Successful blend at Eastview

It's been a year of exceeded expectations for the Eastview Lightning girls' basketball team.

Teams lacking an elite scorer aren't supposed to win 24 games. Teams with a freshman point guard aren't supposed to win competitive conferences. Teams with first-year head coaches aren't supposed to qualify for state tournaments.

But behind first-year coach Melissa Guebert and her daughter, freshman point guard Madison Guebert, Eastview has taken on teams with more coaching experience and more star power to reach this year's state tournament.

Fourth-seeded Eastview will play the 11th-ranked St. Michael-Albertville Knights at noon Wednesday in the first Class 4A quarterfinal at Target Center.

"It's all about our seniors," said Guebert, who spent the past few years coaching Eastview's travel team to an 89-4 record. "As a coach, my goal is to be successful for our seniors. They're not a vocal group, but they lead by example."

With a new head coach inserting her daughter at point guard, senior leadership has been extremely important this year for Guebert and the Lightning.

Seniors Amber Mehr, Meghan Ryan, Emily Young and Paige Palkovich are a poised and collected bunch who don't easily fold under pressure. In the Class 4A, Section 3 championship game last Thursday, Mehr and Ryan methodically killed a late Park rally with last-second free throws. A shot from the foul stripe is anything but routine in a late-game situation, but Eastview's seniors made it look easy.

"They knew we needed a point guard," Guebert said of her decision to coach her daughter. "[Madison] would be here whether I'm coaching or not, but it's worked out great. I wouldn't have done if I wasn't sure it was going to work."

Consistent, top-notch performance is certainly one of the reasons the two Gueberts have been able to make a seamless transition into the Eastview system; the coach from off the court, the guard inside the lines.

Madison, in particular, has drawn rave reviews from opposing players and coaches. She leads the team with 18.3 points per game, but has an impact that stretches far beyond the box score. It's obvious she has been around the sport all her life and possesses an incredible basketball IQ. She knows how to create mismatches and get the ball to the open shooter.

Things couldn't be going much better for Guebert and the Lightning.

Eastview has been on a roll of late, winning 18 of its past 19 contests since Jan. 1. But the Lightning first had to endure a tough early season schedule, packed with the state's top teams.

Lakeville North advancesThe Lakeville North Panthers defeated Rochester Mayo last week in the Class 4A, Section 1 finals to become the other representative of the South Metro in the state tournament.

With only two scorers who average double-digit points per game, the Panthers are not a high-scoring team, and rely on their defense to keep opponents in check. It has been successful; Lakeville North has won eight games in a row and hasn't lost a game by more than four points in months.