Quantcast
skip navigation

Roseville overwhelms White Bear Lake to pick up eighth consecutive win

By Ricky Campbell, SportsEngine, 01/20/17, 7:00AM CST

Share

Kaia Porter surpassed 1,000 career points helping the Raiders defeat the Bears 49-37.


Roseville senior Kaia Porter drives the basket for her 1,000th career point. Porter led the Raiders with 12 points in the Raiders' 49-37 victory over White Bear Lake. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine




Roseville sophomore Jada Hood looks for a passing lane in Friday night's victory over White Bear Lake. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine




White Bear Lake sophomore Claire Odmark launches a three point attempt in the first half of Friday night's game against Roseville. Odmark scored eight points in the 49-37 loss to the Raiders. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

It was about four minutes into Friday night’s Suburban East Conference showdown between Roseville  and White Bear Lake when Raiders guard Kaia Porter sank a basket she’s hit nearly 500 times before.

The jumper marked Porter’s 1,000th career point, notching a memorable moment in a game that could have postseason implications. She finished the night with 12 points.

After a brief stoppage at White Bear Lake High School’s south campus for a standing ovation from Roseville players and fans, along with Porter handing the game ball to her parents, Roseville, ranked No. 8 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, jumped out to a double-digit lead it held for most of the first half.

The Raiders (14-2, 6-2) would go on to win 49-37 over the Bears (9-7, 5-3), two teams battling for third place in the Suburban East.

“Big night for Kaia, which was great,” Roseville coach Jeff Crosby said. “Selfishly for us, it would have been nice if it was on Tuesday night (at home)…Big thing for her, as far as a memory she’ll have for the rest of her life.”

The No. 11-4A Bears went on a 9-2 run midway through the first half, closing in on Roseville, who went into the locker room up three, 19-16.  After the break, White Bear Lake 5-foot-7 senior guard Alexa Molin hit two three-pointers, putting her team on top for the first time. Molin, who came in averaging 8.5 points per game, led White Bear Lake scorers, finishing with 13.

Sophomore forward Claire Odmark finished with 8 points, and junior forward Jordan Ferrand contributed with 7.

But Roseville answered right back. Senior guard Molly Ryan, who came into the game averaging 3.1 ppg, hit two from behind the arc. She finished the night with 7 points. The Raiders opened up their lead with about 11 minutes to go, building a six-point lead and never looking back.

Roseville came into Friday averaging 57 points per game. The Raiders, who are riding an eight-game winning streak dating back to Dec. 28, had outscored their opponents 858-689 going into Friday’s contest.

For a team that’s witnessed early exits in section playoffs the past few years, Roseville heads into its final eight-game conference stretch, plus two out-of-conference matches, eyeing the top prize.

Friday’s win puts the Raiders solidly in third place, with games against conference leaders, East Ridge and Cretin-Derham Hall still to be played.

“We just got to keep improving,” Crosby said. “If you keep improving, hopefully conference championships can take care of themselves. We’ve been the bridesmaids a lot in section championships and we’d like to be the brides.”

Roseville senior guard Jolisa Ross finished the night with eight points, including a perfect six of six from the charity stripe. Jayda Johnston, a freshman forward with 135 points this season, finished with eight points.

First Report

Roseville notched a 49-37 win over White Bear Lake Friday night at White Bear Lake High School’s south campus.

Heading into the game, Roseville (14-2, 6-2), ranked No. 8 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, and White Bear Lake (9-7, 5-3) were tied for third place in the Suburban East Conference behind East Ridge and Cretin-Derham Hall. It was a special night for Roseville senior guard Kaia Porter, who notched her 1,000th career point early in the game. She finished the night with 12 points.

The No. 11-4A Bears went on a 9-2 run midway through the first half, closing in on the Raiders, who went into the locker room up 19-16.

White Bear Lake 5-foot-7 senior guard Alexa Molin hit two three-pointers to start the second half, putting her team in the lead for the first time. Molin, who came in averaging 8.5 points per game, led White Bear Lake scorers, finishing with 13.

Roseville senior guard Jolisa Ross finished the night with eight points, including a perfect six of six from the charity stripe. Jayda Johnston, a freshman forward with 135 points this season, also finished with eight points.

The win puts Roseville solidly in third place in the division, as it heads into the homestretch of conference play.

Photo Gallery

Most Popular

Spotlight Game Coverage

  • Familiar powers land highest state seeds

  • By RON HAGGSTROM, Star Tribune 03/09/2024, 1:30pm CST
  • Hopkins, Minnetonka and St. Michael-Albertville lead the Class 4A list. Benilde-St. Margaret's heads 3A, and Providence Academy is atop 2A.
  • Read More