Area Female Athlete: Aitkin's Moe a handful for opponents

Ramsey Moe is a matchup nightmare.

Standing 5-foot-10 with athleticism to spare and a long wingspan, coupled with 3-point range and driving skills, the Aitkin Gobblers' senior forward can hurt opponents in many different ways.

And she has.

In Aitkin's 67-25 victory over Two Harbors, Moe dropped 21 points on the Agates.

"She really picked her poison in terms of best shot and the cleanest opportunities," Aitkin head coach Rob Williams said. "She played very efficiently."

Moe followed that with a 15-point game to help Aitkin to a 59-49 Mid-State Conference win over Park Rapids Feb. 4.

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Ramsey Moe

• Year: Senior
• School: Aitkin
• Sport: Girls basketball
• Position: Forward
• Highlights: Scored 21 points against Two Harbors and added 15 against Park Rapids

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"At the beginning of the season she would have some 20-point games and then she would have an eight- or a six-point game," Williams said. "She's more consistently been in that 12 to 20 range. She's much more in that 15-point range, which will be critical for us down that playoff stretch."

That was one of Moe's goals to start the season. As a returning senior captain, she knew her point production would have to increase.

"This year we have a lot of seniors on the team and a lot of us are hoping to make it to state," Moe said. "That would be really nice to accomplish.

"Individually, I wanted to help the team by scoring more. At least more than I did the last couple of years because I knew with Maggi Fellerman being gone, Kaija (Davies) and I would have to step up our game a little bit."

Moe is averaging 13.6 points per game for the 12-7 Gobblers. She's collected 258 points by hitting 33 percent (37-111) of her 3-pointers and 37 percent (46-122) of her 2s. She's also 55-of-80 (68 percent) from the line.

"I shoot a lot of 3s," Moe said. "We have two plays that are designed for 3-point shooters. They're not designed just for me, but I'm one of the players who run it so 3s mainly, but I can still drive and finish, too.

"When girls know I'm a good 3-point shooter they'll guard me a little closer and I'll just try and take them to the rim. If I do get fouled I'm a pretty good free throw shooter, too. I do get and-ones a lot. Probably one or two a game."

Last season, Moe was an All-Mid-State Conference honorable mention selection. She averaged 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.6 steals and finished with 10 blocked shots. She shot 41 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3-point and 65 percent from the line.

But Williams needed Moe to be a difference-maker on offense.

"She's a good 3-point shooter, but she's most effective slashing and attacking the rim," Williams said. "She's 5-foot-10 and she's long-legged and long-armed. When she can get a step on someone, she does a really nice job of finding that seam and using the step through, or the Euro step or the pro hop to clean through and extend through for the finish. That's one of her bread-and-butter moves.

"I needed that balance. We have Kaija Davies inside who is a very strong post player. We had quite a bit of veteran experience with Jillian (MacDonald) at the point and Ramsey needed to be that dynamic stretch player inside and outside. You know, attacking to the rim in transition and hitting those pull-up 3s and stretching the defense. For the most part, she's done a great job of that. She's had some very impactful nights that way.

"Two Harbors was a great example of that."

This season, Moe is also averaging 2.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals a game. Her defense also provides fits for opponents.

"Defensively I am usually paired up with the top scorer on the other team or the second-best depending on if a team has multiple scorers," Moe said. "Usually if we're in a zone I'll be on the top of it because I have long arms and I'm quick. Since I'm usually on the top I don't get that many defensive rebounds compared to offensive rebounds, but I still get a decent amount of steals and deflections that help our team get turnovers and fast breaks."

The four-year varsity player is one of five seniors on the team and so the goal is a state tournament berth. Moe, who will be playing basketball next season at St. Scholastica, might have the key to making that happen for Aitkin.

"I think communication is one of the really big things because if we don't communicate a lot of the girls just don't know what's going on," Moe said. "It also increases your positivity, too, which can spread to everyone else on the floor and can make everyone else play better.

"I think, communication is a really big thing that we need to keep concentrating on because it's one of the easiest things to do in basketball. As long as we're communicating everything else, I think, will build off of that and we'll just consistently be doing everything else right."

Other notable performances

Basketball: Tabatha Allen, Staples-Motley, finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds against Browerville and 12 points against Perham.

Olivia Lane, Pequot Lakes, finished with 28 points against Perham and 33 points against Crosby-Ironton and 30 points against Mora to become the school's all-time leading scorer.

Bailey Wynn, Pine River-Backus, finished with 20 points against Northome-Kelliher.

Ashley Adams, Wadena-Deer Creek, finished with 24 points against Henning.

Hockey: Hayden Boelter, Northern Lakes, finished with two goals against Henry Sibley.