Behind a spectacular 45-point performance from junior Kate Arnold — her second 40-point game of the season and a career-high — Chanhassen stormed back from a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat Chaska 90-76, completing their first season sweep of the Hawks in more than a decade.
“We talked in pregame how Chaska has dominated this rivalry in the past and to earn respect you have to go out and earn it by playing at a high level,” Chanhassen coach Bart Inniger said. “It may be a cliché, but we just want to try to improve every time we step on the court.”
Chanhassen has done just that, continuing one of the program’s best seasons in history and upping their record to 15-6, knocking on the door of a Top 10 Class 4A ranking, and staying within striking distance of first place in the Metro West Conference.
The Storm started red-hot, knocking down three three-pointers early to build an advantage.
But the Hawks showed that they can play with the state’s best, led by senior captain Addi Schneider and sophomore standout Natalie Heyer. Chaska’s efficient offense and stingy defense allowed the Hawks to take a 40-37 halftime lead.
Chaska extended their lead to 10 points in the second half. Schneider and fellow senior Morgan Donahue converted steals into layups. The Hawks led 52-42 and appeared to be in control. That’s when Inniger reminded his team about their defensive mindset.
“We talked about stringing together stops,” Inniger said. “If we get three stops in a row, we call that a kill. And so our focus was trying to get a couple of kills. We were able to get a couple in the second half after they went up 10.”
The defensive stops kept the Hawks off the board. And from there, Arnold’s game for the ages put the Storm in control.
The University of South Dakota commit simply could not miss. A three-pointer pulled the Storm within one. Moments later, she drained another three to give Chanhassen the lead. Arnold’s hot streak sparked a 25-7 run that flipped the game on its head.
Schneider, who is committed to Concordia-St. Paul, kept the Hawks in striking distance with another three-pointer to cut the deficit to 5. But Chanhassen continued to get buckets in the paint off drives, extending their lead to 77-67.
The Storm struggled from the free-throw line throughout the game, and when Chaska sophomore Jenna Nelson hit a huge three-pointer with five minutes to go, the Hawks trailed just 77-74 and threatened a comeback of their own.
Arnold had other ideas, scoring two tough baskets down low to push Chanhassen’s lead back to 9 with two minutes remaining, as the Storm closed the game with a 10-0 run to seal the 90-76 victory.
Chanhassen exploded for 53 points in the second half, with Arnold’s dominant performance leading the way.
“Kate has really elevated her game the last couple of weeks,” Inniger said. “The thing that is really striking right now is her consistency. And it is not just scoring, she is getting more rebounds, cutting down her turnovers and guarding some tough matchups.”
For Arnold, getting into a rhythm is all about confidence.
“When I get in a good shooting streak, I think the biggest thing is my confidence is super high so it’s really fun,” Arnold said. “But it’s also important to remind myself to not let up and try to impact the game in all aspects.”
The game featured an outstanding duel between the Storm’s Arnold and the Hawks’ Schneider. The Chaska senior finished with 33 points in the losing effort, continuing her stellar season. Heyer added 11 points for the Hawks, while Nelson finished with 12.
Arnold gave credit to her team’s defensive gameplan against Schneider.
“Our main goal was to contain her as much as we can and keep her in front of us because we knew if she were to beat us on the dribble, she is very good at finishing,” Arnold said.
For Chanhassen, freshman Lucy Hilgert contributed 12 points, while junior Skyler Mancini, a University of St. Thomas commit, also added 12. The Storm’s third Division-1 commit, Lyla Hentges (St. Thomas), was a focus of Chaska’s defense all game, allowing Arnold and others to shine. Chanhassen’s balanced attack and relentless second-half energy proved too much for Chaska to overcome.
The victory carries significant weight for a Chanhassen program looking to make noise in the postseason.
“As we get toward the end of the season our main goal is obviously to win as much as we can,” Arnold said. “It’s been a few years since a Chanhassen Girls Basketball team has won a section game, so our goal is to make it as far as we can.”
Chanhassen travels to conference leader Benilde-St. Margaret’s tonight, Feb. 10, for a 7 p.m. start time.
Chaska travels to Bloomington Jefferson tonight, Feb. 10, for a 7 p.m. start time.
