling moments and memories. The Lee’s Summit North boys, Lee’s Summit North’s Adam Leonard, Raytown South guard Roderick Pearson, the Lincoln Prep girls and Danielle Adams of Lee’s Summit were only a handful of KC area teams and players that provided highlights and — in some cases — anticipation for next season.
Complete article COLUMBIA — Morgan Henderson and Anna Florzak shared a long embrace at the top of the key following Notre Dame de Sion’s 43-31 loss to Incarnate Word on Saturday. Then they followed their teammates off the court following the Missouri Class 5 girls state championship, Henderson ripping her medal from her neck like a scarlet letter. The players left their trophy sitting all alone in the lane. They wanted nothing to do with it. The trophy they had worked for was in the grasp of Incarnate Word. “We’ve been together for four years and been through everything together, and there is nothing that this loss can do to take away that bond,” Florzak said, choking back tears. This wasn’t the perfect ending as Notre Dame de Sion had hoped. Instead of leaving Mizzou Arena with a state championship, Sion will be bringing back the second-place hardware. “We put ourselves in a position that not a lot of teams get to do,” Notre Dame de Sion head coach Mike Dunn said. “They fought hard and played with their hearts just like I expected them to do.” Sion’s defense had carried it to the title game, but no defense can succeed without an offense, and Sion’s went AWOL when needed it most. The Storm was just 10 of 38 from the field, including just three of 12 from behind the arc. “What we had problems with was just being a little impatient,” Dunn said. “When we were patient, we were able to get some easy baskets and get to the line.” Despite spending almost as much time laying on the hardwood, unofficially hitting the deck 14 times, Henderson led the Storm with 10 points, and was the only Sion player to get to the free-throw line, converting all eight of her attempts. Incarnate Word, which beat Sion 45-40 earlier in the year, controlled the boards from the opening tip, racking up 37 rebounds to Sion’s 23, and grabbing 15 on the offensive end. Sion, 27-4, packed the lane with their zone to no avail, daring the Red Knights, 31-1, to shoot from outside. “A couple of them just fell out of our hands, and on couple of them we just didn’t box out. We’ve been a good rebounding team (all year) and sometimes the ball doesn’t fall in your favor,” Dunn said.
Complete article COLUMBIA — Notre Dame de Sion wasn’t exactly clicking on all cylinders offensively — especially in the first half — of its Class 5 semifinal Friday against Hazelwood East. But when you play the kind of swarming, suffocating defense the Storm plays, who needs to score a lot of points? Sion held Hazelwood East to 31- percent shooting and forced 25 turnovers, allowing the Storm to run away and hide in a dominating 53-35 victory at Mizzou Arena. That also allowed Sion to advance to today’s championship game despite the fact the Storm also turned the ball over 25 times and shot just 39.5 percent. The Storm will get its desired rematch against Incarnate Word, a 62-32 winner over Jefferson City in Friday’s other semifinal, at 6:30 this evening. “I thought we did well enough defensively to win,” Sion coach Mike Dunn said. “We gave away the ball too much in the first half. But our defense gave us enough cushion.” Sion put intense pressure on Hazelwood East from the opening tip, and it seemed to throw the Spartans completely out of sync in the early going. The Spartans turned the ball over on five of their first seven trips down the floor and, at one moment early in the second quarter, they had 18 possessions and just six had not ended with a turnover. Hazelwood East had just three field goals in the first half, on 25-percent shooting. Sion, meanwhile, also had its share of troubles, but found success working the ball into 6-foot-1 senior center Morgan Henderson who, when not fighting foul trouble, was able to score with relative ease. It all added up to a 19-8 halftime lead for the Storm. “(The foul trouble) was frustrating,” Henderson said. “But I’m lucky to have teammates who can get me the ball for easy shots.” Both teams got their offenses rolling more in the second half, and Hazelwood East’s Channon Haywood especially had success scoring inside. But it was too little, too late for the Spartans. Henderson finished with a game-high 19 points. Teammate Hillary Buren completed a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Senior point guard Anna Florzak added five assists and five steals to her eight points. “We worked hard to get to this spot,” Buren said. “We’re looking forward to (today).”
Complete article COLUMBIA — You think state tournaments are about medals and championships and wins and losses. Then you get to know the Notre Dame de Sion girls basketball team. Now, don’t take this the wrong way. Sion’s players want to win the Missouri Class 5 title today more than anything. Most of them have plane tickets Sunday morning to spend spring break in the Caribbean, but the sun won’t be as warm, the water not as clear, if they’re not state champions. Three of the seniors are good enough to have scored 1,000 points in their high school careers, and a fourth, Hillary Buren, recorded a double-double in Sion’s semifinal victory on Friday. But to confine these girls — the four top seniors, especially — to basketball would be missing out on the real story. Three of them started, and all have played prominent roles since they were freshmen. Together they’ve been through the disappointment of losing early in the playoffs, the joy of making USA Today’s national rankings and the confusion of a controversial coaching change. “For a lot of us, (tonight) will be the last time we ever play basketball,” Buren said. “It’ll be really, really sad. We’ve become really close, we’re like a family. But it’s exciting. We’ve worked so hard to get to this spot. It’s all we could ask for it to be our senior year and our last game.” Let’s start with Anna Florzak. If you’ve heard of anyone on this team, it’s probably her. If you’ve watched any of its games, she’s probably the first one you noticed. She’s the 6-foot point guard with the NBA headband holding back her blond hair. She’s the one who just made that steal, dribbled around the first defender and fired a no-look, one-handed bounce pass to Buren for a layup. She’s the first one over to help someone up, teammate or not, and if you ever find yourself short one friend, go introduce yourself. “Anna, seriously, I think knows everyone in the world,” Buren said. “If you walk down the hall with her, it takes 20 minutes to get to class.” Florzak has the work ethic and natural ability to have won the state cross-country championship as a sophomore and place in the distance events in track. Her dad used to get her out of school every year they played the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, which helped foster her love of hoop. Florzak always liked how loud the Iowa State fans were and was hooked when she watched Stacy Frese play. Florzak wondered whether she could somehow grow up to be a scrappy, fan-favorite point guard like Frese. Florzak signed last fall to play at Iowa State. “That just became a dream or hers to play there,” said her father, Peter. “She just stuck with it, and it didn’t hurt that she kept growing. She had these huge feet. People always wondered when she’d stop growing.” Henderson is 6 feet 1 with the kind of mobility that allows her to hurt defenses by going up or around. She’ll play at San Diego next year, and if you have to ask her why, you’ve probably never been to San Diego. Her teammates know her as the clown, the one always keeping everyone loose with a joke. She led everyone with 19 points on Friday but was plagued with foul trouble and made fun of herself and her “stupid” decisions in the postgame news conference. She’s the one who always has the girls over on the weekends for sleepovers, movies, games, whatever. “Well, we’re not going to go to Anna’s (in Platte County),” Henderson said. “That’s like another country.” Amanda Barnard is a bit shy if you don’t know her. Well, maybe shy isn’t exactly the right word. She’s outgoing enough in conversation, but next to Florzak and Henderson, Carrot Top might seem reserved. Anyway, Barnard is mostly a shooter. She’s done more than half her scoring this year from behind the three-point line, and if that shot’s not falling, it’s sometimes easy to overlook her. Barnard never received much attention from the Division I coaches like her teammates, but she has something even more valuable. Her friends describe her as a genius. She’s one of a few girls in the running for class valedictorian and probably will receive a full academic scholarship next year if she decides not to play. “Sometimes I’m afraid to talk around her too much,” Sion coach Mike Dunn joked. “She’s so smart.” Buren is the one Dunn thinks is underappreciated. She always guards the other team’s best player, and alternately does her thing inside or outside, depending on the opponent. Dunn says Buren would be the best player on most any team in the city, and he might be right. She’d certainly have more gaudy numbers than 5.4 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game. Buren doesn’t have Division I talent, but she is athletic enough that she’s choosing between two Division III schools that want her to play basketball and volleyball. She knows that her private-school experience isn’t necessarily reality, which is why she plans on going into politics after college. Before all that, though, she and her teammates have one more game to play. Win or lose, it’s something they’re sure to remember forever. “We don’t want to go out with a loss,” Henderson said. “We’ve thought about this forever. But if we play as hard as we can, we won’t have any regrets. That’s all we can do.”
Complete article The way the players on the Notre Dame de Sion high school basketball team see things, they are going to have plenty of motivation to play Saturday regardless of Friday’s outcome at the Missouri Class 5 state tournament in Columbia. The Storm, now with a 26-3 record following its 52-33 lambasting of Lee’s Summit last Saturday in the quarterfinals in Warrensburg, is scheduled to face 26-3 Hazelwood East in a semifinal game at 6:15 p.m. Friday at Mizzou Arena. Incarnate Word of St. Louis, 29-1, will play 24-5 Jefferson City in the other semifinal at 4:30. Either way, the Storm will get a shot at revenge. Incarnate Word and Jefferson City handed it two of its three losses this season. “We’re glad that, regardless of how it comes out, we’ll get the chance to play a team that beat us,” said Sion coach Mike Dunn. Of course, Dunn and the Storm hope that opportunity comes at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the championship game instead of 4:30 in the consolation final for third place. “Hopefully, we can pull out a win and then look forward to Saturday and getting another chance to beat a team that’s beaten us. I know the girls will get excited for that just as they were for Lee’s Summit last Saturday.” In that quarterfinal victory over Lee’s Summit, the senior-laden Storm utilized great patience on offense, often working the ball through its offense multiple times before attempting high percentage shots. The Storm was led by seniors Amanda Barnard with 15 points, Morgan Henderson with 13 and Hillary Buren with eight. Defensively, Sion did an effective job on Lee’s Summit’s leading scorer, Danielle Adams, holding her to 10 points, 12 under her per game average. “When you hold a team to three baskets in three quarters, there’s not much to complain about,” Dunn said. That victory also was a revenge match for Sion. Lee’s Summit had knocked the Storm out of the playoffs each of the last two seasons. Now, another such opportunity exists. On Jan. 6 the Storm lost to Jefferson City 45-38 in Jefferson City. On Feb. 11 the Storm fell by five to Incarnate Word in St. Louis.
Complete article WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- A dominant defense was enough for the Notre Dame de Sion girls to finally beat Lee's Summit in the month of March. After losing to the Tigers in the state playoffs each of the last two years, the Storm (26-3) held Lee's Summit (23-5) to only 13 points through three quarters to beat the Tigers 52-33 in the Class 5 quarterfinals Saturday. "They did a good job of switching on the picks," Tigers coach Brian Bubalo said. "In the first quarter, I thought we did a good job of executing our game plan. Then they made adjustments and we had trouble adjusting to their adjustments." Early in the game, it was Lee's Summit's stifling defense that kept the Storm off the board for the first four minutes. However, the Tigers struggled offensively during the first three quarters, hitting only one shot per quarter. "The girls did an outstanding job (defensively)," Storm coach Mike Dunn said of his team. "They listened in practice and really did execute well." At the end of the first quarter, the Tigers only trailed by a point. But during the next two quarters, Lee's Summit scored seven points combined. For the game, Danielle Adams led the way with 10 points, while Amanda Hicks added seven. While the Tigers struggled, the Storm started to find a rhythm offensively, particularly in the third quarter when senior Amanda Barnard gott going. Barnard scored 11 straight points for the Storm in the third quarter, giving de Sion a 30-12 lead. Included in that were three 3-pointers. "We had a couple of mental lapses," Bubalo said. "We knew she was a good shooter. We watched her well in the first half." While Barnard led all scorers with 15 points, Dunn said it wasn't necessarily her offense he was impressed with Saturday. "She did an outstanding job playing defense," Dunn said. "Everyone thinks of her as a 3-point shooter. But she worked her butt off to defend Hicks, who only had one basket in the first three quarters. That, to me, is very impressive." Making things more difficult in the third quarter for Lee's Summit was an injury to point guard Lizzy Simonin, who hit her head on the court after a collision with de Sion's Kristen White. Simonin had to sit most of the quarter after feeling dizzy, but she came back near the end of the third and played most of the rest of the game. "I'm just a little dizzy and I have a big headache," Simonin said. "I just felt my head hit the ground. I really wanted to come back in but the trainer told me not too." Though the Lee's Summit offense woke up a little bit in the fourth quarter - scoring 20 points and cutting the lead to 12 - the Storm hit 13 of 15 free throws in the final quarter to clinch the win. Barnard said her team is really excited to be heading to the state semifinals, which start Friday. She said the team is especially happy to have beat Lee's Summit to get there. "It's awesome," Barnard said. "They took us out of our season each of the last two years. We came out and played our best game. "We're looking forward to another week of practice. We work hard but we enjoy being together." And while the Storm prepare for two more games, the Tigers watch their season end, as well as the high school careers of Hicks, Larran Williams, Sarah Hertzog and Ashley Daniel. "It's pretty tough," Hicks said. "We had high expectations coming in. But we had a good record and really good times. This was a good season to have as my senior year." To reach Jason Tarwater send e-mail to jason.tarwater@examiner.net or call 350-6394.
Complete article WARRENSBURG, Mo. — After losing to Lee’s Summit in the playoffs the last two seasons, Notre Dame de Sion was ready for some revenge. Sion got it Saturday, defeating the Tigers 52-33 in a Missouri Class 5 quarterfinal at Central Missouri State. “We’re just happy to finally get over the hump of Lee’s Summit,” Sion forward Morgan Henderson said. Lee’s Summit beat Sion in the quarterfinals two years ago and in sectionals last season. “They’ve had some heartbreaks the last couple of years,” Sion coach Mike Dunn said. “Not only going to state, but getting over Lee’s Summit and beating them makes it that much sweeter.” The Storm’s defense led the way, holding Lee’s Summit to just nine points in the first half and three field goals in the first three quarters. “We carried out a good defensive plan, and the girls just played great defense,” Dunn said. Sion, 27-3, stifled Lee’s Summit standout Danielle Adams, holding her to just 10 points. Wherever she went on the court, Adams found a defender in her face. She was constantly double-teamed in the lane. Despite struggling offensively in the first three quarters, Lee’s Summit had a chance in the fourth quarter. The Tigers, 23-5, pulled within 12 but were forced to foul, and the Storm put the game away at the free-throw line. Amanda Barnard made three three-pointers and led Sion with 15 points, and Morgan Henderson added 13. Sion plays next against Hazelwood East in the 5A semifinals at 6 p.m. Friday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
Complete article The Lee's Summit girls basketball team is hoping recent playoff history repeats itself. The Tigers' opponent, Notre Dame de Sion, is hoping the opposite is true. The Tigers will face off against the Storm at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Central Missouri State University Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg. Each of the last two seasons, Lee's Summit has defeated Notre Dame in the playoffs. "Our seniors know how tough they are," Notre Dame coach Mike Dunn said. "They've gotten in our way, so to speak, from getting to Columbia. It should be a great game." A 'great game' is not a phrase that could have been used to describe the previous matchup between the two teams this year. Notre Dame took out its postseason frustrations on the Tigers, winning by more than 20 points. Lee's Summit coach Brian Bubalo said his team is hoping to get some payback. "We're glad to have the opportunity," Bubalo said. "I think we'll play better than we did last time we played them. But will it be good enough? You'll just have to show up and find out." Bubalo is hoping his team continues to shoot like it did in sectional play Wednesday night. The Tigers made 50 percent from the floor and controlled the game with Blue Springs South throughout. For Lee's Summit, that shooting starts with junior center Danielle Adams. Dunn said she's a player his team needs to stop. "She's probably as big of a focus as anyone else," Dunn said. "She's the best scorer and rebounder on the team. When she plays well, she tends to get the others involved. The team plays off of her and how well she's playing." But Notre Dame has an inside weapon of its own in senior forward Morgan Henderson, who is averaging 16 points per game. In addition, senior guard Amanda Barnard is averaging 12 points per game and senior guard Anna Florzak is averaging nine, giving Notre Dame a balanced attack. "I think we can do both," Dunn said. "We have strength inside and outside. It's something we take a lot of pride in." Lee's Summit senior Andrea Hicks said the team's perimeter defense will be a key. "We need to shut down their 3-point shooters," she said. "We lost to them for the first time in five games (last time). They're going to be fired up and we're going to be pretty fired up." With the teams relatively well-matched, Dunn said the game could come down to mistakes. "I think we need to do a good job on defense and not give up too many offensive rebounds," he said. "We need to stay out of foul trouble and execute our offense and do a better job of taking care of the ball. When we did play them we did a good job of keeping the turnovers low. We need to do the same and not give them more chances than we already have to." Saturday will mark the fourth time these two teams have faced off in the last two seasons.
Complete article ST. JOSEPH — The Oak Park girls basketball team was never supposed to be here. Notre Dame de Sion made them feel like it with a whipping in a Missouri Class 5 sectional at the St. Joseph Civic Arena. The Storm, 25-3, took control of the game early thanks to a standout defensive performance from point guard Anna Florzak, who created six turnovers in the first quarter and finished the game with five steals. “We came out and played great defense,” Sion coach Mike Dunn said. “We limited their shots and created a lot of steals with our pressure off the ball.” Sion center Morgan Henderson was too much for the Northwomen, 12-17, inside, putting up 15 points and nine rebounds in limited action due to foul trouble. Forward Hillary Buren added nine points as the Storm pulled down 17 offensive rebounds. Sion advances to the state quarterfinals Saturday at 1 p.m. at Central Missouri State in Warrensburg. Sion’s seven seniors, who have yet to win a state title, are beginning to feel a sense of urgency. “Three games left,” Henderson said. “We’re finally getting the feeling that this is it.”
Complete article With time running out in the fourth quarter, the Notre Dame de Sion student section began to chant over and over, “You can’t stop us.” It should have gone more like: “We can stop you.” Notre Dame de Sion’s defense held the Hickman Mills girls to three points in a stretch of about 10 minutes in the second half, breaking open a close battle and leading the Storm to a 64-41 victory in the final of the Class 5, District 15 tournament at Hickman Mills. Anna Florzak and Morgan Henderson each scored 17 points for Sion. Complete article On a night full of high school basketball district finals, a couple of girls finals stand out. In Class 5, Notre Dame de Sion, 23-3 and ranked No. 1 in The Star’s big-class top five, will take on Hickman Mills, 22-4 and ranked fourth. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Hickman Mills. Sion is a balanced, powerful team led by two NCAA Division I signees — Morgan Henderson and Anna Florzak — along with three-point shooting specialist Amanda Barnard. Sion defeated Hickman Mills 54-50 back in December. But Hickman Mills has Division I recruit Tyra White, who is just a junior. “They’re a kind of team where there’s been addition by subtraction,” Sion coach Mike Dunn said of the Cougars. “They lost Keisha Walker, but they’re better positionally one through five.” Cougars coach Steve Cassity knows that’s true about the Storm. “They’re experienced, play hard and are smart,” Cassity said. The Class 4 District 15 final pits St. Pius X, 16-5, against a 19-4 Lincoln Prep team that placed second in the state tournament a year ago. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 5:30 at St. Pius X.
Complete article Notre Dame de Sion senior guard Anna Florzak doesn’t want to get ahead of herself, but she is aware of the possibility of a rematch at the state tournament against top-ranked Incarnate Word of St. Louis. Bragging rights will likely carry on to her collegiate career at Iowa State. It’s already on in Ames. Last year, en route to Springfield Kickapoo’s state title, Incarnate Word was one of its victims. Kickapoo had Heather Ezell who is now a freshman at ISU and Incarnate Word had 6-foot-3 center Rachael Pierson, who is also a Cyclone. Both of them served as Florzak’s hosts during her recruiting trip to Ames. Kickapoo defeated Incarnate Word on its way to the title. Pierson has a medical redshirt this season, so four players from Missouri figure to play key roles for the Cyclones next season. First things first though as Florzak may be on a collision course with one of her future teammates. MacKenzie Stirmlinger, who like Florzak is a 5-10 guard, hopes to take St. Joseph’s Academy to the state title. On the second weekend of this month, the Storm traveled to St. Louis with St. Thomas Aquinas for back-to-back games in two days against St. Joseph’s and Incarnate Word. The Storm came away with a split by beating St. Joseph’s Academy then losing to Incarnate Word by five points. Florzak, who has become closer to Stirmlinger since both met while playing AAU ball, talked with her afterward. But not about the game. Florzak knows her own competitive desire would have prevented her from talking about it had the Storm lost, so she knew how Stirmlinger must have felt. “Mac and I are really good friends and our families went out to dinner before the game,” said Florzak. Florzak verbally committed to ISU last March, then called Stirmlinger in an attempt to convince her also to go to Ames. Stirmlinger was sold and both signed during the early period last fall. The Storm’s first post-season game got off to a rocky start against St. Teresa’s on Tuesday night at Hickman Mills. After the first quarter, the Storm had a 6-4 lead, but later pulled away to win, 56-25. Stirmlinger has already had a taste of a state championship when St. Joseph’s Academy won it two years ago. As a sophomore, Stirmlingers averaged 12.2 points for the Angels. Florzak wants that experience as a senior.
Complete article On the girls side, the big-class state representative probalby will be Lee’s Summit, Notre Dame de Sion, or Hickman Mills. Lee’s Summit (Danielle Adams) and Hickman Mills (Tyra White) are led by spectacular players, but Sion — the occasional hiccup aside — has proved most of the year to be the best team. Nerves could be an issue, but Anna Florzak, Morgan Henderson and Amanda Barnard give Sion a combination of versatility, experience and competitive fire. Complete article I caught a glimpse of a girls final four basketball team this weekend and it wasn't St. Joseph's or Incarnate Word. Notre Dame de Sion, ranked second in the state in Class 5, made the trek across the state for a pair of games against some of the best St. Louis has to offer. Friday night, the Storm took on St. Joe's and then played Incarnate Saturday afternoon. Sion knocked off the Angels 40-36 and then lost to the Red Knights 45-40. Against St. Joe's, the Storm were able to do what a lot of teams haven't done this season — shut down MacKenzie Stirmlinger. Stirmlinger wasn't able to play her game. She was constantly being pushed, pulled and harassed all evening. She wasn't able to get into a rhythm offensively. The Angels' leading scorer with 16.6 points per game, she only netted 11, five of which came in the fourth quarter. And yes, she was pushed and pulled. The Storm are a physical team. They're not afraid of contact. They went elbow for elbow with the Red Knights Saturday afternoon. It's something you don't see a lot of in the girls game. Sion is a tough ball club. They never quit on a play. The Storm were able to keep countless possessions over the weekend because they got after it on both ends. Hustle is something that appeared to come standard with the jersey. Coach Mike Dunn has his girls playing smart. They know the game. They know what they're doing. Their only problem is they don't always execute it. Leading this purple-clad crew were senior guard Anna Florzak and senior forward Morgan Henderson. They're not hard to find on the court, both wear headbands and their play distinguishes them almost immediately. Henderson was exceptionally damaging for St. Joe's, as she had her way in the high post. She could spot up and shoot it or she could take it to the basket. Either way, she was getting a shot off or getting fouled. She netted a game-high 21 points. But more damaging than Henderson was the play of the Angels. They missed all their free throws in the second half and couldn't convert when they got the ball close to the basket. It was as if Sion wanted shut down the Angels' perimeter players and make them win it in the post. It was something St. Joe couldn't do. Saturday was different. Early against the Red Knights, Sion went to a zone, daring Incarnate to shoot over them and putting as many as five defenders between Red Knight standout Felecia Chester and the ball. But it backfired. The Red Knights hit their shots and played just as physical as Sion, as they built up a 12-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter. But there is no quit in the Storm. They mounted a furious comeback, cutting the deficit to just three points with two minutes left in the game. Their full court pressure didn't cause turnovers, but it forced Incarnate to hurry up the floor and they weren't able to finish near the basket. Chester finished with a mere seven points and was never an offensive factor, even though she had nine rebounds, four of which were offensive. Even she couldn't keep up with the scrappy Henderson, who took her on the perimeter and then blew past her going to the basket. The Storm are a team that someone from St. Louis will have to contend with come tournament time. The unfortunate thing is the winner of St. Joseph's district (whether that's St. Joe's, Nerinx Hall, Webster Groves or Kirkwood) has a sectional in Farmington and would then probably play Incarnate Word in the quarterfinals at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) for the right to go to the semifinals. Meanwhile, Sion's path to Columbia is pretty clear, barring anything out of the ordinary. If the Storm play like they did in their brief time in town, a state championship appearance is theirs to lose.
Complete article The Angels, No. 3 in the Post-Dispatch large schools rankings, led by four at halftime but fell behind by nine near the start of the fourth quarter and lost at home. St. Joe's (18-5) rallied to take a one-point lead in the quarter, but couldn't hold on. It made just two of 11 free throws and shot less than 30 percent from the field. Sion, the second-ranked team in Missouri Class 5, played strong defense on Angels' leading scorer Mackenzie Stirmlinger, who was held to 11 points - six below her season average but still a team-high. "We were right there, and we had our chances," St. Joe's coach Julie Matheny said. "If we had made our free throws, it would have been an entirely different story. It was frustrating." Morgan Henderson had 21 points for the Storm. Complete article The Kansas City area’s top two girls basketball teams split games in St. Louis on Friday. Notre Dame de Sion, No. 1 in big-class, improved to 21-2 with a 40-36 win over St. Joseph’s Academy. St. Thomas Aquinas, tops in small class, lost its first game of the season and is now 15-1 after a 51-37 loss to Incarnate Word Academy. Sion’s Hillary Buren gave her team the lead with less than a minute to go on a three-point play. Sion led by nine before St. Joe’s came back. “The girls showed some moxie today,” Sion coach Mike Dunn said. “They really just didn’t quit.” Aquinas kept it close until the very end, when it had to foul and Incarnate pushed the lead with free throws. “They were very physical and strong and that was the biggest difference,” Aquinas coach Rick Hetzel said. “They shot 30 free throws and we shot 12, so it was kind of rough.” Sion will play St. Joe’s today, and Aquinas will take on Incarnate.
Complete article Incarnate Word and St. Joseph's have spent the entire season near the top of the Post-Dispatch large-schools rankings. This weekend, they - and area fans - will get to see how they stack up with some of the best teams in the Kansas City area. Continuing a tradition that dates back to at least 1991, two top teams from the Kansas City area will be in town this weekend to play doubleheaders against the Red Knights and Angels. St. Thomas Aquinas, the top-ranked team in Class 5 in Kansas, and Notre Dame de Sion, the No.2 team in Missouri Class 5 will be in town over the weekend, with Sion playing at St. Joe's and Aquinas playing at Incarnate on Friday night. The visitors will switch sites on Saturday afternoon. "It's a great opportunity for us, especially at the end of the season," second-year Sion coach Mike Dunn said. "We get to see where we stack up against the best competition from the other side of the state, and find out what it takes to play quality teams without a lot of preparation time - back-to-back on Friday night and Saturday afternoon - because that's what we'll have to do if we make it to the state tournament." Usually, the games are played one year in Kansas City, the next year in St. Louis, but by way of a scheduling quirk, Sion will make its second straight trip to St. Louis. Incarnate is a late addition to the mix, joining the series this season when the Kansas City area teams were having trouble justifying the eight-hour round-trip on Interstate 70 for one game. "This weekend is a great benchmark for us," St. Joe's coach Julie Matheny said. "We like seeing what's on the other side of the state, and it gives us two weeks to get our act together for the postseason." The relationship, which has involved several Kansas City area teams since its inception in 1991 but always involved St. Joe's, is beneficial for both parties. Matheny likes the fact that her team will get to face the best the west side of the state has to offer on the comfort of the Angels' home court after making journeys earlier in the season to Arkansas and Chicago. Sion, in the meantime, continues a long season of traveling - and bonding - that has seen it play some of the top teams in the Midwest. "The girls love it," said Dunn, whose team enjoys scheduling flexibility because it isn't bound by conference affiliation. "The bus ride, staying in the hotel, they have a lot of fun. At the same time, the travel that we do is good for the program. It gets the Sion name out there and gets us recognition. Being an all-girls school, it will be nice to get to play some similar programs in St. Joe's and Incarnate." St. Joe's and Sion hold a common bond: Mackenzie Stirmlinger of St. Joe's and Anna Florzak of Sion. Opponents this weekend, the senior guards will be on the same team next year. Both have signed with Iowa State. Unconcerned what its record looks like entering the postseason, St. Joe's relishes opportunities like this weekend to play against the best around. "I don't want to have a great record and give our kids false expectations that they are good when they haven't played anybody," Matheny said. "It's healthy to go out and play against the best, and we're lucky enough to have chances to do that."
Complete article Morgan Henderson led Notre Dame de Sion on a winning spree through some of Missouri’s best teams. Henderson averaged 17 points and seven rebounds in helping Sion, 19-2, to victories over Missouri Class 3 defending state champion Pembroke Hill, Class 5 defending state champion Springfield Kickapoo and Class 5 state runner-up Lee’s Summit. Henderson also scored a game-high 21 points in a 54-22 win over Schlagle on Thursday. Sion next plays O’Hara on Tuesday. Sion coach Mike Dunn said he was particularly impressed with Henderson’s versatility, playing well on the perimeter against a bigger Lee’s Summit team and in the post against Kickapoo. “Morgan’s the hardest working girl I’ve ever coached,” Dunn said. “She always has to guard the opposing team’s biggest player. She’s got to make more adjustments than anybody else on the team, depending on whether we want to put her in the post or on the outside. She just does a great job.”
1/24/06: The Storm avenged last year's loss with a 44-32 victory over the Raiders of Pembroke Hill. | |||||||
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