Woodbury wins New Year's Eve Showdown

Prologue
It's another New Year's Eve game on my schedule.  That allows me to take the last post of this year and refer to the 1st post of this year (about last year's New Year's Eve game).  A short day trip to Roseville in good weather was much more relaxing than the long trip in a blizzard to the Corn Palace last year.  I skimp on the concessions with only a beverage.  Since it was the only game in the state today, almost every Suburban East and section 4A coach in the building.  It was alumni day too.  All in all a very nice crowd of students and adults on hand.  I've been slacking on songs of the day but a good one from yesterday.

Song of the Day
Run This Town - Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West

Game Time
Connor McKeen working inside for Woodbury inside early but the Royals still trail 15-12 at the 11:16 mark.  Then the shooters get it going, that's Mack Johnson for Roseville and Renard Suggs for Woodbury.  Suggs for 2 and knocks down his 1st 3.  Johnson hangs and gets banged for a 3 point play, buries a 3 and a layup for a personal 8-2 run.  26-19 Roseville at the 7:09 mark.  Ricky Suggs converts a turnover into a layup and Renard buries 3s around that.  Then Renard with the heat check for an NBA 3 for an 11-0 Woodbury run.  30-26 Woodbury at the 5:10 mark.  They stretch the lead to 6 but Johnson buries a couple of 3s and a jumper in a 12-2 run over the last 2 minutes of the half for 43-39 Roseville lead at halftime.

Roseville gets the first bucket of the half for a 14-2 run but Woodbury has their own run.  Renard Suggs still hot with yet another 3, McKeen with a drive for 2, Ricky Suggs drives and goes to the reverse layup after a Renard Suggs block.  The run is 10-0 to force a Roseville timeout.  48-45 Woodbury lead with 14:26 to play.  Renard Suggs another 3, a free throw and finds post Benjamin Rexroth for a layup.  McKeen takes a steal the other way for 2.  58-50 Woodbury with 11:40 left.  Robert Claypool for 3, Renard Suggs for 3, McKeen gets the kind bounce for 3 and Ryan Fritze for 3.  72-60 Woodbury with 6:33 left.  Mack Johnson with a 3 and a jumper in that wave of 3s to keep Roseville close.  McKeen on the post, frosh Kobe Critchley counters for 3, Ricky Suggs with a putback and Tyler Graves for 3.  79-65 Woodbury with 3:50 to go.  Woodbury goes on to win 89-75.

Post Game
For Roseville, Mackenzie Johnson leads the way with 29 and 4 3s.  20 of his points in the first half.  Emeche Wells with 15.  Jordan Burich with 3 big blocks in the game and gives them good energy.  The Raiders fall to 5-2 (other loss was a close home loss to #2AAA Washburn).  They continue Suburban East play on the road at Mounds View and Cretin-Derham Hall this week.

For Woodbury, Renard Suggs with 7 3s and 33 points in a flammable performance.  20 of those points in the first half.  Roseville didn't do a good job of finding him.  Connor McKeen with 20 (I had 23).  Ricky Suggs and Ryan Fritze 10 each (I had 7 for Fritze so a 3 got swapped somewhere).  Woodbury knocks down 12 3s from 5 players.  This squad doesn't have any major inside presence but they have shooters and are mobile.  The Royals improve to 6-2 and 2-0 in the Suburban East with wins over 2 of the big contenders (a home blowout of CDH is the other league win).