2017 Granite City Day 2

Day 2 of the Granite City Classic took place at St. Cloud State.  A frigid Saturday had many trying to park as close as possible to the entrances.  MOVE YOUR CARS!  8 total games on the day, I'll give some sights and sounds from the 5 games involving metro teams.

Game 2: #6AAA Delano 65 Lakeville South 42
Delano known for playing fast but coach Techum insisted on his guys spreading the floor and slowing the pace.  What a game plan it was as the Tigers totally took Lakeville South apart.  Calvin Wishart was fantastic from his guard spot.  Keegan O'Neill had a layup fest with dump offs from the guards creating in the spread floor.  Didn't matter if it was man or the South 1-3-1.  Delano would open an 11 point lead mid first half and keep it to halftime.  Then a 13-0 2nd half run with 3 easy O'Neill buckets opens the lead to 19.  No danger from there.  Calvin Wishart 29 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals on my sheet.  Keegan O'Neill with 25, mostly layups.  Cooper Jackson leads Lakeville South with 10.  Off day for Shae Mitchell who finished with 8 on 3-10 FGs for the Cougars.

Game 4: #5AAAA Park Center 70 #10AAAA Woodbury 57
Woodbury would get off to a cold start shooting but still hold a 18-16 lead at the 6:25 mark. Dain Dainja asserting himself in the post with solid contribution from Tommy Chatman.  But Park Center would go on a 11-0 run late in the 1st half to take the lead.  Lavonte Parker dunks a turnover and hits a 3.  Khari Broadway adds 2 hoops to end the run.  Pirates by 6 at half.

Jarius Cook with 2 triples and a free throw as the Pirates grow the lead to 11.  DJ Fleming turning it up for Woodbury in the 2nd half.  His 3 point play cuts it to 10.  Then he adds a drive, triple and bonus freebies to end a 10-0 run.  That pulls Woodbury within 2 with 7 minutes left.  Broadway with a big triple and a bucket to keep the lead at 4.  Then a Dainja bucket and he blocks Jones on the other end.  Cook turns that into a dunk and the lead is 9 inside 2 minutes left.  Free throws and run outs from there.  Dain Dainja leads Park Center with 22 points.  Woodbury had no answer for him inside.  I was very surprised they didn't double more him on catches or front him in their zone where you automatically have backside help.  Tommy Chatman adds 15, Jarius Cook 11.  DJ Fleming with 24 points to lead Woodbury.  Michael Jones held to 17.

Game 6: #1AA Minnehaha 53 #5AAA Orono 50
Tight 1st half but Orono would assert itself at the end of the half.  Jarvis Omersa post hoop and 2 free throws for the lead.  Griffen Sage with a triple and 2 free throws to extend the Orono lead to 6 at the half.  Omersa scores again in the post to start the 2nd half but was very passive in the post the rest of the way despite his ability to just jump over JaVonni Bickham for good looks at anytime.  Minnehaha then goes on a 13-0 run.  Jalen Suggs with 2 steals for 4 free throws to flip the scoreboard.  Suggs then sits with his 4th foul with 7:47 left.  Redhawks up 38-36 at that point.

Omersa with a triple and huge block that leads to a tough Colton Codute 2. That ties the game at 43 inside 5 minutes left and gets Suggs back in the game.  Omersa adds 2 free throws for the Orono lead.  But after being cold all day from 3 vs the Orono 2-3, the Redhawks shooting finally comes to life.  Bickham from the high post to Lockett in the right corner for 3 and a Kaden Johnson 3.  But a Minnehaha turnover leads to a Blake O'Connor hoop and we're tied at 49 with 2 minutes left.  Lockett with another 3 for the lead with 1:15 left.  Omersa makes 1 free throw, then 3 straight possessions of turnovers (2 Minnehaha with Orono inbetween).  That gives Orono the ball back down 2 with 18.9 left.  Omersa misses an open 3, Suggs makes 1 free throw.  Orono has 1 last chance down 3 with 7.9 left but Codute's 3 is blocked and Minnehaha hangs on.  Terry Lockett leads Minnehaha with 3 triples and 14 points.  JaVonni Bickham 12 points.  Jalen Suggs 8 points all free throws in another struggle for him.  Jarvis Omersa 20 points, 14 rebounds to lead Orono.  Griffen Sage with 11, Colton Codute with 10.  The Orono 2-3 zone held Minnehaha to 2 3s before the Redhawks hit 3 big ones in the last 4 minutes.

Game 7: Champlin Park 80 St. Cloud Tech 60
After seeing Tech without guys vs Lakeville North, I expect much better from the Tigers here.  That didn't happen.  Kelvin Tappa off the Rebels bench with 2 late 1st half 3s as Champlin Park opened up a 15 point halftime lead.  That quickly grew to 26 with a couple of Josiah Strong layups and 5 points from Kato Seley.  Brevyn Spann-Ford was a force as expected with 24 points and 10 rebounds.  But nobody else in double figures for the Tigers.  Josiah Strong with 28 points and 6 3s.  Bennett Otto with 10 of his 12 in the 1st half.

Game 8: #1AAAA Cretin-Derham Hall 80 #6AAAA Apple Valley 69
So much for the top spot in the class AAAA poll being dangerous.  2 big stories in this one.  First was the size of CDH.  No answer for size, length and athleticism of Daniel Oturu and Sy Chatman.  Oturu made his presence felt immediately with big blocks.  That kept Apple Valley from attacking the rim.  Plus his offense along with Chatman inside had the Apple Valley bigs in foul trouble and frustrated all night. The role guys for CDH game up big too.  Jacob Prince with 2 triples and a bucket in a 13-3 Raiders run.  That gave CDH a 13 point halftime lead.

The 2nd half was the 2nd big story, the shooting of Jaeden King. He drains 3 triples in the 1st 3:35 of the half and the lead grows to 18.  Apple Valley would keep it interesting.  Tre Jones a drive and converts a turnover.  Oturu and Chatman with free throws and a King jumper to keep the lead at 19.  A Zach Korba triple and 2 Spencer Rolland bunnies cut the lead to 12.  But its King from deep again and an Oturu putback to answer.  Nathan Macho 2 free throws off a turnover and he gets a steal that results in a Tre Jones 3 point play to cut it to 14.  Zach Korba with another triple and 2 to cut it to 11 with 2:45 left.  King slams the door with another 3, 2 free throws and a bucket.  Jaeden King with 6 3s and 26 points (19 in 2nd half) to lead all scorers.  Fantastic night for the junior wing.  Daniel Oturu 15 points 12 rebounds and 5 blocks patrolling the paint.  Sy Chatman 14 points 9 rebounds.  CDH gets no points from the bench but all 5 starters were in double figures and made critical plays.  A game like this with 11 3s and that inside play will make them very difficult to beat.  Tre Jones leads Apple Valley with 20 points, 10 boards and 8 assists.  Zach Korba 4 3s and 14 points all in the 2nd half to keep Apple Valley within striking distance.  Apple Valley 8-30 from the 3 point line.