Raiding the Lineup

Prologue
To Cretin-Derham Hall for a showdown between the Raiders and #8AAAA Eden Prairie.  Both lineups without a couple of key pieces (more later).  A weird night all around.  First, I pass on the best hot dog around and decide to go with the pizza meal deal (more Lays chips for the counter) instead.  That was my remorse for passing on the pizza at Cooper on Tuesday.  I end up with Coke for the drink (wanted Gatorade) and I had to enjoy it with Ryan James, YUCK!  For those who follow us on twitter, you'll know our Pepsi (me) vs Coke (RJ) rivalry boiled over during the super bowl.  Also, no Suel Forrester on the microphone tonight which was quite unfortunate.  Always a unique experience listening to him.  Quality music is a regular item though so we pick this classic from a timeout.

Song of the Day: Toto - Africa

Number of Teams I've Seen: 151 (118 games, 48 buildings, 19 online)

Beverage Ticker: 863.2 ounces (9520 calories)

• A&W Root Beer: 12 ounces (170 calories)
• Barq's Root Beer: 12 ounces (160 calories)
• Coke: 149.8 ounces (1780 calories)
• Dr. Pepper: 44 ounces (550 calories)
• Fruit Punch Gatorade: 205.8 ounces (1440 calories) 
• Mug Root Beer: 12 ounces (170 calories)
• Pepsi: 310.7 ounces (3880 calories)
• Sprite: 116.9 ounces (1370 calories) 

Food Ticker:

• Hot Dogs: 25
• Pizza: 9
• Walking Tacos: 3
• Extras
• French Onion Sun Chips (210 calories)
• 6 Lays Chips (900 calories)
• 1 Ruffles Sour Cream and Cheddar chips (230 calories)
• 2 Kit Kat (420 calories)
• 4 Snickers (1000 calories)

Game Time:
John Henry and Austin Andrews out of the Eden Prairie lineup.  No Karsten Broadley for CDH.  Great start for EP.  Ariel Bland with a dunk and blocked shot that are followed by back to back Drake Dobbs triples.  Bland with another dunk to close the 14-3 run.  21-9 Eagles at the 11 minute mark. Dobbs already with 10.  Tre Holloman brings CDH back with a triple and leaks out for a layup.  He adds a steal for another bucket and a pair of 3s.  The last is banked in on a stepback.  The CDH run is 17-2 over 5 plus minutes.  CDH 31-26 at the 5 minute mark.  Josiah Remus-Ford deep off the CDH bench with a couple of late 3s to keep CDH up at the break 41-37.

Jaeden King was on the floor after the halftime buzzer.  After a couple minutes of evaluation, he's off to the locker room.  He starts the second half but just 40 seconds into the 2nd half, he's down again and not going anywhere.  After a long delay, he's taken off in a wheelchair.  I send my well wishes for a quick recovery.

Connor Christensen with 2 buckets, then a putback and knocking down a 3 on an extra pass for early EP offense.  Curtis Jones picking up for King's absence with a triple, 2 freebies and a putback of his own.  53-49 EP at 11:15.  Miles Frisch, the main replacement for Austin Andrews, with a triple and the Eagles lead is 58-51 with 10:30 left.  CDH counters with a 12-0 run.  Holloman 3 free throws and a turnover conversion in the run. Will Burke with a pretty fake handoff for a bucket on an old Bill McKee set that CDH has run forever.  Frisch breaks the run with a textbook corner 3 on a baseline drift.  Bland crashes the offensive board for 2 free throws.  63 all with 3:03 left.  He'll add 1 more FT for the lead with 2:23 left.

Amari Carter with a 3 point play and CDH with 4 of 4 free throws to go up 6 with 49 seconds left.  Bland misses 2 chances to cut the lead but CDH misses 2 free throws and Dobbs makes it a 1 possession game with 20.8 left.  CDH 1 free throw and Dobbs quickly attacking the other way.  He's fouled and makes the 1st of 2.  The second is no good and EP has it.  It goes inside to Christensen all alone but he knows the lead is 3.  So he kicks opposite to Brendan Donohue (John Henry's replacement) wide open on the left wing.  He buries the triple for his only hoop of the night.  That ties the game at 71 and we'll go to overtime (after already seeing OT in the sophomore game)

In the overtime, Tre Holloman with a slick assist to Will Burke for a layup.  Holloman adds 4 FTs for a 3 point CDH lead with 1:17 left.  EP trying to rally down 6, then a tough illegal screen call against them.  Coach Flom not at all happy with that call and later both coaches chirp at each other for double technicals.  No free throws for those but the rest is free throws for fouls.  CDH goes on to win 86-78 in OT.

Post Game:
For Eden Prairie, Drake Dobbs leads the way with 26 points.  Ariel Bland and Connor Christensen each add 17.  Like what both of them did in the game.  Christensen always gets a tough task on the defensive end.  Bland was very active inside and productive.  Offense hard to come by for the rest of the depleted roster as they only had 18 points.  The Eagles fall to 13-8 overall and have now lost 3 straight.  Tough back to back as Cambridge-Isanti visits tomorrow.  They also have 3 conference games and a visit from Minneapolis North remaining.  Eden Prairie now looking at the 3 seed thanks to a head to head loss to Shakopee.  Plus a game left with Edina who's lurking not too far behind.  But The Eagles do hope to be fully healthy next week.

For Cretin-Derham Hall, Curtis Jones finishes with 27 points including 12-13 from the charity stripe.  Tre Holloman was top notch with 24 points and many assists.  15 of his points in the 1st half and then 7 of 8 free throws after the half.  Will Burke with a workman like outing of 13 points.  The Raiders have now won 8 straight and 13 of 14 since just before Christmas.  They visit #1AAA De La Salle in a boys/girls doubleheader on Saturday night with the Christian Brothers Trophy on the line.  Then a big Suburban East matchup a week later as East Ridge visits.  CDH currently tied with White Bear Lake for 2nd place in the league with the 2nd seed in loaded 4AAAA also on the line.  A loss in that East Ridge game and Tartan running the table could knock the Raiders down to a 4 vs 5 home rematch with North St. Paul in the 1st round.  Granted the Suburban East coaches have ganged up on the Metro East in voting for a long time.