2001 Midwest Conference Championship Tournament Preview:
Four Proven Teams to Play for MWC Title, NCAA Bid This Weekend in Lake Forest

LAKE FOREST, IL -- Getting to four was the easy part.going from four to one will make for an exciting two days.

It is not a matter of whether each of this weekend's four teams belong in the 2001 Midwest Conference Women's Basketball Championship Tournament - that was decided with a full week remaining in the MWC's regular season. It is simply a matter of who will prevail in this year's ultra-competitive Midwest Conference Championship Tournament in Lake Forest College's Sports Center.

Three of these heavyweights (Lake Forest, Carroll, and St. Norbert, respectively) were pre-season picks by the league's coaches to finish in the top three, while this weekend's fourth team, Ripon, was picked to finish fifth by the coaches.

If you are looking for further proof that these teams are worthy of their tournament position, consider that each of the final four has won 10 or more conference games and 12 or more overall contests. In fact, the top four teams combined for a 39-3 record against the other six conference schools, with all three of those losses coming at the hands of one team, Illinois College, in an eight-day span from January 27th to February 3rd.

For the few of you out there that still are not convinced, consider that Lake Forest, Ripon, Carroll, and St. Norbert were not only the four highest scoring teams in the league, but also allowed the fewest points and, not surprisingly, were the only four teams with a positive scoring margin.

Friday's first semifinal, which tips-off at 5:00, pits second-seeded Ripon (14-8, 13-3 MWC) against third-seeded Carroll (16-6, 12-4 MWC). The Red Hawks and Pioneers split their regular season series with each team winning at home. 

Both teams rank in the top four for scoring offense, but they get there in decidedly different ways. Ripon has two players (Karin Kedrowski at 18.6 ppg and Molly Kneip at 14.2 ppg) who rank in the league's top six and well ahead of Carroll's top scorer (Corey Grosskopf at 12.6 ppg) for individual scoring. For Carroll, balance is the key. The Pioneers have five players averaging between 8.0 and 11.6 ppg and seven different players have led the team in scoring for at least one game this season.

But no matter where the points come from, one thing is certain, each point will be tough to come by. Ripon is third in the MWC in scoring defense at 55.4 points allowed per game, and Carroll is second at 55.2 points surrendered per contest.

Ripon enters this weekend as one of the hottest teams in the field. The Red Hawks are riding a four-game winning streak and have won 10 of their last 11 contests. In addition, they are the last and only conference team to beat Lake Forest (67-57 on February 2nd in Lake Forest). The Red Hawks have rebounded from a 2-6 overall and 1-1 MWC start to claim their number two seed.

Carroll, who claimed the third seed with a convincing 69-49 victory over St. Norbert on the last day of the regular season, has won five of their last six games by an average of 16.6 points per win.

Friday's second semifinal, which will begin at approximately 7:00, pits two familiar foes in Lake Forest and St. Norbert. The two teams have hosted each of the past two MWC Championship Tournaments, only to lose in the first round - Lake Forest lost, 66-65, to Illinois College in 1999 and St. Norbert lost, 55-52, to Carroll last season. Each team features a high-scoring senior - LF's Alison Grubbs scores a league-high 21.2 points per game and SNC's Julie Schill averages 18.4 points per contest - and a potent offense. The Foresters are leading the league with a 76.8-point offensive average and St. Norbert is third at a 69.1-point per game clip.

At first glance both teams may seem one-dimensional with Grubbs and Schill, but a closer look reveals good balance on both squads. St. Norbert boasts of four other players averaging 6.8 ppg or higher, while the Foresters have three other players scoring 7.0 ppg or higher. Each team features at least eight players averaging at least 10 minutes per game.

St. Norbert, the last team to claim a tourney spot, is no stranger to the league's final four or league titles, for that matter. The Green Knights have qualified for the playoffs 11 times in their 17 years in the league and have won a league-record six titles, but none since 1989. This year's Knights will have to overcome a 1-5 record against 2000 tourney teams, including two losses to Lake Forest.

This year's host, Lake Forest, has won 17 of their last 18 games, including a school-record 12-game winning streak from November 29th to January 27th. The Foresters are a senior-led squad featuring not only Grubbs, but forward Kim Magee and guard Karla Gribble in their final season. The trio has led Lake Forest to a four-year record of 79-15 overall (.840 winning percentage) and a 56-5 mark in the MWC (.918). They are averaging a combined 37.2 points, 16.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 6.9 steals per conference game this season.

Lake Forest will be seeking their second straight MWC crown and fourth overall. The Foresters are 8-3 in MWC Tournament games under Head Coach Jackie Slaats.

Friday's winners will meet at 2:00 on Saturday in the championship game. Four teams will enter Lake Forest "tourney-ready" this weekend, but only one will leave "tourney-tested" and earn the MWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.