by dgfsuperfan1 » Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:44 pm
THE BELOW IS FROM THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE. IT LOOKS LIKE BHS HAS A FEW INJURIES. MAY BE A BIGGER CONCERN THAN MISSING SCHMIDT. HER REPLACEMENT SCORED 15. SEE BELOW.
Bismarck 6-0 West Region, 9-0 overall; St. Mary's' 1-4, 1-7.
Bismarck 78, St. Mary's 17
When Messer, a 5-11 senior standout, showed up in street clothes with a knee brace, it looked like a long night for the Saints.
That's the way things turned out.
"Alex Feeney scored 20 points as BHS posted its ninth victory.
Messer said her left leg began to give her a lot of trouble after a game with Turtle Mountain during the Christmas break.
"My bones got really inflamed and I couldn't extend my leg all the way," she said. "Now I've developed fluid in my femur."
A lot is riding on a stress test Messer has scheduled today.
"If I pass the test I can play on Friday (at Turtle Mountain) but it would have to be 5 minutes on and 5 minutes off."
After that, she would have to play it by ear, playing as much as her leg will allow.
Messer had surgery on the same leg two years ago to correct inadequate blood flow to one of the bones.
The Saints struggled without Messer, shooting just 16 percent and losing the battle of the boards 43-26.
Bismarck, missing two starters, didn't miss a beat. Kelsey Sigl, starting in place of Shannon Schmidt, scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds. Schmidt will miss six weeks for a training violation and is scheduled to return with two games remaining in the regular season.
Kaitlyn Sturlaugson started at guard in place of Kelsey Reimnitz, who has been playing with an injury since mid-December.
"She's nursing a combination of a sprained ankle and an Achilles problem," BHS coach Steve Meier said. "We just need to clean that up to where she can play her normal game full-strength."
Meier said Reimnitz, his senior point guard, will also sit out Thursday.
"It was one of those precautionary things," the coach noted. "It wasn't getting better so we're just shutting her down for awhile. ... We're shooting for the Century game a week from Thursday (for Reimnitz's return)."