Flying over Section 6AAA

Its February and that means its time to start thinking about section play.  This week opens for me with a trio of teams from the section.  They're all in different leagues so that always makes seeding a challenge.  Hence the eye test.  We open Monday at Henry with the Patriots taking on Mound-Westonka.  Then Tuesday its off to Benilde-St. Margaret's for Metro West game with one of the league leaders Chaska.

Monday: Mound-Westonka 61 Minneapolis Henry 54
The extra large all beef hot dog is a nice treat.  Big implications here for Mound-Westonka.  With their AA conference schedule, games like this almost must win events for them to get any traction come seeding time.  Henry would open up a 12-7 lead, see that flip back to Mound and then retake the lead 18-15 at the 6 minute mark.  The White Hawks counter with a 13-4 run to end the half.  Soph guard Jason Spaeth off the bench with 6 points in that run. Mound-Westonka goes to the half up 28-22.

Henry with a quickness edge off the dribble and they tried to put it to use in the 2nd half.  Quamar Gresham 1 bucket and then a 3 point play off the pick and roll.  Spaeth counters that with a free throw and a triple.  Jamal Gardner off the bounce to cut it to 3 before Spaeth goes for 2 more hoops around 2 Gresham free throws.  PG Santi Phommahaxay with bonus free throws and a drive for 2 more.  7-0 Mound-Westonka run and the lead is 56-45 with just under 3 minutes left.

Henry tries to rally.  A missed front end and 2 turnovers by the White Hawks trigger a 9-1 run.  Jamar Gardner with 2 free throws and a bucket in that run.  That cuts the lead to 3 with 59.7 seconds left.  But Henry doesn't score the rest of the way and 4 free throws close the door.  Soph guard Jason Spaeth with 18 points off the bench to lead Mound-Westonka.  Logan Leonard adds 3 triples and 15 points.  Mark Campbell with 13 points to lead Henry.  Quamar Gresham 11 and Jamar Gardner adds 10.  The win puts Mound-Westonka within the tiebreaker margin of Henry in the section standings for the 3rd seed.  Henry still has a section game with current 2 seed Waconia which could muddy the waters too.  Object is to stay out of the 4 seed so that you don't see De La Salle until the section final.

Tuesday: Chaska 65 Benilde-St. Margaret's 57
A small hot dog leaves room for a surprising dessert.  The Chaska camera crew ended up sitting right next to me and had a tupperware full of chocolate chip cookies.  These were for the players but there was a spare one for me.  OUTSTANDING!  Well done ladies.  That was only after some help from friends in online places.  With my waistline (and the Czar's infinite wealth from the peasants), there's no way I can reasonably beg for food.  The players were already eating them before they got to the locker room.

As to the game, throw the records out.  Nick Peterson with 3 triples and 11 of the 1st 15 BSM points.  15 all as we go under the mid point of the 1st half.  Sophs Derric Standifer and Dan Ijadimbola add 8 points after that for a 23-19 BSM lead.  Chaska scores the last 8 of the half with Luke Strazzanti scoring 4 of those at the charity stripe.  29-25 Hawks retake the lead at the break.

Strazzanti adds another bucket as the run ends at 10-0.  BSM going 8:15 across halftime with just 1 field goal.  Charlie Hanson for 3 on the extra pass and BSM still within 38-33 with 11:08 left.  Not really a MoKiller timeout but Chaska goes on a 13-3 run from there.  Ben Kallman, Zack Lea and Strazzanti all with triples in the run.  51-36 Chaska with 8:05 left and the double figure win that the records predicted appears to be back on track.

Standifer with 2 bombs around a Peterson fade away inside.  Ijadimbola for 3.  Standifer takes a turnover for 2 and Peterson adds a free throw.  That cuts the Chaska lead to 56-52 with 2:55 and BSM has the ball.  Game on.  Chaska misses 2 front ends but BSM can't convert.  After a questionable out of bounds call went Benilde's way, a questionable timeout call goes Chaska's way with 1:23 left and allows the Hawks to push the lead to 58-52.  BSM misses on the other end and the rest is free throws to seal the win.  Luke Strazzanti with 24 points for Chaska to lead all scorers.  Zach Lea chips in with 10.  Nick Peterson leads BSM with 20 points.  Charlie Hanson with 11, Derric Standifer with 12.  All 3 players with 3 triples each.

Benilde-St. Margaret's looks locked into the 7 seed in 6AAA.  Chaska stays in a 3 way tie for the Metro West lead with Cooper and St. Louis Park.  They host Cooper who beat them in the 1st meeting and go to St. Louis Park who they beat previously.  Chaska with the head to head win over Shakopee and a 6-1 section record (win over Prior Lake and loss to Eden Prairie) would reasonably give them the 2 seed.  But they are currently 3rd in the QRF and outside the tiebreaker margin to Shakopee.  Both teams with losses at Eastview and Eden Prairie by almost the exact same margins.  For the semis it doesn't matter if you're 2 or 3 but in the meat grinder that is section 2AAAA, it means playing Edina or Minnetonka in round 1 instead of Jefferson or Chanhassen.