Top Ranked Islanders Toppled

Prologue
An wonderful way to ring in the new year as #1AAA De La Salle visits #8AAAA Eden Prairie.  Very good crowd for the afternoon tilt.  Interesting announcement any "excessively boisterous" fans will be ejected.  What about excessively boisterous officials or coaches or administrators (or writers)?  Sit down you are cheering too positively for your team!  Always nice to see the JV game between these 2 as there's a ton of talent on both sides.  I skip the concessions to save up for New Year's Eve, but I did break down for the 24 oz Pepsi out of the vending machine.  Since we're ringing in a new year, we have to go back to an old classic tune.

Song of the Day
Auld Lang Syne - Traditional

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 568 ounces  (54 games, 41 days)

• 36 oz Dr Pepper
• 24 oz Sprite
• 80 oz Red Powerade
• 40 oz Red Gatorade
• 248 oz Pepsi
• 120 oz Coke
• 20 oz Barq's Root Beer

Game Time
A good start for De La Salle with Geno Crandall knocking down a jumper on the screen and roll and then a triple.  Sacar Anim adds a bomb of his own to conclude the 8-0 run.  12-4 DLS at the 13:13 mark.  The lead teeters between 4 and 8 before Josh Collins ends the scoring with a 3 right before half.  35-26 De La Salle at the break.

Anim with 5 quick points for the Islanders and they lead 40-30 with 15:20 left.  The rest is all Eden Prairie.  Grantham Gillard for 3, Andre Wallace coast to coast for a pair of free throws and he finds Gillard for a layup.  Off another Islanders turnover its Gillard for 3 from the right corner to give the Eagles the lead.  42-40 EP with 11:35 left.  Blake Cashman adds a layup for 14 straight Eagles points.  Anim with 5 more points as he's the only offense in the half for De La Salle.  But Cashman and Wallace bury 3s.  Gillard adds a 3 point play, Wallace a tough jumper and he goes backdoor for 2 more.  Gillard runs for 2 more.  68-50 Eden Prairie with 3:41 left and this one is over.  The Eagles run is 38-10 in just over 10 minutes.  James Lawson and Jarvis Johnson each knock down a pair of 3s late to keep it somewhat close.  Eden Prairie wins 78-65.

Post Game
For De La Salle, Sacar Anim leads the way with 18 points.  He scored 12 of those in the 2nd half.  It took almost 10 minutes into the 2nd half for another Islander to score.  Jarvis Johnson adds 17 points. Coach Dave Thorson won't be happy with his team's transition defense as they gave up 52 points in the 2nd half, double what they gave up in the 1st.  De La Salle falls to 4-3 with the loss.  They play next in the Timberwolves Shootout on Saturday against Chicago St. Rita.

For Eden Prairie, Andre Wallace and Grantham Gillard with outstanding second halves to lead the Eagles to victory.  Wallace with 16 of his 26 in the 2nd half.  He also added a handful of rebounds and assists while making some tough but clutch shots.  Gillard struggled with 2 fouls in the 1st half and an early 2nd half airball but came back strong with 19 of his 23 points after that.  Eden Prairie improves to 6-2 and they've won 4 in a row since early losses to St. Paul Johnson and Champlin Park.   Those 4 wins have been at home.  This Eagles hit the road for games at Cooper and Prior Lake this weekend.

2013 Augsburg Tourney Championships

Prologue
1, 2, 3 and to the basketball floor.  Czar is off to championship day at the Augsburg tournament.  3 games with some teams I haven't seen yet which is always a bonus.  A rare appearance of the $2 12 oz can of soda, serious price gouging there.  Hot dog bun was crusty but the hot dog had a grill flavor to it so that's not a bad thing.  Decent crowd and you have to love the vocal city fans from Minneapolis North and St. Paul Johnson.  Its in the city and in the gym for plenty of games so let's pick this tune from today's selection.

Song of the Day
Snoop Dog & Dr. Dre- Nuthin But a G Thang (Clean version)

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 544 ounces  (53 games, 40 days)

• 36 oz Dr Pepper
• 24 oz Sprite
• 80 oz Red Powerade
• 40 oz Red Gatorade
• 224 oz Pepsi
• 120 oz Coke
• 20 oz Barq's Root Beer

Game 1: Henry Sibley vs Minneapolis North
Minneapolis North with road whites instead of the home blues so they have to go back for those.  That means we're delayed by more than 30 minutes so we get the start of game T for that.  Sibley running North out of the building in the 1st half.  Mark Pumper with the 3 point play and then 3 more points as Sibley opens a 35-14 lead.  North using their ability to get to the basket to go on a 11-0 run.  Jamil Jackson with a dunk and the foul to cut the lead to 9 and the run all totaled is 16-4.  Sibley 46-32 at the half.  Mark Pumper with a big second half inside for Sibley.  His 7 quick points to start the half push Sibley to a 61-48 lead with 9:35 left.  But North would storm back with another big run, 16-3 this time.  Sibley misses back to back layups, Jamil Jackson buries a 3 and then completes the run by converting a turnover.  64 all with 5:15 left.  Mark Pumper counters with a 3 point play and another bucket.  Javon Daniels with 4 big free throws to seal it.  Sibley wins 80-71.  Jamil Jackson 18 points for North.  Mark Pumper finishes with 28 for Sibley, Javon Daniels with 19.

Game 2: Chanhassen vs Andover
Tied up early before Tom Terhaar scores inside to put Andover up 10-8 at the 12:25 mark.  Andover would not get another field goal for almost 11 minutes.  Joey Witthus starts the run with a 3 ball and scores 10 points during it.  The run amounts to 19-3 during that 11 minutes.  That allows Chanhassen to storm ahead 32-18 at the half.  Witthus continues to impress in the 2nd half.  Andover does get back to back 3s from Connor Wilkie and Tyler Goltz to cut the lead to 11 with 8:40 left.  But the Huskies get no closer.  Chanhassen wins 66-51.  Joey Witthus with 29 for Chanhassen.  Kyle Kettler 15, Connor Wilkie 13 for Andover.

Championship Game: #2AAAA Hopkins vs #3AAA St. Paul Johnson
Jake Wright with a pair of early 3s including a nice up fake and 1 dribble knockdown.  Stephon Sharpe scoring inside and Hopkins is out to a 19-9 lead at the 12:45 mark.  A Sharpe putback and 2 buckets from Noble Fahnbulleh extend the lead to 31-15 at the 8:05 mark.  Johnson gets a Mitchell McDonald putback and 3 in a 7-0 run that cuts the lead to 9.  Jake Wright with another 3 to push the lead back to 15 just before half.  But a sloppy last minute allows Louis Williams to score the last 6 points of the half for Johnson.  43-34 Hopkins at the break.

The run continues to start the 2nd half.  Jalen Mobley double clutches for 2 and goes coast to coast for 2 more.  Peirre Conwell turns a turnover into a putback and drives to the hoop for 2 more.  The Johnson run is 18-2.  That gives Johnson the lead 46-45 with 14:10 left and the crowd is energized.  But that's the only lead the Governors would have.  They turn it over 4 straight times after taking the lead.  That allows Hopkins to reclaim the lead.  Another Johnson turnover becomes a Treyvon Edwards layup with 10:40 left.  56-50 Hopkins back in front.  Jalen Mobley sits at the 6:01 mark with his 4th foul and Hopkins up 7.  But Johnson isn't quite done.  Peirre Conwell makes a free throws and then Johnson gets the miss back and he scores again.  67-63 with 5:15 left.  He misses a pair of free throws after a Hopkins turnover.  Johnson never gets any closer.  Hopkins wins the championship 78-69.  Peirre Conwell 24, Jalen Mobley 20 points for Johnson.  Stephon Sharpe with 18 to lead 4 Hopkins players in double digits.  St. Paul Johnson not happy with the foul totals in the 2nd half.  Their foul shooting and turnovers were the killer though.  Conwell's 2 misses and Mobley missed a late front end on the way to 5-14 FTs in the 2nd half.   Hopkins went from 1 down to up 6 and never looked back thanks to 5 Govs turnovers.

All Tournament Team
Mark Pumper - Henry Sibley
Joey Witthus - Chanhassen
Peirre Conwell - Johnson
Jalen Mobley - Johnson
Amir Coffey - Hopkins
Stephon Sharpe - Hopkins (MVP)

Tartan Semifinal Day

Prologue
Off to Tartan for a long semifinals day.  Early games going OT so we get a 30 minute late start.  I didn't partake in the cookies which is a mistake but plenty of food otherwise.  A quality pork sandwich and a hot dog meal deal.  44 oz of Pepsi to go with it all.   Plenty of great old time music on the public address.  That includes today's tune.

Song of the Day
Lollipop - The Chordettes

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 532 ounces  (50 games, 38 days)

• 36 oz Dr Pepper
• 24 oz Sprite
• 80 oz Red Powerade
• 40 oz Red Gatorade
• 224 oz Pepsi
• 108 oz Coke
• 20 oz Barq's Root Beer

Game 1: Centennial vs Rogers
Early 15-4 spurt for Centennial takes them to a 21-10 lead at the 11 minute mark.  Reid Sagehorn for 3 and fouled at the halftime buzzer for 2 more free throws.  That pulls Rogers within 37-31 at the half.  Brice Johnson for 3 and a putback to end a 7-0 Centennial run and put them up 55-43 at the 9:45 mark.  Rogers would claw their way back.  Cole Murray inside for 2 and a Lance Lendl jumper cuts the Centennial lead to 61-57 with 4:25 left.  Soph Tyler Peterson for 3 and an inbounds 3 point play to end a Centennial 7-0 run to slam the door.  Centennial wins 78-63.  Kevin Grow with 25 points, mostly layups shredding the defense and likely double digit boards.  6'9" and skilled, you have to think D2s would notice.  Tyler Peterson with 16.  Forward Cole Murray with 17 to lead Rogers.

Game 2: Chisago Lakes vs Duluth East
12-10 Duluth East at 10:25 thanks to pounding the ball low vs the halfcourt extended 1-2-2 from Chisago Lakes.  Chisago Lakes would comeback with a 17-2 run to take control.  Dylan Wood 6 points inside during the run and shooter Jakob Lindquist with a pair of 3s in that run.  27-14 Wildcats at the 5 minute mark.  Guard Aaron Maslowski with 3 late triples for East to keep them within 33-23 at the break.  The game stayed at 8-10 most of the rest of the way.  Chisago Lakes kills the clock late with THE WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE.  Game never really in danger.  Chisago Lakes wins 54-48.  Dylan Wood leads all scorers with 16 points.

Game 3: Columbia Heights vs Forest Lake (Semifinal #1)
Columbia Heights totally out of sorts early vs the Forest Lake 1-3-1.  6 quick turnovers and they're down 10-2 just over 3 minutes in.  But for all of that, Forest Lake never pulled away when the game felt far more in control than the scoreboard showed.  Heights counters with a halfcourt 1-2-2 trap of their own and that flusters the Rangers.  After being down 13-4 in the first 4:30, Heights controls the rest of the half for a 29-23 halftime lead.  Heights soph Jerret Baptiste controlling the paint and the lead balloons to 43-25 with 13 minutes left.  Forest Lake benching all 5 starters for a stretch there. The run is 14-2 to start the half and 28-6 over 12:20.  The turnovers rear their ugly head again for Heights and Forest Lake storms back.  Matt Degendorfer goes off the rest of the way for Forest Lake.  He scores 7 straight Rangers points and buries an NBA 3 with 2:30 left to cut the lead to 4.  A Heights turnover and Degendorfer converts that to cut the lead to 1 with 42 seconds left.  Heights counters with a layup and Forest Lake turns it over for 2 free throws.  But Degendorfer has 2 more bombs left in him to cut the lead to 1.  Zakaria Ali would go 9-9 FTs in the 2nd half, he makes 2 with 7.9 seconds left.  Forest Lake gets 1 last look at a 3 and its no good.  Columbia Heights hangs on to win 73-70.  Jerret Baptiste with 22 of his 30 points in the 2nd half to lead Heights.  Matt Degendorfer with 26 of his 31 in the last 13 minutes.  Connor Knutson adds 18 for Forest Lake.

Game 4: Spring Lake Park at Tartan (Semifinal #2)
Tartan looking to be in control early.  Brody Jackson 11 early points inside and frosh PG Jordan Horn with 3 jumpers for 7 early.  28-15 Titans at the 8 minute mark.  Spring Lake Park would counter with TC Robinson heating up.  A late 15-4 Spring Lake Park run would cut the Tartan lead to 36-35 at the break.  Robinson 6 in a row early in the half and Eli Ejiya controlling inside.  46-41 Spring Lake Park with 13:45 left.  Then a couple of absolutely nonsense technicals on Spring Lake Park washes that momentum away.  Jordan Horn makes 3 of the 4 technical free throws and his jumper with 10:30 left ties the game at 48.  Tight game the rest of the way.  Jackson to Horn out of the double for a layup with 3 minutes left.  TC Robinson to the lefty drive to keep the game tied at 59.  The teams trade 2 free throws.  Spring Lake Park possession and Brody Jackson blocks 2 chances for the lead.  Spring Lake Park still keeps it but misses a good post look.  Tartan will hold in the last minute.  Keenan Bellaphant looking to take Robinson off the bounce.  Robinson appears to get the strip but the whistle blows.  Difficult call in real time.  Bellaphant makes both with 10.8 left.  Robinson rushes back the other way and his attempt at the basket over Jackson is no good with 3 seconds left.  Jackson rebounds and makes 2 free throws to seal the win.  65-61 Tartan wins.  TC Robinson with 19 points to lead Spring Lake Park.  Brody Jackson 17 points, Jordan Horn 16 points for Tartan.

Just another Musketeer evening

Prologue
Its a trip to Lakeville North to see 3 top flight teams in the Lakeville North tournament.  The Crown Prince joins me after lunch at The Blue Door.  Nice walking taco on the menu with some Cold Stone Creamery available as well.  A couple of cans of Coke washes down the walking taco.  

Song of the Day
Blue - Eiffel 65

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 488 ounces  (46 games, 37 days)

• 36 oz Dr Pepper
• 24 oz Sprite
• 80 oz Red Powerade
• 40 oz Red Gatorade
• 180 oz Pepsi
• 108 oz Coke
• 20 oz Barq's Root Beer

Game 1: #2AAA Holy Family vs Shakopee
Holy Family can't buy a shot for most of the game and it was apparent right off the bat.  Nothing fancy from Shakopee on defense, just a vanilla 2-3 zone.  Tevin Killeen would bury a 3 and then be fouled on a 3 for Shakopee and his 2 of 3 free throws puts the Sabers up 13-3 at the 9:50 mark.  Joe Hanel would get going from the high post. He scores 7 of 9 Fire points to pull Holy Family within 15-12 at the 7:28 mark.  It also sits down Tyler Weiss with 2 fouls.  Shakopee would hammer away on the glass and go to the half with a 28-17 lead.  The Fire start the 2nd half quickly with a pair of Brent Hentges triples.  Justin Dahl adds a putback.  Colton Stenerson with the 3 point play and Duncan Faris for 3.  The Shakopee lead is down to 37-33 with 10:28 left and coach Kugath takes timeout to regroup his Sabers.  The timeout worked wonders.  Soph Booker Coplin with 7 straight points, Tyler Weiss high off the glass for 2 more in a 13-0 Sabers run.  That blows the game open to a 50-33 Shakopee lead with 6:32 left.  They coast to a 61-47 win from there.  Booker Coplin leads Shakopee with 13 points, Tevin Killeen with 9, both off the bench.  Brent Hentges with 15 for the Fire.  No shots falling and too many jump shots from Holy Family vs the Shakopee 2-3 zone.  Clutch performance from the bench guards for Shakopee as the bigs were largely held in check.

Game 2: White Bear Lake at Lakeville North
The hosts jumped on the Bears right away.  JP Macura with a free throw, a 3 and then coast to coast for 2 more.  10-2 Lakeville North less than 3 minutes in.  Macura with a layup to extend the lead to 13.  Then White Bear Lake would counter with an 11-2 run.  Tanner Hinck with a nice fade inside and a 3 ball to pull the Bears within 33-29.  Macura with an assist for a layup, a post up bucket and then he skips to Connor Flack for 3 just before the halftime buzzer.  40-31 Lakeville North at the half.  The lead is still 12 with 11 minutes left before the Panthers start to pull away.  Macura an easy inbounds bucket and 2 free throws in an 8-0 run that pushes the lead to 20.  Macura adds a couple of 3 point plays.  Lakeville North wins 83-58.  JP Macura with 35 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists for 16 more points on my stat sheet.  Tanner Hinck with 16 points to lead White Bear Lake.  Defensively Lakeville North left much to be desired.  A major lack of effort on that end of the floor gave White Bear Lake way too many easy looks.

Metro domination in Rochester

Prologue
The Czar's annual holiday tournament tour begins with a special trip to Rochester for the opening day of the Rochester Rotary Tournament.  Great concessions with the extra large $5 walking taco (fantastic) and a soft serve ice cream stand where you could add your own toppings.  A pair of smuggled 20 oz Pepsi bottles takes care of the daily beverage consumption.  Taylor Arena at the Mayo Civic Center is a neat venue and it would be great to see a section game in there.  Quality music on the public address as well.  But today's song comes from the lobby of Dacha de Czar.

Song of the Day
Life's been good - Joe Walsh

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 464 ounces  (44 games, 36 days)

• 36 oz Dr Pepper
• 24 oz Sprite
• 80 oz Red Powerade
• 40 oz Red Gatorade
• 180 oz Pepsi
• 84 oz Coke
• 20 oz Barq's Root Beer

Game 1: #7AAAA Osseo vs Rochester Lourdes
Early on its the Jacob Schaefer show for Lourdes.  He draws a handful of fouls on Osseo bigs not named Theisen and makes 5 of 6 early foul shots.  Lourdes slows the game way down with their WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE variation and matchup zone.  That causes a 4 minute stretch with no points either way.   Schaefer picks up 2 charges and sits with 3 fouls at the 6:16 mark.  Ian Theisen lands on a foot and appears to mess up his left ankle at the 4:37 mark.  Don't expect to see him the rest of the weekend.  14-13 Osseo lead at that point.  Jordan Dembley returns to the game with 2 fouls to give the Orioles another scoring option.  He scores 5 in a row as Osseo takes a 21-17 lead to half.  The Orioles open the second half with a quick 7-0 run.  They also do a better job of keeping Schaefer in check and this one gets out of hand quickly.  Wheeler Baker carries the 2nd half offense.  Osseo rolls 55-32.   Wheeler Baker with 16 of his 22 in the 2nd half.  Jordan Dembley adds 11.  Jacob Schaefer with 13 points and 7 boards for Lourdes.

Game 2: Woodbury vs Rochester Century
This one was never close.  Woodbury would jump out to a quick 15-4 lead with 5 of those from their sniper Matt Ambriz.  The lead gets down to 10 but 3 straight layups from Ben Rizzardi extends the lead to 16 with 4 minutes left in the 1st half.  Its cruise control from there.  Woodbury wins 77-57.  Matt Ambriz 5 triples on his way to 25 points.  Ben Rizzardi with 10 of his 14 in the first half.  Ben Farley with 4 3s and 12 points to lead Century.

Game 3: Lakeville South vs Rochester John Marshall
Ngor Barnaba coming off the JM bench in a bit a surprise to those of us who don't see the Rockets much.  South spreads the floor with a cutting offense.  Cody Kairis with a pair of layups and Arfon Janetkhan with back to back 3s in a 10-0 run to put the Cougars up 22-12 at the 8:16 mark of the 1st half.  Barnaba scores 4 in a row late but that's countered by the last 5 of the half for Lakeville South.  41-29 Cougars at the break.  Jack Sorenson controls the last 11 minutes to keep JM from getting too close.  Lakeville South wins impressively 76-60.  Jack Sorenson with 14 of his 17 in the second half.  Cody Kairus adds 14.  Ngor Barnaba with 15 to lead John Marshall.  Soph forward Michael Hurt adds 12.  Plenty of young talent for JM though.  They'll be a team to watch in years to come.

Game 4: Minnetonka vs Rochester Mayo
No Delshon Strickland until the 2nd half for the Skippers.  Minnetonka with 6 3s in the first half, half of those by Seth Coatta.  That hot shooting brings Minnetonka back from 12-2 down to start the game to lead 42-29.  Strickland quickly enters in the 2nd half and scores 10 points in limited time.  Dan Jech goes nuts for Mayo with 20 points inside in the 2nd half.  He also showed an impressive high arcing mid range jumper along with a couple of impressive blocks.  A 4 on 1 break resulted in a Jech lob dunk to pull Mayo within 61-53 with 8:30 left.  But Minnetonka would go on a 19-2 run after that to slam the door shut.  Minnetonka wins 86-60.  Soph shooter Seth Coatta leads the Skippers with 24 points and 4 bombs.  Justin Moes with 4 bombs of his own on the way to 16 points.  Dan Jech with 20 of his 26 in the second half along with 7 rebound and a couple of blocks.  Big time performance from the 6'9 center.

The Rochester teams go 0-4 on the day with the closest loss being 16 points.

Quarterfinal Standouts:
Dan Jech - Rochester Mayo
Matt Ambriz - Woodbury
Wheeler Baker - Osseo
Jack Sorenson - Lakeville South
Seth Coatta - Minnetonka

A battle of Spartans

Prologue
I am the greatest Spartan, no I am the greatest Spartan.  Its off to Richfield for a Classic Suburban matchup between Simley and Richfield.  Concordia-St. Paul assistant Ron Gates in the building.  Interesting twist to the walking taco tonight was smothering it in the cheese used for their nachos.  Absolutely brilliant!  Adds a great texture by binding everything together.  12 oz of Coke adds to the beverage tally.

Song of the Day
I Melt with You - Modern English

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 412 ounces  (39 games, 29 days)

• 36 oz Dr Pepper
• 24 oz Sprite
• 80 oz Red Powerade
• 40 oz Red Gatorade
• 140 oz Pepsi
• 72 oz Coke
• 20 oz Barq's Root Beer

Game Time
Sam Stensgard scores the game's 1st 5 points for Simley.  A 14-2 Simley run then breaks the game open.  Soph Jack Stensgard with back to back steals for buckets to start the run and he buries a 3 during the run as well.  24-9 Simley lead at a 10:36 timeout for Richfield.  Center Mark Della Vedova then scores 11 straight Simley points with a jumper, a bucket and foul inside, a putback, 2 free throws and he buries a 3 to top it off.  Patrick Dembley countering those points with always classic 0123 on my stat sheet (that's 1-2 FTs, a bucket and a 3).  37-20 Simley at 4:30.  They take a 44-28 lead to the half.   Dembley injures a hand in the 2nd half and misses time but it doesn't matter.   The offensive balance for Simley continues and Richfield never contends.  Simley wins 84-60.

Post Game
For Richfield, soph guard Patrick Dembley leads the team with 12 points.  He scored all of those in the 1st half before the injury.  Lefty guard Raphael Bilal showing some quickness off the bounce for 8 2nd half points.  The Spartans fall to 0-7 on the season with all losses by double digits.  A long year ahead for coach Omar McMillan.  Next up is their own holiday tourney.

For Simley, great balance from their big 4.  Jack and Sam Stensgard lead with 16 apiece.  Jack knocks down 4 3s.  Ben Sheffley with 12 and Mark Della Vedova with 13.  I liked what senior guard KJ Holliday brought to the table as well.  Della Vedova gives them a guy inside and the guards all shoot it well.  Simley improves to 6-1 overall, 3-1 in the Classic Suburban after a tight home loss to Tartan earlier in the week.  They also have a quality road win at Mahtomedi.  They play next in the Hastings tournament where they could get a game against #10AAAA Farmington. 

Hawks survive late Heights charge

Prologue
Once again Cooper has Wednesday night all to themselves.  They host Columbia Heights in a North Suburban showdown.  Interesting guy filming with an iPad but he was holding it to his forehead so he could watch underneath.  Needless to say he got some great shots of the crowd on the far side.  I skipped concessions because I got too busy yapping.  So that leads to this for today's tune.

Song of the Day
Stevie Nicks - Talk to Me

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 400 ounces  (38 games, 28 days)

• 36 oz Dr Pepper
• 24 oz Sprite
• 80 oz Red Powerade
• 40 oz Red Gatorade
• 140 oz Pepsi
• 60 oz Coke
• 20 oz Barq's Root Beer

Game Time
Heights opens up on a 7-1 run thanks to 5 points from Montroy Scott.  But the Hylanders would only get 1 field goal over a 9 minute stretch.  That allows Cooper to go on a 28-7 spurt.  It ends with an 18-2 run over 7 minutes.  6'7" F Jacob Lindgren with a pair of 3s in that run.  Brandon Robinson productive in the paint.  Marques Gray with another nice performance off the bench as he scores 7 in a row during the run and 9 of the 18 overall.  29-14 Cooper at 6:22.  Soph Jerrett Baptiste with a pair of putbacks to break the run.  Tak Anwey giving Heights their own bench spark.  He scores 9 in the half.  Heights claws back to within 35-28 at the half.

Baptiste back to back layups to tighten the game up.  Anwey with a pair of free throws with 12:01 left and Heights cuts the lead to 4, 46-42.  Brandon Baker with 6 straight Cooper points late.  That expands the lead to 61-54 with 3:39 left.  Zakaria Ali with a triple and Baptiste inside to cut the lead to 2 with 2:13 left.  Hawks turn it over but Heights gets nothing.

Soph Taron Pickford makes 3 of 4 free throws and Darrious Denson goes for a 3 point play to push the lead to 9 and this one should be over.  But not so fast.  Scott with a quick 3 with 36.7 left.  Pickford 2 more freebies and Anwey buries a 3.  Heights doesn't foul and gets a steal.  Baptiste fouled on a putback and makes 2 freebies with 10.9 left to cut the Cooper lead to 70-67.  Denson makes 1 of 2 with 10.4 left to seal it.  Cooper hangs on 71-67,

Post Game
For Columbia Heights, soph Jerrett Baptiste leads the Hylanders with 17 points.  Junior Montroy Scott chips in with 13.  Lots of zone defense from Heights.  The Hylanders fall to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in the North Suburban.  They are done until playing Centennial in the opening round of the Tartan holiday tournament.

For Cooper, Darrious Denson with 18 points to lead the Hawks.  Soph PG Taron Pickford clutch with 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch.  He also knocked down a pair of 3s on his way to 16 points.  He also did a quality job finding the bigs for layups on drives that sliced up the zones.  Like last week against Roosevelt, Cooper didn't slam the door after having a double digit lead early.  Marques Gray another solid performance off the bench.   They remain home for the holidays by hosting Park Center, Washburn and Kennedy in their own holiday tournament.  The Hawks are also 4-3, 1-1 but they've now won 4 out of 5.

Totino-Grace blows away ranked city rival

Prologue
Off to Totino-Grace for their city rivalry game and North Suburban Conference opener against #7AAA Fridley.  Its build your own walking taco night.  Concessions provides hamburger and Doritos.  You grab lettuce, salsa and cheese and make it to your delight.  No sour cream which is a significant oversight.  But at $2 its still the best bargain I see all season.  20 more ounces of Red Gatorade on the beverage counter.  Its parents night so we get a late start.  Quality music on the public address.  We get the rare playing Snow's Informer and Play Me Some Mountain Music by Alabama.  But the trip home on a dark night with a bright moon with a big game performance gives us today's tune.

Song of the Day
Bad Moon Rising - CCR

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 400 ounces  (37 games, 27 days)

• 36 oz Dr Pepper
• 24 oz Sprite
• 80 oz Red Powerade
• 40 oz Red Gatorade
• 140 oz Pepsi
• 60 oz Coke
• 20 oz Barq's Root Beer

Game Time
Totino star Reggie Meyer starts off inside in the 4 out Eagles offense.  With guard Michael Murray on him, that's a mismatch.  Meyer abuses it with 5 points and an assist for 3 more points along with drawing 2 fouls on Murray, Fridley's top player.  10-2 Totino-Grace just over 2 minutes in.  Meyer adds 7 in  a row with a Fridley frustration technical thrown in there.  He buries a 3 to end the opening 26-6 run where he had a part of 20 of the points, 15 on the board and 5 more via assist.  Fridley counters with a 7-0 run with a Matt Duehn 3.  Ahmed Ismail comes off the Fridley bench with 5 straight points.  His 3 cuts the lead to 33-21.  But Meyer scores 10 straight to start a 13-2 run to end the half.  Totino-Grace rolling 46-23 at the break with Meyer going off for 27.  After a 7-0 Fridley run Seth Sullwold scores 7 straight for TG.  Meyer follows that with a block on 1 end and runs  back for 2 free throws on the other.  The 2nd half gets into some racehorse basketball moments.  Fridley would force some turnovers in that hectic pace but would never get closer than 17.  Totino-Grace wins impressively 83-65.

Post Game
For Fridley, Ahmed Ismail with a hot 2nd half with 17 of his 22 keeping it halfways respectable.  Darius Mulbah with 13.  A very strange game plan for dealing with Reggie Meyer but not much would have worked on this night.  Murray is a strong football kid but he had no chance inside with the height difference.  Then coach McDonald went back to Murray in the 2nd half where he did some faceguarding.  Then again, what good matchup is there?  Seeing what changes are made in the rematch will be interesting.  Fridley stays on the road in league play with a trip to Irondale on Thursday before hosting their annual holiday tournament.  Tigers now 6-1, 0-1 in the North Suburban.  With this blowout result and a very soft schedule, I can't see them belonging in the state poll unless they beat the Eagles at the end of January.  The more I look at the North Suburban, it is a really down year for talent.

For Totino-Grace, Reggie Meyer continues to go off this season.  He pours in 41, 27 of those in the first half.  He knocked down a pair of 3s, including a nasty stepback.   He also scored inside and was able to attack off the bounce.  Solid game as well from Seth Sullwold with 20 points.  Colin Fleming bangs in 4 3s for 12 points. Totino-Grace is now 6-1 and I still see them as the clear favorite in the North Suburban.  They play at Spring Lake Park on Friday before going to the Princeton holiday tourney. 

Mustangs run away from the Tommies

Prologue
Off to Minneapolis Edison to see the Tommies take on #7A Maranatha Christian Academy.  No Josh Goldschmidt for MCA due to illness.  No walking taco either which is a disappointment.  The replacement of a C- hot dog wasn't up to snuff.  20 oz of Red Gatorade quenches the thirst though.  Quiet crowd and not much to see.  Though we did get a Chisago Lakes coaching staff appearance tonight.  We need a song so in the spirit of a mustang, we give you this.

Song of the Day
Born to be wild - Steppenwolf

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 380 ounces  (36 games, 26 days)

• 36 oz Dr Pepper
• 24 oz Sprite
• 60 oz Red Powerade
• 40 oz Red Gatorade
• 140 oz Pepsi
• 60 oz Coke
• 20 oz Barq's Root Beer

Game Time
Edison comes out with the 1st 5 of the game.  But Maranatha quickly responds.  A scrum leads to a Jeremiah Hanson layup.  Then Hanson for 3 and runs for another layup.  Hanson still has it going with a jumper and nice cut for a layup.  Damario Armstrong with a steal and nice behind the back pass to Max Lund for a 3 point play.  Jake Meyen (not to be confused with Roseville's Jake Geyen) with 1 of 2 free throws to end the 20-5 Mustangs run.  20-10 Maranatha at 9:32 of the 1st.  Meyen with a steal and nice foul line pullup before Cameron Munson makes 2 freebies and the lead is up to 17.   2 inbounds buckets including a Hanson 3 and add a slick Meyen pick push the lead to 24 just before the half.  41-19 Mustangs at the break.

The lead doesn't go anywhere for most of the half.  Jo Anderson carrying the Edison offense with some help from Daevon Abram.  Munson very productive around the basket for Maranatha.  His bucket just inside of 5 minutes left keeps the lead at 23.  Edison will have 1 last run to keep it somewhat respectable.  Chris Johnson with 2 of his 4 bombs, Anderson with a coast to coast And 1 and a triple and Jonah Togbah puts back a miss after a turnover.  That 18-5 Edison run cuts the lead to 10 with 1:20 left.  But the outcome is never in doubt.  An awful intentional foul call gives MCA 2-4 free throws including the possession.  Maranatha wins 80-65.

Post Game
For Edison, JoJo Anderson with 17 of his 21 in the 2nd half.  Chris Johnson knocks down 4 3s on his way to 14 points.  Daevon Abram adds 13.   Edison returns to Minneapolis City play on Thursday against North before going to the Cloquet holiday tournament.

For Maranatha, Jeremiah Hanson with 5 triples and 30 points.  Majority of those 3s from up top against the Edison 2-3 zone.  Jake Meyen with 15 and Cameron Munson with 12 of his 16 in the 2nd half.  MCA going with their own 3-2 matchup type zone for the game.  Goldschmidt hopes to be back for their home games vs Como Park on Thursday and Chisago Lakes on Friday.  Maranatha now 6-0 on the season.

Thoughts from the 2013 Tipoff Classic

Prologue
The 2013 Breakdown Tipoff Classic provided plenty of excitement.  Big performances, surprising blowouts and plenty of quality individual matchups.  In regards to the important data, both concession stands running which was a great choice.  Davanni's pizza was a must and you can't go wrong with cheese.  Pepsi was the beverage of the day.  Add 48oz to the counter.  Musically, we have to present something that goes with the high profile nature of the event.

Song of the Day
Big Time - Peter Gabriel

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 360 ounces  (35 games, 24 days)

• 36 oz Dr Pepper
• 24 oz Sprite
• 40 oz Red Powerade
• 40 oz Red Gatorade
• 140 oz Pepsi
• 60 oz Coke
• 20 oz Barq's Root Beer

Game 1: Holy Angels vs Hayfield
I only took in the 1st half of this one where Hayfield controlled the game before Holy Angels dominated the 2nd half.  Charlie Koontz would get good looks in the 1st half for AHA.  Really liked 4 year starter Cole Kruger for Hayfield.  Great moment at the end of the 1st half.  AHA goes to a 3-2 zone on the fly as Hayfield holds for the last shot.  Hayfield yells out a set zone lob play and gets the layup at the buzzer.  Great preparation and execution.

Game 2: Elk River vs Waconia
Elk River would start strong in this one with a 13-2 run.  Waconia would clay back to within 1 thanks to a 5:45 drought from the Elks.  Waconia 10-0 during that time.  Elk River's star forward Clay Elrod would finish the 1st half strong with the last 6 Elks points.  23-17 Elk River at half.  Waconia star Ryan Boll would score 5 in a row to cut the lead to 3.  Elrod counters with a 3 and Elk River goes on to extend the lead to 8.  Joey Korteum before Elrod and Boll trade hoops.  39-36 Elk River inside 7 to play.  Elk River goes 4 corners and on 3 straight trips gets a pair of 3s and fouled for 3 free throws.  That 13-2 run blows it open 52-38 with 2:26 left and Elk River wins 56-51.  Clay Elrod 20 pts and 11 boards, Ryan Boll 15 and 8.

Game 3: Shakopee vs #10AAAA St. Francis
Another good matchup of forwards in this one with Tyler Weiss going up against Jake Johnson.  But it really never happened as both teams played 2-3 zone.   St. Francis would only get 4 2 point field goals all day to go with 4 free throws and 9 3s.  3 of those from Jake Johnson showing why everybody in the NSIC wanted him.  Shakopee started 8-0 with St. Francis scoring the next 12 and the game was very tight the rest of the way.  Shakopee missed 2 late front ends but St. Francis couldn't get a good look at the end.  Weiss 10 points, Johnson 3 3s and 15 points.

Game 4: Tartan vs Rice Lake (WI)
I saw the last couple minutes of the 1st half and the entire 2nd half of this one.  Tartan with a 9 point halftime lead despite a large half from the beast known as Henry Ellenson.  But he wouldn't get any help and Keenen Bellaphant was too much for Tartan.  Ellenson goes nuts for 36, 14 and 6 blocks. Bellaphant goes for 23 points.  Eric Winter with 17 points.  Bellaphant DNP when I saw Tartan on Monday and you can see how different a team they are with him playing.

Game 5: #7AAAA Champlin Park vs #5AAAA Eden Prairie
Champlin Park would go on a 13-2 run after Eden Prairie scored the 1st hoop.  EP would cut the lead to 20-14 thanks to a Blake Cashman bucket at the 9:09 mark.  Frosh McKinley Wright would come off the Rebels bench to score 5 quick points.  JT Gibson with 1 3 and Marty Hill with 2 in a 22-6 run to end the half.  Rebels by 22 at half and they win 81-65.  Grantham Gillard 18 of his 22 in the 2nd half for EP.  4 in double figures for Champlin Park. 4 3s and 20 points from Marty Hill.  16 from JT Gibson.  Hill and Jeremy Johnson fill out a starting group with 5 weapons for a very dangerous Champlin Park team.  They have a great case to take the #3 spot in the next state poll (though CDH might have a problem with that, hint foreshadowing)

Game 6: Robbinsdale Armstrong vs #9AAAA Roseville
A good game early tied at 23 before Armstrong goes on an 18-4 run.  Evan Nolan 6 in a row to start the run before he sat with 2 fouls.  Roseville could close the gap to 42-32 at half.  Roseville did have some success trying to speed Armstrong up.  A Kyler Briggity steal for 2 free throws would pull the Raiders within 50-46 with 11:46 to play.  Sean Burns would counter with 5 in a row to push the lead back to 9.  Lance Gardner carrying the 2nd half offense for Roseville.  His stretch of 9 of 11 Raiders points and then a Kobe Critchley 3 with 5:35 left still saw the Raiders down 4.  But Armstrong would answer with 6 straight points from the foul line to push the lead back to 10.  Armstrong wins 83-71.  Lance Gardner 16 of his 19 points in the 2nd half.  Kyler Brggity 3 bombs and 15 points.  Ryan Casperson 21 points, 9-9 FTs.  Evan Nolan with 16 of his 20 in the 1st half.

Game 7: #3AAAA Hopkins vs #4AAAA Lakeville North
Early struggles for JP Macura in this one as he had 5 quick turnovers.  But coach Oxton would give him a breather to settle him down and he would come back strong.  Stephon Sharpe would control the inside as Hopkins sliced up the 2-3 zone and hammered Lakeville North on the offensive glass.  Despite all that Lakeville North would hang around.  A Macura 3 and scoop for 2 put the Panthers up 30-29.  Hopkins would counter with a 13-2 run but Macura would score 7 in a 12-4 surge to end the half.  46-42 Hopkins at the break.  Macura with 21, Sharpe with 18.

Amir Coffey for 3, then John Warren with 7 straight for Hopkins followed by a turnover for 2 Sharpe freebies.  62-49 Hopkins with 12:44 left.  Kamali Chambers chest to chest with Macura in the full court and he picks 2 quick fouls which sends him to the bench with 4 12:33 left.   Macura takes a turnover for a layup and buries a 3 at the 8:05 mark to end a 14-2 North run.  64-63 Hopkins.  Macura inside on the post for 4 more quick points and he adds 2 more for 11 straight North points.  Alex Reiland adds a 3 and North has a 72-69 lead with 4:50 left.  Jake Wright finally gets loose for a 3 and Coffey take a steal for 2.  He adds a free throw and the 7-0 run puts Hopkins up 4.  Hopkins makes enough free throws down the stretch to keep it from being a 1 possession game and they win 89-84.  JP Macura goes for 48 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 8 turnovers.  Stephon Sharpe with 25 points and Amir Coffey with 20 to lead Hopkins.

Game 8: #2AAAA Osseo vs #1AAA De La Salle
An early 10-3 De La Salle run puts them up 19-10.  Sacar Anim 5 in a row to start the run and an emphatic lefty finish of a turnover by Josh Collins to end that run.  Jordan Dembley on the bench with 2 quick fouls for Osseo and with him sitting, Osseo had no chance to get into anything offensively.  Anim takes a turnover for another layup at the 7 minute mark for a 28-12 lead.  Dembley comes back in but Wheeler Baker picks up his 3rd at the 5:30 mark.  Anim converts the free throw and finds Jarvis Johnson for a layup to keep the lead at 16.  Ian Theisen would carry the Osseo offense as they end the half on a 11-2 run.  36-28 De La Salle at the half.

Theisen with 5 in a row and the lead is down to 38-35.  Total run for Osseo is 18-4 across halftime.  But Wheeler Baker is on the bench with a quick 4th foul.  Geno Crandall for 2 and then Jarvis Johnson up top to Sacar Anim for the lob dunk on the break.  Johnson buries a 3 and the lead is back to 10.  Dembley with a charge for his 4th with 9:36 left and then Baker fouls out on a cheap 5th with 8:53 left. No danger the rest of the way.  De La Salle wins 63-55.  Jarvis Johnson 21 points, Sacar Anim 14.  Ian Theisen with 18.

Game 9: #6AAAA Cretin-Derham Hall at Minnetonka
A Justin Moes triple pulls Minnetonka within 9-8 at the 12:16 mark.  Then 9 in a row from Sam Neumann including a pair of 3s spark a 13-2 run for 23-10 lead.  Delshon Strickland carries the Tonka offense the rest of the half.  CDH 52-37 at the half.  They blow the doors off in the 2nd half as they roll 112-82.  Sam Neumann and Delshon Strickland with 27 points each.  Donnell Gresham with 20.  Not what you see from a Tom Dasovich team.  Not physical, didn't find Neumann or seem to have a plan for him and despite giving up 52 in the 1st half, they give up 60 in the 2nd.

SPA hangs on for important 4AA win

Prologue
Off to one of my favorite venues for a Tri-Metro showdown between 2 of the top teams in section 4AA.  Its St. Paul Academy visiting Minnehaha Academy.  Not a bad crowd on hand for these schools of close proximity but on opposite sides of the Mississippi.   Grade B hot dog with a 24 oz Dr. Pepper to pad the beverage counter.  Best bit of the night those is our 1st pep band of the year.  The Minnehaha band decked out in Santa gear and even gave us some Christmas music.  So they get today's song.

Song of the Day
We Wish You a Merry Christmas (courtesy of Minnehaha pep band)

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 312 ounces  (26 games, 23 days)

• 36 oz Dr Pepper
• 24 oz Sprite
• 40 oz Red Powerade
• 40 oz Red Gatorade
• 92 oz Pepsi
• 60 oz Coke
• 20 oz Barq's Root Beer

Game Time 
Frosh Simeon Davis with a triple and another jumper for a 5-2 Minnehaha lead at the 14:29 SPA timeout.  SPA responds.  Soph Dalante Peyton with a steal and dunk, a jumper and another tough J off a BLOB in a 19-2 Spartans spurt.  21-7 SPA at 7:50.  Minnehaha counters with 6 in a row thanks to a couple of putbacks.  Then SPA right back with an 11-0 run of their own.  Harrison Egly hot for SPA with 3 jumpers in that run.  32-13 SPA running away with 1:50 left in the half.  Minnehaha closes strong.  8th grader Jovanni Bickman off the Minnehaha bench with a 3 point play and an offensive board for 2 freebies.  He also converts a turnover for a layup in the 9-2 run that ends the half.  34-22 SPA at the break but if not for the late Redhawks run and 5-13 FT shooting in the half, it could have been much much worse.  SPA forces 12 turnovers, holds Minnehaha to 8-28 shooting and shoots 50% themselves and only leads by 12.

As cold as Minnehaha was in the 1st half, the same basket didn't do SPA any favors in the 2nd.  A sloppy half sees the Redhawks continue their run with 7 of the 1st 8 points of the half.  Then an easy nominee for worst call of the year.  Kent Hanson sets a high ball screen, with a bit of hand-fighting (in a game where tons of stuff was let go) Jake Richardson just blows him up and the call from the Hollywood crew is an illegal screen.  Oh my, that is a horrendous call and its right in front of the SPA bench.  Coach Kevin McKenzie storms off the bench to get after Hollywood (who didn't make the call on the 2 man crew) and earns his technical.  Hollywood handing out the T with his usual deer in the headlights look.  Kyle Kispert makes the 2 technicals but Minnehaha can't convert on the possession.  Minnehaha within 35-31 and still 13:18 to play.  Redhawks run is 18-3 since being down 19 late in the 1st half.

Richardson cuts the lead to 1 with another Redhawks rebound at the 9:10 mark.  Harrison Egly the only offense in the 2nd half for SPA.  5-6 from the line in the half after 2 freebies at the 8:02 mark.  Then he buries a corner 3 off the BLOB at the 7:25 mark.  That breaks a drought of 12:25 from the field for the Spartans.  It also pushes the lead back to 6, 42-36.  Richardson buries a 3 and Simeon Davis turns a turnover into a 3 point play.  42 all with 5:35 to play.  A quiet night for SPA star forward Kent Hanson but he counters on the next possession with a clutch right wing 3.

Minnehaha can't convert a long possession against the Spartans 2-3 zone.  After an SPA turnover, Bickman drives for 2 to cut the lead to 1.  Frosh Emerson Egly runs for a layup to keep the SPA lead at 47-44 with 2:30 remaining.  Peyton makes both ends of the bonus after the Redhawks miss an open 3.  Then Harrison Egly gets the extra pass after a Redhawks turnover and no fear folks, he buries the cold blooded bomb from the left corner with 1:05 left.  52-44 SPA and they would go on to win 53-47.

Post Game
For Minnehaha, 8th grader Jovanni Bickman comes off the bench to score 14 points and crash the glass as a factor inside.  Frosh PG Simeon Davis 13 points.  Highly touted frosh Joevon Walker who was outstanding at the Clash of the Classes only saw 2 halves of JV and got the DNP CD in the varsity game.  Liked what Jake Richardson did hounding the ball defensively (more on that later).  I also had him for 11 points (not 7 like the book had).  The Redhawks fall to 1-3 on the season and clearly the youngsters are still trying to find their way.  Back to back trips on the road in non-conference at Cannon Falls on Sat and Holy Angels on Monday.

For St. Paul Academy,  Harrison Egly comes up big with 3 bombs and 24 points.  That offsets an off night of 7 points from star forward Kent Hanson.  Good news for SPA is that 4 of tonight's starters are back next year and the top 2 players are sophomores.  Soph wing Dalante Peyton is playing out of position at the point and Richardson showed that an athletic defender can disturb the offense.  SPA 13-25 from the charity stripe and that includes 5-6 from Harrison Egly.  SPA did like their different 1-2-2 variations for presses and the 2-3 zone had some success.  SPA improves to 7-1 against a soft schedule but this is a quality win.  But they do get the advantage of getting the Redhawks early in the year . Then again they get to go on the road to Blake and De La Salle at the end of the year, so I guess it all evens out.

Orioles fly by Bison

Prologue
My week long twice viewing the top teams in AAAA series continues with a trip to Osseo to see the Orioles take on Buffalo.  No need to fight crowds and make the long trek to a game that is on TV.  Osseo always has the quality pizza and tonight was no different with Dominos.  20 oz of Red Gatorade always goes well with it.   We get no officials for the soph and JV games so the varsity refs come out and work the JV while the soph game goes with 1 official until late in the game.   That makes for song of the day material

Song of the Day
One (is the loneliest number) - Three Dog Night

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 288 ounces  (25 games, 22 days)

• 12 oz Dr Pepper
• 24 oz Sprite
• 40 oz Red Powerade
• 40 oz Red Gatorade
• 92 oz Pepsi
• 60 oz Coke
• 20 oz Barq's Root Beer

Game Time
This one was all Osseo.  Matt Miedtke with a pair of 3s to sandwich a pair of Ian Theisen free throws.  That's part of a 10-0 run after the teams trade baskets in the first minute.  Wheeler Baker to the left finish, Theisen runs for a dunk and Baker with a jumper.  18-6 Osseo at the 11:20 mark.  The lead is at 14 late in the half after a Josh Braxton triple.  But the Orioles counter with an 8-0 to extend the lead to 22.  4 straight easy buckets from Theisen, Connor Kittleson, Miedtke and Jordan Dembley (off a turnover).  47-25 Osseo at the half.

Theisen continuing to play well inside with a 3 point play and a pair of free throws before sitting with his 4th foul at 13:39.  56-33 Osseo at that point.  Baker keeps his offense going too.  A steal for a dunk and a pair of buckets to go with a free throw.  Buffalo does show a little success with a 2-2-1 press.  But the outcome is never in doubt.  Theisen comes back in and converts a 3 point play and 4 points on offensive boards.  Osseo wins 88-67.

Post Game
For Buffalo, Cory Thielman leads with 12 of his 17 in the 2nd half.  Levi Bean with 14.  Josh Braxton with a pair of 3s and then he banks in a 3rd one for a 4 point play with 26 seconds left to reach double figures.  Collin Olmscheid and Sam Ortmann only combine for 13 and no field goals from Zach Dahl.  Tough to stay close on the road when the numbers aren't there from the top performers.  Buffalo not as crisp on offense right now as we're used to seeing from a Bison squad.  Defensive intensity isn't there yet either.  The Bison fall to 2-4 with 3 tough losses to metro squads.

For Osseo, they continue to roll as they improve to 5-0.  Wheeler Baker and Ian Theisen with 23 points each to lead the Orioles.  Soph PG Alan Anderson comes off the bench to score 11.  Tough stretch here for Osseo as they go to Champlin and then play De La Salle at the Tipoff Classic the next 2 days.  That's a tough 3 day stretch.  Then on the road next week to Maple Grove and Armstrong before playing in the loaded Rochester Rotary Classic over the holidays.  2 of the big 3 did their part.  As always the role guys for Osseo solid.  Orioles haven't needed Jordan Dembley yet, but it appears he's still working his way into the system.

Quiet night with a Teddy Bear

Prologue
Turn the clock forward a week as last week's postponed Roosevelt at Cooper game gets moved to tonight.  With a very quiet schedule for the night, the change was welcomed.  Had to love the $4 pizza meal deal with the deep dish pizza.  Throw in some Ruffles and Sprite to go with it and its a bargain.  A limited crowd for the game but we did have RCTC on hand to get some recruiting in.

Song of the Day
Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 268 ounces  (24 games, 21 days)

• 12 oz Dr Pepper
• 24 oz Sprite
• 40 oz Red Powerade
• 20 oz Red Gatorade
• 92 oz Pepsi
• 60 oz Coke
• 20 oz Barq's Root Beer

Game Time
Roosevelt can't buy a bucket early with only 1 FG in the 1st 7:30.  But they're only down 6 as Cooper can't score either.  Aaron Wiseman back to back buckets for the Teddies to force a Cooper timeout at 9:53.  9-7 Cooper leading.  London Cobbs brings Roosevelt to within 1 thanks to a 3.  18-17 Cooper at 5:25.  Then the Hawks go on a 13-0 run.  Soph PG Taron Pickford with a layup and an assist to start that run..  33-21 Cooper at the half.

Idris Ahmed with a 3 point play off a scramble and that pulls Roosevelt within 37-29 with 13:29 to play.  Darrious Denson on the offensive glass and then big man Jacob Lindgren with the triple to push the lead back to 13.  Hawks by 11 late but it will get a tad interesting.  Wiseman with a free throw, soph Elijah Hannah for 3 and a Wiseman putback with 2:30 left and the Teddies are only down 57-52 with plenty of time left.   Cooper misses a layup but Roosevelt can't convert on their end with 2:04 left.  Roosevelt doesn't score again.  Cooper wins 65-52.

Post Game
Roosevelt with another close loss.  They fall to 0-4 or 0-5 on the season (not known what happened in the Washburn game last night. Terrence Hicks with 16 points to lead the Teddies.  Aaron Wiseman with 14.  Not much there for coach Rob Mestas to work with.  Sophs Elijah Hannah is 1 player they'll have for the future.  Next up for the Teddies is a city tilt at Edison on Friday.

Cooper improves to 2-2 by winning 2 straight after the Hopkins tourney.  Lanky forward Marques Gray off the bench with 14 points inside for the Hawks.  Brandon Robinson also with 14.  Darrious Denson and soph Taron Pickford both with 10.  Pickford gives the Hawks a piece for next year but he'll be the only piece coming back.  Cooper plays Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity at the Tipoff Classic on Saturday.

Eagles soar to another impressive win

Prologue
Out into the frigid air to Hopkins to see #1AAAA Apple Valley take on #3AAAA Hopkins in the middle game of a brutal gauntlet for Apple Valley.  A good crowd for a week night game but over all a disappointing crowd for a game of this magnitude.  AV student section usually very good but not out tonight.  Walking Taco was quality as usual with 20 oz of Barq's Root Beer to go with it.  Apple Valley so loaded that they can start 4 varsity level kids in the JV game.

Song of the Day
Paradise City - Guns N Roses

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 256 ounces  (23 games, 20 days)

• 12 oz Dr Pepper
• 12 oz Sprite
• 40 oz Red Powerade
• 20 oz Red Gatorade
• 92 oz Pepsi
• 60 oz Coke
• 20 oz Barq's Root Beer

Game Time
Stephon Sharpe working on Apple Valley's Brock Bertram off the bounce early for 4 quick points and a 7-2 Hopkins lead.  Bertram counters with a putback and a layup from Tyus before sitting with 2 quick fouls.  8-7 Apple Valley at 14:43 when that 2nd foul occurs.  Sharpe off the bounce again for a 21-17 Hopkins lead at the 11 minute mark.  Apple Valley counters with a quick 10-0 run.  A putback for 2 free throws sends Sharpe to the bench with 2 fouls. Tyus takes a turnover for 2 out of a 1-2-2 halfcourt trap.  Then Tyus to Dennis Austin on the pick and roll.  Gary Trent Jr with a strip that becomes 2 more for Tyus and Tyus to Cam Kirksey to end the run.  Timeout Hopkins at the 8:45 mark down 27-21.

Tyus coast to coast for 2 and then he finds Trent for 3.  Sharpe back in the game as the Royals fall behind by 9.  Jake Wright starts to heat up with back to back triples to keep Hopkins close.  Bertram surprisingly comes back in at the 5:21 mark and he's back to the bench with #3 at the 4:45 mark.  Wright again from the deep beyond to cut the lead to 4.  Tyus counters with a 3 point play and Jordan Bolton with a bomb to push the lead back to 10.  53-45 Apple Valley leading at the break.  Tyus 16, 5 and 5.  Wright with 4 3s for 12.

Trent with a nice floater to push the lead to 58-47 with 15:45 left.  Timeout Hopkins to regroup and they do just that.  Kamali Chambers for 3 after 2 driving Hopkins buckets and the lead is down to 6.  Eagles miss a layup and John Warren turns that into a dunk on the other end for Hopkins.  Wright runs and gets a pretty feed for a nice layup.  Timeout Apple Valley with 13:15 left as they cling to a 4 point lead.  Then Apple Valley goes to 2 guards up top with Tyus running off baseline screens on the blocks.  Very strange, you want the ball in his hands at this point, not out.  Didn't like that move at all.  Warren knocks down a 3, then a turnover and Amir Coffey with a great catch and finish at the rim on a difficult pass from Chambers.  Hopkins 65-64 with 11:20 left but Wright and Coffey sit.  Not a fan of that either.  Maybe 1 or the other but both at the same time was a move that seemed strange.  Tyus called for the charge.  Chambers adds a drive for a 67-64 Royals lead with 10:45 left.  That concludes a 20-6 Hopkins run over 5 minutes.

Bertram with a putback, Tyus 2 freebies and an assist for an easy Austin bucket.  That puts Apple Valley back on top.  Warren makes 2 free throws to cut the lead to 1 with 8:40 left and a MoKiller timeout from Apple Valley up 72-71.  Wright finally comes back in the game.  Tyus to Austin again and Tyus coast to coast twice.  All of a sudden the Eagles lead is back to 7, 78-71, after a 14-4 run.  But Jake Wright again keeps Hopkins going with 3 straight bombs.  The last off a Coffey steal and great team find of the hot hand.  Tied at 80 with 5:15 left.

Inside 3 minutes left and no fear from the frosh as Trent converts a clutch drive with 2:15 left.  Apple Valley hanging on 88-84.  Then who else, its Wright with another pure stroke for 3.  A dicey foul call after a Trent shot allows Apple Valley to keep possession with 1:39 left.  Eagles keep it and Tyus drives but blows the layup.  Hopkins can't grab it and Tyus puts it back with 1:20 left.  Hopkins misses a 3 on their possession.  Now Hopkins has to chase.

They get the ball out of Tyus' hands and Trent turns it over for a Coffey bucket with 40 seconds left.  Hopkins down 1.  Chambers takes the hit after the inbounds but Tyus will step up and bury 2 free throws with 36.6 left.  Sharpe gets a good look at a 3 with 25 seconds left but that's no good.  Apple Valley goes on to win 96-90.

Post Game
For Hopkins, they fall to 5-1 with the loss.  They have another big game against Lakeville North at the tipoff classic on Saturday.  Jake Wright with 8 3s and 26 points to lead Hopkins.  Stephon Sharpe and Kamali Chambers each with 18.  Amir Coffey with a quiet night of 9 points.  He was matched up with Gary Trent for a good portion of the night.  Fun to see the top 2016 and 2017 kids go at it. Hopkins lacked a physical presence last year and that hurt them, same was true tonight.

For Apple Valley, Tyus Jones with 34 points, 10 boards and 7 assists on my sheet.  Overall his shooting was pretty cold after knocking down an early 3.  Most of his makes at the rim.   Dennis Austin with 14 points and 17 boards.  Gary Trent Jr with 12 including a pair of 1st half 3s.  After some early success forcing back to back turnovers with the 1-2-2 trap, they never came back to it.  I'm sure coach Goring can't be happy with giving up 8 3s to a known sniper, especially when playing man defense.

Packing the Tartan Gym

Prologue
Its a quiet Monday night of 2 EMAC games and South St. Paul at Tartan.  So I head east to a not so packed house with only 1 side of bleachers open for the night.  I had the longest walk all the way around gym to grab the concessions and had my hot dog gone by the time I reached my seat.  How's The Czar to maintain this waistline under those conditions.  Add in pringles as part of the meal deal and that's well worth it.  Tonight's beverage is Sprite so more items on the beverage counter.

So with the elements and tough choice of games, lets go with this.

Song of the Day
Extreme Ways - Moby

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 236 ounces  (22 games, 19 days)

• 12 oz Dr Pepper
• 12 oz Sprite
• 40 oz Red Powerade
• 20 oz Red Gatorade
• 92 oz Pepsi
• 60 oz Coke 

Game Time
South St. Paul goes 2-3 zone, gets a stop and a score for a 2-0 lead.  But so much for the idea of pulling the ball out as Tommy Hanson counters on the other end.  Nathan Totino banks in a 3 and the Packers hang around at 20-10 at the 9:30 mark.  Its a sloppy half for Tartan as they go to the break with a 41-22 lead.  Zach Taylor with 14 points and a pair of 3s in the half for South St. Paul.

Frosh Emanuel Humphrey productive off the Tartan bench and he did whatever he wanted from the short corner.  Tartan would run a nice set having the PG go through and screen the backside of the zone so they could throw the ball up to big Brody Jackson inside.  Tartan limited without their top 2 point guards Keenen Bellaphant and frosh Jordan Horn in the lineup.  No running time until 3:15 to play and the SSP starters out of the game.  Tartan wins 79-41.

Post Game
For South St. Paul, 17 points from Zach Taylor (14 in 1st half) leads all scorers.  Nathan Totino with 3 triples for 9.  But this is a program that still has many years of rebuilding ahead of them.  The Packers fall to 1-3 and have lost 3 in a row.  They return home for games with St. Agnes and Mahtomedi and then an afternoon trip on Saturday to Harding.

Tartan improves to 2-1 with the win.  Emanuel Humphrey and Tommy Hanson with 14 each for Titans.  Brody Jackson with 13.  Most of those Humphrey and Jackson buckets, easy buckets from the short corner or diving for the pass from the short corner.  That's from the basic 1-3-1 zone offense.  Very sloppy game for the Titans.

Notes from the Big Weekend

Prologue
We'll include a Fri/Sat pair here thanks to a special Kingdom cameo by The Emperor.  A late arrival at Mahtomedi means I miss out on Dominos.  I do make up for missed pizza with the Papa Johns in the hospitality room on Saturday.  Plenty of Pepsi to go around as well along with lots of good music.  Hopkins went back to regular lettuce but has stayed with the sun chips for the walking taco but it was still outstanding despite the steep $4 price tag.  Throw in a quality twitter spat about conduct of AAU coaches at games and it was an eventful weekend.

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 224 ounces  (21 games, 17 days)

• 12 oz Dr Pepper
• 40 oz Red Powerade
• 20 oz Red Gatorade
• 92 oz Pepsi
• 60 oz Coke

Game 1: Stillwater at Mahtomedi (Friday)
Ah the pagentry.  My 1st trip to the home of the Zephyrs.  Big lunch room for concessions with a tiny gym for AAAA school.  But no expense spared on corner camera wells and the big scoreboard with point totals and an added video board that was in play all game.  That included "Hug Cam" which is a funny PG play on pro sporting events and their Kiss Cam.   Add in dueling student sections and away you go.

As to the game, the intended matchup of bigs never really materialized.  Kyle McKinley came off the bench for Stillwater at the 12:47 mark and Mahtomedi's Sean Hjelle sat the last 9:20 of the 1st half with 2 fouls.  Stillwater employed an interesting strategy of faceguarding Hjelle full court with a guard most of the night.  Mahtomedi did a poor job of trying to pound the ball inside to take advantage of the size mismatch.

Stillwater's Nick Ogren with 3 critical 3s in both halves when Stillwater needed possessions with points.  He kept the Ponies close despite a lackluster first half and they were fortunate to be tied at 35 going to the half.  Ogren's 3 after coming back with 2 fouls at the 4 minute mark of the 1st half sparked an 11-3 run to end the half.

Then 49 all when Ogren knocks down 2 more bombs around a banked Michael Claude 3.  The 2nd one starts a run and the 3rd one of the half ends the difference making 10-0 run.  62-52 Ponies 5:32 left.  But Mahtomedi would get 1 last chance.  After a questionable push off on Matt Anderson, Hjelle gets a great post look but can't convert with the Zephyrs done 1 and 20 seconds left.  After 2 Ponies free throws, Mahtomedi doesn't get a great look.  Stillwater hangs on 65-62.  After a quiet start Kyle McKinley almost grabbed double digit boards in the 2nd half.  Hjelle with 11 for Mahtomedi.  Very impressed with his upside and very deserving of a rankings bump.  Lucas Buller with 20 to lead the Zephyrs and Nick Ogren leads everybody with 22

Now to the Saturday boys games at the girls tipoff classic.  I stayed there all day as I thought the crowd would fill in quicker and braving the cold between game didn't see all that appealing.

Game 2: Hopkins vs St. Michael-Albertville
STMA would hang around for about 6 minutes.  Sammy Guillou with a 3 point play at the 11:52 mark to bring the Knights within 13-9.  But its all Hopkins after that.  Jake Wright 2 3s and 8 points in a row.  Kamali Chambers for 3 and then fouled for 3 free throws and he'll add another bomb. You get the idea.  Its a 35-8 run to end the half.  Hopkins rolls from there 77-36.  Jake Wright 4 3s for 18 points.  Kamali Chambers 3 bombs and 14 points.  Nice performance from Jackson Greenwaldt for STMA with 13 points.  Trevor Rothstein DNP for the Knights.

Game 3: Minnetonka vs Breck
Delshon Strickland played his 1st game of the year.  He came off the bench and immediately had a dunk and converted a lob.  Amar Miller was handing out assists and hit a couple of midrange pullups.  Henry Cousineau with 10 quick points before getting into foul trouble for Breck. Will Culliton with a couple of 3s and Mo Lawal scoring for the Mustangs.  A 9-0 Skippers run would allow them to open a 43-35 halftime lead.  Over the 1st 6:40 of the 2nd half, they would go on a 12-3 spurt to open up a 55-38 lead.  Then the Apple Valley game took center stage.  Minnetonka go on to win 78-65.  Lawal would finish with 27 to lead all scorers.  Strickland with 15 in his return, 13 of those before the game got out of hand.

Game 4: Apple Valley vs De La Salle
What an atmosphere with chairs all around the court (end of court bleachers not available due to the other court running late) and the balcony packed.  Not to mention a full media row opposite the benches.  Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino on hand watching.  Only thing missing was Reid Travis who sat out with a foot injury that seems to be dragging out.  Gary Trent Jr on fire early for Apple Valley with a jumper and a pair of bombs.  12-8 Apple Valley just over 4 minutes in.  De La Salle would come back to take a 17-16 lead thanks to drives from Jarvis Johnson and Geno Grandall's sweet drive and assist to Josh Collins for a layup.  Then its time for Tyus.  Drive for a free throw, a steal for 2 more freebies.  An assist for another Trent bomb and he takes a turnover for a layup.  After a nasty Jarvis Johnson standing dunk off an offensive board, Tyus back to the charity stripe for 2 more and he converts another turnover into a 3 point play.  14-4 Eagles run after the Islanders took the lead.  30-21 Apple Valley at the 5:37 mark.  That translates to 36-28 at the half.  Tyus 16, 4 and 5 so he was part of at least 28 of the Eagles points.

More Tyus, he goes for a dunk and then finds Brock Bertram for an easy 2.  Robert Tobroxen gets lost for an easy layup on the BLOB.  The lead balloons to 45-29 with 14:25 left.  Jarvis Johnson back to back bombs and a 3 point play from Geno Crandall cut the lead to 47-38 with 13:08 left.  Tyus right back with a drive and then he dunks a turnover.  Crandall buries a 3 and you see momentum to De La Salle.  Tyus sits for a rest at that point.  Then a turnover for 2 more points is Bertram's 4th foul and Tyus is right back in there after 45 seconds of rest.  53-45 Apple Valley with 10:01 left.

Tobroxen nails a 3 but Crandall counters with 4 in a row.  Apple Valley lead down to 56-51 with 7:17 left.  But De La Salle would get no closer.  Tyus scores (go figure), Anim misses a chance inside and Trent goes glass for 2 more.  Crandall hits a 3 but misses a heat check 3 after an Eagles turnover.  Dennis Austin scores and Tyus feeds him for 2 more after a turnover.  That pushes the lead back to 10 with 5:20 left.  No danger the rest of the way.  Apple Valley wins 73-63.  Tyus Jones 29 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists and 5 turnovers. Geno Crandall with 19 of his 23 points in the 2nd half.  Gary Trent 18 points with 4 bombs.  De La Salle shot only 17-30 from the line.  21-56 FGs for the Islanders, mostly against a 2-3 zone.  Despite Gary Trent's hot shooting, Apple Valley was only 5-19 from 3 (Trent 4-11).  48-30 edge on the glass for Apple Valley including 17 offensive boards but that only translated to a 12-8 edge in 2nd chance points. 

Fire at the Mill

Prologue
So I hit the trifecta of illness, day job and weather for the last 3 nights.  That means its time to get back in the gym for #2AAA Holy Family at Minneapolis Washburn.  A frigid night won't keep me away.  But the bad traffic means that The Referee Formerly Known as Al Sharpton and the Holy Family varsity cut it very close to game time.  No Joe Conroy or Jack Mugford for Holy Family.  St. Thomas and Hamline in the building looking for talent.   Washburn shellacked by another AAA ranked opponent Waconia previously. 

Song of the Day
Beds are burning - Midnight Oil

Total Beverage Consumption Counter: 152 ounces  (12 games, 14 days)

• 12 oz Dr Pepper
• 40 oz Red Powerade
• 20 oz Red Gatorade
• 60 oz Pepsi
• 20 oz Coke 

Game Time
Joe Hanel with a tip in and a Justin Dahl putback early for the big Holy Family front line.  Jeff Jones and Evan Shepherd counter with triples for Washburn.  Holy Family point guard Brent Hentges on the bench with 2 fouls as Shepherd makes his bomb.  14-10 Holy Family at the 12 minute mark.  Then Holy Family breaks it open.  Justin Dahl inside for a 3 point play and then a pair of free throws.  Then Jeff Jones with a foul and adds a technical to boot.  Duncan Faris makes both techs and then runs out for a bucket.  Hanel drives for the lefty finish and Dahl adds another bucket.  Its a 21-5 Fire run to blow the game open.  35-15 at the 6 minute mark.  Faris and Landon Kimm tack on a couple of bombs each.  That counters the offense of JoBreil Powell for Washburn.

The lead is 28 at half, no danger in the 2nd half.  Holy Family doesn't cut the head off the snake so we don't get running time until 4 minutes left.  Washburn takes another one on the chin from a ranked Wright County opponent.  Holy Family wins 84-50.  Justin Dahl with 15, 11 and 4 blocks on my sheet.  4 of the 5 Fire starters in double figures with Duncan Faris leading with 16 off the bench.  Evan Shepherd leading Washburn with 16.  Jeff Jones held to 8 after going off for 37 against Waconia.

Holy Family improves to 2-0 and the road to January is brutal.  New Prague, Blake, Rochester JM (tipoff classic), at Waconia, Shakopee and Lakeville North at the Lakeville Rotary tourney all before the month is done.  Washburn is now 1-2.  They kick off league play at Roosevelt next Tuesday before hosting Hill-Murray next Friday.