Mitchell takes away the sting

Prologue
No picnic shirt required as I visit Edina for their non-conference showdown with #9AAAA Shakopee.  The Hornets came in winning this matchup the last 4 seasons.  Maybe 10 kids in the Edina student section and a group stampedes in with about 3 minutes left in the game.  Shakopee students out in force and do a quality group dance to Pharrell's "Happy" during a timeout.  Davanni's sausage pizza on the menu again and that's never a bad choice.  150 calories of Pepsi (12 oz) washes it down.  Crown College stalks me again on this evening and a special Ryan James appearance.  Our song of the day comes courtesy of the DJ station next to the allotted seating for Edina students.

Song of the Day
Just Dance - Lady Gaga

Number of Teams I've Seen: 25 (12 courts, 2 new, 1 TV game)

Beverage Ticker: 36 ounces (340 calories) + 1 liter (250 calories) + 2 liters (0 calories) + 40 oz (0 calories.
16 days (13 possible game days), 13 games, 2 scrimmages added on, includes 1 TV replay

• Pepsi: 24 ounces (300 Calories) + 500 ml (210 Calories)
• Sprite: 12 ounces (140 Calories)
• Water: 2 Liters + 40 ounces (0 Calories)
• Gatorade: 500 ml (40 Calories)

Hot Dog Ticker: 2
Pizza Ticker: 5
Walking Taco Ticker: 1

Game Time:
Edina starts with a pair of quick 3s for a 6-0 lead.  But Shakopee in their typical fashion grinds their way back.  Its a quick start for Steffon Mitchell.  He scores 3 hoops inside and adds 2 more free throws with that inside play.  Shakopee up 14-12 at 12:30.  His last hoop ignites a 12-2 run that he closes with a nice pull up at 9:15.  Sabers lead expands to 24-14.  Ben Helgren in the post for 2 and a nice Anders Nelson floater cuts the lead to 27-24 at the 4:46 mark.  Then a 9-0 run by the Mitchell brothers.  Steffon with a man's rebound for a putback and buries a triple after sophomore brother Garrett hits a jumper and Garrett ends it with a putback.  That pushes Shakopee to a 39-32 lead at the half.

Walt McGrory quiet with only 1 first half field goal but his 3 point play and a later free throw cuts the lead to 5 .  Steffon scores, dives right down the lane on a BLOB for a 2 that is way too easy and makes a jumper to push the lead back to double digits.  Junior Jake Kutina off the Sabers bench with 2 putbacks and a 3 point play as the lead blows up to 60-44 with 7:46 left.  Timeout Edina after the 17-6 run.  McGrory and Moreton try to bring Edina back.  McGrory 3-4 FTs and Moreten with a 3 and a layup.  But there's no answer for Mitchell as he scores an easy 2 inside and adds 4 free throws.  Shakopee out of danger and they close it out.  Shakopee wins 86-68.

Post Game
Walt McGrory with 18 points to lead Edina.  Much of that damage after the game was in double digits.  Will Moreton adds 16 with 4 triples.  Soph Anders Nelson adds 13.  Nobody else with more than 6.  Despite the points, it was an off night for both McGrory and Moreton.  Defensively, too many easy inside touches for Steffon Mitchell.  Put all of that together and the result is about what you would expect in that scenario.  Edina falls to 3-1 overall.  They are at Kennedy on Tuesday.  Then its a surprisingly early opening night in the Lake vs Minnetonka.  Then Lakeville South in the Tip-Off Classic.  Hopefully we get a Sorenson vs McGrory matchup there but Sorenson has been out due to injury.

Steffon Mitchell way too much to handle as he goes off for 36 and a mitt full of rebounds.  His night included 13-14 at the charity stripe.  He got a ton of easy touches in the post that he converted.  Great production from guys you wouldn't expect.  Drew Hanbury worked his way to 21 points.  Junior Jake Kutina with 12 points off the bench.  Fun to watch them move the ball.  Plus they give very few easy hoops defensively.  Shakopee improves to 3-0 overall.  They stay on the road with trips to Eagan and Rosemount this week.  Then they finish with a big showdown against Rochester John Marshall to end the games in the back gym on Saturday in the Tip-Off Classic.