Tartan Girls Basketball Team Leans on Takendra Elbert

She is only a freshman, but Takendra Elbert of the girls basketball team takes on responsibilities that even an upperclassman might find daunting.

She came through for the Titans in a 59-42 Classic Suburban Conference win against Henry Sibley on Friday, Feb. 18, at Tartan High School.

Elbert scored 11 points, second on the team to Alexis Burbul’s 13. She mixed it up, making three-pointers, driving layups and all four of her free throws.

“She has been doing that for us pretty much the whole season,” Titans coach Cheryl Greene said. “We give her a lot of responsibility and she handles it well for a freshman. There isn’t a lot that she can’t do.”

Despite being one of the younger, smaller players on the court, Elbert is not shy about playing near the basket. Contact does not deter her from getting her hands on the ball and putting the Titans back on offense.

“I grew up playing with boys and you learn to play tough,” Elbert said. “Physical play and contact doesn’t bother me because I have been doing it my whole life. If you want to play with the big dogs, you have to fight with them.”

Henry Sibley has starters Jill Gangl and Jessie Kreuser that stand 6 feet 1 inch and 6 feet 3 inches respectively. Elbert is more than six inches shorter than the Warriors' biggest players, yet she was the one hawking rebounds on both ends of the court.

“She is a great young player for them and has improved a lot since the first time we saw them,” Henry Sibley coach Tom Gustafson said. “A lot of what they do goes through her.”

As the season has progressed, more confidence and steady play by Elbert has resulted in more wins and consistent play by Tartan. A level of trust has increased with her teammates as well.

“I know I can count on them and I think they think the same about me,” Elbert said. “Now that we are close to the end of the regular season, that is important and we all are committed.”

Her teammates put the ball in her hands the whole game on Feb. 18 in a key Classic Suburban Conference game with section implications.

If Elbert did not grab a rebound herself and command the floor, the rest of the Titans were strong in getting it, and quickly delivered the ball to their polished freshman.

Elbert displayed quick, decisive drives to the hoop, perfect passes on kick-outs and just simply knocking down jump shots.

“I think it went pretty well tonight,” Elbert said. “The biggest thing has just been maturing. I am young and I have learned something new every game and that has to happen if you want to keep on improving.”

Age is not an excuse for Elbert now, who has played in every varsity game for Tartan this season, which is now 10-14 (5-7 CSC) on the year.

“This time of the year, you can’t use your age as a fault of bad play,” Elbert said. “We all have experience now.”

Elbert’s 11 points against Henry Sibley are actually on the low end of her performance this season. She averages 15.3 points a game, but on Feb. 18, it was about her effectiveness and team-play that elevated the Titans to a dominating victory.

Her highest point total was in the season opener against Rosemount when she dropped in 25, but Tartan lost 66-61.

Aforementioned, Burbul led Tartan with 13 points, six coming from beyond the arc.

Kreuser led all scorers for the game with 16 points, but was not enough for the Warriors, who were looking for a season sweep of the Titans.

“They were just better than us,” Gustafson said. “It was hard for us to get the ball down low as much as we wanted.”

Conversely, Tartan was able to lure Gangl and Kreuser away from the basket with solid outside shooting. When it started to connect on those shots, the two would venture toward a Titans shooter, leaving one open inside.

“Starting out, we didn’t do what we planned, but it was working,” Greene said. “Later, we were able to get it inside and got some points that way.”

Abby Langer was the Titans player that benefited the most from the post. She used her athleticism to get to the basket or step back and drain a mid-range jumper.

Tartan dominated the first half and built a 37-16 lead at the intermission. After a slow start to the second, it picked up play midway through and hit free throws at the end.

“It was one of our worst games of the year,” Gustafson said. “We just didn’t shoot well and they hit shots early and often. This is not a team you probably want to face early in the playoffs.”

“I think this gives us a lot of confidence,” Greene added. “It was a big win for us because Sibley beat us earlier in the season and they are a conference and section opponent.”

Tartan will hit the road against its biggest rival, North St. Paul on Feb. 22.

Henry Sibley will play host to conference leader and undefeated Hill-Murray on the same night.

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