Prologue
Off to the island for the first of 3 or 4 DeLaSalle games in a row on my schedule (something I'm not a fan of but this game, the Border Battle and the BSM game are too big to miss). DeLaSalle trying to make up for their Tri-Metro loss back in December 50-44 at Blake. No upgrades at the concession stand tonight but A&W Root Beer is always a good variety choice. We get one of the finest bands around in the DeLaSalle band. They don't disappoint with this locally flavored tune for our
Song of the Day
Prince - When Doves Cry
Game Time
Blake had a ton of success with their 3-2 zone in the first game but in this one they go man to man. Interesting start as the teams trade 5 second calls on the first possessions. Hard to know that rule even existed anymore. Reid Travis puts back a miss after a big Blake block. That's his first opportunity for a 3 point play and he converts one on a lob. 7-0 DLS at the 15:30 mark and Blake goes to their zone. The lead gets to 9-0 but the zone slows the pace. John Veil for 3 and adds a free throw later. Kebu Johnson down the lane and finishes right handed (he's lefty). That cuts the DeLaSalle lead to 14-10 at the 7:30 mark. Veil with a drive and pulls up for 3 to force a DeLaSalle timeout at the 4:46 mark. 19-15 Islanders lead. That sparks DLS to the next 6 points, but Blake would fight back with a Veil assist for a 3 point play and Kebu drives for a righty dunk. Trey Shepherd with a putback at the buzzer for a 27-21 halftime lead for DeLaSalle.
Then 3 Blake turnovers early in the second half are painful. Shawn Fitzgibbons converts 1 for a layup, Luke Scott another and he follows that with a 3. The lead balloons to 35-23 with 15:51 to play. Blake fights back again with the next 6 as Kebu takes a turnover for a dunk and goes to the reverse layup. 35-29 DLS with 14:01 left. DLS pushes the lead back to 11. Blake looking for another comeback. JR Bascom with a turnaround and then they miss a reverse layup. Travis grabs it and throws the long bomb to Tyler Moore for a layup. 44-34 DLS with 5:05 left. The teams trade a pair of buckets before Blake misses a pair of good looks at 3s before Kebu Johnson makes a jumper and Paul Blake scores. 49-42 DLS with 2:08 left. But there's not enough time for a run now. DeLaSalle wins 58-49.
Post Game
For Blake, Kebu Johnson leads with 15 points, John Veil with 13. JR Bascom with 9 of his 11 in the 2nd half. They ran a ton of pick and roll with Veil and Johnson being the handlers and really didn't get much out of it. The Bears fall into a tie in the loss column at 11-1 in the Tri-Metro, 14-3 overall. This was the 1st in a 5 game road swing. Next is Monday at Roosevelt. Big road test at Minnehaha in mid-February.
For DeLaSalle, Reid Travis 15 points and 8 rebounds. He had 3 huge blocks in the 2nd half including 2 on the same possession that ended up in a turnover. 13 for Luke Scott. The Islander offense vs zone wasn't pretty but their defense was once again outstanding. Veil and Johnson with almost no good looks. Islanders are now 10-1 in the Tri-Metro and 12-3 overall. A stuff test at Sun Prairie, WI in the Border Battle on Saturday before the big showdown with #1AAA Benilde-St. Margaret's on Tuesday night.
Featured Pages
Royals triumph in Lake opener
Prologue
Its off to Eden Prairie for the Lake Conference opener between #2AAAA Hopkins and #5AAAA Eden Prairie. Late concession stand opening with a hot dog that by itself was pretty decent. Deductions from the East German judge for the paper wrapping sticking to the bun which almost ruined the entire night and for the bun being whole wheat. Thumbs up for nutrition but not here. Sid Hartman, Dave Lee and Bud Grant all take in the first half of this one. Performances from the EP cheerleaders and Jazz Dance squad who dance expert Tom Krosschell tells me are in the running to make state in a very tough section. So with that in mind, for today's music, put your hands up and put a ring on it
Song of the Day
Beyonce - All the Single Ladies (yes I did the hand thing during the song, boo to me, oh oh oh guilty pleasure)
Game Time
Hopkins off to a fast start with Siyani Chambers for 3 and a turnover leads to a Jamal Davis dunk to force an Eagles timeout. Demetrius Martin adds a 3 as the Royals score the 1st 12 points of the game. Sander Mohn breaks the drought at the 13:30 mark. Nick Jorgenson with nice first half inside. His back to back hoops combined with a pair of buckets from soph SG Jake Wright put Hopkins up 26-8 inside of 7 minutes left in the half. Andre Wallace with back to back triples and a pair of FTs for 8 in a row to cut the lead to 31-16 outside of the 5 minute mark. Grant Schaeffer out on the break, Siyani Chambers measures him to cut across his face for the steal but WHOOOP, Schaeffer goes around his world (wraps it all the way around behind his back) for the 3 point play on one of the slickest finishes you'll see all year. 41-20 Hopkins. Then Andre Wallace for 3 with 5 seconds left in the half only to see Siyani Chambers knock it down pure from halfcourt at the halftime buzzer. 46-27 Hopkins. Hopkins adds the first 8 of the 2nd half and this one looks like running time 54-27 Hopkins leading. Stop that press machine. EP knocks down 6 3s in the half as the Eagles storm back on a 19-2 run. Sander Mohn with 3 of those. Jack Cottrell with a strong play to rip a rebound away and he finds Mohn all alone. That 3 is nothing but the bottom of the net and EP is within 10, 56-46 with 8:40 to play. But the Eagles would get no closer. Zach Stahl banks in a 3 and then blocks a jumper from Mohn. The run is 12-2 to push the lead right back to 20. Hopkins cruises from there for a 76-59 win.
Post Game
For Eden Prairie, Sander Mohn and soph guard Andre Wallace lead the way with 17 each. Wallace was 5-7 shooting from 3, but strangely 0-9 from 2. Rare stat there. Abrian Carpenter again active with 12 rebounds. 19 turnovers for Eden Prairie. The Eagles fall to 13-4 and 0-1 in the Lake Conference after this back to back loss. The road ahead is league play and that's brutal. At Minnetonka on Friday, a tough non-conference game at Elk River on Monday and then undefeated Wayzata comes calling next Friday.
For Hopkins, Siyani Chambers 18 points and 5 assists. Nick Jorgenson 19 points and 6 rebounds. Zach Stahl 11 points and 4 boards with South Dakota on hand to see him. Demetrius Martin 13 of his 15 in the first half with 3 triples. Interesting that during the 19-2 Eden Prairie run in the 2nd half Hopkins decided to go back to their 1-2-2 matchup. I'm all for coaching but this seemed to be too much with a 19 point lead. Hopkins is good enough in their man, especially against an Eden Prairie team that isn't all that athletic (besides Wallace of course), that the zone could have been shelved and/or saved until 2nd meeting. Panic button or genius? Hind sight is always 20/20. Hopkins is now 1-0 in the Lake, 16-1 overall. Big game for them at #4 Wayzata (16-0) on Friday night before hosting rival Minnetonka on Monday.
Its off to Eden Prairie for the Lake Conference opener between #2AAAA Hopkins and #5AAAA Eden Prairie. Late concession stand opening with a hot dog that by itself was pretty decent. Deductions from the East German judge for the paper wrapping sticking to the bun which almost ruined the entire night and for the bun being whole wheat. Thumbs up for nutrition but not here. Sid Hartman, Dave Lee and Bud Grant all take in the first half of this one. Performances from the EP cheerleaders and Jazz Dance squad who dance expert Tom Krosschell tells me are in the running to make state in a very tough section. So with that in mind, for today's music, put your hands up and put a ring on it
Song of the Day
Beyonce - All the Single Ladies (yes I did the hand thing during the song, boo to me, oh oh oh guilty pleasure)
Game Time
Hopkins off to a fast start with Siyani Chambers for 3 and a turnover leads to a Jamal Davis dunk to force an Eagles timeout. Demetrius Martin adds a 3 as the Royals score the 1st 12 points of the game. Sander Mohn breaks the drought at the 13:30 mark. Nick Jorgenson with nice first half inside. His back to back hoops combined with a pair of buckets from soph SG Jake Wright put Hopkins up 26-8 inside of 7 minutes left in the half. Andre Wallace with back to back triples and a pair of FTs for 8 in a row to cut the lead to 31-16 outside of the 5 minute mark. Grant Schaeffer out on the break, Siyani Chambers measures him to cut across his face for the steal but WHOOOP, Schaeffer goes around his world (wraps it all the way around behind his back) for the 3 point play on one of the slickest finishes you'll see all year. 41-20 Hopkins. Then Andre Wallace for 3 with 5 seconds left in the half only to see Siyani Chambers knock it down pure from halfcourt at the halftime buzzer. 46-27 Hopkins. Hopkins adds the first 8 of the 2nd half and this one looks like running time 54-27 Hopkins leading. Stop that press machine. EP knocks down 6 3s in the half as the Eagles storm back on a 19-2 run. Sander Mohn with 3 of those. Jack Cottrell with a strong play to rip a rebound away and he finds Mohn all alone. That 3 is nothing but the bottom of the net and EP is within 10, 56-46 with 8:40 to play. But the Eagles would get no closer. Zach Stahl banks in a 3 and then blocks a jumper from Mohn. The run is 12-2 to push the lead right back to 20. Hopkins cruises from there for a 76-59 win.
Post Game
For Eden Prairie, Sander Mohn and soph guard Andre Wallace lead the way with 17 each. Wallace was 5-7 shooting from 3, but strangely 0-9 from 2. Rare stat there. Abrian Carpenter again active with 12 rebounds. 19 turnovers for Eden Prairie. The Eagles fall to 13-4 and 0-1 in the Lake Conference after this back to back loss. The road ahead is league play and that's brutal. At Minnetonka on Friday, a tough non-conference game at Elk River on Monday and then undefeated Wayzata comes calling next Friday.
For Hopkins, Siyani Chambers 18 points and 5 assists. Nick Jorgenson 19 points and 6 rebounds. Zach Stahl 11 points and 4 boards with South Dakota on hand to see him. Demetrius Martin 13 of his 15 in the first half with 3 triples. Interesting that during the 19-2 Eden Prairie run in the 2nd half Hopkins decided to go back to their 1-2-2 matchup. I'm all for coaching but this seemed to be too much with a 19 point lead. Hopkins is good enough in their man, especially against an Eden Prairie team that isn't all that athletic (besides Wallace of course), that the zone could have been shelved and/or saved until 2nd meeting. Panic button or genius? Hind sight is always 20/20. Hopkins is now 1-0 in the Lake, 16-1 overall. Big game for them at #4 Wayzata (16-0) on Friday night before hosting rival Minnetonka on Monday.
A Super Saturday Showcase
Prologue
Neighboring venues on today's schedule with the Super 60 Showcase at Washburn and 3 games for me there. But the opener was just down the street with Duluth East visiting Holy Angels. I'm too late for the sausage pizza there and the cheese slice was greasy at AHA but the hot dogs at Washburn never disappoint. AAU guys all over the place with Pulley, Net Gain and Pump N Run all at the AHA/Duluth East game.
Game 1: Duluth East at Holy Angels
Duluth East jumps out to a 10-0 lead thanks to a pair of turnovers and a big block from the new fad on the Minnesota high school hoops scene 6'10, 6'11 or 7' if you believe the program Akolda Manyang. Holy Angels would go to a 2-3 zone and claw their way back to take the lead right before the half. Taylor Stafford would beat the buzzer for 3 to send Duluth East to the locker room ahead 32-30.
But Duluth East's big 3 would be too much in the 2nd half as they score all but 2 of the 49 Greyhounds points in the half. Johnny Woodard with 22 of those 49. Holy Angels would hang around thanks to 18 in the half from Danny Sullivan not to mention a couple of nice assists for layups. 63-57 with 4:45 left after 1 of those assists. But Duluth East pulls away for a 81-68 win. Johnny Woodard 34, Taylor Stafford 24 and Akolda Manyang 17 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks. Manyang looking like a major factor for East and definitely a top, if not the top, player in the 2013 class. Only 6 points from the East roster otherwise. Danny Sullivan 29, Charlie Koontz 20, Jordan Dembley 10 for AHA.
Super 60 Showcase at Minneapolis Washburn
Game 2: Prairie Seeds Academy vs Lakeview Christian Academy
Everybody hustling up the street for this one and don't arrive late as Anders Broman picks up his 2nd foul at the 13:12 mark after scoring 6 quick points. 18-15 LCA at the 11:25 mark when Anders picks up his 3rd. He sits at the 10:37 mark with LCA up 20-19. Trent Pollard with a big half and his bucket at the 6:15 mark puts PSA up 32-29. Then what's this? Anders Broman back in with 6:05 left in the half. Very surprising as it didn't at all feel like the game was out of hand or even getting to that point. That move backfires as he gets called for a questionable pushoff going to his stepback fade at the 4:03 mark. That's #4 and now he has to sit with LCA down 38-34. PSA takes advantage with a 17-3 run the rest of the half. 7 points from Pollard in the run and Devin Buckley with a pair of 3s in that spurt. 55-37 PSA at the half and this one looks ugly for LCA.
Hold my calls as Anders Broman starts the 2nd half. That propels LCA on an 11-2 run, Anders with 6 of those and now the lead is inside 10. 57-48 PSA with 14:20 left and not going at Anders at all. PSA with a pair of buckets but then a 10-0 LCA run to cut the lead to 61-58 with 11:41 left and we definitely have a game now. 7 point game when Anders knocks down a 3 and a jumper. Then Anders with 1 of many pull up fades and a steal for 2 with 7:56 left to tie the game. Brother Bjorn makes 1 of 2 freebies with 7:32 left and LCA has come all the back to lead 72-71. 35-16 LCA run. Anders backdoor to keep the lead at 73-72 with 7:10 left. Center Gage Deis picks it up for PSA on the post and with a layup. 79-74 PSA with 6 left. Anders with a corner 3 off the oldest BLOB play around (inbounder runs to corner and everybody inexplicably goes over the top, TRAIL THAT!). Deis with another bunny and then a foul line jumper for a 5 point lead. 86-80 PSA when Bjorn Broman scores 2 and makes a free throws. Then Luke Borchardt with the 3 point play with 1:54 left and we're tied at 86. The teams trade missed 3s before 2 Buckley free throws with 56 seconds left. Anders with a good look that's no good with 45 seconds left. PSA takes time and for some reason Pollard drives and scores with 20 seconds left. Anders Broman makes 2 FTs with 9 seconds left. LCA fouls with 6 seconds left (5th on Anders) but its not the bonus and they can't get a foul on the next inbounds. PSA wins 90-88. Anders Broman finishes with 30 points and 6 rebounds on 11-21 FGs. It stuck out to me that most of his offense was fade away pull ups. Great that he has a midrange game (unheard in today's players) but nothing at the rim. That shows me that he lacks some size and burst to play at the D1 level. Combine that with questions about his 3 point range and position (2 in a 1s body) and I think he projects as a productive NSIC player. Bjorn Broman again impressive with 25 points and Luke Borchardt with 20. Very impressive comeback and effort from the Lions. Very team oriented and not afraid to share the ball. That contrasts with the largely 1 on 1 style of PSA. Devin Buckley 27 points, Trent Pollard 20 (16 in 1st half). Gage Dies 18 points and 11 rebounds mostly in the 2nd half.
Game 3: Robbinsdale Cooper vs Minneapolis South
Cooper would use a pair of 10-0 runs in the 1st half to take control. In the 2nd of those runs, Eric Brown ends it back to back 3s vs the 2-3 zone and then hammers home a dunk off a steal. Carnell Sheppard with 4 3s in the half to try to keep South around. 42-25 Cooper at half. South starts the 2nd half on a 9-2 spurt ending with another Sheppard 3 to cut the lead to 10, 44-34 with 14:42 left. Thomas Ford with a huge second half to keep South around as he was active inside. South couldn't get stops late to cut the gap. Cooper wins 77-65. Rashad Vaughn 3 triples on his way to 34 points and 10 rebounds. Thomas Ford 20 of his 28 in the 2nd half to lead South. Carnell Sheppard 6 3s and 19 points for South.
Game 4: Totino-Grace at Minneapolis Washburn
Nick Carr dominant inside early for Totino-Grace. 6-0 Eagles lead before Washburn rains down 4 3s from 4 players in a 15-1 run to take the lead. Carr would score 15 of the 1st 17 points for the Eagles and in the 1st half they would get 1 elbow jumper and every other field goal was at the basket. 43-29 Washburn at the break. 9 Washburn players in the book, no more than 6 for any of them, Carr with 19.
Then an early 12-2 run from the Eagles with easy buckets. Sam Meyer with 2 layups, Carr with a putback and bucket, Andy Moritko with a puback. 47-43 Washburn with 13:25 left. Washburn wouldn't let Totino-Grace any closer as Dwight Anderson made big shots. He makes 3 straight 3s to stretch the lead to 9. 69-60 Washburn with 5:22 left when they take timeout. Then finish the game on a 12-2 run for a 81-62 win. Dwight Anderson 5 3s and 22 points (17 in last 13:15) to lead the Millers. Jerry Pratt with 12 points. 8 other Millers with at least 4 points. Nick Carr 29 points, Andy Moritko 13, Sam Meyer and Gabe Kastenmeier 10.
Neighboring venues on today's schedule with the Super 60 Showcase at Washburn and 3 games for me there. But the opener was just down the street with Duluth East visiting Holy Angels. I'm too late for the sausage pizza there and the cheese slice was greasy at AHA but the hot dogs at Washburn never disappoint. AAU guys all over the place with Pulley, Net Gain and Pump N Run all at the AHA/Duluth East game.
Game 1: Duluth East at Holy Angels
Duluth East jumps out to a 10-0 lead thanks to a pair of turnovers and a big block from the new fad on the Minnesota high school hoops scene 6'10, 6'11 or 7' if you believe the program Akolda Manyang. Holy Angels would go to a 2-3 zone and claw their way back to take the lead right before the half. Taylor Stafford would beat the buzzer for 3 to send Duluth East to the locker room ahead 32-30.
But Duluth East's big 3 would be too much in the 2nd half as they score all but 2 of the 49 Greyhounds points in the half. Johnny Woodard with 22 of those 49. Holy Angels would hang around thanks to 18 in the half from Danny Sullivan not to mention a couple of nice assists for layups. 63-57 with 4:45 left after 1 of those assists. But Duluth East pulls away for a 81-68 win. Johnny Woodard 34, Taylor Stafford 24 and Akolda Manyang 17 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks. Manyang looking like a major factor for East and definitely a top, if not the top, player in the 2013 class. Only 6 points from the East roster otherwise. Danny Sullivan 29, Charlie Koontz 20, Jordan Dembley 10 for AHA.
Super 60 Showcase at Minneapolis Washburn
Game 2: Prairie Seeds Academy vs Lakeview Christian Academy
Everybody hustling up the street for this one and don't arrive late as Anders Broman picks up his 2nd foul at the 13:12 mark after scoring 6 quick points. 18-15 LCA at the 11:25 mark when Anders picks up his 3rd. He sits at the 10:37 mark with LCA up 20-19. Trent Pollard with a big half and his bucket at the 6:15 mark puts PSA up 32-29. Then what's this? Anders Broman back in with 6:05 left in the half. Very surprising as it didn't at all feel like the game was out of hand or even getting to that point. That move backfires as he gets called for a questionable pushoff going to his stepback fade at the 4:03 mark. That's #4 and now he has to sit with LCA down 38-34. PSA takes advantage with a 17-3 run the rest of the half. 7 points from Pollard in the run and Devin Buckley with a pair of 3s in that spurt. 55-37 PSA at the half and this one looks ugly for LCA.
Hold my calls as Anders Broman starts the 2nd half. That propels LCA on an 11-2 run, Anders with 6 of those and now the lead is inside 10. 57-48 PSA with 14:20 left and not going at Anders at all. PSA with a pair of buckets but then a 10-0 LCA run to cut the lead to 61-58 with 11:41 left and we definitely have a game now. 7 point game when Anders knocks down a 3 and a jumper. Then Anders with 1 of many pull up fades and a steal for 2 with 7:56 left to tie the game. Brother Bjorn makes 1 of 2 freebies with 7:32 left and LCA has come all the back to lead 72-71. 35-16 LCA run. Anders backdoor to keep the lead at 73-72 with 7:10 left. Center Gage Deis picks it up for PSA on the post and with a layup. 79-74 PSA with 6 left. Anders with a corner 3 off the oldest BLOB play around (inbounder runs to corner and everybody inexplicably goes over the top, TRAIL THAT!). Deis with another bunny and then a foul line jumper for a 5 point lead. 86-80 PSA when Bjorn Broman scores 2 and makes a free throws. Then Luke Borchardt with the 3 point play with 1:54 left and we're tied at 86. The teams trade missed 3s before 2 Buckley free throws with 56 seconds left. Anders with a good look that's no good with 45 seconds left. PSA takes time and for some reason Pollard drives and scores with 20 seconds left. Anders Broman makes 2 FTs with 9 seconds left. LCA fouls with 6 seconds left (5th on Anders) but its not the bonus and they can't get a foul on the next inbounds. PSA wins 90-88. Anders Broman finishes with 30 points and 6 rebounds on 11-21 FGs. It stuck out to me that most of his offense was fade away pull ups. Great that he has a midrange game (unheard in today's players) but nothing at the rim. That shows me that he lacks some size and burst to play at the D1 level. Combine that with questions about his 3 point range and position (2 in a 1s body) and I think he projects as a productive NSIC player. Bjorn Broman again impressive with 25 points and Luke Borchardt with 20. Very impressive comeback and effort from the Lions. Very team oriented and not afraid to share the ball. That contrasts with the largely 1 on 1 style of PSA. Devin Buckley 27 points, Trent Pollard 20 (16 in 1st half). Gage Dies 18 points and 11 rebounds mostly in the 2nd half.
Game 3: Robbinsdale Cooper vs Minneapolis South
Cooper would use a pair of 10-0 runs in the 1st half to take control. In the 2nd of those runs, Eric Brown ends it back to back 3s vs the 2-3 zone and then hammers home a dunk off a steal. Carnell Sheppard with 4 3s in the half to try to keep South around. 42-25 Cooper at half. South starts the 2nd half on a 9-2 spurt ending with another Sheppard 3 to cut the lead to 10, 44-34 with 14:42 left. Thomas Ford with a huge second half to keep South around as he was active inside. South couldn't get stops late to cut the gap. Cooper wins 77-65. Rashad Vaughn 3 triples on his way to 34 points and 10 rebounds. Thomas Ford 20 of his 28 in the 2nd half to lead South. Carnell Sheppard 6 3s and 19 points for South.
Game 4: Totino-Grace at Minneapolis Washburn
Nick Carr dominant inside early for Totino-Grace. 6-0 Eagles lead before Washburn rains down 4 3s from 4 players in a 15-1 run to take the lead. Carr would score 15 of the 1st 17 points for the Eagles and in the 1st half they would get 1 elbow jumper and every other field goal was at the basket. 43-29 Washburn at the break. 9 Washburn players in the book, no more than 6 for any of them, Carr with 19.
Then an early 12-2 run from the Eagles with easy buckets. Sam Meyer with 2 layups, Carr with a putback and bucket, Andy Moritko with a puback. 47-43 Washburn with 13:25 left. Washburn wouldn't let Totino-Grace any closer as Dwight Anderson made big shots. He makes 3 straight 3s to stretch the lead to 9. 69-60 Washburn with 5:22 left when they take timeout. Then finish the game on a 12-2 run for a 81-62 win. Dwight Anderson 5 3s and 22 points (17 in last 13:15) to lead the Millers. Jerry Pratt with 12 points. 8 other Millers with at least 4 points. Nick Carr 29 points, Andy Moritko 13, Sam Meyer and Gabe Kastenmeier 10.
Spartans slay the mythical beast
Prologue
Its a trip to the smallest gym on my circuit as I visit St. Paul Academy to see their Tri-Metro game against Brooklyn Center. Hot dog gets a solid A though I haven't had Pepsi in a gym in a while. A couple of fun moments from the JV game. First was a kid in front of me talking about making a Walking Taco with Fritos. Sign that kid up for the space program, absolute genius! Then on a no call on a drive to the basket, the SPA JV coach calmly says to the official "That's usually a foul". I found it pretty funny (and good relations with the ref, voice of experience). At halftime of the varsity I had a visit from the SPA camera crew. Always nice to chat with the youngsters. So with all the social conscience of the day, this song seems fitting
Song of the Day
Tracy Chapman - Talkin' About A Revolution
Game Time
Josh Gray with 5 of the first 6 for SPA and we're tied at 6 less than 4 minutes in. Then point guard Spencer Egly and 6th man Davante Peyton (8th grader) with 3 point plays for 6 in a row from the Spartans. 12-6 SPA at 10:49. Deandre Bell with a putback for Brooklyn Center at the 8:10 to keep the Centaurs within 15-10. But then the Centaurs lack of firepower keeps them to 1 field goal in the next 7:10. SPA goes on a 13-3 run with center Steven Olson beating the press for a layup and putting back a miss. Harrison Egly curls for an inbounds layup and Josh Gray scores another bucket also during that run. 28-13 Spartans with 1:39 left in the half. The Centaurs cut that to 30-18 at half with 5 in a row from Sammie Watkins.
Watkins with another 3 and a runout for BC nets them 2 more. A quick SPA timeout as Coach McKenzie wasn't happy with his team's transition defense. The teams trade triples and Bell grabs an offensive board which results in 2 free throws. 33-28 SPA with the lead and 15:08 to play. Then Spencer Egly to the basket for back to back layups and Josh Gray drives for 2 free throws. Spencer Egly off the high horns screen kicks to Peyton for 3 just inside of the 10 minute mark. Gray then beats the Centaurs pressure at the 9:15 mark for 2. 44-31 SPA after the 11-3 run in just about 6 minutes. A Centaurs 3 with 7:50 left would cut the lead to 8 but Brooklyn Center would get no closer. Gray to Olson for a layup to again beat the press and Olson puts back a miss. Gray for 3 and Spencer Egly's 2 FTs with 4:34 left conclude a 12-2 run. 58-40 Spartans with their biggest lead. Brooklyn Center's pressure allows them to cut into the lead but SPA still goes on to win 65-52.
Post Game
For Brooklyn Center, soph guard Sammy Watkins leads with 13 points. I liked his game and thought he would do more. Tyler Wilebski with all 10 of his points in the 2nd half. They were more athletic than SPA and took advantage as they hammered the offensive glass. That was especially true early in the game. But they just have no way to generate offense in the halfcourt. Their 2-2-1 was able to bother SPA some but when you can't score to get into it, life is difficult. Most of the roster is not seniors, but at Brooklyn Center you never know what you'll have year to year. Brooklyn Center falls to 3-12, 2-8 in the Tri-Metro. They host St. Anthony and visit Breck next week.
For St. Paul Academy, junior guard Josh Gray leads with 22 points. Junior PG Spencer Egly with 14 of his 17 points in the 2nd half. Center Steven Olson with 11 points. He's also a junior. 8th grader Dalante Peyton with 8 points off the bench and a couple of assists. Productive outing for the youngster. He'll have a nice career there. The expectations that I had coming in were set very high and those expectations were quite unfair. Its rare to see warmup drills that are unique and productive but I like the SPA slides, post feeds and got a nice tweak by combining one of the base drills with some concepts from DLS warmup drills (i.e coaches passing for extra shots). The Spartans improve to 7-9 overall, 3-5 in the Tri-Metro. This is after a stretch where they lost 7 of 9. A pair of tough road games awaits as they visit DeLaSalle and Heritage next week. That's followed by home games with Concordia, St. Anthony and trips to St. Croix Lutheran and Providence. Tough stretch.the last month of the season.
Its a trip to the smallest gym on my circuit as I visit St. Paul Academy to see their Tri-Metro game against Brooklyn Center. Hot dog gets a solid A though I haven't had Pepsi in a gym in a while. A couple of fun moments from the JV game. First was a kid in front of me talking about making a Walking Taco with Fritos. Sign that kid up for the space program, absolute genius! Then on a no call on a drive to the basket, the SPA JV coach calmly says to the official "That's usually a foul". I found it pretty funny (and good relations with the ref, voice of experience). At halftime of the varsity I had a visit from the SPA camera crew. Always nice to chat with the youngsters. So with all the social conscience of the day, this song seems fitting
Song of the Day
Tracy Chapman - Talkin' About A Revolution
Game Time
Josh Gray with 5 of the first 6 for SPA and we're tied at 6 less than 4 minutes in. Then point guard Spencer Egly and 6th man Davante Peyton (8th grader) with 3 point plays for 6 in a row from the Spartans. 12-6 SPA at 10:49. Deandre Bell with a putback for Brooklyn Center at the 8:10 to keep the Centaurs within 15-10. But then the Centaurs lack of firepower keeps them to 1 field goal in the next 7:10. SPA goes on a 13-3 run with center Steven Olson beating the press for a layup and putting back a miss. Harrison Egly curls for an inbounds layup and Josh Gray scores another bucket also during that run. 28-13 Spartans with 1:39 left in the half. The Centaurs cut that to 30-18 at half with 5 in a row from Sammie Watkins.
Watkins with another 3 and a runout for BC nets them 2 more. A quick SPA timeout as Coach McKenzie wasn't happy with his team's transition defense. The teams trade triples and Bell grabs an offensive board which results in 2 free throws. 33-28 SPA with the lead and 15:08 to play. Then Spencer Egly to the basket for back to back layups and Josh Gray drives for 2 free throws. Spencer Egly off the high horns screen kicks to Peyton for 3 just inside of the 10 minute mark. Gray then beats the Centaurs pressure at the 9:15 mark for 2. 44-31 SPA after the 11-3 run in just about 6 minutes. A Centaurs 3 with 7:50 left would cut the lead to 8 but Brooklyn Center would get no closer. Gray to Olson for a layup to again beat the press and Olson puts back a miss. Gray for 3 and Spencer Egly's 2 FTs with 4:34 left conclude a 12-2 run. 58-40 Spartans with their biggest lead. Brooklyn Center's pressure allows them to cut into the lead but SPA still goes on to win 65-52.
Post Game
For Brooklyn Center, soph guard Sammy Watkins leads with 13 points. I liked his game and thought he would do more. Tyler Wilebski with all 10 of his points in the 2nd half. They were more athletic than SPA and took advantage as they hammered the offensive glass. That was especially true early in the game. But they just have no way to generate offense in the halfcourt. Their 2-2-1 was able to bother SPA some but when you can't score to get into it, life is difficult. Most of the roster is not seniors, but at Brooklyn Center you never know what you'll have year to year. Brooklyn Center falls to 3-12, 2-8 in the Tri-Metro. They host St. Anthony and visit Breck next week.
For St. Paul Academy, junior guard Josh Gray leads with 22 points. Junior PG Spencer Egly with 14 of his 17 points in the 2nd half. Center Steven Olson with 11 points. He's also a junior. 8th grader Dalante Peyton with 8 points off the bench and a couple of assists. Productive outing for the youngster. He'll have a nice career there. The expectations that I had coming in were set very high and those expectations were quite unfair. Its rare to see warmup drills that are unique and productive but I like the SPA slides, post feeds and got a nice tweak by combining one of the base drills with some concepts from DLS warmup drills (i.e coaches passing for extra shots). The Spartans improve to 7-9 overall, 3-5 in the Tri-Metro. This is after a stretch where they lost 7 of 9. A pair of tough road games awaits as they visit DeLaSalle and Heritage next week. That's followed by home games with Concordia, St. Anthony and trips to St. Croix Lutheran and Providence. Tough stretch.the last month of the season.
Orioles hang on at home
Prologue
Off to St. Louis Park as the 3rd place Orioles try to keep pace in the North Suburban. The visitor was Fridley who came in trying to stay above 500 in the league. The hot dogs weren't ready early in the JV game which was disappointing but 2 chocolate chip cookes for a buck was worth it. We have warmups and then its another edition of Teacher Appreciation Night where each player nominates a teacher for recognition and gives a tidbit about the teacher when the player escorts the teacher on to the court. Great line during that from 1 player. "He teaches history like he was there". Very funny. Our song of the day is not the obvious (Hot for Teacher by Van Halen). It comes from the 1st tune on the public address system at halftime of the JV game.
Song of the Day
Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days
Game Time
Nate Geving knocks down the 1st 3 of the game and then an 11-2 run by St. Louis Park as Fridley goes 5 minutes without a field goal. Kashif Hayes with 5 points in that run and then nails a long 2 right on the 3 point line for a 15-9 Park lead at the 10:28 mark. That's right after another Geving bucket which would start another Fridley drought from the field. Zach Gilbert Burke with a putback at the 6:50 mark before Hayes picks up his 2nd foul. That results in 1 of 2 free throws for Fridley. 21-14 St. Louis Park with the lead as Hayes will sit the rest of the half. That hurts the Park offense as they can't get a field goal to go down. But they're getting to the charity stripe out of their dribble drive motion. A pair of Grant Donald free throws gives Park a 26-14 lead at the 3:36 mark. Finally Geving nails a 3 at the 3:11 mark to break a FG drought of 7:49 for the Tigers. Geving with another 3 as the lead gets cut to 5 right before the half. But Park comes back down the floor and DJ Pollard beats the buzzer for 3. 30-22 Park at the half. That 3 is the only Park field goal in the last 6:38 with Hayes on the bench. Fridley with 2 stretches of no FGs that adds up to almost 13 minutes. Hayes and Geving combine for 7 field goals, the other 10 kids who played combined for 6.
Fridley continues their spurt as they start the half on a 7-0 run to force a Park timeout. They have 3 chances to take the lead that they don't convert but finally Amane Akane gets a layup to fall for a 31-30 Fridley lead with 13 minutes left. That's their first lead since 3-2. Hayes with a driving 3 point play and a floater as Park holds a 40-34 lead with 10 minutes left. After 2 Fridley free throws, Geving breaks a 6 minute field goal with his 5th bomb of the night. St. Louis Park takes time hanging on to a 40-39 with 5:59 left. DJ Pollard on a 1-4 high right elbow iso for 2 free throws as Park can't make a shot. Matt Duehn for 3 with 4:20 left and Fridley takes a 44-43 lead. Pollard again drives for 2 free throws off the high blur screen (more on that later). Gilbert Burke on the post for 1 of 2 free throws countered by Michael Murray with 2 free throws. 46 all with 2:48 left. Duehn with 1 free throw and a Hayes miss to give Fridley the ball back up 47-46 with 2:20 left. They take time to strategize just inside of 2 to play. Fridley comes up with an offensive board and is fouled but can't convert the 2 freebies. St. Louis Park gets it back and then retains possession on the jump ball with 1:12 left. Ryan Backstrom for Fridley gets bloodied so we have a stoppage to clean the floor and get him a new uniform. Makhi Moore puts back a miss with 55 seconds left for a 48-47 Park lead. That bucket is the first Orioles FG in over 9 minutes. Fridley comes back and Backstrom's new uniform is just fine as he takes it to the rack and finds Geving for an easy 2 with 37 seconds left. 49-48 Fridley. Pollard again off the blur screen with 20.5 seconds left calmly buries both free throws. Fridley took a timeout after the 1st FT to set up a play but they promptly turn it over at the other end. Hayes makes 2 FTs with 12.7 left. Geving gets a dribble handoff on the left wing and gets a good look at a 3 but its off the back iron and St. Louis Park hangs on 52-49.
Post Game
For Fridley, Nate Geving leads the way with 19 points and 5 triples. Soph guard Michael Murray 11 of 12 from the charity stripe for 13 points. Rest of the team was 4-14 at the line. Geving with 7 field goals (15 attempts), the rest of the team with 7. Fridley is now 8-7, 3-4 in the North Suburban which is a tie for 6th with Cooper. They visit neighbor Columbia Heights on Saturday afternoon.
For St. Louis Park, Kashif Hayes finishes with 17 points on 5-10 FGs and 6-9 FTs despite the first half foul trouble which cost him almost 7 minutes. His first step is lightning quick. DJ Pollard with 11 points on 8-8 from the foul line. The Orioles were 12-16 from the line in the 1st half and 13-23 in the 2nd half. Those free throws kept Park afloat when their shots wouldn't fall. Exactly what you're looking for out of the dribble drive. St. Louis Park is now 6-2 in the North Suburban (tied for 3rd with Totino-Grace) and 9-7 overall. They have a pair of really tough ranked teams coming in as they host Spring Lake Park Saturday at noon and Washburn on Tuesday night.
Playbook
A couple of things that caught my eye from St. Louis Park and their Dribble Drive Motion system. Often in dribble drive when a guard spot passes to the ball side wing, that guard will fill to the ball side similar to the strong side cut in the triangle offense. St. Louis Park sends that passer to the basket and then out to the weak side giving a full clear out on the strong side. On a middle drive they then fill around with the opposite guard coming over the top.
The area where Pollard got some good looks to the lane was off the blur screen. This is a dribble drive concept where the guard passes to the other guard and then cuts to the nail (center of FT line). The guard with the ball then drives right off this back. Pollard would be in the left guard slot and get this pass which would take him to the basket going to his right hand. That resulted in free throws inside of 4 minutes for a 1 point lead and his final 2 free throws that ulimately won it with 20.5 left. Park runs this with the guard running to the nail to screen and then popping back to the other guard slot
Off to St. Louis Park as the 3rd place Orioles try to keep pace in the North Suburban. The visitor was Fridley who came in trying to stay above 500 in the league. The hot dogs weren't ready early in the JV game which was disappointing but 2 chocolate chip cookes for a buck was worth it. We have warmups and then its another edition of Teacher Appreciation Night where each player nominates a teacher for recognition and gives a tidbit about the teacher when the player escorts the teacher on to the court. Great line during that from 1 player. "He teaches history like he was there". Very funny. Our song of the day is not the obvious (Hot for Teacher by Van Halen). It comes from the 1st tune on the public address system at halftime of the JV game.
Song of the Day
Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days
Game Time
Nate Geving knocks down the 1st 3 of the game and then an 11-2 run by St. Louis Park as Fridley goes 5 minutes without a field goal. Kashif Hayes with 5 points in that run and then nails a long 2 right on the 3 point line for a 15-9 Park lead at the 10:28 mark. That's right after another Geving bucket which would start another Fridley drought from the field. Zach Gilbert Burke with a putback at the 6:50 mark before Hayes picks up his 2nd foul. That results in 1 of 2 free throws for Fridley. 21-14 St. Louis Park with the lead as Hayes will sit the rest of the half. That hurts the Park offense as they can't get a field goal to go down. But they're getting to the charity stripe out of their dribble drive motion. A pair of Grant Donald free throws gives Park a 26-14 lead at the 3:36 mark. Finally Geving nails a 3 at the 3:11 mark to break a FG drought of 7:49 for the Tigers. Geving with another 3 as the lead gets cut to 5 right before the half. But Park comes back down the floor and DJ Pollard beats the buzzer for 3. 30-22 Park at the half. That 3 is the only Park field goal in the last 6:38 with Hayes on the bench. Fridley with 2 stretches of no FGs that adds up to almost 13 minutes. Hayes and Geving combine for 7 field goals, the other 10 kids who played combined for 6.
Fridley continues their spurt as they start the half on a 7-0 run to force a Park timeout. They have 3 chances to take the lead that they don't convert but finally Amane Akane gets a layup to fall for a 31-30 Fridley lead with 13 minutes left. That's their first lead since 3-2. Hayes with a driving 3 point play and a floater as Park holds a 40-34 lead with 10 minutes left. After 2 Fridley free throws, Geving breaks a 6 minute field goal with his 5th bomb of the night. St. Louis Park takes time hanging on to a 40-39 with 5:59 left. DJ Pollard on a 1-4 high right elbow iso for 2 free throws as Park can't make a shot. Matt Duehn for 3 with 4:20 left and Fridley takes a 44-43 lead. Pollard again drives for 2 free throws off the high blur screen (more on that later). Gilbert Burke on the post for 1 of 2 free throws countered by Michael Murray with 2 free throws. 46 all with 2:48 left. Duehn with 1 free throw and a Hayes miss to give Fridley the ball back up 47-46 with 2:20 left. They take time to strategize just inside of 2 to play. Fridley comes up with an offensive board and is fouled but can't convert the 2 freebies. St. Louis Park gets it back and then retains possession on the jump ball with 1:12 left. Ryan Backstrom for Fridley gets bloodied so we have a stoppage to clean the floor and get him a new uniform. Makhi Moore puts back a miss with 55 seconds left for a 48-47 Park lead. That bucket is the first Orioles FG in over 9 minutes. Fridley comes back and Backstrom's new uniform is just fine as he takes it to the rack and finds Geving for an easy 2 with 37 seconds left. 49-48 Fridley. Pollard again off the blur screen with 20.5 seconds left calmly buries both free throws. Fridley took a timeout after the 1st FT to set up a play but they promptly turn it over at the other end. Hayes makes 2 FTs with 12.7 left. Geving gets a dribble handoff on the left wing and gets a good look at a 3 but its off the back iron and St. Louis Park hangs on 52-49.
Post Game
For Fridley, Nate Geving leads the way with 19 points and 5 triples. Soph guard Michael Murray 11 of 12 from the charity stripe for 13 points. Rest of the team was 4-14 at the line. Geving with 7 field goals (15 attempts), the rest of the team with 7. Fridley is now 8-7, 3-4 in the North Suburban which is a tie for 6th with Cooper. They visit neighbor Columbia Heights on Saturday afternoon.
For St. Louis Park, Kashif Hayes finishes with 17 points on 5-10 FGs and 6-9 FTs despite the first half foul trouble which cost him almost 7 minutes. His first step is lightning quick. DJ Pollard with 11 points on 8-8 from the foul line. The Orioles were 12-16 from the line in the 1st half and 13-23 in the 2nd half. Those free throws kept Park afloat when their shots wouldn't fall. Exactly what you're looking for out of the dribble drive. St. Louis Park is now 6-2 in the North Suburban (tied for 3rd with Totino-Grace) and 9-7 overall. They have a pair of really tough ranked teams coming in as they host Spring Lake Park Saturday at noon and Washburn on Tuesday night.
Playbook
A couple of things that caught my eye from St. Louis Park and their Dribble Drive Motion system. Often in dribble drive when a guard spot passes to the ball side wing, that guard will fill to the ball side similar to the strong side cut in the triangle offense. St. Louis Park sends that passer to the basket and then out to the weak side giving a full clear out on the strong side. On a middle drive they then fill around with the opposite guard coming over the top.
The area where Pollard got some good looks to the lane was off the blur screen. This is a dribble drive concept where the guard passes to the other guard and then cuts to the nail (center of FT line). The guard with the ball then drives right off this back. Pollard would be in the left guard slot and get this pass which would take him to the basket going to his right hand. That resulted in free throws inside of 4 minutes for a 1 point lead and his final 2 free throws that ulimately won it with 20.5 left. Park runs this with the guard running to the nail to screen and then popping back to the other guard slot
Panther size chews up Eagles
Labels:
Tyus Jones
Prologue
Its a big game in the South Suburban as Lakeville North travels to Apple Valley in a battle for 2nd place. No taco in a bag like I think AV has had in the past. But since its Lakeville North we get the one and only...Hat Lady. Dark red tonight with the purple winter coat and a restaurant quality black hat that seemed very Russian. DA! Not as big of a crowd as I would have expected. However, we do get the special (and rare) appearance from Gopher Hole's very own Gopher Lady. Today's music selection is totally random and pointless. Country seemed to be good variety today.
Song of the Day
Dixie Chicks - Long Time Gone
Game Time
Trey Heid gets the initial task of guarding Tyus Jones. Jones with a cold 0-4 start. Lakeville North takes advantage for a 6-2 lead to force an Apple Valley timeout. Tyus with a nice cut for 2 countered by a Tyler Flack 3. Tyus for 2 and drives for a lefty finish. Then back to back assists. Then he splits a pair of free throws. 18-14 Apple Valley at the 8:47 mark and Lakeville North needs a timeout. Dustin Fronk with a steal for a 2 and Matt Christiansen in the post for 2 more. 23-14 Apple Valley at the 6:52 mark. Their 2-3 zone giving Lakeville North fits. Panthers not making any shots and very stagnant in their zone offense and getting no inside looks despite a major size advantage. Tyus with a drive for 2 and then a steal for 2 more + a subtle move to take a bump to make that a 3 point play. 32-24 Apple Valley at the half. Tyus with 13 and the 2 assists. Tyler Flack 8 points and 6 rebounds for Lakeville North.
The Panthers start the half strong with a 8-2 run as they start getting inside looks. Brett Rasmussen all alone for a layup, Flack up high to lay in a lob after making 2 free throws. Timeout Apple Valley with a 34-32 lead and 14:13 to play. Tyus driving for another lefty finish and nailing a 3 with 13 minutes to go. 39-32 Apple Valley. Mitch Hecshel with a pair of layups and Dustin Fronk with 2 free throws on a steal. 47-39 Apple Valley with 10:48 to play. Zach Creighton with back to back triples, his 3rd and 4th of the night as the Panthers cut into the lead. Then Ryan Saarela takes over inside. He makes 1 layup, then Tyler David converts a turnover after Flack missed a dunk, Saarela with 1 layup and another off a BLOB. 53-52 Lakeville North with 7 minutes to play. Tyus challenges Flack and makes 2 free throws. Then Tyus blocks Saarela from behind to save 2 more. Saarela can't be stopped or contained. He puts back a miss with 5:20 left. Then a drive to the basket for 2 more. Flack fouled for 2 freebies with 3:42 left. 59-54 Lakeville North taking over as Tyus just missed back to back chances in the post. Flack posts up next time down for 2 more from the right box. Saarela with another bucket and 2 free throws to end a streak of 14 points in just over 7 minutes. Lakeville North ends the game on a 15-0 run over the last 5:20. Apple Valley goes scoreless the last 6:19 and only 1 FG in the last 10 minutes. Tyus Jones last field goal was at the 13 minute mark and had only 2 free throws after that. Panthers prevail 68-54.
Post Game
For Apple Valley, Tyus Jones leads with 22 points and 4 assists on my sheet. I had 8-23 FGs on my sheet as well. With Harry Sonie out for the season, that takes 1 of the few scoring threats out of the Eagles lineup. Maybe that had an impact but it looked like Tyus was pressing a bit. Most surprising and you have to credit the Lakeville North defense for this is that nobody besides Tyus made a 3 point shot in the game for Apple Valley. Lots of 1 on 1 play with little movement contributed to that. Dustin Fronk with 11 points was the other double figure scorer. Apple Valley falls to 5-2 in the South Suburban and into 3rd place behind Eastview and Lakeville North. They are 12-3 overall. They now have 3 in a row on the road at Jefferson, Rosemount and Prior Lake thru next week.
Tyler Flack leads Lakeville North with 18 points and 12 boards on my sheet. Ryan Saarela with 14 of his 16 in the last 10 minutes to take over the game. Zach Creighton with 4 big 3s in the game for 12 points. Lakeville North gets 35 points from the starters and 33 from the bench for great balance. Lakeville North struggled vs the 2-3 in the first half and when Creighton didn't play the last 10 minutes I thought his shooting would be missed. But the defensive work was outstanding holding Apple Valley to 2 FGs in the last 11:30. Good adjustments against the zone in the 2nd half as Saarela and Flack were too much for the small Eagles front line. Lakeville North is now 6-1 in the South Suburban and stays 1 game behind Eastview. They are 14-1 overall. They visit Rosemount on Thursday.
Its a big game in the South Suburban as Lakeville North travels to Apple Valley in a battle for 2nd place. No taco in a bag like I think AV has had in the past. But since its Lakeville North we get the one and only...Hat Lady. Dark red tonight with the purple winter coat and a restaurant quality black hat that seemed very Russian. DA! Not as big of a crowd as I would have expected. However, we do get the special (and rare) appearance from Gopher Hole's very own Gopher Lady. Today's music selection is totally random and pointless. Country seemed to be good variety today.
Song of the Day
Dixie Chicks - Long Time Gone
Game Time
Trey Heid gets the initial task of guarding Tyus Jones. Jones with a cold 0-4 start. Lakeville North takes advantage for a 6-2 lead to force an Apple Valley timeout. Tyus with a nice cut for 2 countered by a Tyler Flack 3. Tyus for 2 and drives for a lefty finish. Then back to back assists. Then he splits a pair of free throws. 18-14 Apple Valley at the 8:47 mark and Lakeville North needs a timeout. Dustin Fronk with a steal for a 2 and Matt Christiansen in the post for 2 more. 23-14 Apple Valley at the 6:52 mark. Their 2-3 zone giving Lakeville North fits. Panthers not making any shots and very stagnant in their zone offense and getting no inside looks despite a major size advantage. Tyus with a drive for 2 and then a steal for 2 more + a subtle move to take a bump to make that a 3 point play. 32-24 Apple Valley at the half. Tyus with 13 and the 2 assists. Tyler Flack 8 points and 6 rebounds for Lakeville North.
The Panthers start the half strong with a 8-2 run as they start getting inside looks. Brett Rasmussen all alone for a layup, Flack up high to lay in a lob after making 2 free throws. Timeout Apple Valley with a 34-32 lead and 14:13 to play. Tyus driving for another lefty finish and nailing a 3 with 13 minutes to go. 39-32 Apple Valley. Mitch Hecshel with a pair of layups and Dustin Fronk with 2 free throws on a steal. 47-39 Apple Valley with 10:48 to play. Zach Creighton with back to back triples, his 3rd and 4th of the night as the Panthers cut into the lead. Then Ryan Saarela takes over inside. He makes 1 layup, then Tyler David converts a turnover after Flack missed a dunk, Saarela with 1 layup and another off a BLOB. 53-52 Lakeville North with 7 minutes to play. Tyus challenges Flack and makes 2 free throws. Then Tyus blocks Saarela from behind to save 2 more. Saarela can't be stopped or contained. He puts back a miss with 5:20 left. Then a drive to the basket for 2 more. Flack fouled for 2 freebies with 3:42 left. 59-54 Lakeville North taking over as Tyus just missed back to back chances in the post. Flack posts up next time down for 2 more from the right box. Saarela with another bucket and 2 free throws to end a streak of 14 points in just over 7 minutes. Lakeville North ends the game on a 15-0 run over the last 5:20. Apple Valley goes scoreless the last 6:19 and only 1 FG in the last 10 minutes. Tyus Jones last field goal was at the 13 minute mark and had only 2 free throws after that. Panthers prevail 68-54.
Post Game
For Apple Valley, Tyus Jones leads with 22 points and 4 assists on my sheet. I had 8-23 FGs on my sheet as well. With Harry Sonie out for the season, that takes 1 of the few scoring threats out of the Eagles lineup. Maybe that had an impact but it looked like Tyus was pressing a bit. Most surprising and you have to credit the Lakeville North defense for this is that nobody besides Tyus made a 3 point shot in the game for Apple Valley. Lots of 1 on 1 play with little movement contributed to that. Dustin Fronk with 11 points was the other double figure scorer. Apple Valley falls to 5-2 in the South Suburban and into 3rd place behind Eastview and Lakeville North. They are 12-3 overall. They now have 3 in a row on the road at Jefferson, Rosemount and Prior Lake thru next week.
Tyler Flack leads Lakeville North with 18 points and 12 boards on my sheet. Ryan Saarela with 14 of his 16 in the last 10 minutes to take over the game. Zach Creighton with 4 big 3s in the game for 12 points. Lakeville North gets 35 points from the starters and 33 from the bench for great balance. Lakeville North struggled vs the 2-3 in the first half and when Creighton didn't play the last 10 minutes I thought his shooting would be missed. But the defensive work was outstanding holding Apple Valley to 2 FGs in the last 11:30. Good adjustments against the zone in the 2nd half as Saarela and Flack were too much for the small Eagles front line. Lakeville North is now 6-1 in the South Suburban and stays 1 game behind Eastview. They are 14-1 overall. They visit Rosemount on Thursday.
2012 East Metro Showcase Day 2
Labels:
2012 East Metro Showcase,
Siyani Chambers
Day 2 of the East Metro Showcase was mostly another round of blowouts but there was 1 classic. Here's a look at the day's games.
Game 1: Roseville vs St. John's Lutheran (FL)
Not much to see here as Roseville rolled to a 106-49 win. 2 losses for St. John's by a total of 119 points in the event. Yikes. 65-25 at the half as Roseville pulled away. 14 players score with 4 in double figures. Logan Brown leads with 17 points.
Game 2: Hopkins vs Milwaukee Riverside
In the game that could have been billed as the showcase game of the day, Tubby Smith and staff made an appearance for the first of 3 straight games. One of their targets Phil Nolan of Riverside got off to a quick start with 4 points and 2 rebounds. Then Hopkins totally dominated. From 12-8 Hopkins to a 64-25 halftime lead. Hopkins would coast from there to a 91-58 win. Riverside's effort just not there on this day. Siyani Chambers with another impressive performance with 17 of his 20 points in the 1st half. Zach Stahl 18. Jake Wright 18 on 6 3s. Demetrius Martin 15 of his 17 in the first half. Gopher targets Phil Nolan and D'Andre Downey with 13 and 11 points respectively. Nolan with 4 rebounds and 4 blocks as wel.
Game 4: Eden Prairie vs La Crosse Aquinas
Aquinas would hang around with a tie game at 15 at about the 12 minute mark of the 1st half. Then soph point guard Reggie Rabb picks up his 2nd foul and sits. He's the replacement for future Badger Bronson Koenig at the point. That means the Blugolds have to go to point guard #3 and the wheels fall off from there. Eden Prairie goes on a 34-10 the remainder of the half. They go on to win 72-45. Sander Mohn leads with 15 points. Sophs Andre Wallace and Anthony Anderson with 11 each. Impressive game from forward Abrian Carpenter with all 15 points of his points in the 1st half.
Game 5: St. Paul Central vs Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau (WI)
Hot starts from the top 2 Red Hawks stars get GET off to a nice start. They roll the lead to 41-23 at half, then 62-32 with 6:34 to play before the benches empty. Central cuts that against the GET bench to a 66-44 loss. Central's schedule has been very tough but they look like they've seriously regressed since I saw them a month ago against Tartan. Malik Durant-Haines and Marcus Taylor-Knighten with 10 each to lead Central. Tim Wagner 6 3s and 22 points to lead GET. Winona State commit Riley Bambenek 21 points and 3 triples.
Game 3: Onalaska (WI) at Johnson
We'll save the best game of the day for the end. Gopher staff stayed around to see Matt Thomas. He didn't shoot it well but a pair of jumpers off 1 dribble (a 3 and a 2) plus another bucket with the foul put Onalaska up 21-9 with 6:35 left in the first half. Missouri St recruit Marcus Marshall would get going for Johnson with a pair of 3s. Combine that with UWGB signee Nick Arenz sitting the last 8 minutes with 3 fouls and Johnson would cut the lead to 26-22 at half.
Marshall with a pair of free throws to tie the game at 37 with 12 minutes left. Then Darius Watson off the inbound defenders back for 2 with 10 minutes left. 41-38 Johnson in front. That's followed by a soft T on Onalaska coach Craig Kowal (who was rightfully upset with the brutally awful officiating in this game). Johnson gets 1 free throw from that but doesn't score on the possession. Johnson does extend the lead to 49-42 with 6:36 left. Arenz would foul out with 5:20 left and the Hilltoppers still down 51-44. Then Thomas again comes up clutch. He hangs for a jumper and takes the hit for a 3 point play. Johnson would get a block on 1 end that Quashingm Smith-Pugh converted to a layup on the other. 55-47 Johnson with 4:05 left. Thomas for 2 and then a T on Smith-Pugh for 2 more Thomas free throws. Thomas cashes in the possession with the head fake and lean in from the foul line for a 3 point play. That's 10 straight Thomas points. Johnson turns it over and Ben Socha knocks down a jumper to put Onalaska ahead 56-55 with 2:45 left. 9-0 Hilltoppers run in 1:20. Bajuan Adams counters for Johnson going to the rack for a 3 point play. Onalaska turns it over and Watson makes 1 of 2 FTs with 1:42 left for a 59-56 Johnson lead. Then Thomas for 3 from the top with 1:13 left to tie the game at 59. Johnson holds the ball and then to the rim but its a charge with 25.9 left. Tough call there as well from the officials. Johnson takes timeout to set their defense. Thomas gets the ball to half court and Onalaska takes time out to draw up the final play. There's nothing like calling the timeout, drawing up a play and getting perfect execution to win. That happened here and it clinches the season award for
Play of the Year
Star Matt Thomas in the right corner. Ben Socha on the right block. Double stack on the left block. Ball in a guard's hands in the high right slot (would be the right guard position in a 2-3 high look). Thomas takes off across the baseline to the left corner as the ball is dribbled to the left slot. The entire building is thinking Hoosiers, PICKET FENCE! PICKET FENCE! PICKET FENCE! The guard picks up the dribble as Socha flashes high. With the dead dribble, the player spins and gives a ball fake to Socha's flash. Socha goes backdoor and is wide open for the layup. That wins the game for Onalaska 61-59.
Game 1: Roseville vs St. John's Lutheran (FL)
Not much to see here as Roseville rolled to a 106-49 win. 2 losses for St. John's by a total of 119 points in the event. Yikes. 65-25 at the half as Roseville pulled away. 14 players score with 4 in double figures. Logan Brown leads with 17 points.
Game 2: Hopkins vs Milwaukee Riverside
In the game that could have been billed as the showcase game of the day, Tubby Smith and staff made an appearance for the first of 3 straight games. One of their targets Phil Nolan of Riverside got off to a quick start with 4 points and 2 rebounds. Then Hopkins totally dominated. From 12-8 Hopkins to a 64-25 halftime lead. Hopkins would coast from there to a 91-58 win. Riverside's effort just not there on this day. Siyani Chambers with another impressive performance with 17 of his 20 points in the 1st half. Zach Stahl 18. Jake Wright 18 on 6 3s. Demetrius Martin 15 of his 17 in the first half. Gopher targets Phil Nolan and D'Andre Downey with 13 and 11 points respectively. Nolan with 4 rebounds and 4 blocks as wel.
Game 4: Eden Prairie vs La Crosse Aquinas
Aquinas would hang around with a tie game at 15 at about the 12 minute mark of the 1st half. Then soph point guard Reggie Rabb picks up his 2nd foul and sits. He's the replacement for future Badger Bronson Koenig at the point. That means the Blugolds have to go to point guard #3 and the wheels fall off from there. Eden Prairie goes on a 34-10 the remainder of the half. They go on to win 72-45. Sander Mohn leads with 15 points. Sophs Andre Wallace and Anthony Anderson with 11 each. Impressive game from forward Abrian Carpenter with all 15 points of his points in the 1st half.
Game 5: St. Paul Central vs Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau (WI)
Hot starts from the top 2 Red Hawks stars get GET off to a nice start. They roll the lead to 41-23 at half, then 62-32 with 6:34 to play before the benches empty. Central cuts that against the GET bench to a 66-44 loss. Central's schedule has been very tough but they look like they've seriously regressed since I saw them a month ago against Tartan. Malik Durant-Haines and Marcus Taylor-Knighten with 10 each to lead Central. Tim Wagner 6 3s and 22 points to lead GET. Winona State commit Riley Bambenek 21 points and 3 triples.
Game 3: Onalaska (WI) at Johnson
We'll save the best game of the day for the end. Gopher staff stayed around to see Matt Thomas. He didn't shoot it well but a pair of jumpers off 1 dribble (a 3 and a 2) plus another bucket with the foul put Onalaska up 21-9 with 6:35 left in the first half. Missouri St recruit Marcus Marshall would get going for Johnson with a pair of 3s. Combine that with UWGB signee Nick Arenz sitting the last 8 minutes with 3 fouls and Johnson would cut the lead to 26-22 at half.
Marshall with a pair of free throws to tie the game at 37 with 12 minutes left. Then Darius Watson off the inbound defenders back for 2 with 10 minutes left. 41-38 Johnson in front. That's followed by a soft T on Onalaska coach Craig Kowal (who was rightfully upset with the brutally awful officiating in this game). Johnson gets 1 free throw from that but doesn't score on the possession. Johnson does extend the lead to 49-42 with 6:36 left. Arenz would foul out with 5:20 left and the Hilltoppers still down 51-44. Then Thomas again comes up clutch. He hangs for a jumper and takes the hit for a 3 point play. Johnson would get a block on 1 end that Quashingm Smith-Pugh converted to a layup on the other. 55-47 Johnson with 4:05 left. Thomas for 2 and then a T on Smith-Pugh for 2 more Thomas free throws. Thomas cashes in the possession with the head fake and lean in from the foul line for a 3 point play. That's 10 straight Thomas points. Johnson turns it over and Ben Socha knocks down a jumper to put Onalaska ahead 56-55 with 2:45 left. 9-0 Hilltoppers run in 1:20. Bajuan Adams counters for Johnson going to the rack for a 3 point play. Onalaska turns it over and Watson makes 1 of 2 FTs with 1:42 left for a 59-56 Johnson lead. Then Thomas for 3 from the top with 1:13 left to tie the game at 59. Johnson holds the ball and then to the rim but its a charge with 25.9 left. Tough call there as well from the officials. Johnson takes timeout to set their defense. Thomas gets the ball to half court and Onalaska takes time out to draw up the final play. There's nothing like calling the timeout, drawing up a play and getting perfect execution to win. That happened here and it clinches the season award for
Play of the Year
Star Matt Thomas in the right corner. Ben Socha on the right block. Double stack on the left block. Ball in a guard's hands in the high right slot (would be the right guard position in a 2-3 high look). Thomas takes off across the baseline to the left corner as the ball is dribbled to the left slot. The entire building is thinking Hoosiers, PICKET FENCE! PICKET FENCE! PICKET FENCE! The guard picks up the dribble as Socha flashes high. With the dead dribble, the player spins and gives a ball fake to Socha's flash. Socha goes backdoor and is wide open for the layup. That wins the game for Onalaska 61-59.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)