Twin Cities Boys Hoops: 2010

2010 Best Buy Holiday Classic Championships

My 2010 Most Excellent Holiday Adventure continues with a trip to Augsburg for championship day at the Best Buy Holiday Classic. Barbeque at a game is never a bad thing and on the quality advice of Mrs Krosschell I decide to have the brisket. Anytime you look at a sandwich and think "Where do I even begin to tackle this thing?", that's a very good sign. So props to Tom Krosschell for having Baldy's Barbeque as part of the concessions fare this year (and no $2 12 oz cans of soda either). $5 is usually steep for concessions, but not true in this case. Baldy himself was in the building serving up that very good barbeque. Though my spies tell me that his basketball game needs work. Big laundry type carts full of Pepsi too, can't go wrong with that. Now I need a song, since we get very few rain references in and its not November...

Song of the Day
I Wish It Would Rain Down - Phil Collins

Webcast America had the online broadcast of 1 consolation semifinal and the championship bracket semifinal games on Wednesday along with the 3rd place and championship games today. I did the color commentary for the 3rd place and championships. You can check out the broadcast of any of those 5 games here.

7th Place Game: Henry Sibley vs Minneapolis Patrick Henry
Full names required here to eliminate confusion. Sibley bringing their 3 main seniors off the bench and starting 5 non-seniors. Glad to see Deonte Blakemore back in the Henry lineup to resurrect my Minneapolis City MVP hopes. Sibley's Alex Stafford has come out of nowhere (football kid I think) to be a useful post player. All 13 of his points in the 1st half led Sibley on the night. Second half is all soph Darius Hill for Henry. He nails 4 straight triples (3 from left corner) on his way to 18 points in the half. Sibley battles back from 6 down in the last 5 minutes to tie the game, but Hill comes up big with a steal for 2 and an offensive rebound for 2 free throws. Sibley has a couple of late chances but Henry hangs on for 7th place 62-60. Hill 20 points, Latrell Love 19 and 11 for the Patriots.

5th Place Game: Burnsville vs Chanhassen
A matchup of 1 year Lake Conference foes and natural disasters for 5th. Chanhassen jumps out to a 12-5 start 5 minutes in but falls behind 17-16 at the 7:30 mark. After a Chanhassen timeout at the 6:46 mark, the Storm finish the half strong on an 11-2 run. 27-19 Storm at half. Chance Panning hot in both runs with 15 points and 3 3s. Burnsville comes right back with an 11-2 run to take a 30-29 lead just 1:33 into the half. The Blaze extend the the lead to 50-44 with 6:20 left. Chanhassen gets 6 in a row to tie and we go right to the end. Cam Jones in the post to put Burnsville up 54-52 with 32 seconds left and then a Chanhassen turnover. Burnsville misses a front end and takes a foul with 8.8 left (only 4 team fouls at that point). Time Burnsville. On the inbounds Burnsville waits and takes their 6th foul with 3 seconds left. Timeout Chanhassen. CJ Smith then bear hugs Panning before the ball ever gets inbounds. That's the bonus but Panning misses the 2nd one just long. Burnsville hangs on 54-53 as Storm does not put out Blaze. Cam Jones missed a late 1 and 1 but his post bucket was the clincher. He leads the Blaze with 13 points (I'm not buying the 17 in the official box). CJ Smith 10 for Burnsville. Chance Panning 15 of his 18 in the first half to lead Chanhassen. Kevin Jensen 11 points.

3rd Place: St. Paul Johnson vs Minnesota Transitions (broadcast here)
Still not a bad 3rd place game with #1AAA Johnson taking on #1A MTS. The teams will meet again at Johnson in late Feburary too. MTS uses their 3-2 zone to keep Johnson at bay and they jump out to an 18-11 lead at the 11:25 mark on a Kyle Noreen 3. 42-39 MTS at the break. Johnson getting baseline penetration against the zone though. Rodney Owens with a 3 point play with 13:17 left and MTS leads 55-48 but Johnson quickly cuts the lead to 2 on a nice cut for an And 1 from Roosevelt Scott. A Marcus Marshall 3 ties it at 58 with 8:30 left. Then a Estan Tyler 3 with 7:50 left for a 63-60 lead. Then a Tyler tip in + 1 for a 68-64 lead. Owens coast to coast to cut the lead to 2 but Johnson has the ball with the lead and they'll hold against the MTS zone so MTS extends it. Owens ties the game on a putback with 4:15 left, 68 all. Marshall for 3, Tyler with a steal for 2 and a second straight Oh No, Great shot 3 by Marshall inside of 3 minutes finishes an 8-0 run. 76-68 Govs. MTS has to extend and foul and Johnson adds on from there for a 93-77 win. Estan Tyler 26 on my sheet (25 officially) to lead Johnson. I had Marcus Marshall 1-7 from 3 before making the last 2 that put the game away. 14 of his 20 in the 2nd half, 3 triples. Kyle Noreen a quiet 19 points guarded by Estan Tyler most of the night. 4 rebounds and 5 assists on my sheet. Matt Lanier 13 of his 15 in the first half. Rodney Owens with 25 for the Wolves (I had 27 on my sheet) and 7 rebounds.

Championship: Hopkins vs Chicago Hyde Park (broadcast here)
Hyde Park with a nice screen and roll for 2 and a Marcellis Davis triple to take a 7-2 lead at the 15:25 mark. Then its all Hopkins. Joe Coleman with a drive for 2, a steal for a dunk, another turnover leads to him going glass and a reverse layup off a nice feed from Siyani Chambers. That's all part of a 16-2 Hopkins run over the next 5 minutes. Coleman with another layup then 1 assist to Nick Jorgensen and another pretty assist on a 3 on 1 break to Demetrius Martin. Marvin Singleton with 1 layup and he grabs a rebound and goes coast to coast for another layup. 52-29 at the half, they get a hoop to clear the century mark for a 101-53 win. Joe Coleman leads Hopkins with 31 points and 8 rebounds (sat last 10:17). Only 1 outside shot so that's 3-11 in 3 games I've witnessed this season. Siyani Chambers 8 points and 6 assists on my sheet. 5 total players in double figures for the Royals. Kyle Davis 14 points to lead Hyde Park. Leading scorer PG Treyshawn Jones was held scoreless. Hyde Park too small for the Hopkins guards and they had no matchup for Coleman.

All-Tournament Team
Kyle Noreen - MTS
Estan Tyler - Johnson
Marcellis Davis - Hyde Park
Siyani Chambers, Marvin Singleton - Hopkins
MVP : Joe Coleman - Hopkins

Day 2 of the 2010 Catholic Spirit Tourney

The Czar's 2010 Most Excellent Holiday Adventure continues with a trip to the brand spanking new Anderson Athletic and Recreation Center for day 2 of the 2010 Catholic Spirit tournament. So much for new as the roof springs a leak early in the day and we have buckets in the stands. Other than that hiccup, a very nice building. College venue means blah concessions, but a meal deal with Doritos isn't too bad. No music period between games early. The silence was deafening. A high tech scoreboard but we have a stopwatch for the official timer to do timeouts. Kinda funny that it isn't in the scoreboard.

Game 1: Holy Angels vs St. Agnes
St. Agnes takes a 20-14 lead at the 9:05 mark thanks to a Mario Franco 3. They keep the lead at 24-20 inside of 6 minutes. Then Dakari Davison with a steal and a big dunk on the other end but a technical to go with it. Holy Angels finishes on a 7-2 run to end the half to take a 32-29 halftime lead. 39-37 Holy Angels at the 15:06 mark when they go on a 10-0 run that ultimately puts this one away. 49-37 Holy Angels with 12:12 left. Antonio McGee cuts the AHA lead to 58-53 on a drive with 5:40 left. But Holy Angels scores the next 8 thanks to a pair of Danny Sullivan hoops. Holy Angels wins 68-55. Parker Bredow with 10 of his 18 points in the second half to lead the Stars. Damon Woods with a pair of nice splits of double teams to produce points. He finished with 14 points. Andrew Johnson 16 points to lead St. Agnes. Mario Franco 10 of his 13 in the 2nd half to keep the Aggies close. Dakari Davison all 10 of his points in the 1st half.

Game 2: St. Paul Central vs Minneapolis Southwest
A city showdown in game 2. Very strange and incomprehensible that Central starts Will McDonough (a scorer by nature) at the 1 and Diallo Powell (a classic pass first point guard) at the 2. Southwest jumps out to a 9-2 lead thanks to a pair of Rodney Pierce-Tyler hoops. Then Martin Smith starts to take over inside. He finds frosh Markus Taylor-Knighten for a layup on the post to post pass. Then 3 straight putbacks and we're tied at 17 at the 7:20 mark. A pair of late free throws give Central a 29-26 halftime lead. Then Central pulls away. Taylor-Knighten for 2, Smith with a pair of layups, McDonough a putback and drive, Smith with another assist and Taylor-Knighten finishes the run with a postup. Including the last 2 free throws of the first half, its a 16-2 Minutemen run. 43-28 Central with 13 minutes left. Southwest will get no closer than 9 the rest of the way. Central wins 70-58. Martin Smith with a big day on the glass and inside for 23 points and he had to have double-digit rebounds. Frosh Markus Taylor-Knighten with 8 points in the starting lineup. Rodney Pierce-Tyler leads Southwest with 16 points.

Game 3: Wayzata vs Totino-Grace
These teams met 12 days ago with TG winning 60-54 with 4 players in double figures. Eric Robertson with 23 points in that one for Wayzata but no one else in double figures. To the present, we get the Eric Robertson vs Alex Kreuser matchup. Kreuser's jumper and the foul cuts the Wayzata lead to 17-16 at the 8:08 mark. Then Eric Robertson gets it going. He nails a pullup and a triple to force an Eagles timeout. Then he's on the offensive glass for a pair of free throws to push the lead to 8. Chris Burt with 7 points in the last 5 minutes as Wayzata stretches the lead to 41-25 at the half. TG comes out of the halftime break just after the 10 minute buzzer and one can imagine that the coach Seim blistered the paint off the walls. Eric Robertson with a pair of early 3s to push the lead to 51-30. Then Zach Robertson with a pair of hoops and then a 3 thanks to big brother. 64-36 Wayzata with 10:30 left and the rout is on. The Robertsons leave soon after. Wayzata wins 85-54. Eric Robertson 18 points with 4 3s, little brother Zach with 11 of his 17 in the 2nd half.. Alex Kreuser with 16 points on 5-15 shooting to lead Totino-Grace.

Game 4: Cretin-Derham Hall vs Hill-Murray
Another viewing of CDH means I have to watch them run some possessions of THE WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE. They have Cortez Tillman back after an early season concussion and Taylor Montero was back in the lineup after not playing yesterday due to a rolled ankle. Hill-Murray's Man Mountain Monster Dave Simmet all over the offensive glass in the 1st half. His 3 putbacks help keep the Pioneers within 19-15 at the 7 minute mark. Rob Daul finally gets on the board at the 2:55 mark with a post fadeaway. 31-22 CDH. Tillman with a jumper off THE WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE, a running bank and a triple at the end of the half for a 41-26 halftime lead. Tillman with another 3. CJ Neumann steps out for a 3. Raijon Kelly for a pair of 3s. Tillman with a catch in the air and turns and scores the layup all in 1 motion on (you guessed it) and a layup on a turnover. 64-38 CDH with 10:42 left and the rout is on. CDH wins 79-46. Cortez Tillman 3 triples and 23 points. Raijon Kelly 3 triples and 17 points. Taylor Montero also part of the shooting gallery with 14 points and 2 triples. Jim Remke 13 points to lead Hill-Murray. Dave Simmet with 11 points and 11 rebounds on my sheet. Rob Daul only 8 points for the Pioneers. While they have a very nice front line, the backcourt is very subject to defensive pressure and will be a major issue for Hill-Murray.

Day 1 Tartan Tourney 2010 (and bonus story)

The Czar's 2010 Most Excellent Holiday Adventure continues with a trip to Tartan for the opening day of their annual tournament. This year's tournament has a bit of sadness to it as the longtime assigning official died suddenly on Christmas Day. He was scheduled to work 2 games in the tournament this year too. Very classy move by Tartan to give him a moment of silence prior to the late game. Condolences to his family. On a happier note, not having the wonderful chocolate cookies again this year is more than made up for by adding Taco in a Bag. So popular it was sold out before the late game. Thankfully I had mine earlier in the day. Our song of the day goes from blues (traveler) yesterday to blueglass and country star Alison Krauss (one of the great signing voices of all time too) and certainly applies to the late game.

Song of the Day
Forget about it - Alison Krauss and Union Station

Game 1: Rogers vs Bloomington Kennedy
Jay Pivec and Minnesota State-Mankato watching this one. Kennedy suffers a long first half field goal drought to fall behind 24-11 with 5:47 left in the 1st half. They cut the lead to 28-20 at the half. Add on 16-5 to start the 2nd half thanks to a pair of Rico Gunn (great name) triples and 5 points from Deshun Patterson. 36-33 Kennedy with 11:40 left. The game see saws after that before Rory Donovan nails an elbow jumper (yes from THE WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE) and 2 free throws. 48-45 Rogers with 4:04 left. Kennedy still down 3 inside of 2 minutes and they jack up 3 triples and a layup. None go in. Rogers helps the cause with their own bad 3 with 1:05 left. Patterson takes it to the hoop and the lefty finish with 45 seconds left cuts the lead to 1. After a pair of free throws, Kennedy chooses to go for a 3 with 25 seconds left, somewhat surprising. Donovan blocks Cullen Russo and gets fouled. His 1 free throw with 10.3 seconds left negates a buzzer beating 3 by Gunn. Rogers wins 53-52. Rico Gunn with 3 triples for 15 points to lead Kennedy. Rory Donovan leads Rogers with 17 points. Rogers is now 4-1 with 4 games decided by 4 points or less. They could be 5-0 if not for a freak lane violation that cost them at Totino-Grace. Kennedy falls to 3-2.

Game 2: Prior Lake vs Elk River
Jack Harrison, dare I say, en fuego early. He nails 3 triples with 2 other buckets and a freebie for 14 of Prior Lake's first 19 points in 4:50. Matt Dysthe off the bench with 3 triples of his own in the half. Elk River has 6 players makes 3s in the half. The teams combine for 13 3s in the half. 38-34 Prior Lake at the break. Second half Elk River just can't get over the hump. They cut the lead to 2 90 seconds into the half before frosh point guard Jon Sobaski scores 6 in a row to push the lead to 8. 6 point lead when Sobaski hits the running banker with 4:10 left. Tucker Morrell with 2, then 3 to cut the lead to 3. Sobaski with the pullup to respond. 4 point game when Elk River turns it over and Sobaski makes 2 free throws at the 1:36 mark. Elk River can't score and they give up back to back layups to seal it. Prior Lake wins 72-62. Prior Lake now 3-2 to match last year's win total. Jack Harrison's 20 points is a career high. Funny to see PL look for him inside on "Razor", a post set used by Sibley for Mike Rostampour the last 2 years and the name is still the same. Jon Sobaski 12 of his 15 in the 2nd half. Elk River falls to 3-4. Frosh wing Clay Elrod hit 3 3s for 11 points to be a co-leader in scoring.

Game 3: Spring Lake Park vs Forest Lake
Spring Lake Park with 4 non-seniors starting including athletes Sean Scott (jr) and Robert Ben (soph). Forest Lake with a 10 man rotation including 9 seniors. Interesting contrast. Ben with 2 blocks and a layup early as SLP jumps to a 7-2 lead. But Forest Lake claws back with their 1-3-1 zone and star Phil Hegseth. He scores 5 points in a 13-4 FL run. 15-11 Forest Lake at the 9:05 mark. Sean Scott rebounds a missed free throw and puts it back for a 27-24 SLP lead at the half. Forest Lake fans not at all happy with the officiating. The second half is very close as no team pulls away to more than a 4 point lead. Jordan Berner with a drive at the 3:40 mark and Forest Lake leads 49-46. Scott with a putback and 2 free throws to put SLP back on top. FL retakes the lead with 2 FTs but PG Derek Dahl gets inside the zone and kicks out for a big Bryce Williams 3 with 90 seconds left. Berner makes 1 of 2 with 1:08 left and now FL has to play down 1. Dahl with 2 freebies, 55-52 SLP with 1:06 left. Off the makes, FL runs a set for Hegseth. He doesn't get the original look and then pulls out and misses from about 30 feet with 55 seconds left. SLP makes 7 of 8 freebies the rest of the way for a 62-54 win. Phil Hegseth 20 points to lead Forest Lake but only 1-8 from 3 on my sheet. Rangers lose their 2nd in a row to fall to 3-2. Sean Scott with the Josh Smith line of 22 pts, 12 rebs, 3 blocks on my sheet. Just way too athletic to deal with. He still likes to shoot the 3 which can be a weakness at times. Bryce Williams 3 triples and 15 points, the last one was huge. Robert Ben 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals in a very productive day. Spring Lake Park improves to 2-2 on the season.

Game 4: Brooklyn Center at Tartan
Class AA Brooklyn Center with no Demetrius Anthony starting. Starters include 2 freshman and an 8th grader against the #3AAAA Titans. This can't be good. The Centaurs get a break when Tartan gets a T during warmups. Both free throws are good and BC gets the ball. 2-0 lead with the ball, pull it out! Tartan's pressure too much. Joel Awich with a steal and big 2 handed dunk, then Drew Preiner throws it up to him for 2 more. Dantral Hines on the post for 2 and Jelani Shonoiki with the spin to convert a turnover to points with about 16 minutes left in the half. 6-4 Brooklyn Center. Tartan takes time at the 15:22 mark and coach K is not at all pleased. Tartan comes out and just turns up the defense. And it gets ugly, real ugly and really quick. No enough room here to describe the run because its 46-0 the rest of the half. BC gets no free throw attempts in it either. 50-6 Tartan leads at half and I can't say I've ever seen a bigger run. 10 guys make the book in the half and nobody of note sees the floor in the 2nd half. BC does break the run on the first possession of the 2nd half and that's all the drama I need to see. Tartan with the crushing 71-23 win to improve to 4-0. Brooklyn Center falls to 1-5

Bonus Story (thanks to The Coolest Guy in the NSIC for this one)
Our bonus story comes to us from Worthington and a strange ending. #2A Ellsworth at Worthington (their holiday tourney). Ellsworth up 2 with 18 seconds left. Worthington's Mitchell Weg fouled with 18 seconds left. Board says 9 fouls Ellsworth, 10 Worthington which is correct. Weg's first free throw is up and no good. Casey Schilling rebounds it and nobody else moves. Whistle blows and play stops. Now we have a long conference and after confirming the foul totals, Weg is allowed to reshoot the front end that he missed. Oh boy. Weg makes both and we're tied. Schilling bails out the refs by driving and getting fouled with 1 second left. He makes the 1st and intentionally misses the second and Ellsworth still manages to win despite the strange free throw ruling.

Day 1 of 2010 Bethel Tourney

To the Gulag
Its day 1 of the 2010 Bethel Tournament. The 29th year is brought to you by Perkins of Arden Hills. Just doesn't have the same ring or appeal as Olive Garden. Pepsi at the concession stand with an average hot dog. No good music tonight, so from postgame Buffalo Wild Wings trivia we give you this as a fitting representation of my upcoming week.

Song of the Day
Run-Around - Blues Traveler

Sleep Time
Game 1 is Roosevelt vs Maple Grove. We took a look at Roosevelt last week vs Harding but the competition takes a step up against the Crimson. Maple Grove already with 5 wins coming into the night surpassing last year's 4 win total. That includes wins over Buffalo, STMA and Champlin Park for a ranking of #7 in this week's CzarPI. After the opening Roosevelt basket, MG runs off 11 in a row with Roosevelt going scoreless for 5:30. The lead balloons to 11 at the 9 minute mark thanks to a triple by soph James Morris. Roosevelt cuts the lead to 1 before another Morris lead pushes the lead back to 5 with 2:10 left. Roosevelt holds for those last 2 minutes and can't score. 26-21 Crimson at half.

Calvin Jenkins with only 1 3 (1-5 FGs) and a pair of assists in the first half for Roosevelt, but he gets it going after the break. He scores the first 7 Roosevelt points of the half. Add on a Damion Williams bucket for a 30-28 Roosevelt lead, their first since the opening basket. Jenkins with 1 of 2 FTs and a triple at 12:45 for a 34-33 Teddies lead. Morris immediately counters with a 3 on the other end to put MG back ahead. A Karl Wiley putback cuts the lead to 4 with 9:25 left. Brandon Strickland gets benched just after this for the rest of the night for lack of hustle after a turnover. That costs the Teddies their 2nd scoring option and they don't make another field goal for the next 9 minutes. Maple Grove wins the last 12:40 23-4 and gets the blowout win 56-38. Calvin Jenkins 11 of his 14 in the first 5:15 of the 2nd half. James Morris leads Maple Grove with 15 points off the bench. Maple Grove with 3 sophs in the rotation as forward Jake Weineke and point guard Brycen Wojta are starters. Wojta does a nice job running the club.

Game 2 Centennial vs Bloomington Jefferson. Lefty center Kevin Handt off to a nice start for Jefferson with 8 points inside in the first 10:28. 15-14 Jefferson at the 8:32 mark. Mitchell Kuck matching him for Centennial. He nails his 2nd 3, then 2 free throws and a 3 point play for a 8-0 self run. A pair of Matt Hovila putbacks keep Jefferson within 28-22 at the break.

Centennial with the 1st 4 points of the second half to force a quick Jefferson timeout. Jefferson scores 8 of the next 10 as the pace slows to a crawl with both teams playing zone. Hovila with a backdoor layup to start the run and drive to finish it. 35-30 Centennial with 14:45 to go. Then Kuck with a 3 point play and triple. Jared Nelson tacks on a triple. After a pair of buckets from Jefferson soph Kevin Woebke, Payton Sanders nails another 3 for Centennial. Then Centennial's Josh Matheson flies down the lane grabs a rebound and sticks it back in. 49-36 Centennial with 10:42 left and coach Evens has seen enough. He takes timeout and sits his entire on-court lineup for the rest of the night (including Marcus Alipate and 2 other starters) and brings in 5 new guys (2 starters, soph Brian Fritzlar and Handt included). The new unit doesn't fare any better. Kuck with a free throw and another bomb, Josh DeWitt inside for 2, Sanders with a steal for a 3 point play, Matheson with a steal for a bucket. 60-38 Centennial with 6:41 left and this one is totally out of hand. Its a 25-8 run over 8 minutes. The rest is garbage time. Centennial rolls 69-50. Mitchell Kuck 25 points and 4 triples on my sheet (official box gives 3 of those to Matheson). Payton Sanders and Josh Matheson 10 each

Post-Mordem
Not a pretty night of basketball by any means. Winners and Losers play each other tomorrow (Tuesday) night. Maple Grove and Jefferson each have 3 sophs seeing plenty of minutes so there's plenty to build around. Maple Grove is now 6-1 and go on the road to Armstrong and Osseo in the next 2 weeks in major tests. Seeing Mitchell Kuck go for 25 when Marcus Alipate was held to 3 of 4 FTs (0-6 FGs on my sheet) was a major surprise. Alipate needs more shots and production if Jefferson is going to match last year's 7 win total. Jefferson is now 1-4 with home dates against Eagan and Rosemount after the break. Centennial improves to 2-5. Losing by 19 at home to Andover is a bad loss but they gave Blaine all they wanted on the road losing in OT.

2010-11 CzarPI, December 26, 2010

Labels: 10-11 CzarPI

Here is the 2nd CzarPI of the 2010-2011 Season (see CzarPI Explained here). It includes games through December 26th, 2010. The value in () after the CzarPI value is the team's strength of schedule ranking within their class. So without further delay here is this week's CzarPI.

Class AAAA

Burnsville - 59.64 (11)
Moorhead - 58.67 (43)
Roseville - 57.55 (16)
Wayzata - 57.39 (24)
Duluth East - 57.23 (19)
Chaska - 56.58 (40)
Maple Grove - 56.32 (39)
Robbinsdale Cooper - 56 (33)
Hopkins - 55.83 (50)
Blaine - 55.11 (18)
Tartan - 55.1 (53)
Osseo - 54.48 (45)
Bloomington Kennedy - 54.3 (38)
Robbinsdale Armstrong - 54.21 (55)
Edina - 53.87 (37)
Rochester Century - 53.61 (57)
Owatonna - 53.3 (58)
North St. Paul - 51.88 (23)
Cretin-Derham Hall - 51.47 (63)
Eastview - 51.3 (64)
Stillwater Area - 50.97 (42)
Irondale - 50.77 (35)
Eden Prairie - 50.4 (48)
St. Cloud Tech - 48.29 (47)
East Ridge - 47.85 (62)
St. Michael-Albertville - 47.79 (22)
Duluth Central - 47.23 (51)
St. Louis Park - 47.21 (9)
Prior Lake - 47.11 (15)
Andover - 45.72 (10)
Lakeville South - 45.28 (4)
White Bear Lake - 43.75 (54)
Forest Lake - 42.53 (60)
Eagan - 41.67 (65)
Centennial - 41.34 (27)
Brainerd - 41.12 (20)
Mounds View - 40.45 (12)
Apple Valley - 40.24 (13)
Rochester Mayo - 39.98 (3)
Elk River - 39.81 (52)
Bloomington Jefferson - 39.51 (8)
Minneapolis North - 39.46 (7)
Rosemount - 38.88 (61)
Champlin Park - 38.04 (59)
Shakopee - 37.98 (56)
Henry Sibley - 37.6 (25)
Minneapolis South - 37.56 (14)
Woodbury - 36.62 (34)
Farmington - 35.91 (30)
Chanhassen - 35.89 (49)
St. Francis - 34.77 (31)
Anoka - 34.7 (46)
Alexandria - 33.53 (28)
Cambridge-Isanti - 33.25 (29)
Spring Lake Park - 32.92 (36)
Minneapolis Southwest - 32.69 (44)
Rochester John Marshall - 32.16 (32)
Buffalo - 29.3 (41)
Northfield - 0 (1)
Park Center - 0 (2)
Minnetonka - 0 (5)
Lakeville North - 0 (6)
Coon Rapids - 0 (17)
Hastings - 0 (21)
Park of Cottage Grove - 0 (26)

Class AAA

Marshall - 61.86 (2)
Detroit Lakes - 58.79 (19)
Totino-Grace - 58.2 (4)
Minneapolis Washburn - 58.04 (17)
Delano - 56.54 (35)
St. Paul Johnson - 56.42 (45)
Rogers - 56.04 (22)
Winona - 55.74 (9)
Holy Family Catholic - 54.97 (12)
Chisago Lakes Area - 53.68 (28)
Mound-Westonka - 53.44 (49)
St. Paul Como Park - 53.22 (21)
Orono - 52.92 (55)
St. Anthony Village - 52.84 (47)
Hutchinson - 52.41 (20)
Bemidji - 52.34 (56)
Worthington - 52.2 (33)
Grand Rapids - 51.63 (40)
St. Thomas Academy - 51.14 (25)
Benilde-St. Margaret's - 51.14 (18)
New Prague - 51.11 (57)
St. Cloud Apollo - 50.69 (46)
Mahtomedi - 50.04 (38)
DeLaSalle - 49.8 (32)
St. Paul Highland Park - 49.36 (29)
Hill-Murray - 49.26 (34)
Rocori - 49.21 (30)
Annandale - 49.19 (14)
St. Paul Central - 48.29 (5)
Big Lake - 47.68 (51)
Columbia Heights - 47.64 (58)
Little Falls - 47.46 (37)
Waconia - 47.1 (43)
Albert Lea - 46.58 (10)
Richfield - 43.48 (60)
Hibbing - 43.43 (16)
Monticello - 43.41 (7)
Willmar - 42.08 (50)
Hermantown - 41.73 (36)
Holy Angels - 41.18 (6)
Sartell-St. Stephen - 39.36 (39)
Cloquet - 37.47 (8)
Faribault - 36.53 (26)
St. Paul Harding - 36.18 (44)
Simley - 35.93 (52)
Mankato West - 33.82 (27)
Mankato East - 33.43 (41)
Dassel-Cokato - 29.56 (31)
Minneapolis Henry - 28.4 (53)
Austin - 28.3 (23)
Red Wing - 27.04 (59)
Fergus Falls - 0 (24)
Becker - 0 (42)
South St. Paul - 0 (48)
Princeton - 0 (54)
North Branch - 0 (1)
Waseca - 0 (3)
Fridley - 0 (11)
New Ulm - 0 (13)
Sauk Rapids-Rice - 0 (15)

Class AA

Perham - 58.2 (77)
Esko - 57.71 (85)
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton - 57.41 (89)
Maple River - 57.27 (90)
Montevideo - 56.5 (96)
Moose Lake-Willow River - 56.15 (44)
International Falls - 55.83 (99)
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle - 55.6 (60)
Rochester Lourdes - 55.42 (57)
Zumbrota-Mazeppa - 55.39 (39)
Kasson-Mantorville - 54.59 (108)
Zimmerman - 54.21 (97)
Murray County Central - 54.03 (103)
Thief River Falls - 53.91 (34)
Braham - 53.59 (113)
Caledonia - 53.51 (114)
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown - 53.45 (115)
Windom Area - 53.28 (55)
Redwood Valley - 53.03 (40)
Plainview-Elgin-Millville - 52.79 (116)
Minnewaska Area - 52.64 (118)
Watertown-Mayer - 52.27 (80)
Byron - 51.81 (76)
Mayer Lutheran - 51.28 (88)
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted - 51.21 (50)
Pequot Lakes - 50.78 (83)
Bagley - 50.7 (70)
St. Croix Lutheran - 50.42 (43)
Kimball Area - 49.9 (42)
Maple Lake - 49.35 (102)
East Grand Forks - 49.25 (22)
Blake - 49.16 (72)
Glencoe-Silver Lake - 49.16 (61)
St. Cloud Cathedral - 49.15 (48)
Stewartville - 48.77 (46)
Hawley - 48.63 (47)
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton - 48.45 (53)
Rush City - 48.31 (69)
Wadena-Deer Creek - 47.64 (21)
Belle Plaine - 47.57 (119)
Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial - 47.55 (123)
Pelican Rapids - 47.39 (35)
Jordan - 46.78 (124)
Minnehaha Academy - 46.19 (37)
Jackson County Central - 46.18 (68)
Red Lake - 46.04 (49)
BOLD - 45.73 (84)
United South Central - 45.7 (26)
Crookston - 45.5 (31)
Hayfield - 45.22 (120)
Pipestone Area - 44.96 (13)
Martin County West - 44.74 (107)
Concordia Academy-Roseville - 44.52 (78)
Trinity School - 44.23 (51)
Warroad - 44.19 (101)
Deer River - 44.07 (66)
Southland - 44.06 (33)
Norwood-Young America - 43.65 (6)
Virginia - 43.43 (86)
Triton - 43.42 (63)
Eden Valley-Watkins - 43.31 (75)
La Crescent - 42.63 (125)
Albany - 42.15 (126)
St. Charles - 41.48 (112)
Dover-Eyota - 41.46 (11)
Benson - 41.41 (64)
Sauk Centre - 41.35 (58)
Holdingford - 41.24 (82)
Providence Academy - 41.01 (105)
Kingsland - 40.84 (23)
Litchfield - 40.73 (5)
Legacy Christian - 40.44 (15)
Great River - 39.81 (94)
Lewiston-Altura - 39.42 (93)
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta - 38.65 (79)
West Central Area - 38.47 (92)
Osakis - 37.93 (20)
New Richland-H-E-G - 37.77 (110)
Proctor - 37.67 (109)
Crosby-Ironton - 37.46 (65)
St. Peter - 37.43 (121)
St. John's Prep - 37.42 (71)
Kenyon-Wanamingo - 37.4 (19)
Pine City - 37.28 (104)
Yellow Medicine East - 36.9 (106)
Pierz - 36.76 (17)
Rockford - 36.74 (14)
Sibley East - 36.6 (36)
New London-Spicer - 36.33 (98)
Aitkin - 35.92 (45)
Winona Cotter - 35.85 (122)
Lake City - 35.83 (24)
Montgomery-Lonsdale - 32.76 (56)
Breck - 31.62 (117)
Melrose - 31.13 (2)
Minneapolis Roosevelt - 30.6 (95)
Frazee - 30.57 (18)
Hinckley-Finlayson - 29.81 (100)
Blue Earth Area - 29.57 (4)
Luverne - 28.01 (27)
Greenway - 27.4 (29)
Roseau - 21.07 (91)
Fairmont - 0 (7)
LeSueur-Henderson - 0 (12)
Chatfield - 0 (30)
St. Paul Academy - 0 (32)
Brooklyn Center - 0 (38)
Two Harbors - 0 (59)
Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop - 0 (62)
Foley - 0 (67)
Eveleth-Gilbert - 0 (81)
Lac qui Parle Valley - 0 (87)
Staples-Motley - 0 (111)
International School of MN - 0 (127)
Paynesville Area - 0 (1)
Milaca - 0 (3)
Mounds Park Academy - 0 (8)
Pine Island - 0 (9)
St. James - 0 (10)
Mora - 0 (16)
Cannon Falls - 0 (25)
Park Rapids Area - 0 (28)
Duluth Marshall - 0 (41)
Breckenridge - 0 (52)
Minnesota Valley Lutheran - 0 (54)
Minneapolis Edison - 0 (73)
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley - 0 (74)

Class A

Ulen-Hitterdal - 59.99 (72)
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa - 59.1 (77)
Sebeka - 58.56 (81)
Browerville - 57.45 (90)
Orr - 56.38 (11)
Ada-Borup - 56.29 (42)
Upsala - 55.86 (56)
Southwest MN Christian - 55.72 (106)
Cedar Mountain/Comfrey - 55.28 (64)
Maranatha Christian - 53.82 (119)
Minnesota Transitions Charter - 53.53 (123)
Stephen-Argyle - 52.93 (126)
Nevis - 52.62 (111)
Ely - 52.49 (128)
Bigfork - 52.11 (93)
Rushford-Peterson - 51.78 (131)
Isle - 51.63 (32)
Ellsworth - 51.47 (134)
Minneota - 50.95 (80)
West Lutheran - 50.54 (138)
MACCRAY - 50.36 (95)
Brandon-Evansville - 50.3 (139)
Goodhue - 50.05 (100)
Cook County - 49.87 (85)
Barnum - 49.72 (142)
Southwest Star Concept - 49.58 (101)
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo - 49.35 (145)
Sleepy Eye - 49.04 (46)
Battle Lake - 48.81 (148)
Hills-Beaver Creek - 48.71 (108)
Springfield - 48.49 (151)
Prairie Seeds Academy - 48.34 (97)
McGregor - 48.33 (152)
Badger/Greenbush-Middle River - 48.07 (74)
Pine River-Backus - 48.01 (83)
St. Agnes - 47.9 (59)
FAIR Downtown - 47.89 (146)
Northern Freeze - 47.81 (133)
Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity - 47.48 (28)
Fosston - 47.4 (153)
Glenville-Emmons - 47.32 (154)
Mt. Lake/Butterfield-Odin - 46.61 (58)
East Central - 46.48 (112)
New Ulm Cathedral - 46.33 (114)
Lanesboro - 46.19 (156)
Cass Lake-Bena - 46.19 (109)
Blackduck - 45.97 (88)
Lakeview Christian - 45.96 (157)
Truman - 45.86 (84)
Fond du Lac Ojibwe - 45.78 (55)
Russell-Tyler-Ruthton - 45.64 (50)
Bethany Academy - 45.26 (160)
Southwest Christian - 45.07 (37)
Heritage Christian - 44.94 (103)
St. Clair - 44.88 (6)
Dawson-Boyd - 44.16 (116)
Chisholm - 44 (113)
New York Mills - 43.97 (22)
Kittson County Central - 43.97 (41)
Norman County East - 43.83 (118)
Clearbrook-Gonvick - 42.92 (63)
Granada-Huntley-East Chain - 42.88 (35)
Edgerton - 42.83 (24)
Bertha-Hewitt - 42.52 (66)
Bethlehem Academy - 42.35 (99)
Tower-Soudan - 42.3 (40)
AlBrook/Cotton - 41.82 (125)
Silver Bay - 41.78 (89)
Fulda - 41.66 (16)
Nashwauk-Keewatin - 41.55 (61)
Cromwell - 40.63 (39)
Mahnomen - 40.51 (75)
St. Paul Humboldt - 40.12 (53)
Hope Lutheran - 40 (69)
Floodwood - 39.97 (54)
Blooming Prairie - 39.91 (102)
Le Center - 39.85 (18)
Eagle Valley - 39.53 (47)
Central MN Christian - 39.43 (29)
Houston - 39.36 (163)
Goodridge-Grygla - 39.06 (52)
Lincoln HI - 38.88 (30)
Mankato Loyola - 38.59 (96)
Red Lake County - 38.46 (129)
Randolph - 38.28 (120)
Littlefork-Big Falls - 38.03 (20)
Menahga - 37.5 (87)
Henning - 37.11 (117)
Hill City - 36.37 (21)
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City - 36.35 (23)
Westbrook-Walnut Grove - 36.25 (76)
Win-E-Mac - 35.96 (44)
Madelia - 35.71 (73)
New Life Academy - 35.59 (31)
Mesabi East - 34.65 (149)
Spring Grove - 34.4 (137)
Spectrum - 34.34 (143)
Sleepy Eye Saint Mary's - 34.19 (91)
Cherry - 34.07 (107)
Nicollet - 34.05 (122)
Royalton - 33.98 (98)
Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton - 33.97 (136)
Ashby - 33.06 (62)
Canby - 32.86 (132)
Babbitt-Embarrass - 32.58 (67)
Alden-Conger - 32.19 (162)
Fillmore Central - 31.63 (13)
PACT Charter - 31.62 (12)
Cook - 31.05 (14)
Cleveland - 30.62 (127)
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy - 30.6 (167)
Four Directions Charter - 29.21 (158)
Grand Meadow - 29.13 (60)
Medford - 29.09 (68)
Wabasha-Kellogg - 28.77 (86)
Onamia - 28.67 (82)
Kelliher/Northome - 28.37 (141)
Park Christian - 27.21 (155)
Lakeview - 27.14 (135)
Verndale - 26.93 (33)
Fertile-Beltrami - 24.94 (15)
Academy for Sciences & Ag - 0 (166)
Calvin Christian - 0 (168)
Norman County West - 0 (115)
Northland - 0 (140)
CHOF - 0 (17)
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart - 0 (34)
Parkers Prairie - 0 (79)
Swanville - 0 (92)
LeRoy-Ostrander - 0 (94)
Renville County West - 0 (104)
Cannon Valley Lutheran - 0 (121)
Lake of the Woods - 0 (130)
Round Lake-Brewster - 0 (144)
Barnesville - 0 (147)
St. Paul Prep - 0 (150)
Underwood - 0 (159)
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross - 0 (165)
Liberty Classical Academy - 0 (168)
Lake Park-Audubon - 0 (1)
Schaeffer Academy - 0 (2)
Red Rock Central - 0 (3)
Mesabi Academy - 0 (4)
Carlton - 0 (5)
Pillager - 0 (7)
Martin Luther - 0 (8)
Lyle/Austin Pacelli - 0 (9)
Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig - 0 (10)
Climax/Fisher - 0 (19)
Adrian - 0 (25)
Sacred Heart - 0 (26)
Hancock - 0 (27)
Ogilvie - 0 (36)
Wrenshall - 0 (38)
Waubun - 0 (43)
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg - 0 (45)
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley - 0 (48)
Ortonville - 0 (49)
Metro Deaf School - 0 (51)
Mountain Iron-Buhl - 0 (57)
E.C.H.O. Charter - 0 (65)
Mabel-Canton - 0 (70)
Hmong Academy - 0 (71)
North Lakes Academy - 0 (78)
Learning for Leadership - 0 (105)
Wabasso - 0 (110)
MN Academy for the Deaf - 0 (124)
Rothsay - 0 (161)
Community of Peace Academy - 0 (164)

Johnson overwhelms Roseville

Labels: Estan Tyler

Prologue
I finish my pre-Christmas schedule with another look at 2 teams I've already seen this season. Its also another trip to the east side of St. Paul as Roseville visits Johnson. With 3 great wing athletes (Scott, Wells and Brown) and 3 of the top 10 2011 prospects in the state (Scott, Brown, Tyler), plenty to see. A quality crowd on hand for a holiday week. A respectable hot dog and Pepsi on the menu at the standard concession stand. Longtime no see the Coolest Guy in the NSIC, he's in the building tonight continuing a metro scouting trip. As to our song of the day, Roseville getting blown out means.

Song of the Day
I never promised you a rose garden - Lynn Anderson

Game Time
Emeche Wells with a layup for a 10-7 Roseville lead 4 minutes into the game. Anthony Lee with a 3 for the first Johnson lead of the night. That's countered by a Lucas Brown bucket that ties the game at 12 at the 12:40 mark. Then Anthony Lee with a jumper, an assist to Shelby Ashford and Ashford with a steal dunk. Another turnover leads to Marcus Marshall to Roosevelt Scott for a layup. That 10-0 run (or 15-2) forces a Roseville timeout. 22-12 Govs at 9:28. Roseville right back with the next 7. Sam Peterson 2 FTs and a big block that leads to 8th grader Kobe Critchley nailing a 3. Then a Johnson turnover gets the little guys playing at the rim. David Stanley finishes over and through Estan Tyler up high. 22-19 outside of 8 minutes. 15-5 Johnson over the next 3:30 with Tyler scoring 5 points in the run. Lucas Brown with 4 free throws to cut the lead to 9. But Marcus Marshall with his 3rd 3 of the half and then a layup to conclude the half from Scott. 47-31 Johnson at the break.

Roseville comes out triangle and 2 in the second half guarding Tyler and Marshall and leaving Scott. Tyler gets loose for 3 to push the lead to 54-33 at the 15:35 mark. But Johnson settles for too many jumpers and Roseville makes a comeback. Brown to Wells and Wells to Stanley for easy buckets. Then Wells with a putback and Peterson 2 FTs on an offensive board. Brown from the left corner for 3 to conclude a 12-0 Raiders run. 54-45 Johnson with 13:30 remaining. The teams trade 3s before a Brown drive at 12:10 cuts the lead to 58-50. But Roseville won't challenge the rest of the night. Marshall 2 FTs, Scott with 3 layups, Marshall and Tyler layups. That run was thanks to 3 quick threes from Roseville that didn't go and allowed Johnson to run. Time Roseville as they're down 20, 70-50, with 9:09 left. The rest is running back and forth. Johnson wins 99-79.

Post Game
For Roseville, David Stanley 18 of his 25 in the 2nd half. 3 triples on the night. Lucas Brown 19 points on 5-14 shooting on my sheet. Another game where he had 1st half foul trouble. 8th grader Kobe Critchley now see minutes as the 9th man tonight. Roseville falls to 3-1 and travels to the Owatonna holiday tournament next week.

For Johnson, Roosevelt Scott with an early triple and then hanging around the rim for 18 points on my sheet. Lengthy Wayland Johnson with a very productive night of 6-6 FTs in the 1st half and 5 FGs in the 2nd half for 16 total points off the bench. Shelby Ashford 10 points off the bench. Estan Tyler 14 points after missing 5 of his 1st 6 shots. He once again had the tough defensive task as he guarded Lucas Brown most of the night. Marcus Marshall 11 of his 15 in the first half. Once again the relentless Johnson pressure was just too much. They did a terrific job of taking misses and running the other way, especially against the 3 quick 3s in the decisive second half run. The Govs improve to 4-0 as they head into the Best Buy Holiday Classic next week at Augsburg . There's a potential rematch with Hopkins in the title game next Thursday.

A Presidential Christmas

Prologue
A long day as I venture from one side of the metro to the other for 3 games. The day starts with a presidential battle of Roosevelt at Harding. And despite the expected quality of the game (or lack of), there was no Teapot Dome scandal to get me in the building. But maybe the JV assistant coach on the phone at the start of the JV game was calling off the unknown bribe. The game turned out to be more competitive than anticipated. Then to other side of the kingdom for the BSM/Minnetonka doubleheader. I did the color for the boys game (watch it here) but I'll still have some thoughts below. No concessions today besides a 20 oz Powerade as I needed some McDonalds between games. As to songs, I missed out yesterday so for you the loyal reader, I'm in the Christmas spirit. We'll make up for lost time with 2 songs. The first is the most obviously pick of the year so far. The second is in the Christmas spirit with the time of year and the BSM candy cane warmups. Add in coach Dasovich's young daughter running around and that gives a mandatory Christmas song.

Songs of the Day
Presidents of the United States of America - Lump
I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus.

Roosevelt at Harding
No size and besides Calvin Jenkins of Roosevelt, really not much talent either. Though I do like Brandon Strickland for Roosevelt next season. 12-8 Roosevelt at the 11:50 mark before a 11-0 run pushes the lead to 15 just 3 minutes later. Junior guard David McClain finishes the half strong for Harding with a 3 point play and 3 of 4 free throws to keep it close. 32-23 Roosevelt at half. Calvin Jenkins 14 points for Roosevelt. Todd Van 7 points but 3 fouls for Harding

Harding with 8 in a row early in the second half to cut the lead to 36-31 with 13:45 left. Jenkins nails back to back triples and the lead is right back to 11. His drive with 9:10 left gives Roosevelt a 44-36 lead. Van cuts the lead to 4 with a drive but sits with his 4th foul at the 6:54 mark. 46-42 Roosevelt with 6:40 left. They take timeout and take the air out of the ball with a 5 out look that they hadn't showed all day. Abdullahi Omar with a nice backcut of the elbow screen for a layup at the 4 minute mark. A pair of Roosevelt turnovers gives Harding life. They score on the first but McClain misses 2 freebies on the second with 1:36 left and Harding down 4. Roosevelt goes 4-4 from the line the rest of the way and a buzzer beater 3 for Harding is meaningless. Roosevelt wins 52-49.

Calvin Jenkins 24 points to lead the Teddies to the win. Todd Van with 17 to lead Harding despite missing 10 minutes due to foul trouble. Most interesting thing was to see Roosevelt run the DeLaSalle secondary break. The connection there is Teddies assistant Mike Walker coaching the Pulley 16s with DLS Assistant Todd Anderson. The concept is the same but seeing a different talent level run it gives a different spin.

Benilde-St. Margaret's at Minnetonka
Andrew Turnblad has developed into a useful post for the Skippers (15 points tonight). His stepback jumper cuts a BSM lead to 13-11 at the 11:45 mark. Then size becomes an issue for the Skippers with Evan Battle and Kyle Washington both in the game. Battle takes advantage with 2 post scores and a free throw. In that spurt add on a Kyle Washington putback. 22-12 BSM at the 8:34 mark. Minnetonka can't get a shot to go in or get one off because there's a handchecking call seemingly every 5 seconds. Tonka in the double bonus at the 7 minute mark. Very tightly called game. The free throws allow Minnetonka to hang around. Tonka soph Malcolm Moore in the middle of this paragraph with a pair of free throws for a 25-18 BSM lead. Then Isaiah Zierden for 3, Myles Barnes with 2 free throws and then a steal and he is intentionally fouled for 2 more freebies. BSM can't convert on the possession but Isaiah Gray steals on the Tonka possession and goes for a layup. 34-18 BSM at the 5 minute mark after a 9-0 run and Tonka needs time. 45-30 at the break.

Second half isn't any better. Barnes with a pair of 3 point plays to push the lead to 22 at the 12:16 mark, 60-38. Those sandwiched a Nick Latzke postup on Gray and missed layup that was the picture of his night. Then Washington with a huge block and Zierden nails the pullup 3. This one isn't in doubt. BSM wins 83-59. Nick Latzke with only 2 points as he never got going. 1-9 FG, 0-6 FTs including 2 missed front ends. Andy Jones stepped up with 12 of his 15 in the first half. Tommy McDermott 13 points. Keep an eye on 8th grade lefty guard Andrew Grosz (saw blowout varsity minutes tonight) and frosh post Grant Steele for the Skippers in years to come. Isaiah Zierden leads BSM with 23 points, 4 triples. Very economic in his shooting at 5-9 and 9-9 FTs. All the other perimeter players had off nights. BSM was way too strong inside. Kyle Washington 11 points, 7 rebounds, 8 blocks (I'm counting a bogus goaltending call as a block) on my sheet. Myles Barnes 12 points, Evan Battle with 9 points . 53 total fouls in the game. I had BSM with 34 made FTs.to 16 for Minnetonka.

Richfield runs away from South

Prologue
Its the annual South vs Richfield matchup which always seems to be at Richfield for some reason. This year is no exception. No taco in a bag this year at Richfield, very disappointing. The option to go with Doritos or Fritos was highly underrated. Tartan coach Mark Klingsporn looking on along with Carleton assistant/Fury director Ben Davis and Holy Angels coach Larry McKenzie.

Game Time
Carnell Sheppard gets South off to a good start with a triple, a rebound and coast to coast layup and then 2 free throws on a Richfield yapping technical. He then sits with his second foul. 13-9 South at the 12:43 mark. In a surprise he returns at the 9:28 mark and scores a minute later. The scorers table is a revolving door and players are coming in and out at a furious pace. Richfield soph Deshawn Jones with his 2nd 3 of the half to cut the South lead to 22-20 at the 7:40 mark. A Jordan Stefon layup gives Richfield their first lead 29-27 at the 3:46 mark. The rest of the half is up and down with easy buckets. 43-41 South at the half.

Richfield scores the first 2 buckets of the second half and South wants a quick timeout. Then Richfield's Jordan Noonan takes over. A floater for 2 and then he runs out for a layup. 57-54 Richfield with 11:20 left. Noonan with back to back bombs and a great pass to Jones for a layup. 65-54 Richfield with 9 minutes left. John Johnson with a layup and then a very good 2nd pass gives him a wide open 3. 72-58 Richfield with 7:15 left. 15-4 Richfield run over 4 minutes. South center Mohamed Mohamed with a 17 footer jumper, 2 inside and a layup with 5:05 left, Richfield up 77-64. But the pace is too much as Richfield runs away late. Noonan scoop to the hoop and another drive for 2 and why not another assist. Then a 3 point play and 2 free throws to push the lead to 88-64 with 2:45. The 11-0 puts this one way out of reach. Richfield wins 96-68.

Post Game
For South, center Mohamed Mohamed leads the way with 14 points. He also provides a shot blocking presence inside. Props to coach Klingsporn for hearing the name and pulling out the Duany Duany (former UW Badger) reference. Carnell Sheppard with all 10 of his points in the first half, 7 in the first 5 minutes. After making his first 2 field goals, he was 1-13 from the floor including 0-11 in the second half. South was a much better team with him at the point against the helter skelter style Richfield played. But he spent most of the night playing the shooting guard spot. His composure handling the ball is what teams need against the Richfield style. South falls to 1-3. They host 1-3 Buffalo on Wednesday.

There are teams that claim to run and then are teams that really run. Richfield really gets out and runs the floor in a crazy fast pace. 54 points in the second half is proof. Very little halfcourt offense either way in this game. Richfield has absolutely no size but run 10 guys in and out and can wear you out. Jared Noonan had limited minutes in the first half, but blew up for 19 of his 21 points in the 2nd half. Most of those in the 2 runs that put this one away. Lorenzo Evans and John Johnson with 16 and 15 points respectively getting to the rack. Keep an eye on freshman Louis Williams who is listed at 5'11" but plays like he's about 6'5". Freakishly athletic and long. Richfield played without point guard Daron Garvis who sat out with a sprained knee but hopes to return next week when the 2-0 Spartans travel to Grand Rapids. But the battle of Richfield against Holy Angels awaits on Wednesday.

2010-11 CzarPI, December 19, 2010

Labels: 10-11 CzarPI

Here is the inaugural CzarPI for the 2010-2011 Season (see CzarPI Explained here). It includes games through December 18th, 2010. The value in () after the CzarPI value is the team's strength of schedule ranking within their class. Remember the values are based on what teams have done so far in a limited number of games. Why is schedule strength important? See Champlin Park at #47 in AAAA. They have a record of 3-0 but their opponents are a combined 0-13 which is why they have a CzarPI value of 0.

Class AAAA

Roseville - 61.31 (30)
Burnsville - 60.23 (12)
Owatonna - 59.46 (38)
Moorhead - 58.78 (40)
Duluth East - 56.17 (24)
Edina - 54.37 (48)
Osseo - 53.97 (50)
Hopkins - 53.84 (51)
Irondale - 53.15 (37)
Eden Prairie - 52.96 (35)
Wayzata - 52.05 (36)
Robbinsdale Cooper - 51.8 (53)
Blaine - 50.97 (26)
Robbinsdale Armstrong - 50.88 (56)
Eastview - 50.27 (57)
Brainerd - 50.04 (46)
Bloomington Kennedy - 48.76 (42)
Rochester Century - 48.45 (59)
Tartan - 48.44 (60)
Lakeville South - 47.95 (6)
Chaska - 47.67 (52)
Cretin-Derham Hall - 47.65 (61)
Stillwater Area - 47.35 (43)
Duluth Central - 47.16 (45)
St. Michael-Albertville - 46.86 (14)
Prior Lake - 46.06 (18)
Forest Lake - 45.81 (41)
Eagan - 45.43 (64)
St. Cloud Tech - 45.05 (34)
Bloomington Jefferson - 43.6 (15)
St. Louis Park - 43.34 (25)
Maple Grove - 42.7 (58)
Alexandria - 42.53 (3)
Apple Valley - 42.02 (19)
North St. Paul - 40.32 (22)
Minneapolis South - 40.18 (21)
Centennial - 39.86 (28)
Spring Lake Park - 39.78 (54)
Farmington - 38.5 (23)
Mounds View - 37.79 (16)
East Ridge - 37.78 (55)
Minneapolis North - 37.77 (10)
White Bear Lake - 35.39 (63)
Elk River - 34.91 (39)
Chanhassen - 34.59 (49)
Anoka - 34.31 (31)
Champlin Park - 0 (65)
Woodbury - 0 (47)
Rosemount - 0 (62)
Cambridge-Isanti - 0 (27)
Rochester John Marshall - 0 (29)
Minneapolis Southwest - 0 (32)
Buffalo - 0 (33)
Rochester Mayo - 0 (1)
Henry Sibley - 0 (2)
Minnetonka - 0 (4)
Andover - 0 (5)
Park Center - 0 (7)
Lakeville North - 0 (8)
Hastings - 0 (9)
Northfield - 0 (11)
St. Francis - 0 (13)
Park of Cottage Grove - 0 (17)
Coon Rapids - 0 (20)
Shakopee - 0 (44)

Class AAA

Marshall - 63.02 (2)
Winona - 61.54 (22)
Rogers - 61.34 (23)
Detroit Lakes - 60.49 (28)
Hutchinson - 59.69 (30)
Chisago Lakes Area - 57.09 (15)
St. Anthony Village - 55.75 (41)
Minneapolis Washburn - 54.55 (16)
Bemidji - 54.47 (46)
St. Paul Como Park - 54.47 (9)
Delano - 54.09 (44)
Benilde-St. Margaret's - 53.07 (8)
Mound-Westonka - 52.87 (42)
Little Falls - 52.13 (48)
Grand Rapids - 51.93 (35)
St. Paul Central - 51.91 (3)
Hill-Murray - 51.77 (34)
Annandale - 51.7 (18)
St. Paul Johnson - 51.25 (50)
St. Cloud Apollo - 50.96 (29)
Worthington - 49.63 (38)
St. Paul Highland Park - 49.6 (21)
Orono - 48.73 (54)
New Prague - 47.95 (56)
Columbia Heights - 47.9 (57)
St. Paul Harding - 47.79 (47)
Hibbing - 47.39 (19)
St. Thomas Academy - 47.35 (17)
Richfield - 47.18 (58)
DeLaSalle - 46.75 (59)
Totino-Grace - 46.66 (14)
Mahtomedi - 45.95 (40)
Simley - 45.76 (60)
Rocori - 45.59 (24)
Holy Family Catholic - 44.54 (26)
Albert Lea - 43.71 (13)
Monticello - 42.82 (4)
Willmar - 39.88 (37)
Holy Angels - 39.4 (20)
Mankato West - 37.91 (10)
Hermantown - 37.48 (32)
Sartell-St. Stephen - 37.19 (45)
Mankato East - 37 (31)
Cloquet - 33.48 (7)
Big Lake - 33.43 (53)
Minneapolis Henry - 29.51 (52)
Red Wing - 0 (51)
Dassel-Cokato - 0 (55)
Fergus Falls - 0 (11)
Austin - 0 (33)
Princeton - 0 (36)
Becker - 0 (39)
South St. Paul - 0 (43)
Waconia - 0 (49)
North Branch - 0 (1)
Waseca - 0 (5)
New Ulm - 0 (6)
Sauk Rapids-Rice - 0 (12)
Fridley - 0 (25)
Faribault - 0 (27)

Class AA

United South Central - 58.36 (75)
Redwood Valley - 58.22 (47)
Perham - 57.22 (87)
International Falls - 57.2 (88)
Zumbrota-Mazeppa - 56.27 (44)
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle - 55.95 (55)
Pequot Lakes - 55.91 (27)
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton - 55.81 (98)
Maple River - 55.73 (99)
BOLD - 55.56 (31)
Blake - 55.54 (69)
Braham - 55.13 (100)
Murray County Central - 54.93 (92)
Montevideo - 54.81 (102)
Mayer Lutheran - 54.8 (103)
Moose Lake-Willow River - 54.52 (59)
Esko - 54.39 (108)
Caledonia - 54.2 (110)
Kasson-Mantorville - 53.81 (111)
St. Croix Lutheran - 53.52 (21)
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown - 51.64 (116)
Zimmerman - 51.61 (117)
Byron - 51.55 (70)
Stewartville - 51.28 (71)
Glencoe-Silver Lake - 51.12 (50)
Minnewaska Area - 51.02 (118)
Wadena-Deer Creek - 50.89 (24)
Rochester Lourdes - 50.55 (89)
Maple Lake - 50.47 (115)
St. Cloud Cathedral - 50.38 (35)
East Grand Forks - 50.24 (30)
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton - 50.01 (48)
Rush City - 49.81 (33)
Bagley - 49.78 (63)
Kimball Area - 49.44 (80)
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted - 49.36 (78)
Pipestone Area - 48.07 (5)
Trinity School - 48.04 (26)
Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial - 47.98 (122)
Watertown-Mayer - 47.98 (95)
Concordia Academy-Roseville - 47.83 (49)
Litchfield - 47.61 (14)
Thief River Falls - 47.31 (53)
Plainview-Elgin-Millville - 47.3 (123)
Crookston - 47.1 (52)
Martin County West - 46.61 (96)
Windom Area - 46.6 (85)
Warroad - 45.72 (65)
La Crescent - 45.59 (124)
Red Lake - 45.58 (51)
Triton - 45.56 (54)
Hawley - 45.56 (74)
Deer River - 45.26 (109)
Belle Plaine - 45.15 (112)
Jordan - 44.64 (125)
Pine City - 43.29 (119)
Yellow Medicine East - 43.04 (114)
St. Charles - 42.98 (106)
Norwood-Young America - 42.97 (19)
Eden Valley-Watkins - 42.01 (94)
Hayfield - 41.95 (121)
Providence Academy - 41.78 (84)
Dover-Eyota - 41.39 (23)
Pelican Rapids - 40.71 (28)
Legacy Christian - 40.48 (7)
Crosby-Ironton - 40.28 (91)
Winona Cotter - 40.15 (120)
Pierz - 39.9 (4)
Kingsland - 39.88 (34)
Lewiston-Altura - 38.99 (93)
Holdingford - 38.08 (76)
St. Peter - 37.89 (101)
Jackson County Central - 37.75 (97)
Lake City - 37.52 (41)
Breck - 36.91 (104)
Minnehaha Academy - 36.91 (32)
New Richland-H-E-G - 36.59 (105)
Albany - 36.29 (126)
Proctor - 36.01 (83)
Hinckley-Finlayson - 35.27 (58)
Sauk Centre - 34.67 (62)
Melrose - 34.61 (6)
Osakis - 34.42 (25)
Blue Earth Area - 33.95 (16)
Sibley East - 33.35 (36)
St. John's Prep - 33.13 (64)
Southland - 31.4 (38)
New London-Spicer - 30.66 (86)
Aitkin - 28.83 (46)
Kenyon-Wanamingo - 28.29 (15)
Montgomery-Lonsdale - 28.29 (72)
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta - 26.97 (73)
West Central Area - 0 (107)
Roseau - 0 (82)
Virginia - 0 (90)
Benson - 0 (18)
LeSueur-Henderson - 0 (22)
Brooklyn Center - 0 (29)
Chatfield - 0 (40)
St. Paul Academy - 0 (43)
Staples-Motley - 0 (45)
Eveleth-Gilbert - 0 (56)
Foley - 0 (57)
Minneapolis Roosevelt - 0 (67)
Two Harbors - 0 (77)
Lac qui Parle Valley - 0 (79)
Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop - 0 (81)
Great River - 0 (113)
International School of MN - 0 (127)
St. James - 0 (1)
Fairmont - 0 (2)
Cannon Falls - 0 (3)
Frazee - 0 (8)
Milaca - 0 (9)
Mounds Park Academy - 0 (10)
Paynesville Area - 0 (11)
Luverne - 0 (12)
Greenway - 0 (13)
Rockford - 0 (17)
Pine Island - 0 (20)
Mora - 0 (37)
Duluth Marshall - 0 (39)
Park Rapids Area - 0 (42)
Minnesota Valley Lutheran - 0 (60)
Breckenridge - 0 (61)
Minneapolis Edison - 0 (66)
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley - 0 (68)

Class A

Browerville - 64.49 (40)
Sebeka - 60.76 (64)
Southwest MN Christian - 58.71 (82)
Ulen-Hitterdal - 58.62 (84)
Upsala - 57.1 (48)
Ada-Borup - 56.68 (39)
Maranatha Christian - 56.6 (100)
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa - 56.11 (107)
Cedar Mountain/Comfrey - 55.13 (52)
Mt. Lake/Butterfield-Odin - 55.12 (115)
Orr - 54.71 (28)
Stephen-Argyle - 54 (122)
Minnesota Transitions Charter - 53.4 (125)
Bigfork - 53.12 (85)
Goodhue - 52.28 (81)
Barnum - 51.23 (131)
Nevis - 51.14 (116)
Pine River-Backus - 50.85 (95)
Rushford-Peterson - 50.79 (132)
Russell-Tyler-Ruthton - 50.7 (17)
MACCRAY - 50.47 (133)
Southwest Star Concept - 50.41 (99)
Prairie Seeds Academy - 50.35 (92)
St. Agnes - 50.11 (70)
Fosston - 50 (137)
Norman County East - 49.66 (83)
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo - 49.4 (141)
McGregor - 49.21 (142)
Ellsworth - 49.17 (143)
Glenville-Emmons - 49.16 (144)
Sleepy Eye - 49.13 (50)
Cook County - 49.09 (74)
Ely - 49.03 (145)
Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity - 49 (30)
Springfield - 48.61 (146)
Northern Freeze - 48.11 (139)
Truman - 47.81 (106)
Badger/Greenbush-Middle River - 47.39 (98)
St. Clair - 47.35 (7)
Brandon-Evansville - 46.9 (150)
Heritage Christian - 46.58 (59)
Minneota - 46.54 (79)
Bertha-Hewitt - 46.52 (47)
Tower-Soudan - 46.51 (104)
Blackduck - 46.29 (113)
FAIR Downtown - 46.18 (147)
Lanesboro - 45.58 (153)
Fond du Lac Ojibwe - 45.04 (55)
Dawson-Boyd - 44.9 (66)
East Central - 43.13 (123)
New York Mills - 42.68 (56)
Chisholm - 42.6 (108)
Cromwell - 42.57 (27)
Cass Lake-Bena - 42.25 (121)
Lakeview Christian - 42.23 (158)
AlBrook/Cotton - 42.16 (126)
Littlefork-Big Falls - 42.07 (43)
Lincoln HI - 41.83 (15)
Silver Bay - 41.4 (110)
Houston - 41.36 (159)
Kittson County Central - 41.31 (36)
Henning - 41.2 (102)
Nashwauk-Keewatin - 41.04 (57)
Hill City - 40.67 (14)
St. Paul Humboldt - 40.65 (89)
Mankato Loyola - 40.38 (54)
Hope Lutheran - 40.15 (60)
Granada-Huntley-East Chain - 39.65 (42)
Le Center - 39.65 (29)
New Life Academy - 39.4 (35)
Win-E-Mac - 39.15 (53)
Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton - 39.05 (109)
West Lutheran - 39.03 (160)
Isle - 39.01 (51)
Battle Lake - 38.99 (161)
Menahga - 38.92 (93)
Randolph - 38.43 (101)
Bethany Academy - 38.26 (162)
Eagle Valley - 38.11 (18)
Blooming Prairie - 37.99 (120)
Southwest Christian - 37.77 (37)
Westbrook-Walnut Grove - 37.76 (62)
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy - 37.58 (164)
Goodridge-Grygla - 37.53 (103)
Fulda - 37.03 (21)
Clearbrook-Gonvick - 37.03 (58)
Park Christian - 36.6 (129)
Bethlehem Academy - 36.43 (86)
Royalton - 36.21 (105)
Hills-Beaver Creek - 36.05 (87)
Spectrum - 35.61 (124)
Cherry - 35.56 (118)
Spring Grove - 35.12 (148)
Sleepy Eye Saint Mary's - 35 (96)
Floodwood - 34.05 (80)
Fillmore Central - 33.65 (20)
Nicollet - 33.36 (117)
Mesabi East - 33.17 (157)
Babbitt-Embarrass - 33.17 (72)
Canby - 32.92 (154)
Verndale - 32.54 (46)
Onamia - 31.87 (149)
PACT Charter - 31.62 (12)
Wabasha-Kellogg - 30.4 (90)
Grand Meadow - 30.07 (69)
Cook - 29.99 (24)
Four Directions Charter - 29.79 (155)
Mahnomen - 29.51 (77)
Red Lake County - 29.07 (128)
New Ulm Cathedral - 28.97 (138)
Ashby - 28.52 (31)
Madelia - 26.96 (75)
Fertile-Beltrami - 26.73 (38)
Calvin Christian - 0 (166)
Kelliher/Northome - 0 (135)
Norman County West - 0 (140)
Northland - 0 (151)
Alden-Conger - 0 (163)
CHOF - 0 (11)
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart - 0 (41)
Round Lake-Brewster - 0 (61)
Parkers Prairie - 0 (65)
Medford - 0 (76)
Cannon Valley Lutheran - 0 (88)
Lakeview - 0 (94)
LeRoy-Ostrander - 0 (111)
Renville County West - 0 (127)
Underwood - 0 (130)
Swanville - 0 (136)
St. Paul Prep - 0 (152)
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross - 0 (156)
Liberty Classical Academy - 0 (166)
Academy for Sciences & Ag - 0 (166)
Lake Park-Audubon - 0 (1)
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley - 0 (2)
Carlton - 0 (3)
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City - 0 (4)
Schaeffer Academy - 0 (5)
Red Rock Central - 0 (6)
Edgerton - 0 (8)
Martin Luther - 0 (9)
Central MN Christian - 0 (10)
Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig - 0 (13)
Mesabi Academy - 0 (16)
Lyle/Austin Pacelli - 0 (19)
Metro Deaf School - 0 (22)
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg - 0 (23)
Ogilvie - 0 (25)
Adrian - 0 (26)
Ortonville - 0 (32)
Hancock - 0 (33)
Pillager - 0 (34)
Climax/Fisher - 0 (44)
Sacred Heart - 0 (45)
Barnesville - 0 (49)
Waubun - 0 (63)
Mountain Iron-Buhl - 0 (67)
E.C.H.O. Charter - 0 (68)
Hmong Academy - 0 (71)
Wrenshall - 0 (73)
North Lakes Academy - 0 (78)
Mabel-Canton - 0 (91)
Wabasso - 0 (97)
MN Academy for the Deaf - 0 (112)
Lake of the Woods - 0 (114)
Cleveland - 0 (119)
Rothsay - 0 (134)
Community of Peace Academy - 0 (165)

Raiders hold off Cadets

Prologue
To #4AAAA Cretin-Derham Hall as they host the nightcap of this fine Saturday against rival St. Thomas Academy. Rene Pulley and Northern Iowa once again in the building for this one. A North St. Paul sighting as well. Nice to see a Polar on this cold day. And the Mr. Basketball committee is once again represented. Much to my surprise, the hot dog was not A+ quality as usual. Bad material from the St. Thomas student section during the game chanting overrated when they were losing. At least "Let's Play Hockey" made sense. So with that and the Hopkins blowout in mind.

Song of the Day
Bon Jovi - Bad Medicine

Game Time
Definitely not the high flying pace to start this one. Raijon Kelly with a stepback jumper and Taylor Montero for 3. 14-4 CDH at the 10 minute mark. Montero doing a nice job on Cadets star Thomas Sjoberg on the defensive end. Then its the Raijon Kelly show. A pullup at 7:35, a triple off the inbounds, a driving layup and pullup on the break for 3. 10 straight points. Then he drives and a kickout to Brian Smith for 3 before Kelly stops and pops at the 3:10 mark. 31-19 CDH. That's Kelly in on 15 straight CDH points. Sjoberg gets loose for a couple of late 3s to keep it close. 36-26 CDH at the break.

Kelly with the 3 point play and Smith's 3rd triple of the night to start the second half. Kelly on the post for 2 free throws. 44-27 CDH with 16:19 remaining. Sjoberg with a fadeaway and another bomb via the inbounds. Add in a STA putback and its 47-35 CDH with 13:35 left. Montero with a short jumper, CJ Neumann with a nice assist to soph post Luke Hamel for a layup and a Montero layup. 53-35 CDH with 12:10 left. But St. Thomas is too good not to have a run in them. Sjoberg loose for back to back bombs to end a 14-3 Cadets run. 56-49 with 8:13 left and this one isn't over. Then CDH misses 2 bunnies and Sjoberg is held trying to cut for a 3rd 3. But he misses the front end of the bonus. Montero makes STA pay with a 3 point play on Raiders possession. That looked like a big moment. But the Cadets aren't done. Nick Waldvogel with 2 free throws, Jordan Kruger for 3 and John Gould goes glass. 59-56 CDH with 4:09 left and the Raiders need a timeout. 21-6 Cadets run over the last 8 minutes. That wakes up the CDH student section who's on their feet. It also makes me realize that CDH has been running THE WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE during much of this run. Only fitting that they should give up a run.

Out of the timeout, Neumann hits the offensive glass for a putback. The teams trade free throws and then misses. That includes a surprising shot from Kelly with 1:20 remaining and a 5 point lead. The Cadets make another free throw with 1:07 left to cut the lead to 62-58. CDH goes 4 corners and gets a break when the Cadets choose not to foul Connor Quicksell who was 1-5 FTs on the night. Then just as Kelly was going to pass to Quicksell he gets mugged by 3 guys with 31.4 left and makes 1 free throw. Kelly then fouls Sjoberg on a long 3 and Sjoberg makes all 3 free throws. 63-61 CDH with 5.6 seconds left. Jake Frey fouled on the inbounds after almost losing the ball on the end line, 2-4 FTs on the night. But he's clutch making both to ice this one. 65-61 CDH wins.

Post Game
For St. Thomas Academy, lefty Thomas Sjoberg leads the way with 26 points and 6 3s. 7-16 shooting on my sheet with 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. The only other significant offense for the Cadets was 13 points from Jordan Kruger. Based on what I saw this year, I thought they'd have more offensive weapons. But as usual, they're tough and defend so they'll be very competitive. The Cadets fall to 2-1 and travel to St. Agnes on Wednesday. Then they travel to the Grand Rapids holiday tournament to take on the hosts and Duluth Central.

For Cretin-Derham Hall, they're now 3-0 and play next in the Catholic Spirit holiday tournament at the University of St. Thomas. Raijon Kelly leads the way with 18 of his 21 points in the first half and 1st possession of the second half. 7-10 FGs along with 5 rebounds on my sheet. That was from the point guard spot tonight due to regular PG Cortez Tillman sitting out with a concussion sustained earlier this week. Brian Smith stepped up in the starting role with 11 points and 3 big triples. Taylor Montero 15 points and 5 rebounds on my sheet. Not to mention the task of chasing Sjoberg around all night. Not a wow player in terms of athleticism or exceptional skills but can do a bit of everything and is the real glue for CDH.

Hopkins too much for Benilde

Labels: Joe Coleman

Prologue
A fine Saturday in the metro with #3AAA Benilde-St. Margaret's visiting #1AAAA Hopkins. While the Taco in a Bag is steep at $3.75, its worth every single penny. You won't find a better one. Tons of folks on hand for this one. Pump N Run, Pulley, 43 Hoops, Fury, Boston U and Northern Iowa all looking on. Coach Pivec from Dakota County Tech, Mpls South and Orono also looking on along with Ken Lien and the Mr. Basketball committee.

Game Time
A fast pace early in this one. Isaiah Zierden with the 4 point play and a floater off the glass at 13:32. 14-13 Hopkins leads. 6 in a row from Hopkins including a Joe Coleman reverse layup off the postup and a turnover resulting in a Marvin Singleton dunk. Timeout BSM at 12:16 down 22-15. Then Coleman with his 1 outside shot of the day on a nice baseline pullup to start a run and an assist to Nick Jorgensen for 3 to cap it. 33-19 Hopkins at the 8 minute mark to force another BSM timeout. The run is 17-4. Marving Singleton with a tip in and a layup off a turnover. Those sandwich a Demetrius Martin triple. Then Coleman with a bunny to push the lead to 52-28. But the last 1:25 sees a quick 11-2 spurt thanks to a pair of Will Dunn 3 points plays to end the half. 54-39 Hopkins at the break.

Dunn with a 3 for 9 in a row as we start the 2nd half. That's followed by a Zierden reverse layup. 54-44 Hopkins with 16:40 remaining and the Red Knights appear to have made this one a game again. 16-2 is the run over the last 3 minutes of game time crossing halftime. But appearances are deceiving as Hopkins slams the door shut and deadbolts it. Singleton with a jumper and a tip in. Siyani Chambers with a steal for 2. Zach Stahl finishes the 13-0 run with a drive and triple. 67-44 with 13:16 remaining and just that quick, this one is over. Singleton on the post for the And 1 followed by 2 Martin layups. 75-47 Hopkins with 11:30 remaining. An Andre McDonald layup at 8:50 sends this one to running time as the 2nd half is all Hopkins. They win 99-65.

Post Game
For Benilde-St. Margaret's, Isaiah Zierden leads the way with 16 points on 5-10 shooting. 12 of those in the first half. Will Dunn 13 points with 9 of those coming in the last minute of first half and first minute of the second half. Kyle Washington reaches double figures with 13 points as well. Great comeback to cut it to 10 but after that they crumbled. Is there a true leader on the floor? I see them needing to be more aggressive too. On a cold shooting night, the number of threes they shoot will haunt them. With that talent, getting to the rim and scoring strong should be a priority. BSM falls to 2-1 and travels to Minnetonka on Tuesday night in a game I'll be doing the color for on Webcast America. Here's a link to the page where Minnetonka will have the game online.

For Hopkins, Marvin Singleton 22 points and just too strong. Demetrius Martin came up big with 4 3s and 18 points. Joe Coleman 17 points on 6-16 shooting with 1-4 on actual jump shots. That's 3-10 on jumpers in the 2 Hopkins games I've watched in person this season. He easily could have had 25 as he went 5-12 on chip shots. Their experience really showed in making critical plays. The offensive glass was a major factor in this one too. Against the 4 guard lineup, Hopkins took advantage with Stahl and Singleton. Hopkins is now 4-0 and hosts St. Louis Park on Tuesday. Then its off to the Best Buy Holiday Tournament at Augsburg for a possible showdowns with Minnesota Transitions and St. Paul Johnson.

White Bear Lake holds off Stillwater

Above the Arctic Circle
Its a trip east to Siberia (remember Prior Lake is now a friendly southern resort town, proper Russian geography), so that means Stillwater at White Bear Lake. It also means cold. But not cold pizza. I forced myself to wait until the end of the JV game (which is flipped with the B squad game at WBL) but running for the Donatelli's pizza is always worth the trip. But this night is all about the hair. WBL's junior center Zach Meyer sporting the 5 star restaurant quality mullet. When introduced, the last guy in line feigned combing the mullet out. HA! Had the WBL dance squad in the house tonight as well for entertainment. They were sitting in front of my group and when we mentioned the mullet, they had to point to Meyer's significant other who happened to be one of the dance line. Poor girl was mortified. Randy Jordan as always sporting the towel, but tonight's was big enough to cover the snowbanks outside.

With Bears and Ponies and wild hair and a bunch of yapping going on at the game, let's go with

Song of the Day
Talking Heads - Wild Wild Life

Game Time
Stillwater off to a nice start. Post Matt Hilgers opens with back to back buckets and matches that with a pair of fouls and sits less than 2 minutes in. Paxton Harvieux with a pair of freebies, a putback and a 3 on a nice inside out pass. 13-5 Stillwater at the 12:40 mark. Meyer picks up 2 push off fouls trying to post up inside in a physical battle. The 2nd is at 10:13 and we won't see him the rest of the half. 17-8 Stillwater at the 9:15 mark and WBL already has 10 turnovers in a very sloppy game both ways. Josh Tismer off the bench with a steal for 2 and a layup to cut the lead to 17-12 at the 7:45 mark. Soph Adam Holmberg for 3 at the 6:25 mark for a 20-12 Stillwater lead. But that's their only field goal in the last 9 minutes of the half. Bears guard Nate Sheldon heats up with a jumper, 2 bonus free throws, a steal for 2 and a fadeaway J for 9 of 12 WBL points. WBL finishes the half on a 17-4 run over the last 6:05 for a 29-24 halftime lead.

A Harvieux putback at 13:40 cuts the Bears lead to 32-30. Then Tismer with a jumper and 3 point play to push the lead back to 7. Harvieux commits his 4th foul at 11:04 and has to sit. That results in 2 Meyer free throws. With soph Austin Holmberg done for the night thanks to playing both halves of the JV game (3 half limit reached), Stillwater has to find a guard off the bench. In a surprise, its Sam Lagus, who's not a normal member of the rotation. His 3 at 10:50 keeps Stillwater within 2 at 39-37. Meyer with a layup off a turnover and 2 more freebies before committing his 4th and leaving at the 9:18 mark. 43-38 WBL. Tismer with a big 3 trailing the ball up the floor. 48-40 WBL at the 7:50 mark as Harvieux is back in the game. Soph Andrew Duxbury carrying the Stillwater offense at the line with 5 of 6 at the charity stripe in this 3 minute stretch. A pair of Sheldon freebies at 3:51 push the lead to 54-45. And this one should be over. The lefty Lagus with another triple, then he nails his 3rd in a row. That last 3 was after Jake Malwitz got the tip away on defense and dove on the floor for a timeout to keep the possession. That's one of the few times that's a very smart play. After a Bears turnover, why not Lagus again for 3. Holy cow, talk about unexpected. Its a 9-0 Lagus run on 3 triples. 54 all with 1:35 left. Tismer finds Meyer inside and Meyer converts 1 of the 2 free throws. 55-54 White Bear Lake with 1:06 left. Stillwater takes timeout and is patient on their possession. Harvieux drives right baseline to the rim, up once, no good, grabs the rebound and the putback is off the rim and out. WBL rebounds and gets fouled. And Stillwater picks up a technical foul on the play as well with 21.6 left. Oh my. Captain Colton Smit knocks down 3 of the 4 free throws and the Bears get another freebie on the possession and that's your ballgame. White Bear Lake hangs on 61-56.

Post Game
For Stillwater, Lagus with 4 3s for 12 points, all in the second half, to lead Stillwater. Paxton Harvieux 10 points on 3-12 FGs on my sheet with 5 rebounds. Soph Andrew Duxbury with productive minutes in limited second half action. 5 of 6 free throws and a driving layup in about 6 minutes of playing time all late in the second half. 9 players score for Stillwater which is a positive, but there's not a goto scorer in the group. Combine that with adjusting to a new 5 out offense and they're not an offensive juggernaut by any means.

For White Bear Lake, Nate Sheldon with 15 points on 9-10 FTs. His 9 points late in the first half were big to keep Stillwater from running away. Josh Tismer off the bench with 13 points. Zach Meyer 7 points inside, only 1 field goal, due to foul trouble. Liked what I saw of him again tonight after a breakout performance vs the super loaded Atlanta Celtics 16s in July. He should get plenty of looks inside this season as the post in their 4 out 1 in offense. While I'm all for being loyal to your seniors, I'd like to see coach Lockwood get juniors Tismer and Eric Gebeke some more minutes. Add in soph guard Beau Smit with the 3 juniors (Tismer at PG, Gebeke at wing and Meyer in the post) and there is a really nice foundation that you could build on for next season with success for this season.

Playbook
59-56 White Bear Lake with 9.5 left. Stillwater just scored and took a timeout to stop the clock. You're White Bear Lake and are inbounding under the Stillwater basket and can run the baseline. You want the ball to end up in the hands of a high quality foul shooter. Here's what they ran.

4 across the near foul line with Sheldon inbounding. Break 1 guy to the ball and throw it to him out of bounds. Everybody else goes away. Sheldon steps inbounds and gets it right back. Simple and effective. 7 of 8 on the night and no doubt about it, he knocks down the final 2 with 6.5 seconds left seal it.

Bombers trounce CHOF

Prologue
After failing to make a St. Paul trip on Monday, I tried again tonight and after 80 minutes between downtowns, I finally did make the #2AA Braham/CHOF game. The simple Gatorade and candy concession stand works for me. We get no national anthem as there was no American Flag in the building (there's not one on the wall for those not familiar with The SAL). As to today's music, since we have Tyler Strandlund (CHOF) vs Tyler Vaughan (Braham), it seems only appropriate that I include something by a famous Tyler. Since I'm here for the 1 appearance of a non-metro player in the metro, I figured this would make sense

Song of the Day
Aerosmith -I Don't Want to Miss a Thing

Game Time
No Kendall Strandlund for CHOF as he's out for about a month with a broken wrist. Big loss as he's the 2nd scorer on a thin Lions roster. CHOF coming out box and 1 against Braham star Tyler Vaughan. He makes a nice cut for 2 and nails a 3 in transition for a 12-7 Braham lead. Tyler Strandlund on the other hand has all 7 points and then finds Tate Piepkorn for a 3 point play out of a triangle offense baseline cut off the post. Coach Vaughan not all happy with his defense not stepping up to take charges. Then Braham starts to heat up from deep (no bad Bombers puns here). Erik Vavra for 3, Ben Thiry with a jumper, Bret Cuda for 3 and Vaughan with an NBA 3. 25-14 Braham at the 7:40 mark. And then the Braham radio guy makes it in from traffic to start doing the game. Show up and start. Gotta like that. Cuda with another triple. Vavra again with under a minute left in the half. 36-15 Braham at the half as they hit 7 threes and 7 deuces. Vaughan only 3-10 in the half for 8 points. It was a 22-3 Braham run over the last 12:20 of the half

Not much to talk about in the 2nd half. Vaughan goes glass, 2 more off a steal and a free throw for 5 quick points. Vaughan with a jumper and another steal for 2. 53-25 Braham with 11:30 left. Vaughan with a floater to finish his scoring for the night. 64-38 Bombers with 7:05 left. Strandlund does get in 1 last highlight with a great block and then chasing it down in the corner for the save to a teammate. He has a big second half, but Braham is far too much in this one. 74-49 Bombers win.

Post Game
For CHOF, Tyler Strandlund with another big stat line of 22 points, 19 rebounds and 2 blocks on 10-19 shooting. Tate Piepkorn added some late points to finish with 15. Nice 1st half job with the box and 1, mainly thanks to the hounding defense of Darian Warneke. They lose senior point guard Adam Rohlf but will have the rest of the roster back next season. The Lions fall to 1-3 and host Legacy Christian on Tuesday.

For Braham, Tyler Vaughan leads the way with 24 points on 10-20 shooting on the official Braham stat sheet. I also had him for 7 rebounds on my sheet. A slow first half with only 8 points vs the box and 1 but he showed patience and let 3 teammates nail 5 3s in the half (he had the other 2) to punish that defense. Had a couple of out of control moments on the break that resulted in misses. In a more open second half he has more able to get going and get some penetration for a couple of easy looks. Let's not overlook that supporting cast. Ben Thiry 13 points and you almost need to go triangle and 2 instead of box and 1 with him on the floor. 6'4 Cameron Braund 12 points inside. A post many AA schools would like to have. Bret Cuda comes off the bench for 9 points with a pair of important 1st half triples to break it open. Braham stays undefeated at 2-0 with a trip to Moose Lake-Willow River on Saturday (they knocked off previously ranked Virginia last weekend) and a home game against annual rival Grantsburg, WI next Tuesday. Then they travel to the St. Cloud Cathedral tournament where they open with Concordia-Roseville on Dec 28.

Roseville survives Washburn

Prologue
Its depressing to walk down the street and not see the traffic because the snowbanks are too high and then get to the end of the block only to find that there's no way to cross the street except to mountain climb one of them. Hate it when I forget my abseiling gear (that's rappelling for those of us using English). But thanks to the snow, Roseville at Washburn is on tonight's light schedule. Never a bad thing to visit there with one of the best hot dogs around (and best concessions in the Mpls City Conference) and a great mascot, though no one dressed up like the ticked off Miller tonight. To the concession stand I go and I'm all over the hot dog but then a surprise sighting since I'm too old to stare at the coeds working. Its A & W root beer so I'm definitely getting that too. Grade A for the concessions tonight. And while we're on the topic of good things at Washburn, how about some props to the student section for knowing a quality sing along song that we hear every so often at a game. When the song is older than the students singing it and they know the words, gotta give that some love so we have

Song of the Day
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond

Game Time
A very fast pace early to this one. A David Stanley with layups followed by a Lucas Brown 3 and tip for a 7-0 Roseville run. 18-10 Roseville at the 10:22 mark. Washburn right back with Clarence Thomas for 3 and Cedric Chappell on the post. Then Joseph Doby for 2 and a 3 point play inside after grabbing on offensive board on a free throw. Chappell with a layup to finish a 14-2 Washburn run. 24-20 Millers at the 6:48 mark. Mack Johnson then heats up for Roseville. A triple, a layup, another triple and then a great choice to run the set play for him for 3 in a row. 34-31 Raiders back on top with 3:45 left in the half. Lucas Brown stayed in with 2 fouls but with the lead, he'll sit the last 3:10. No problem as Logan Brown with a pair of layups, including a sweet reverse in the last minute. 43-36 Roseville at the half. They finished the first half on a 20-7 run over the last 6 minutes.

Washburn really didn't use much dribble drive motion in the first half but they come out with it in the second half. A Dwight Anderson jumper cuts the lead to 43-38 43 seconds into the half. Roseville then off on another run. This time its an 10-1 run thanks to Emeche Wells. He gets a steal and going out of bounds goes behind the back to Connor Harlander for the layup. Steal 2 for 2 free throws and a 3rd steal for a breakaway dunk. After a Washburn free throw, Lucas Brown catches in the right corner, great head fake and 1 bounce to the rim for a thunderous 2 handed flush! 55-41 Roseville leads with 13:30 left. But on the next Roseville possession, Dwight Anderson with a steal and Brown makes a mental mistake by going for the block. Its his 4th foul and he'll have to sit with 13:17 left. Washburn scrambling on defense and Roseville can't buy a shot. But 4 free throws and a pair of drives keep the lead at 63-53 with 9:50 remaining. A Washburn steal for 2 with 7:53 left cuts the lead to 63-56. Coach Critchley rolls the dice and brings Lucas Brown back in a bit of a surprise move. He pays dividends right away for 2 and the foul (missed FT) followed by a Wells layup. 67-58 Roseville with 6:20 left.

Then Brown fouls out on a really touchy call at 6:13. But a bad coaching move to leave him on Doby who was the primary post threat all night. That results in 2 free throws. Then a Washburn putback before the same lead official who got Brown throws the T at coach Critchley. He would have been justified getting one earlier based on his opinion of the officiating. That's 2 more free throws. Then another Roseville turnover results in a Chappell layup. Roseville fans about ready to riot as there's a bad out of bounds call. Nothing going their way with the zebras. 8-0 Washburn runs cuts the Roseville lead to the minimum, 67-66 with with 5:20 left. Thomas for 3, Chappell from Nick Anderson and then Anderson off a turnover for a layup. 74-71 Washburn with 3:40 left. Mack Johnson misses a 3 at 2:15, 76-73 Washburn as they call timeout with the ball. That looks like Roseville's best chance to get even.

Doby misses a bunny then controversy. Russell Johnson to the basket, the layup is good and the foul at 1:49. But wait, here comes our lead official, he corrals the official who made the call and they wave the basket off saying it was before the shot. Unbelievable. Both freebies are good and Washburn with a careless turnover on the other end at 1:34. Mack Johnson misses another 3 but grabs the miss and is fouled. He nails both to put Roseville back on top 77-76. Doby with a putback at 1:05 as Washburn goes back to the high screen and roll that provided much success. Russell Johnson stepping up big as he goes splash from the right corner for 3. Thomas misses a triple and David Stanley with 2 free throws. Dwight Anderson with a long bomb with 18 seconds left to cut the Roseville lead to 82-81. Mack Johnson with 2 more free throws. Dwight Anderson misses and Stanley seals it with 2 free throws with 3 seconds left. 86-81 Roseville wins. Whew. The last 10 minutes of officiating left much to be desired (especially if you were a Roseville fan) but thankfully the final result wasn't drastically affected.

Post Game
For Washburn, lefty post Joseph Doby leads the way with 19 points. No answer for him inside. When he worked the high pick and roll with Nick Anderson, it was dominant. Anderson had 4 assists plus another 2 or 3 passes that could have or indirectly led to points in the first half. Why they didn't stick with it in the second half I don't know. With Thomas and Dwight Anderson as shooters on the wings, run that high screen with a roll and replace until somebody stops it. Washburn missed 10 free throws in this one, including 7 in the first half. Cedric Chappell active with 16 points. Dwight Anderson with 17 including 8 of 12 at the charity stripe. Washburn falls to 2-1. They open Minneapolis City play at Southwest on Friday before heading to the Marshall holiday tournament at SW MN State.

For Roseville, Lucas Brown 16 points despite foul trouble. Emeche Wells with 16 points on the other wing and it easily could have been 20 if not for some missed layups. David Stanley 17 points leads the way. Roseville 8 of 8 from the line in the last 1:49 was huge. Their perimeter play with Stanley at the point, Mack Johnson shooting it and Lucas Brown and Emeche Wells slashing on the wings is high quality. Post play really hurt them tonight. Lucas Brown had to defend the top post scorer and that ended up getting him his 5th foul. I like how Emeche Wells has developed into a slasher and defensive presence for this club. The Raiders improve to 2-0 and open Suburban East play Friday against Forest Lake. A trap game possibly as they travel to Johnson next Wednesday with Johnson still upset about losing to Roseville during the Breakdown fall league.

Birds of prey not today

Prologue
Traffic was only semi awful tonight so I manage to make my way to St. Louis Park for a battle of birds. Its the Raptors of East Ridge visiting the Orioles tonight. Right away its about tough decisions. The hot dog is easy but there's only purple, light blue and regular blue Gatorade. Hmmm. Let's go with the regular blue please. Bonus points if you know the name without reading the next sentence. The flavor is ... Frost Cascade Crush. How appropriate of a name. Actually turned out to not be too bad. Hot dog bun was separated which is always a nuisance but no white shirt means the shirt stays clean. As to today's music, since this game features birds on both sides and flying would be easier then getting around by car in this mess, let's return to an older music selection.

Song of the Day
Fly like an Eagle - Steve Miller Band

Game Time
A slow start for St. Louis Park (more on slow later) as they give up a pair of layups and a triple to fall behind 7-2 at the 14:15 mark. But Justin Pahl already with a pair of cheap fouls in a tightly called game and he's on the bench. Then St. Louis Park turns up their run and jump defense and East Ridge has no answer. Marquealis Edwards 2 freebies on a turnover before he goes to the bench for the rest of the half at 12:40 with 2 fouls, Joe Zangel with a layup off a turnover and Kashif Hayes with yet another layup on yet another turnover. Then Pahl picks up his 3rd foul at the 6:58 mark and has to sit the rest of the half. Soph Garrison Gillard makes 1 of the 2 free throws to conclude a 17-0 Orioles run. A pair of timeouts from East Ridge during the run couldn't help them. 25-11 St.Louis Park at the 5:12 mark and they could run away and hide. But they give up 4 layups and an easy floater with 4-4 free throws. That's a 14-3 East Ridge ending with a Adam Schwartz layup that beats the buzzer. Park had a chance to hold for the final shot and they paid for an early force. 28-25 St. Louis Park at the break. Aaron Ziman with 5 steals in the half on my sheet.

East Ridge's Jake Coquyt goes to the baseline drive and layup to start the 2nd half, 28-27 Park. Then Edwards gets hot as Park runs away. A left baseline jumper off the BLOB and a pair of dead eye bombs for 8 in a row. Hayes to Gillard for 3 and Ziman with another steal for a 3 point play. Another turnover for a DJ Pollard layup and this one is getting out of hand. 45-31 Park with 12:46 left as East Ridge calls time. Pollard goes glass and Ziman from 18 feet. 49-31 with 11 minutes left. That's a 21-4 run over 5:10 for a 49-31 Park lead. Pahl finally breaks the run with 7 straight East Ridge points. His 3 at 10:40 is the 1st field goal of the game for him or Raptors leading scorer John Hietpas. Ziman with a 3 point play followed by him blocking a shot and finding Edwards for his 3rd triple of the half. 57-38 Park with 9:10 left. 6'7 lefty Conrad Sexe (pronounced Sexy, crowd was loving that but Kevin Nash will claim copyright infringment on Big Sexy) with a pair of layups followed by a Dillon Johnson layup cuts the lead to 59-45 with 7:05 left. East Ridge won't get any closer. Edwards hangs for the tough short floater, Pollard with 2 freebies and Ziman to Gillard for 2 at 5:20 pushes the lead back to 20. The rest is garbage time. St. Louis Park wins 73-52.

Post Game
For East Ridge, Adam Schwartz with 8 of his 10 in the first half. He was the only Raptor in double figures. Justin Pahl all 7 of his points during a brief second half run. Leading scorer John Hietpas held without a field goal. He finished with 9 points on 9-10 FTs. Rest of the team was 3-8 from the line. Only 2 sophs on the full roster, but frosh Ryan Mathis was a respectable player on JV. As to the varsity, they're undersized (Sexe is a JV player who saw 2nd half minutes). Biggest issue for East Ridge is that there's no true point guard. Park took advantage of that with run and jump pressure and it could have been far worse if Park would have stayed with it.

For St. Louis Park, 4 players in double figures led by Marquealis Edwards scoring 15 of his 17 in the second half. Sophs DJ Pollard and Garrison Gillard (sounds like Gilad, the irony of me referencing a fitness guru, I'll give you a minute to ponder that) with 14 and 10 points respectively. Aaron Ziman 10 points, 6 steals, 5 assists, 5 turnovers on my sheet. The Orioles gave up too many layups and had a chance to really put the game away up 14 in the 1st half and didn't. But their pressure got it done forcing turnovers and converting. Totally different ballgame with Edwards on the floor in the second half vs the last 12:40 of the first when he sat. With Park going to dribble drive motion this year, the adjustment process is still there. Hard on a group of seniors who've had 4 coaches in 4 years. The original name and motto for DDM is Attack Attack Skip Attack Attack (AASAA). Park's version of DDM looks like they're running it in yesterday's traffic or molasses in January. The aggression and urgency aren't there with it yet. Once they get it, Edwards is one who should really thrive in it. With Hayes at the point, Pollard and Gillard on the wings and Zach Gilbert Burke inside, those 4 sophomores who all saw quality minutes tonight are a great foundation for the next couple of years. If they find a lights out shooter to go with that group, beware.

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