Its the start of April this weekend and that means its time for another spring and summer of grassroots basketball. Remember to use the hashtag #AAUBingo on twitter for all the craziness you see. But remember, all the easy ones are taken. Jim Rome phone call rules apply, don't ruin it and don't support the low life thief who has the account. The hashtag is the true #AAUBingo. If you haven't read it, oh boy have you missed out.
This weekend is NOT a viewing period for college coaches due to the Final 4. Though this weekend's Minnesota All-Star Series is an exception for the Minnesota NSIC schools if I read the D2 recruiting calendar correctly. D2 coaches can be out in full force next week and then the following week begins back to back viewing weekends for the D1 coaches.
Here are this week's Minnesota teams in action.
D1 Day (Minneapolis)
D1 Day is at Colin Powell Center on Saturday afternoon and evening. A chance for the teams to tune up for the Comets tournament next week. Here are the teams playing there.
Both D1 teams at all 3 top levels
MN Lace Up 16s and 17s
MN Heat has their Sanford league 15U-17U teams playing
East Metro 9th
MN Eagles
Super 16 (Ames, IA)
In Ames, All Iowa Attack hosts one of their many events. From Minnesota we have both Howard Pulley 15s. Then we have the 16s and 17s both playing in the top 17s division. Those teams are scheduled to play each other in the final game on Sunday afternoon, but I would guess that those teams will come home rather than play that one out.
MN Phenom is also represented with a team each in 15U-17U. Minnesota Rebels 15s are also there.
Swish N Dish (Milwaukee, WI)
Arguably the best non-viewable event we have in the midwest. Its the NY2LA Swish N Dish in suburban Milwaukee starting Friday night. Net Gain is listed for 15s, not sure if that's a local crew or not. Grassroots and Powerhouse Hoops Minnesota (formerly MN Lockdown) are also in the 15s. They could mean in the 2nd round of playoffs.
Powerhouse Hoops MN has 2 teams in the 16U division. Esko's Adam Trapp will also be there with the loaded WI Playground Warriors 16s.
Jalen Suggs and the Grassroots 17s are super pooled. Trae Berhow and the Powerhouse Hoops MN 17s ended up just outside that.
And in an unrelated note, the NW MN Tarantulas will begin their trek to the Comets tourney. Happy April Fools Day.
2016 State Wrap Up
Thoughts from the semifinal and finals rounds of the 2016 state tourney.
Class A
No shock that Minneapolis North ended winning the title. Their 21 point win over Red Lake in the semis was their closest game in their playoff wins.The expectations were incredibly high for this team and after a couple of years of not reaching those, they achieved all those goals this season (twin cities game, section and state). But watching them after the game, it almost seemed like more of a relief than anything. Even Larry McKenzie's hugs of his seniors when he pulled them out looked somewhat staged and awkward and he's definitely aware of style points. That a sad statement considering they would have been vilified had they not won it all in this convincing fashion Maybe my expectations were crazy and maybe the celebration at the school afterwards was more in line, just saying it didn't appear that way in real time.
But in the final it almost didn't look that way. North jumped out to a 15-2 lead as they attacked the rim at will. But Goodhue would finish the half on a 24-10 run as North relaxed. That would give the Wildcats an improbable 26-25 lead at the half. Larry McKenzie with a great adjustment at halftime going to a 1-2-2 zone for the 2nd half. After only 5 turnovers in the 1st half for Goodhue, they turned it over 14 times in the 2nd half. Patrick Dembley and Issac Johnson stepped up big in the 2nd half and North went on to the 68-45 win.
Class AA
OK Braham folks, I got this one wrong. I thought the size of St. Croix Lutheran would be too much and Braham's guard play ended up being terrific and the difference in the AA tourney. MN-Moorhead commit Chris Olson with 23,24 and 33 points to lead the Bombers to the title. Soph PG Ryan Larson with 22 and 28 points in the final 28 games from the other guard spot. John Larson with 3 solid games as well. Jackson County Central's Bodey Behrends will attend Augustana and he had a big tourney as well to lead the Huskies to the title game. 16 Pts, 12 boards and 9 blocks in the championship game, 20 pts, 8 rebs and 7 blocks in the semis and the 20, 17 and 5 blocks game vs Caledonia in the quarters. Jackson County Central was down 24 late in the 1st half, but the shooting came on and they rallied to within 5. They had a layup to cut it to 3 that didn't fall with about 3 minutes left and that would have made it very interesting.
Class AAA
Its a record 5th straight title for DeLaSalle. Gabe Kalscheur with a clutch title game of 27 points. But early on it was an Austin McGeheran 3 and 2 more bombs from frosh Tyrell Terry off the bench that kept Fergus Falls at bay. Fergus Falls moved the ball well early for a couple of open 3s and a couple of back doors before DeLaSalle clamped down. Goanar Mar was quiet in the title game, but had 2 high level games before that with teams holding Kalscheur down.
But maybe the 1 extra thing everyone will remember is the twitter storm over Samm Jones' post game TV interview. Side note on some of the outstate teams on the Islanders schedule. The Atascocita (TX) team that beat them was undefeated until losing in the Texas 6A title game. Sioux Falls Washington is the 1 seed in the South Dakota AA tourney and La Crosse Central is in the final 4 of the Wisconsin D2 tourney.
Class AAAA
Osseo loses in the semis and the 3rd place game for their only 2 losses of the season. The team concept was amazing for them but not having a high level go to guy like the other semifinalists showed up on the big stage. Ultimately soph guard Zach Theisen never did recover from the nasty ankle sprain in the final regular season game. He played only 6 minutes the whole tourney and only 1 of those in the last 2 games. That was a huge missing piece for the Orioles as most of their sets had him as an option.
Apple Valley vs Hopkins in the semifinals was a huge letdown. I would have expected Apple Valley to be thru the roof motivated for this one after losing to Hopkins in December. But Hopkins jumped on them right from the opening tip for a double figure lead. Apple Valley would rally to within 1 at the half Hopkins ran away in the second half for a 24 point win. Gary Trent 9-28 and the team had 5 assists on 23 field goals. Tre Jones a very surprising 8 turnovers. Just not the same Apple Valley team that was dominant all season. Amir Coffey 16 and 8 in that game and 24 points from Xavier Johnson.
Lakeville North's Nate Reuvers with a high level tournament and he earned a Minnesota offer from it. His 17 pts, 9 rebs and 5 blocks were a major difference in the semis. I would have liked to see him get the ball with the ability to work off the dribble in the final. In earlier games, they'd station him at the foul line where he could pop and turn and face. He spent more time in the post and that wasn't successful. North's main story though was guard Nick Fossey. He made critical hustle plays all tourney and was the "Where did he come from?" guy of the tourney.
Lakeville North was up 5 in the 2nd half of the title game vs Hopkins. But a 15-0 Hopkins run would ultimately be the difference. Lakeville North would cut the 10 point margin to 4 late but never did recover. Vinnie Shahid with 6 straight points in the last minute (2 FTs, steal for 2 and another layup) to seal the championship for Hopkins. His defense helped force 13 Lakeville North turnovers in the 2nd half. Those turnovers were the catalyst for the game deciding run. Very surprised at his lack of college interest.
Year Wrap
And so it ends, 9 seasons online are now in the books. Its another personal record for total games seen this year with 155 total varsity games. Number of boys games is 5 short due to more boys and girls doubleheaders this season. The final counts are included for your amusement.
Number of Teams I've Seen: 177 (66 courts, 2 new, 2 TV games, 155 varsity games)
Fire Marshal Sightings: 1
Beverage Ticker: 950 ounces (8540 calories) + 9.7 liters (1370 calories)
Pizza Ticker: 16
Walking Taco Ticker: 12
Pork Sandwich Ticker: 6
Class A
No shock that Minneapolis North ended winning the title. Their 21 point win over Red Lake in the semis was their closest game in their playoff wins.The expectations were incredibly high for this team and after a couple of years of not reaching those, they achieved all those goals this season (twin cities game, section and state). But watching them after the game, it almost seemed like more of a relief than anything. Even Larry McKenzie's hugs of his seniors when he pulled them out looked somewhat staged and awkward and he's definitely aware of style points. That a sad statement considering they would have been vilified had they not won it all in this convincing fashion Maybe my expectations were crazy and maybe the celebration at the school afterwards was more in line, just saying it didn't appear that way in real time.
But in the final it almost didn't look that way. North jumped out to a 15-2 lead as they attacked the rim at will. But Goodhue would finish the half on a 24-10 run as North relaxed. That would give the Wildcats an improbable 26-25 lead at the half. Larry McKenzie with a great adjustment at halftime going to a 1-2-2 zone for the 2nd half. After only 5 turnovers in the 1st half for Goodhue, they turned it over 14 times in the 2nd half. Patrick Dembley and Issac Johnson stepped up big in the 2nd half and North went on to the 68-45 win.
Class AA
OK Braham folks, I got this one wrong. I thought the size of St. Croix Lutheran would be too much and Braham's guard play ended up being terrific and the difference in the AA tourney. MN-Moorhead commit Chris Olson with 23,24 and 33 points to lead the Bombers to the title. Soph PG Ryan Larson with 22 and 28 points in the final 28 games from the other guard spot. John Larson with 3 solid games as well. Jackson County Central's Bodey Behrends will attend Augustana and he had a big tourney as well to lead the Huskies to the title game. 16 Pts, 12 boards and 9 blocks in the championship game, 20 pts, 8 rebs and 7 blocks in the semis and the 20, 17 and 5 blocks game vs Caledonia in the quarters. Jackson County Central was down 24 late in the 1st half, but the shooting came on and they rallied to within 5. They had a layup to cut it to 3 that didn't fall with about 3 minutes left and that would have made it very interesting.
Class AAA
Its a record 5th straight title for DeLaSalle. Gabe Kalscheur with a clutch title game of 27 points. But early on it was an Austin McGeheran 3 and 2 more bombs from frosh Tyrell Terry off the bench that kept Fergus Falls at bay. Fergus Falls moved the ball well early for a couple of open 3s and a couple of back doors before DeLaSalle clamped down. Goanar Mar was quiet in the title game, but had 2 high level games before that with teams holding Kalscheur down.
But maybe the 1 extra thing everyone will remember is the twitter storm over Samm Jones' post game TV interview. Side note on some of the outstate teams on the Islanders schedule. The Atascocita (TX) team that beat them was undefeated until losing in the Texas 6A title game. Sioux Falls Washington is the 1 seed in the South Dakota AA tourney and La Crosse Central is in the final 4 of the Wisconsin D2 tourney.
Class AAAA
Osseo loses in the semis and the 3rd place game for their only 2 losses of the season. The team concept was amazing for them but not having a high level go to guy like the other semifinalists showed up on the big stage. Ultimately soph guard Zach Theisen never did recover from the nasty ankle sprain in the final regular season game. He played only 6 minutes the whole tourney and only 1 of those in the last 2 games. That was a huge missing piece for the Orioles as most of their sets had him as an option.
Apple Valley vs Hopkins in the semifinals was a huge letdown. I would have expected Apple Valley to be thru the roof motivated for this one after losing to Hopkins in December. But Hopkins jumped on them right from the opening tip for a double figure lead. Apple Valley would rally to within 1 at the half Hopkins ran away in the second half for a 24 point win. Gary Trent 9-28 and the team had 5 assists on 23 field goals. Tre Jones a very surprising 8 turnovers. Just not the same Apple Valley team that was dominant all season. Amir Coffey 16 and 8 in that game and 24 points from Xavier Johnson.
Lakeville North's Nate Reuvers with a high level tournament and he earned a Minnesota offer from it. His 17 pts, 9 rebs and 5 blocks were a major difference in the semis. I would have liked to see him get the ball with the ability to work off the dribble in the final. In earlier games, they'd station him at the foul line where he could pop and turn and face. He spent more time in the post and that wasn't successful. North's main story though was guard Nick Fossey. He made critical hustle plays all tourney and was the "Where did he come from?" guy of the tourney.
Lakeville North was up 5 in the 2nd half of the title game vs Hopkins. But a 15-0 Hopkins run would ultimately be the difference. Lakeville North would cut the 10 point margin to 4 late but never did recover. Vinnie Shahid with 6 straight points in the last minute (2 FTs, steal for 2 and another layup) to seal the championship for Hopkins. His defense helped force 13 Lakeville North turnovers in the 2nd half. Those turnovers were the catalyst for the game deciding run. Very surprised at his lack of college interest.
Year Wrap
And so it ends, 9 seasons online are now in the books. Its another personal record for total games seen this year with 155 total varsity games. Number of boys games is 5 short due to more boys and girls doubleheaders this season. The final counts are included for your amusement.
Number of Teams I've Seen: 177 (66 courts, 2 new, 2 TV games, 155 varsity games)
Fire Marshal Sightings: 1
Beverage Ticker: 950 ounces (8540 calories) + 9.7 liters (1370 calories)
- Pepsi: 432 ounces (4850 Calories) + 2 liters (840 Calories)
- Diet Pepsi: 20 ounces (0 Calories)
- Coke: 92 ounces (1080 Calories)+ 500 ml (200 Calories)
- Dr Pepper: 60 ounces (750 Calories)
- Mug Root Beer: 40 ounces (520 Calories)
- Sprite: 76 ounces (900 Calories) + 500 ml (200 Calories)
- Water: 6.2 Liters + 200 ounces (0 Calories)
- Gatorade: 500 ml (40 Calories) + 40 oz (160 calories)
- Powerade: 20 oz (130 Calories)
Pizza Ticker: 16
Walking Taco Ticker: 12
Pork Sandwich Ticker: 6
2016 State Tourney Day 1 Thoughts
Day 1 of the 2016 State Tournament has concluded. I attended the Target Center night session. Here are some thoughts from the 2 games I saw plus the rest of the day.
No surprises at Target Center in AA or AAAA. Apple Valley and Hopkins rolled thru their games in the bottom half. Osseo beat Eden Prairie earlier in the year and won again. I wasn't surprised that Lakeville North knocked off Maple Grove. North being there for the 5th straight year and no Tywhon Pickford were part of that reasoning. But also I didn't like the matchup for Maple Grove for who would guard Nate Reuvers and/or Carter Brooks.
That sets up a pair of dynamite Thursday night semifinals with undefeated Osseo taking on Lakeville North. Then its the highly anticipated rematch of Hopkins and Apple Valley. That will be off the charts. Amir Coffey took a nasty spill in their game. Hopefully he's 100% for another mano-a-mano matchup with Gary Trent. No fire marshal required for this one thankfully. Enough seats for all.
In AA at Target Center, St. Croix Lutheran's big 3 went nuts against Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton. Aage Rovney with 6 3s and 22 points in the 1st half as the Crusaders ran away and hid. They roll 86-51 with the big 3 going for 69 points and 18 rebs on 27-37 shooting. Braham did their part in the other game by knocking off Maple River 67-58. Chris Olson with 23 points and 3 3s for Braham. John Larson added 19 points and 12 boards.
That means we get another main gym at the Tipoff Classic rematch. The 1st game was a tale of 2 halves. St. Croix Lutheran looked as awful as they could during the 1st half. Braham opened up a 42-33 halftime lead. Then St. Croix Lutheran turned the tables in the 2nd half with a 28-4 run to get started. They went on to win by 11. But a team that lives and dies by the 3 trying to shoot in the Target Center is a dicey proposition. Especially against a team that has the ability to get easy buckets inside. I like St. Croix Lutheran in that rematch.
Meanwhile over at Williams Arena, the top 3 seeds are thru plus 5 seed Monticello knocks off Chisago Lakes. De La Salle trying to hold down Matt Todd will be very interesting. Red Wing's stifling defense against the great ball movement and shooting of Fergus Falls is a great contrast of styles. Those 2 are the afternoon session at Target Center.
In AA at Williams, it was all about poor shooting. 2 seed Caledonia is out after shooting 9-41 from 3. That's despite getting 28 more shots than Jackson County Central. JCC turned it over 25 times and gave up 21 offensive rebounds. JCC only took 47 shots total. Annandale knocked off Esko 52-40 in the other game. The teams combined to shoot 4-33 from 3. That keeps us from getting the Bodey Behrends (20 and 17 tonight) vs Adam Trapp inside. Also not on the semifinal list Owen King vs Jaxson Turner which would have been a fun guard matchup. Annandale won't wow you but they play a playoff style and the coaching staff has been here.
Finally, Class A tips off their quarterfinals tomorrow. I wonder if anybody goes to a stall against Minneapolis North. The thought of Hopkins vs St. Cloud Tech with Nate Wolters comes to mind if Browerville and North play in round 2 (Star PG Bryce Irsfeld playing the Nate Wolters role for Browerville). Imagine the partisan North crowd (who you know will be out in force) going nuts at Target Center on Friday afternoon if that would happen. Quality television there from that passionate fan base.
No surprises at Target Center in AA or AAAA. Apple Valley and Hopkins rolled thru their games in the bottom half. Osseo beat Eden Prairie earlier in the year and won again. I wasn't surprised that Lakeville North knocked off Maple Grove. North being there for the 5th straight year and no Tywhon Pickford were part of that reasoning. But also I didn't like the matchup for Maple Grove for who would guard Nate Reuvers and/or Carter Brooks.
That sets up a pair of dynamite Thursday night semifinals with undefeated Osseo taking on Lakeville North. Then its the highly anticipated rematch of Hopkins and Apple Valley. That will be off the charts. Amir Coffey took a nasty spill in their game. Hopefully he's 100% for another mano-a-mano matchup with Gary Trent. No fire marshal required for this one thankfully. Enough seats for all.
In AA at Target Center, St. Croix Lutheran's big 3 went nuts against Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton. Aage Rovney with 6 3s and 22 points in the 1st half as the Crusaders ran away and hid. They roll 86-51 with the big 3 going for 69 points and 18 rebs on 27-37 shooting. Braham did their part in the other game by knocking off Maple River 67-58. Chris Olson with 23 points and 3 3s for Braham. John Larson added 19 points and 12 boards.
That means we get another main gym at the Tipoff Classic rematch. The 1st game was a tale of 2 halves. St. Croix Lutheran looked as awful as they could during the 1st half. Braham opened up a 42-33 halftime lead. Then St. Croix Lutheran turned the tables in the 2nd half with a 28-4 run to get started. They went on to win by 11. But a team that lives and dies by the 3 trying to shoot in the Target Center is a dicey proposition. Especially against a team that has the ability to get easy buckets inside. I like St. Croix Lutheran in that rematch.
Meanwhile over at Williams Arena, the top 3 seeds are thru plus 5 seed Monticello knocks off Chisago Lakes. De La Salle trying to hold down Matt Todd will be very interesting. Red Wing's stifling defense against the great ball movement and shooting of Fergus Falls is a great contrast of styles. Those 2 are the afternoon session at Target Center.
In AA at Williams, it was all about poor shooting. 2 seed Caledonia is out after shooting 9-41 from 3. That's despite getting 28 more shots than Jackson County Central. JCC turned it over 25 times and gave up 21 offensive rebounds. JCC only took 47 shots total. Annandale knocked off Esko 52-40 in the other game. The teams combined to shoot 4-33 from 3. That keeps us from getting the Bodey Behrends (20 and 17 tonight) vs Adam Trapp inside. Also not on the semifinal list Owen King vs Jaxson Turner which would have been a fun guard matchup. Annandale won't wow you but they play a playoff style and the coaching staff has been here.
Finally, Class A tips off their quarterfinals tomorrow. I wonder if anybody goes to a stall against Minneapolis North. The thought of Hopkins vs St. Cloud Tech with Nate Wolters comes to mind if Browerville and North play in round 2 (Star PG Bryce Irsfeld playing the Nate Wolters role for Browerville). Imagine the partisan North crowd (who you know will be out in force) going nuts at Target Center on Friday afternoon if that would happen. Quality television there from that passionate fan base.
2016 Mr Basketball Final 5 Commentary
The 5 finalists for the 2016 Mr Basketball award have been announced.
Amir Coffey - Hopkins
Michael Hurt - Rochester John Marshall
Steffon Mitchell - Shakopee
Johnny Beeninga - Wayzata
Brock Bertram - Apple Valley
Czar's Thoughts
The first 3 were obvious and no surprise. Everyone expected those 3 to be there before the season started. Beeninga was the catalyst for a Wayzata team that knocked off Hopkins during the season. Bertram with solid numbers on a loaded Apple Valley squad. He could leave averaging a double double with 3 state titles. Remember the committee likes career accolades. So there's a case to be made for everybody on the list.
Ade Murkey of St. Croix Lutheran was a no brainer choice for me. 22 pts, 10 rebs, 4 ast and 2 steals a game. That was on a team that lost only to Wayzata and by 5 at Minneapolis North. Plus they had wins over state qualifiers De La Salle, Waseca, Braham, St. Clair, Fridley and Maple River. Not to mention wins over Minnehaha (x2), Battle Lake (section finalist) and Waverly-Shell Rock (IA). In those big games Murkey averaged 23.3, 11.5 and 4.6, so he didn't just beat up on the weaker Tri-Metro half of the schedule. Top guy for the top team in AA, getting some D1 interest, played well in the big games and his team is at state. So that's the only player I think who can legitimately complain.
Other guys of interest. Nate Albers of Mounds View who averaged 25 a night and almost willed his team to state. Nick Dufault carried Waseca to state. That Waseca vs Marshall section final game is one of the exciting section finals ever. Tyler Johnson at Minneapolis North with a solid season. But remember Wayzata not only beat North and St. Croix Lutheran but did it handly. Amar Miller with many large individual performances but as a team Minnetonka was just over .500 and arguably were a disappointment. As to other non-metro guys, nobody had the major standout season to force their way on. That would be guys like Cole Dahl from Northern Freeze, Travis Toivonen at Red Wing, Luke Harris at Northfield.
Ultimately though its splitting hairs because the top 3 were always the real 3 contenders for the award. The other 2 spots are just filler. With Hurt and Mitchell done and Coffey still playing, I think it be a major surprise if Coffey doesn't win it.
The full history of the award including semifinalist can be found on my Mr Basketball page.
Amir Coffey - Hopkins
Michael Hurt - Rochester John Marshall
Steffon Mitchell - Shakopee
Johnny Beeninga - Wayzata
Brock Bertram - Apple Valley
Czar's Thoughts
The first 3 were obvious and no surprise. Everyone expected those 3 to be there before the season started. Beeninga was the catalyst for a Wayzata team that knocked off Hopkins during the season. Bertram with solid numbers on a loaded Apple Valley squad. He could leave averaging a double double with 3 state titles. Remember the committee likes career accolades. So there's a case to be made for everybody on the list.
Ade Murkey of St. Croix Lutheran was a no brainer choice for me. 22 pts, 10 rebs, 4 ast and 2 steals a game. That was on a team that lost only to Wayzata and by 5 at Minneapolis North. Plus they had wins over state qualifiers De La Salle, Waseca, Braham, St. Clair, Fridley and Maple River. Not to mention wins over Minnehaha (x2), Battle Lake (section finalist) and Waverly-Shell Rock (IA). In those big games Murkey averaged 23.3, 11.5 and 4.6, so he didn't just beat up on the weaker Tri-Metro half of the schedule. Top guy for the top team in AA, getting some D1 interest, played well in the big games and his team is at state. So that's the only player I think who can legitimately complain.
Other guys of interest. Nate Albers of Mounds View who averaged 25 a night and almost willed his team to state. Nick Dufault carried Waseca to state. That Waseca vs Marshall section final game is one of the exciting section finals ever. Tyler Johnson at Minneapolis North with a solid season. But remember Wayzata not only beat North and St. Croix Lutheran but did it handly. Amar Miller with many large individual performances but as a team Minnetonka was just over .500 and arguably were a disappointment. As to other non-metro guys, nobody had the major standout season to force their way on. That would be guys like Cole Dahl from Northern Freeze, Travis Toivonen at Red Wing, Luke Harris at Northfield.
Ultimately though its splitting hairs because the top 3 were always the real 3 contenders for the award. The other 2 spots are just filler. With Hurt and Mitchell done and Coffey still playing, I think it be a major surprise if Coffey doesn't win it.
The full history of the award including semifinalist can be found on my Mr Basketball page.
Orioles stop the Mustangs Magic
Prologue
From one side of the metro to the other as its the 5AAAA final in Rogers. Undefeated Osseo taking on Mounds View for a chance to go dancing. The usual horrible parking and exit strategy but quality organization including a credit card line for entry fees (no one using it). What's in your wallet? I sent a pal to the concession stand and ended up with cheese pizza and Diet Pepsi (stand was out of Pepsi???). Moral of the Story: Friends don't let friends buy their Pepsi. Excuse me while I hit Dacha de Czar's vending machine for a can of the pure to satisfy the addiction.
Number of Teams I've Seen: 172 (66 courts, 2 new, 2 TV games, 145 varsity games)
Beverage Ticker: 950 ounces (8540 calories) + 9.7 liters (1370 calories)
Pizza Ticker: 16
Walking Taco Ticker: 12
Pork Sandwich Ticker: 6
Game Time:
No Zach Theisen for Osseo as he's still nursing a nasty ankle sprain from the regular season finale 2 weeks ago. Osseo gets off to a great start. Thanks to pressure defense forcing turnovers and 3 early 3s (2 from Damario Armstrong), Orioles jump out to a 15-5 lead just under 5 minutes in. All 5 Osseo starters already with a field goal. Mounds View would hang tough with a 10-3 run. Nate Albers with a nice split of defenders for 2, Zeke Thompson 2 drives for hoops and a Albers putback to finish the run. 24-19 Osseo with 6 minutes left in the half. Mounds View still struggling with the pressure and the lead grows to 30-19. Osseo goes 3-12 from the charity stripe. Mounds View turns it over 13 times. Osseo leads 34-27 at the break but it felt like it should have been much worse.
John Bezdicek for 3 and Kyle Williams with 2 free throws to push the lead to 13. Kameron Bettie 3 putback chances before he makes 2 free throws. That's Zeke Thompson's 4th foul with 11:30 left. Bettie with 2 more and the lead is up to 54-39 with 10:40 left. Albers take over the Mounds View offense. 2 free throws, a hoop and a bomb and 2 more freebies for 9 straight Mustangs points. Osseo lead down to 58-50 with 7 left. Then its Albers overplayed and the nice backcut to earn 2 more free throws. 60-54 Osseo with 5 minutes left as Mounds View chips away. They get the ball back but throw it away for an Armstrong layup to lose momentum. Cole Jurek with another 3 off the Mustangs bench and its down to 5 with 4 minutes left. Osseo makes 2 free throws and then its a backbreaking 3 point play from Matt Bezdicek with 3:21 left. Mounds View misses 2 free throws on the other end. Allan Anderson makes 3 of 4 free throws and the lead is back to double figures. 70-57 Osseo with 2:47 left. Albers makes a couple more 3s but Osseo is out of danger. Osseo wins 76-65.
Post Game:
Nate Albers ends his career with 31 points, 21 in the 2nd half. His toughness and work ethic and basketball smarts were major reasons why this team won 22 games. Zeke Thompson held to 8. Nick McMillan with 10. Cole Jurek with 2 3s and 8 points off the bench. Turnovers and inability to find other offense were the factors.
Osseo remains undefeated at 29-0. The eye test might say they're the 3 seed but hard to argue against them for the 1 seed. Damario Armstrong leads the Orioles with 21 points. Plus he had the task of holding down Zeke Thompson. Kameron Bettie 15, Allan Anderson 13. Osseo shoots 21-31 from the foul line in the 2nd half after 3-12 in the 1st half. Their defensive pressure and ability to switch most screens really took Mounds View out of any offense. 2 guys would come together for a backcut, they communicated the switch and still took offense away, great team defense. Kyle Williams quality minutes off the bench.
From one side of the metro to the other as its the 5AAAA final in Rogers. Undefeated Osseo taking on Mounds View for a chance to go dancing. The usual horrible parking and exit strategy but quality organization including a credit card line for entry fees (no one using it). What's in your wallet? I sent a pal to the concession stand and ended up with cheese pizza and Diet Pepsi (stand was out of Pepsi???). Moral of the Story: Friends don't let friends buy their Pepsi. Excuse me while I hit Dacha de Czar's vending machine for a can of the pure to satisfy the addiction.
Number of Teams I've Seen: 172 (66 courts, 2 new, 2 TV games, 145 varsity games)
Beverage Ticker: 950 ounces (8540 calories) + 9.7 liters (1370 calories)
- Pepsi: 432 ounces (4850 Calories) + 2 liters (840 Calories)
- Diet Pepsi: 20 ounces (0 Calories)
- Coke: 92 ounces (1080 Calories)+ 500 ml (200 Calories)
- Dr Pepper: 60 ounces (750 Calories)
- Mug Root Beer: 40 ounces (520 Calories)
- Sprite: 76 ounces (900 Calories) + 500 ml (200 Calories)
- Water: 6.2 Liters + 200 ounces (0 Calories)
- Gatorade: 500 ml (40 Calories) + 40 oz (160 calories)
- Powerade: 20 oz (130 Calories)
Pizza Ticker: 16
Walking Taco Ticker: 12
Pork Sandwich Ticker: 6
Game Time:
No Zach Theisen for Osseo as he's still nursing a nasty ankle sprain from the regular season finale 2 weeks ago. Osseo gets off to a great start. Thanks to pressure defense forcing turnovers and 3 early 3s (2 from Damario Armstrong), Orioles jump out to a 15-5 lead just under 5 minutes in. All 5 Osseo starters already with a field goal. Mounds View would hang tough with a 10-3 run. Nate Albers with a nice split of defenders for 2, Zeke Thompson 2 drives for hoops and a Albers putback to finish the run. 24-19 Osseo with 6 minutes left in the half. Mounds View still struggling with the pressure and the lead grows to 30-19. Osseo goes 3-12 from the charity stripe. Mounds View turns it over 13 times. Osseo leads 34-27 at the break but it felt like it should have been much worse.
John Bezdicek for 3 and Kyle Williams with 2 free throws to push the lead to 13. Kameron Bettie 3 putback chances before he makes 2 free throws. That's Zeke Thompson's 4th foul with 11:30 left. Bettie with 2 more and the lead is up to 54-39 with 10:40 left. Albers take over the Mounds View offense. 2 free throws, a hoop and a bomb and 2 more freebies for 9 straight Mustangs points. Osseo lead down to 58-50 with 7 left. Then its Albers overplayed and the nice backcut to earn 2 more free throws. 60-54 Osseo with 5 minutes left as Mounds View chips away. They get the ball back but throw it away for an Armstrong layup to lose momentum. Cole Jurek with another 3 off the Mustangs bench and its down to 5 with 4 minutes left. Osseo makes 2 free throws and then its a backbreaking 3 point play from Matt Bezdicek with 3:21 left. Mounds View misses 2 free throws on the other end. Allan Anderson makes 3 of 4 free throws and the lead is back to double figures. 70-57 Osseo with 2:47 left. Albers makes a couple more 3s but Osseo is out of danger. Osseo wins 76-65.
Post Game:
Nate Albers ends his career with 31 points, 21 in the 2nd half. His toughness and work ethic and basketball smarts were major reasons why this team won 22 games. Zeke Thompson held to 8. Nick McMillan with 10. Cole Jurek with 2 3s and 8 points off the bench. Turnovers and inability to find other offense were the factors.
Osseo remains undefeated at 29-0. The eye test might say they're the 3 seed but hard to argue against them for the 1 seed. Damario Armstrong leads the Orioles with 21 points. Plus he had the task of holding down Zeke Thompson. Kameron Bettie 15, Allan Anderson 13. Osseo shoots 21-31 from the foul line in the 2nd half after 3-12 in the 1st half. Their defensive pressure and ability to switch most screens really took Mounds View out of any offense. 2 guys would come together for a backcut, they communicated the switch and still took offense away, great team defense. Kyle Williams quality minutes off the bench.
Polars shock the world
Prologue
To East Ridge for the 4AAAA between Tartan and district rival North St. Paul in a rubber match. The lobby already packed with fans at 5:30 for the 7 PM tip. It did taper off just before game time but we did end up with a full house. Both bands seated in folding chairs on the end line to save bleacher space, very smart. JMOA is on duty for this one along with Ricky Spencer. Not worth fighting the crowd for concessions. Its a full house and a state trip on the line, so let's get to it.
Number of Teams I've Seen: 172 (66 courts, 2 new, 2 TV games, 144 varsity games)
Beverage Ticker: 930 ounces (8540 calories) + 9.7 liters (1370 calories)
Pizza Ticker: 15
Walking Taco Ticker: 12
Pork Sandwich Ticker: 6
Game Time:
10-7 Tartan early before N St.Paul gets it going. Goodnews Kpegeol with a 3 point play and a 3. Soph guard Bryce Phillips scores off a turnover to end the 10-2 run. 17-12 NSP at 8:20. Joevon Walker playing big inside with a pair of hoops and a nice pass to Elijah Johnson who hammers it home. 20-18 NSP at 5:47 as they take a timeout to regroup. Jordan Horn with a 4 point play as Tartan comes from 6 down to tie at 26. Walker with a 3 point play and a Horn 3 sandwich a Goodnews triple. Kpegoel misses 2 free throws but the 2nd miss is tipped in his own basket by Jarvis Thomas as the halftime buzzer sounds. 34-32 North St. Paul at the break.
Horn hits a 3 and puts back his own miss for a 3 point play. Its a 10-3 Tartan run to start the half for a 42-37 lead with 14:30 left. Termaine Daniels for 3 to cut it to 2 but its Horn taking over with a 3, a drive and another bomb. 52-44 Tartan with 10 minutes left and NSP appears to be in trouble. But Tartan starts taking bad shots and NSP capitalizes. Goodnews for 3, Phillips for 3, a drive and he runs out for a 3 point play with 6:15 left. NSP takes the lead 57-54 after the 13-2 run in under 4 minutes.
Daniels and Kpegeol both with clutch bonus free throws. 63-57 NSP to 3:20 left but Horn counters with another bomb. NSP turns it over with 1:44 left and Jordan Thompson scores it for Tartan. Out of a timeout its Adreon Wadlington with a strong drive for 2. Jarvis Thomas called for a travel in the post and its Goodnews for North St. Paul with 51 seconds left to push the lead to 5. Horn hits a 3 with 19.8 seconds left to cut the margin to 3. NSP turns it over and Tartan has a chance. They miss a 3 and then at least 2 offensive rebound chances. Daniels makes 2 free throws with 13 seconds left to seal it. North St. Paul advances to state with the 70-65 win.
Post Game:
Jordan Horn leads Tartan with 31 points via 7 triples. He had 20 of those points in the 2nd half as he carried the offense. Joevon Walker with 14 of his 16 points in the 1st half but in an interesting twist he didn't play much in the 2nd half. He was their only other offense as no one else had more than 5 points. Shot selection a major issue for Tartan. Jarvis Thomas with an off night of only 5 points. The Titans finish the season 24-5 and co-champs of the Metro East with North St. Paul. For as poorly as they played, this one will sting for the offseason. Expectations will be very high for this group next season as almost everybody returns.
Goodnews Kpegeol leads North St. Paul with 23 points. He came up with clutch plays all night. Termaine Daniels with 12. Bryce Phillips with 12 off the bench in high quality minutes. Adreon Wadlington with 11. Give North St. Paul all the credit. They played better and made more big plays and totally deserved to win. Great job mixing defenses in the 1st half to keep the Titans off balance. Then a smaller lineup in the 2nd half (mainly with Phillips) came up huge. North St. Paul likely looking at no seed at state which means 1 of Hopkins, Apple Valley and possibly Osseo in the quarters. If Osseo wins state seeds are pretty well set. Hopkins, Apple Valley, Osseo as the top 3 with Maple Grove 4 and the winner of Lakeville North and Rochester John Marshall at 5. Pick your order for the top 3. I say Osseo 1 and Apple Valley 3. Yes that sounds horrible to have AV at 3 but For me, Osseo has to be rewarded for being undefeated and doing it in the toughest conference around (and they played in the tougher half). Hopkins gets 2 based on head to head. Now if Osseo loses, then that means that 1 of Mounds View, N St. Paul, Blaine or the Eden Prairie/Edina winner will get the 5 seed. I would vote for random draw the bottom 4 instead of the bottom 3 in that case.
To East Ridge for the 4AAAA between Tartan and district rival North St. Paul in a rubber match. The lobby already packed with fans at 5:30 for the 7 PM tip. It did taper off just before game time but we did end up with a full house. Both bands seated in folding chairs on the end line to save bleacher space, very smart. JMOA is on duty for this one along with Ricky Spencer. Not worth fighting the crowd for concessions. Its a full house and a state trip on the line, so let's get to it.
Number of Teams I've Seen: 172 (66 courts, 2 new, 2 TV games, 144 varsity games)
Beverage Ticker: 930 ounces (8540 calories) + 9.7 liters (1370 calories)
- Pepsi: 432 ounces (4850 Calories) + 2 liters (840 Calories)
- Coke: 92 ounces (1080 Calories)+ 500 ml (200 Calories)
- Dr Pepper: 60 ounces (750 Calories)
- Mug Root Beer: 40 ounces (520 Calories)
- Sprite: 76 ounces (900 Calories) + 500 ml (200 Calories)
- Water: 6.2 Liters + 200 ounces (0 Calories)
- Gatorade: 500 ml (40 Calories) + 40 oz (160 calories)
- Powerade: 20 oz (130 Calories)
Pizza Ticker: 15
Walking Taco Ticker: 12
Pork Sandwich Ticker: 6
Game Time:
10-7 Tartan early before N St.Paul gets it going. Goodnews Kpegeol with a 3 point play and a 3. Soph guard Bryce Phillips scores off a turnover to end the 10-2 run. 17-12 NSP at 8:20. Joevon Walker playing big inside with a pair of hoops and a nice pass to Elijah Johnson who hammers it home. 20-18 NSP at 5:47 as they take a timeout to regroup. Jordan Horn with a 4 point play as Tartan comes from 6 down to tie at 26. Walker with a 3 point play and a Horn 3 sandwich a Goodnews triple. Kpegoel misses 2 free throws but the 2nd miss is tipped in his own basket by Jarvis Thomas as the halftime buzzer sounds. 34-32 North St. Paul at the break.
Horn hits a 3 and puts back his own miss for a 3 point play. Its a 10-3 Tartan run to start the half for a 42-37 lead with 14:30 left. Termaine Daniels for 3 to cut it to 2 but its Horn taking over with a 3, a drive and another bomb. 52-44 Tartan with 10 minutes left and NSP appears to be in trouble. But Tartan starts taking bad shots and NSP capitalizes. Goodnews for 3, Phillips for 3, a drive and he runs out for a 3 point play with 6:15 left. NSP takes the lead 57-54 after the 13-2 run in under 4 minutes.
Daniels and Kpegeol both with clutch bonus free throws. 63-57 NSP to 3:20 left but Horn counters with another bomb. NSP turns it over with 1:44 left and Jordan Thompson scores it for Tartan. Out of a timeout its Adreon Wadlington with a strong drive for 2. Jarvis Thomas called for a travel in the post and its Goodnews for North St. Paul with 51 seconds left to push the lead to 5. Horn hits a 3 with 19.8 seconds left to cut the margin to 3. NSP turns it over and Tartan has a chance. They miss a 3 and then at least 2 offensive rebound chances. Daniels makes 2 free throws with 13 seconds left to seal it. North St. Paul advances to state with the 70-65 win.
Post Game:
Jordan Horn leads Tartan with 31 points via 7 triples. He had 20 of those points in the 2nd half as he carried the offense. Joevon Walker with 14 of his 16 points in the 1st half but in an interesting twist he didn't play much in the 2nd half. He was their only other offense as no one else had more than 5 points. Shot selection a major issue for Tartan. Jarvis Thomas with an off night of only 5 points. The Titans finish the season 24-5 and co-champs of the Metro East with North St. Paul. For as poorly as they played, this one will sting for the offseason. Expectations will be very high for this group next season as almost everybody returns.
Goodnews Kpegeol leads North St. Paul with 23 points. He came up with clutch plays all night. Termaine Daniels with 12. Bryce Phillips with 12 off the bench in high quality minutes. Adreon Wadlington with 11. Give North St. Paul all the credit. They played better and made more big plays and totally deserved to win. Great job mixing defenses in the 1st half to keep the Titans off balance. Then a smaller lineup in the 2nd half (mainly with Phillips) came up huge. North St. Paul likely looking at no seed at state which means 1 of Hopkins, Apple Valley and possibly Osseo in the quarters. If Osseo wins state seeds are pretty well set. Hopkins, Apple Valley, Osseo as the top 3 with Maple Grove 4 and the winner of Lakeville North and Rochester John Marshall at 5. Pick your order for the top 3. I say Osseo 1 and Apple Valley 3. Yes that sounds horrible to have AV at 3 but For me, Osseo has to be rewarded for being undefeated and doing it in the toughest conference around (and they played in the tougher half). Hopkins gets 2 based on head to head. Now if Osseo loses, then that means that 1 of Mounds View, N St. Paul, Blaine or the Eden Prairie/Edina winner will get the 5 seed. I would vote for random draw the bottom 4 instead of the bottom 3 in that case.
2016 4AA Semifinals
Prologue
To St. PaulArlington Washington for the 4AA semifinals. 2 of the top teams in AA represented along with a couple of dangerous programs in Roosevelt and New Life. Very disappointing crowd turnout for both games. Its Sprite from the concession stand and McDonald's afterwards.
Number of Teams I've Seen: 172 (65 courts, 2 new, 2 TV games, 143 varsity games)
Beverage Ticker: 930 ounces (8540 calories) + 9.7 liters (1370 calories)
Pizza Ticker: 15
Walking Taco Ticker: 12
Pork Sandwich Ticker: 6
Game 1: Minnehaha vs Minneapolis Roosevelt
Tight game early on at 11 with Elijah Hannah carrying the Roosevelt offense. Minnehaha then goes on an 11-2 run with 2 JaVonni Bickham putbacks and a pair of 3s from their bench. Roosevelt cuts it to 5 with a Martez Rodgers 3 but a 9-1 Minnehaha run pushes the lead to 36-25 at the break. Bickham with a 3 after a 2nd Kaden Johnson 3 to push the lead to 13. Bickham putback and steal for 2. 53-38 Minnehaha with 9:40 left. TaRay Graves with a drive for 2 and a triple to cut the margin to 9 with 7:10 left. Bickham again inside followed by Jalen Suggs to Jose Williamson for a 3 point play. Roosevelt never gets closer than 9. Minnehaha wins 75-59. JaVonni Bickham with a huge night of 23 points and 21 rebounds. That included a pair of 3s as well, 1 of those with about 4 minutes to go to kill Teddies momentum. Jalen Suggs an off night of 13 points but a much better 2nd half than 1st. His supreme confidence is a great asset but it also negatively impacts his shot selection. Elijah Hannah leads Roosevelt with 22.
Game 2: St. Croix Lutheran vs New Life Academy
New Life lost to St. Croix Lutheran 65-39 in the season opener for both teams so the season comes full circle for one of them tonight. Trenton Krueger with a block that leads to an Ade Murkey layup to start the scoring. After a New Life bucket, its 10 in a row from the Crusaders with Murkey hitting a 3 and dunking off a turnover. 12-2 St. Croix Lutheran at 13:41. Krueger sits with his 2nd foul at 6:14 and New Life hanging around down 14. Its 30-17 Crusaders with 4:30 left in the half. Then Aage Rovney knocks down 4 3s in the last 3 minutes including 1 just before the halftime buzzer. 49-23 St. Croix Lutheran and the rout is on. New Life keeps it in the 25 range for most of the half but the outcome is never in doubt. St. Croix Lutheran wins 81-52. Aage Rovney 27 points with 5 3s. Ade Murkey 22 points and 12 rebounds with the Mr Basketball crew taking a look (to me, he's a no brainer final 5 selection). Trenton Krueger 16 points. Ebenezer Ketema with 3 3s and 13 points to lead New Life. New Life with no answer for the simple right wing pick and roll with Rovney and Krueger (via Euro ball screen offense). Rovney with a bunch of jumpers off of that and a couple of drives for fouls. Left wing though, not so much as that was going to his weak hand. We'll see how well scouted that is.
That sets up an epic rematch for the section title. These teams played back at the beginning of December (read about it here). St. Croix Lutheran broke open a halftime tie to take a 21 point lead. But Minnehaha roared back to cut the margin to 3 late. St. Croix Lutheran pulled away at the charity stripe to win 96-83. Minnehaha will want to force turnovers in that game. Aage Rovney handling the ball vs pressure and providing perimeter scoring is my key to watch.
To St. Paul
Number of Teams I've Seen: 172 (65 courts, 2 new, 2 TV games, 143 varsity games)
Beverage Ticker: 930 ounces (8540 calories) + 9.7 liters (1370 calories)
- Pepsi: 432 ounces (4850 Calories) + 2 liters (840 Calories)
- Coke: 92 ounces (1080 Calories)+ 500 ml (200 Calories)
- Dr Pepper: 60 ounces (750 Calories)
- Mug Root Beer: 40 ounces (520 Calories)
- Sprite: 76 ounces (900 Calories) + 500 ml (200 Calories)
- Water: 6.2 Liters + 200 ounces (0 Calories)
- Gatorade: 500 ml (40 Calories) + 40 oz (160 calories)
- Powerade: 20 oz (130 Calories)
Pizza Ticker: 15
Walking Taco Ticker: 12
Pork Sandwich Ticker: 6
Game 1: Minnehaha vs Minneapolis Roosevelt
Tight game early on at 11 with Elijah Hannah carrying the Roosevelt offense. Minnehaha then goes on an 11-2 run with 2 JaVonni Bickham putbacks and a pair of 3s from their bench. Roosevelt cuts it to 5 with a Martez Rodgers 3 but a 9-1 Minnehaha run pushes the lead to 36-25 at the break. Bickham with a 3 after a 2nd Kaden Johnson 3 to push the lead to 13. Bickham putback and steal for 2. 53-38 Minnehaha with 9:40 left. TaRay Graves with a drive for 2 and a triple to cut the margin to 9 with 7:10 left. Bickham again inside followed by Jalen Suggs to Jose Williamson for a 3 point play. Roosevelt never gets closer than 9. Minnehaha wins 75-59. JaVonni Bickham with a huge night of 23 points and 21 rebounds. That included a pair of 3s as well, 1 of those with about 4 minutes to go to kill Teddies momentum. Jalen Suggs an off night of 13 points but a much better 2nd half than 1st. His supreme confidence is a great asset but it also negatively impacts his shot selection. Elijah Hannah leads Roosevelt with 22.
Game 2: St. Croix Lutheran vs New Life Academy
New Life lost to St. Croix Lutheran 65-39 in the season opener for both teams so the season comes full circle for one of them tonight. Trenton Krueger with a block that leads to an Ade Murkey layup to start the scoring. After a New Life bucket, its 10 in a row from the Crusaders with Murkey hitting a 3 and dunking off a turnover. 12-2 St. Croix Lutheran at 13:41. Krueger sits with his 2nd foul at 6:14 and New Life hanging around down 14. Its 30-17 Crusaders with 4:30 left in the half. Then Aage Rovney knocks down 4 3s in the last 3 minutes including 1 just before the halftime buzzer. 49-23 St. Croix Lutheran and the rout is on. New Life keeps it in the 25 range for most of the half but the outcome is never in doubt. St. Croix Lutheran wins 81-52. Aage Rovney 27 points with 5 3s. Ade Murkey 22 points and 12 rebounds with the Mr Basketball crew taking a look (to me, he's a no brainer final 5 selection). Trenton Krueger 16 points. Ebenezer Ketema with 3 3s and 13 points to lead New Life. New Life with no answer for the simple right wing pick and roll with Rovney and Krueger (via Euro ball screen offense). Rovney with a bunch of jumpers off of that and a couple of drives for fouls. Left wing though, not so much as that was going to his weak hand. We'll see how well scouted that is.
That sets up an epic rematch for the section title. These teams played back at the beginning of December (read about it here). St. Croix Lutheran broke open a halftime tie to take a 21 point lead. But Minnehaha roared back to cut the margin to 3 late. St. Croix Lutheran pulled away at the charity stripe to win 96-83. Minnehaha will want to force turnovers in that game. Aage Rovney handling the ball vs pressure and providing perimeter scoring is my key to watch.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)