Day 1 of 2009 TNL Super Regional

Thoughts from pool play at the 2009 TNL AAU Super Regional. Is there a darker gym around than Champlin Park's? Love the Papa John's pizza but Sammy Perellas just down the street was something I wish would have had a chance at. Gotta love AAU rules so that means we get to watch this concept of 8 minute quarters.

Session 1:
We open with a pair of pool B games. The Mpls Redhawks vs Team Cannon (Cannon Falls/Hiawatha Valley League kids) in my featured game. A nice 1st quarter by Team Cannon gives them a 20-17 lead at the 1st break. Parker Hines hot in the 2nd quarter as he starts with 5 straight and then back to back triples around a tough Cory Booker 3 point play. Hines with 14 points in the half for a 38-29 Redhawks lead at the half. The lead goes to 14 in the 2nd half before a Team Cannon comeback vs a Redhawks 1-3-1. 9 in a row for Team Cannon. Interesting that a bigger guard was running the back line with small guard Austin Brown on a wing. 50-40 Redhawks after 3 quarters and a 7-0 run early in the 4th puts the game on ice and they win 73-51. No Taylor Hanson in that game for the Redhawks. John Rowland playing his last game of the day before prom.

Triple Threat-Rhodes blows out the MN Sharks 76-49. The Sharks without Peter Sorenson in that game. TC Elite White 15s defeated TNL's 15s 58-39. Triple Threat's 15s in a nailbiter defeat TC Elite Green 56-55 in overtime. The teams traded 3s late in regulation and then traded baskets in the last minute of overtime before a late Triple Threat FT won it.

Session 2
To pool A of the 17s. TC Elite against the large unknown that is the MN Sizzle (where's my steak?, I'm thinking ribeye, when's lunch around here?). Forever in Czar history, Adrian Wackett makes his season debut coming out of a bad wheel. 18-12 Sizzle after 1 quarter. But Alex Koch goes off in the 2nd quarter with at least 4 triples. TC Elite gets 32 of the first 39 in the 2nd quarter before a Sizzle 3 scorches the net right before the half. 44-28 TC Elite at the half. They go on to a 96-58 win.

TNL gets out to a 13-2 start vs MN Comets-North but sleepwalk most of the rest of the way. The lead is 7 at the half, 14 after 3 and TNL wins 81-71. MN Glory 16s def TNL 16s 81-75. MN Select 16s held on vs Old Skool 62-61

Session 3
Kingdom Law applies here as the La Crosse YMCA 16s are in town. A great chance for The Czar to see the future of the Old Kingdom. They're taking on the Central Flyers. LAX ends the 1st quarter with a big run for a 20-6 lead and this one looks like a total blowout. Central comes out with a 1-2-2 zone in the 2nd quarter and LAX has no good answer for it. 31-27 LAX at the half and that's thanks to 3 of 4 technical free throws. Central stays around but can't get the lead in the 3rd. A banked 3 in a 1 on 4 situation for the Flyers cuts the La Crosse lead to 41-40 as we go to the 4th quarter. A pair of turnover lead to layups and the Central Flyers are back on top 46-44 with 5:20 left. Evan Pederson puts La Crosse back on top and they won't relinquish the lead. Central down 5 with 1:20 left and they miss a front end of the bonus. 2 more technical mean 3 more Pederson free throws. 61-49 La Crosse wins. Pederson with 19 points and a mitt full of steals with quick hands.

Triple Threat cut a 3rd quarter Redhawks lead to 5 before a late 12 point run pushed the lead back to double digits. Redhawks win 74-60. Peter Sorenson back for the Sharks who defeated Team Cannon 94-81. TC Elite Black 15s defeat MN Fury 15s 66-57.

Session 4
TNL taking on the MN Sizzle over my lunch break. This one went to the broiler quickly. 33-10 TNL after 1 quarter. TNL wins 103-45. David Rademacher with 7 in a row for TC Elite in their game vs Comets-North, downstairs I go to see the score. Comets North leads 49-42 with 3:14 left in the 3rd when I officially pick this game up. TC Elite goes 11-2 to end the quarter for a 2 point lead and they extends that into the 4th. Derek Jahner's 2 FTs conclude a 16-2 TC Elite run over 4:42 (across the 3rd and 4th quarter break). 58-51 TC Elite leads. The Comets then go on a 9-0 run of their own in the next 1:25 to regain the lead. 60-58 with 4:40 to play. Alex Koch with a triple at the 4 minute mark to break the run. Aaron McCrossan nails a dagger triple with 1:26 left. That gives TC Elite a 5 point lead and they win 74-65.

Session 5
Redhawks vs Sharks in this session with the Redhawks able to clinch with a win. But they have only 6 guys. That quickly goes to 5 as Cory Booker swats a shot about 5 rows up and then proceeds to roll his ankle on the landing and he won't return. 40-34 Redhawks at the break. Sharks come out with 5 in a row to start the half to cut the lead to 1. But Taylor Hanson is in the building and the Sharks have no answer for him inside. An 11-0 run goes thru him and he caps it off with a triple. The Sharks chip away at the lead as the Redhawks look gassed and go zone. A pair of layups against porous defense cut the lead to 7 with 5:10 left. A pair of Sharks triples in the last minute make it interesting, but Parker Hines makes 5 of 6 FTs to seal the deal. 80-74 Redhawks win thanks to Hanson's big performance.

Session 6
To the game of the day with TC Elite taking on TNL for the pool A title in 17U. Alex Koch gone for prom unfortunately. Derek Wolhowe, caution flammable. He gets the 1st 10 points for TC Elite. That gets them a 23-17 lead after the 1st quarter. TNL right back as a pair of Devon Knopke layups put them on top 32-31 with 3:25 left in the 1st half. TC Elite up 37-35 at the half. Jay Sewer with 13 points as he had the range from outside (3 triples).

TNL wins the 3rd quarter 20-9 and they take a 55-46 lead to the stretch run. Kyle Zimmerman with a pair of hoops inside for a 61-56 TNL lead with 2:45 left. Undersized vertically and strength wise, the left is still tough and productive inside. Josh Pratt for 3 with 56.4 left to cut the TNL lead to 62-59. Knopke then misses a pair of FTs and TC Elite converts with 38.9 left. 62-61 TNL. TNL inbounds and moves the ball and moves the ball and the clock never moves. Zimmerman with 1 of 2 FTs and Stephen Asp continues his big 2nd half with a bucket to tie the game with 30 seconds left. TNL has 2 chances late and we'll go to OT tied at 63.

Zimmerman with a nice spin and difficult finish for 2 inside and then a Knopke 3. TC Elite gets 2 stops but they miss 2 front ends. Zimmerman makes them pay with a hoop at 1:40 and TNL goes on to win 78-71. For TNL, Jay Sewer with 23 points and Kyle Zimmerman with 15 on my unofficial sheet. Stephen Asp with 22 for TC Elite. I don't remember if it was this game or another TC Elite game but they had Adrian Wackett on the wing of a 1-3-1 zone D instead of on top or in the back. Strange to see that twice in the same day.

Session 7
17s done for the day but we still have a pair of session left with 16s. MN Glory blow out MN Select 69-32. Some interesting pieces for the Glory 16s with Ben Figini (Josh's younger brother) and 8th grader Brody Egeberg (5'6 lefty guard who can shoot it). TNL 16s defeat Old Skool 74-60.

Session 8
MN Select 15s def MN Fury 15s 62-59 in a close game throughout. Central Flyers defeat P-Town 70-48 in a game where there were a handful of technicals.

Sunday Games
17U Quarters
TNL vs Team Cannon
Triple Threat vs Comets North
TC Elite vs MN Sharks
Mpls Redhawks vs MN Sizzle

16U Quarters
La Crosse YMCA vs Old Skool
TNL vs P-Town
Central Flyers vs MN Select (winner to play MN Glory in semis)

15U Quarters
TC Elite Black vs TNL
TC Elite Green vs MN Fury
MN Select vs TC Elite White (winner to play Triple Threat in semis)