Twin Cities Boys Hoops: March 2021

Duluth East Wayzata 2021 State AAAA Qtrs Thoughts

Prologue
Its state tourney time as 15 of the 16 boys quarterfinals are being played today. While I'll be on the road later to collect my NCAA tourney pool bragging rights from The Crown Prince, we get 1 AAAA quarterfinal going with the early start. Its the middle game from the north. 2 seed Wayzata taking on 3 seed Duluth East. This game was actually scheduled in the regular season less than 3 weeks ago but was cancelled so some redemption there. A couple of matchups to watch with Wayzata's Cam Heide and East's Mattie Thompson on the wing. The big bodies Noah Paulson (East) and Carter Bjerke (Wayzata) is the other matchup to watch.

Game Time
Even start to the game early. Giovani Saldivar 2 early triples for Duluth East. 14-11 Greyhounds on top. Wayzata counters with an 8-0 run. Kody Williams cashing in a turnover for a triple to end that. 19-14 Wayzata takes the lead. Paulson then heats up inside. He scores 3 straight buckets. Mattie Thompson for 3 and 2 Paulson free throws. 16-2 Duluth East run for a 30-21 lead at the 6:49 mark. Ryan Harvey productive minutes off the Wayzata bench to end the half. He scores 7 points to keep Wayzata close. Paulson beats the halftime buzzer for a 42-36 Duluth East halftime lead.

The 2nd half is all Wayzata. Trojans come out of the break with an 18-2 run to take control. It only takes 9 Wayzata possessions to pull that off. 5 Duluth East turnovers in 8 trips. Eddie Beeninga big 2nd half. He takes a steal for a 3 point play and adds a trey. Cam Heide a 3 point play and a nice turnaround in the lane. Duluth East tries to hang around. Thompson backdoor for 2 to keep the Greyhounds within 56-51. Beeninga too much to handle. He drives for 2 more with 6 minutes left and the lead is back to 12. He'll add another late bucket and 5 FTs. No real threat the rest of the way. Wayzata wins 78-69.

Post Game
Too much 2nd half defense from Wayzata in this one. Duluth East turns it over 12 times in the 2nd half, 19 times overall. 14 of those for Wayzata steals. After 14 points in the 1st half, the defense holds big man Noah Paulson to just 1 free throw in the 2nd half. Great ball pressure in the 2nd half a major factor there. Eddie Beeninga scores 17 of his 26 points in the 2nd half. Camden Heide scores 15, Carter Bjerke 14, Kody Williams 10 for Wayzata. Heide came down awkwardly after a tip dunk midway thru the 2nd half. He came back quickly but then left the game early. Noah Paulson leads Duluth East with 15 points. Zaa Buffalo with 13, Mattie Thompson with 11 for the Greyhounds.

Four Factors

FACTOR	Wayzata	Duluth East
Effective FG %	58.5%	64.3%
Offensive Rebound %	21.9%	28%
Free Throw Rate	41.5%	18.4%
Turnover %	13.2%	28.4%

Points Per Possession	1.15	1.03

Wayzata expands a minor free throw edge to a big one with late free throws to close the game out. Both teams very solid shooting days. It wasn't only the Duluth East turnovers with the pressure defense. Wayzata also with a big edge in deflections.

The Real 2021 AAA State Championships

I likely end my in person viewing for the abbreviated 2021 season with a pair of class AAA section finals. These games featured the top 4 teams in the last state rankings. A really fun pair of games so let's get to it.

Thursday 3AAA Final: #4AAA Richfield 93 #2AAA South St. Paul 90
Charlie Murphy leading the officiating crew in this one. Defense, optional. With the size advantage, Richfield goes inside early and works out of the high post looking low on many possessions. That gets a bit negated when Isaiah Casey-Hammond has to sit at the 4:56 mark with his 3rd foul. SSP finishes the half on a 13-4 run thanks to 4 Alonzo Dodd buckets. That breaks open an even game and gives SSP a 43-33 halftime lead. Dodd with 18 in the half.

But we're just getting started. The SSP gets to 13 but won't stay there. Lamar Grayson won't let Richfield lose. Free throw and a bucket for him. Mitchell January posts for 2 FTs and converts a turnover after 2 more Grayson hoops. 51 all with 12:15 to play, Game On!. Grayson and Dodd going back and forth. Grayson 3 pt play and a bucket countered by a Dodd bucket and triple. Tied at 60 with 10 minutes left. The Richfield crowd more into it than the Packers crowd but the intensity goes up a couple notches for the home stretch.

Hammond fouls out at 8:03. January appears to foul out on a charge at 7:04. Ref totally botches his signals. Even reports it as a charge to the table. But they really mean its a block on the bang bang play and he stays in. Big break for Richfield who isn't very deep. Some would say the ball doesn't lie as January misses the front end of the bonus. Ryan Miles with 2 buckets including one of those high low type dropoffs. Spartans up 73-68 with 5:30 left. Dodd with a pretty spin to cut the margin to 2. Grayson 2 buckets, January off the glass for 2 more. Richfield with a block on 1 end and Grayson converts it on the other. 83-74 Richfield with 2:45 left. Timeout SSP and that appears to be the critical run.

But wait there's more. SSP misses a 3, 1 chance, 2 chances, Dodd puts back the 3rd chance and is fouled. He misses that FT, Richfield gets the board and gives it right back. Pass finds Dodd for a layup. Richfield another turnover on their possession. Dodd pushes it back the other way and finds Romantay Harmon for a left corner 3. BANG! Just like that SSP is back within 83-81 with 2:05 left. Grayson 1 FT and Dodd with the nice scoop on the other end. 84-83 Richfield with 1:36 left.

January right back for Richfield and he goes to the rack for a 3 point play. Jump ball but it stays with SSP with 1:12 left. They then miss a good look at a 3. Richfield holds and SSP has to foul. They make 1 FT. Devin Newsome counters with a 3 for SSP with 26 seconds left. 88-86 Spartans lead. Grayson calmly makes 2 FTs before Dodd gets a quick 2. Richfield 1-2 FTs with 10.9 left. Spartans now up 3.

Dodd takes the inbounds. Gets a high ball screen going to his right at the top of the key. Rejects it and gets fouled on a 3 with 6.1 seconds left. Oh my! He makes the 1st, misses the 2nd and makes the 3rd. SSP has to foul again and its Grayson making 2 more FTs with 5 seconds left. SSP timeout between those freebies doesn't ice him at all. SSP goes immediately. They make a pass out of bounds but the clock starts on it. An open look at a 3 is therefore rushed and doesn't get off in time anyway. Richfield wins an absolute thriller. The 2nd half was a full game by itself (60-47 scoring). Lamar Grayson goes for 28 of his 37 in the 2nd half. I feel for the Mr Basketball Committee and how they have to pick a top 5. Somebody really worthy is going to get left out. Grayson making a huge case for why it shouldn't be him. He matched Alonzo Dodd bucket for bucket. Dodd with 21 of his 39 in the 2nd half. Devin Newsome adds 21 for SSP. Ryan Miles and Mitchell January both with 17 for Richfield. Richfield only takes 5 3s all game and doesn't make any. SSP was 10-23 from deep. Richfield shoots 25-40 at the charity stripe compared to 12-24 for SSP.

Four Factors

FACTOR	South St. Paul	Richfield
Effective FG %	56.5%	50%
Offensive Rebound %	44.7%	46.9%
Free Throw Rate	34.8%	58.8%
Turnover %	17.5%	14.8%

Points Per Possession	1.13	1.15

Friday 4AAA Final: #1AAA Minnehaha 73 #3AAA Totino-Grace 60
This is one of the most anticipated games of the season. Interesting lineup alteration by Nick Carroll bring star soph Taison Chatman off the bench. 2 early stories here. Really sloppy play by Minnehaha and hot TG shooting. They make 6 of their 1st 9 3s. Devin Burger with 4 of them. Minnehaha turns it over 13 times in the 1st 23 trips, mostly unforced. DJ Akpati with a 3 to end an 11-2 TG run. Eagles up 28-13 at the 5:40 mark. Chet Holmgren with the only Minnehaha field goals to that point. Minnehaha stops turning it over and they get points on 11 of the last 13 trips of the half. They also ratchet up the defense holding TG to 1 FG in the final 12 trips. 20-4 Minnehaha run to end the half. Redhawks up 33-32 at the break.

TG 3 quick scores to start the 2nd half and reclaim the lead 39-35. Holmgren a steal for 2, a free throw, a bucket and 2 more freebies. A Carter Weierke 3 is sandwiched in there. 45-44 TG. Isaiah Davis for 3 and Minnehaha takes the lead 47-45. Burger another bomb, CJ O'Hara converts a turnover, Chatman converts a turnover into a 3. TG up 53-47 with 8:50 left. Holmgren with a tip dunk to cut the margin to 1 before another Burger triple from up top. 56-52 TG with 6:38 left as they take time. Hercy Miller for 3 and then throw it up to Holmgren and let him go get it. Demarion Watson stops that momentum with a left wing triple 59-57 TG with about 5 minutes left.

But TG won't get another field goal. Hercy Miller drive for 2 and a steal for 2 more. Another TG turnover becomes a Prince Aligbe dunk. Holmgren to a cutting Mercy Miller for 2 and he'll dunk the next possession. TG 4 turnovers in 5 possessions. The rest is fouls and free throws. Minnehaha ends the game on a 16-1 run over the last 5 min. 1 point for TG in their last 13 trips, very similar to the end of the first half. Chet Holmgren his usual big game with 24 points. Some Coke drinking writer had him for 16 rebs, 7 ast and 3 blk as well. Mercy Miller 19 points and new Tennessee State commit Hercy Miller with 16 points. Devin Burger with 6 of Totino-Grace's 14 3s in the game. He leads the Eagles with 21 points. Taison Chatman adds 14 points

Four Factors

FACTOR	Minnehaha	Totino-Grace
Effective FG %	58.5%	56.9%
Offensive Rebound %	45.2%	11.4%
Free Throw Rate	90.2%	15.7%
Turnover %	29.6%	23.9%

Points Per Possession	1.03	0.85

As to the AAA state tourney, here are my predictions for the seeding. These winners should end up the top 2 seeds in the south portion of the AAA bracket. I would expect Minnehaha to take on Byron (Holmgren vs Ahjany Lee, thank you). That leaves Richfield with Mankato West. In the top half. De La Salle likely gets the top seed and Monticello with a very entertaining outstate matchup of Hibbing vs Alexandria as the other game.

Raiding the 4AAAA semis

Prologue
After almost 2 months of nothing but 94 straight online games (93 local plus the Nebraska big school championship) , I'm back in the gym for a 4AAAA semifinal rubber match between East Ridge and host Cretin-Derham Hall. The teams split the regular season with Tre Holloman not playing during the CDH loss at East Ridge. KB and the Sunshine Band on the whistle. Sadly Suel Forrester is no longer on the Public Address and none of the great beef hot dog concessions.

Game Time
Tre Holloman assist for a 3 and a take of his own for 2 on the 1st 2 Raiders possessions. 5-0 CDH and East Ridge has only had the ball once. East Ridge scores 3 straight buckets including 2 from Kendall Blue for a 6-5 lead. But their offense isn't lighting it up either. Alex Mattes with a bucket and he'll trade 3s with Marselio Mendez for a 15-13 Raptors lead. Ben North with 3 of 4 FTs in that stretch. CDH finally breaks out of a 2 for 16 shooting stretch by scoring on 9 of their last 11 trips of the half. Holloman to Mendez for another 3, an assist to Peter Howard for a layup. Then he finds Jack Tauer who beats the buzzer (or does he) from the top of the key. DANG IT CHLOE! 30-21 Cretin-Derham Hall at the break.

Holloman adding scoring to his assists in the 2nd half. He goes in the post for 2. Then a steal for a dunk and he'll add a left baseline jumper being left alone. Coach Josh Peltier not happy with his Raptors squad. Holloman adds a triple and the halftime lead is now doubled. 43-25 CDH with 13:07 left. Another Holloman steal for a dunk keeps the lead at 47-29. East Ridge unable to get stops as that's CDH points on 17 out of 21 possessions across halftime. Kendall Blue with a pair of hoops. Raptors cut the margin to 51-40 with 9:20 left on a Ben North drive.

But East Ridge won't threaten any more than that. Holloman in the post for 2 free throws. Jack Plum with a steal for a dunk. Holloman strips Blue for another bucket and goes coast to coast to beat the press for 2 more. 65-49 CDH with 4 minutes left. East Ridge started giving fouls with 6 minutes left and tried to strategically foul guys. That didn't get them any closer. Cretin-Derham Hall advances 76-61 to play at top seed Woodbury in the section 4AAAA finals. Woodbury won 2 close meetings in the regular season.

Post Game
East Ridge finishes a disappointing season at 12-7. Kendall Blue leads the Raptors with 17 points. He had Tre Holloman hounding him much of the night. Ben North and Alex Mattes solid nights from the guard spots. Both finish with 13 points. North had the tough task of guarding Holloman for much of the night as well. East Ridge ran 1 high low all night which was shocking to me. Not sure if Drew Adams was even looked at for a post touch. He had 8 points and 7 of them very late. Defensively do you try the bigger Blue on Holloman with the amount that CDH likes to use Holloman in the post?

Tre Holloman leads Cretin-Derham Hall with 28 points and 11 assists for almost that many. Steals, posting, distributing and he even knocked down a couple jumpers. They use him a ton in the post and pinch post and have gotten away from just high ball screens that teams will just go under like Mounds View did at the start of the season. Very nice adjustment by the CDH staff. The passing made the role guys look great. Daniel Montalbano 15 points, Marselio Mendez 13 points coming up big in secondary spots. Mendez with a couple of big triples in the 1st half. Jack Plum adds 10.

Four Factors

FACTOR	Cretin-Derham Hall	East Ridge
Effective FG %	52.4%	45.7%
Offensive Rebound %	48.7%	37.1%
Free Throw Rate	25.8%	53.2%
Turnover %	13.9%	20.6%

Points Per Possession	1.17	0.97

Most surprising number here for me is 17 offensive rebounds for CDH, 10 of them in the 1st half. That's a number that East Ridge should win, if not dominate, in this game. East Ridge couldn't get stops either. After a 4-18 start, CDH shoots 26-44 the rest of the way to break open a close game. They win EFG% which means Czar's Law is now 102-24 (81%) on the season. That shooting was mostly from 2 as well. Raiders only 5-14 from 3. East Ridge still managed to win the FT battle despite giving fouls and putting CDH on the line for a large chunk of the last 6 minutes. They make 18 to CDH's 16 attempts. While CDH missed the 1st 2 front ends, they made 7 of the next 8. Of 8 live ball turnovers for East Ridge, 5 of them became immediate buckets which is a killer.

A COVID Super Saturday

This playoff Saturday is always known for being jam packed with semifinal double-headers (and once upon a time a St. Cloud triple-header). Everything being home site this season takes that away. So we turn it into NCAA type viewing with games going on all day at many different locations. 2 games fully including below after taking in the 5AAAA and 7AAAA 2 seeds moving on. Anoka and Centennial hung around until the final few minutes until Duluth East and Mounds View ultimately won by double figures.

5AAAA Quarterfinal: (5) Osseo 63 (4) Spring Lake Park 46

One of the AAU All-Stars on the whistle for this one. This crew was kept busy. 40 total free throw attempts and 4 players fouling out. Spring Lake Park with no answer for the Osseo 2-3 zone. Spring Lake Park goes a stretch of 21 trips with only 3 field goals. While the EFG was dreadful, it wasn't because they settled for 3s against the zone. Only 12 3 pt attempts for Spring Lake Park in 45 total shots. I had the Panthers 9-25 on paint attempts. Gotta convert inside. Josh Ola-Joseph with a nice stretch for Osseo as they opened the lead. Fitzgerald Wreh and Kaleb Skelly both foul out with 5-6 minutes left and that kills any final chance that Spring Lake Park had. Osseo gets 4 in double figures. Josh Ola-Joseph leads with 15. Benard Omooria with 14, Blessed Barhayiga cleaning up inside with 14. Tyriece Waits adds 10. The Osseo offense very dribble heavy though. Not the kind of offense we've seen from them in years past. Trey Johnston hits the only 3 triples for Spring Lake Park against that zone. He leads the Panthers with 13 points. Fitzgerald Wreh adds 12.

Four Factors

FACTOR	Spring Lake Park	Osseo
Effective FG %	38.9%	54.4%
Offensive Rebound %	55.3%	53.6%
Free Throw Rate	44.4%	44.4%
Turnover %	29.6%	21.8%

Points Per Possession	0.85	1.15

3AAAA Semifinal: (3) Rosemount 59 (2) Lakeville North 49

Teacher vs Mentor in this one as John Oxton takes on Lance Walsten who was an assistant and player for him once upon a time. Lakeville North playing 1-2-2 zone for most of the 1st half. Caleb Siwek and Will Blascziek providing the offense for each side in the 1st half. Siwek 14 of Rosemount's 24 first half points. Blascziek with 12. Difference in the half is a couple of Hudson Vaith 3s off the Lakeville North bench. He spins and scores to beat the halftime buzzer. 28-24 Lakeville North at the half.

Rosemount comes out of the halftime break with an 8-0 run. Noah Loehr 2 buckets and a hoop in that. Tied at 34 before Rosemount takes the lead for good. Siwek with a 3 point play. Sean Sullivan starts a great 2nd half stretch for him with a triple and bonus free throws. Its a 10-1 Irish run for a 44-35 lead. R'Moni Warner for 3 and then a steal for Lakeville North. Cooper Laufenburger scores on the possession to cut the margin to 44-40 with 6:18 left.

Siwek out of the timeout takes a handoff and buries a top of the key 3. Laufenburger with a strong finish for a 3 point play. Blascziek with a triple and its back to a 1 possession game with 3:46 left. Sullivan scores out of the timeout. Rosemount gets stops from there and makes 8-10 FTs to close it out. Rosemount's guard play outstanding with Caleb Siwek scoring 25, Sean Sullivan 12 of his 15 in the 2nd half. Sullivan also doing his usual defensive stopper role as well. Will Blascziek leads Lakeville North with 18 points, but only 2 second half baskets. Nobody else in double figures. Rosemount will host the section final next Thursday against Park of Cottage Grove. The Wolfpack pulled the upset 55-52 in OT at Eastview.

Four Factors

FACTOR	Lakeville North	Rosemount
Effective FG %	45.7%	48.7%
Offensive Rebound %	36.8%	50%
Free Throw Rate	31.9%	73.7%
Turnover %	18.2%	21.8%

Points Per Possession	0.89	1.07

2021 6AAAA Semis Viewing

The 1st Friday night continues another usual bit of the sections schedule with the 6AAAA semifinals. We're not in Osseo for a doubleheader of these games but CCX Sports has both so something in the world is right.

Semifinal #1: (1) #2AAAA Wayzata 94 (5) Minneapolis South 50

The Scribe on the whistle for this one. Close game early. South within 12-11 on a putback with about 11 minutes left. Wayzata runs away and hides from there. They go on a 37-4 run until South scores 6 of the last 7 of the half. 5 triples from Wayzata in that run. 50-21 Trojans at the half and they roll from there. Wayzata shoots 14-27 from 3 with 9 different players making one. South on the other hand shoots 1-18 from the 3 for the game. Wayzata largely getting anything they want on offense against a porous Tigers defense. Trojans shoot 37-60 overall for a sky high 73.3% EFG and 1.42 PPP. Minneapolis South finishes their season 7-8. De'Mari Larkins was a bright spot with 15 points. Jerome Williams adds 12 points. South returning a sophomore and 4 freshman starters to their lineup as they look to the future. Wayzata great balance with 5 players in double figures. Carter Bjerke leads with 16 points and 4 3s. Camden Heide 15 points, Kody Williams 14 pts. Ryan Harvey 13 off the bench with 3 triples and Drew Berkland with 11. This looked like the high-powered execution machines of past Wayzata teams. Only hole in the stat sheet for the Trojans is 6-14 from the charity stripe.

Four Factors

FACTOR	Wayzata	Mpls South
Effective FG %	73.3%	33.6%
Offensive Rebound %	38.7%	32.6%
Free Throw Rate	23.3%	34.6%
Turnover %	13.6%	20.9%

Points Per Possession	1.42	0.75

Semifinal #2: (2) #4AAAA Robbinsdale Cooper 84 (3) Robbinsdale Armstrong 57

This one was over just about when it started. Armstrong 7 turnovers and 2-13 shooting in their 1st 18 trips. Davion Evans with a 3 and a 3 point play. Prince Appiah with 2 putbacks as he was very active inside all night. 25-5 Cooper just over 10 minutes in and this one was never close. Dylan Inniger couldn't get a look against the Cooper defense. His 2 buckets were 3s in the final minutes long after the outcome was decided. Armstrong shoots 3-20 from the 3 point line, 12-31 from the charity stripe and turns it over 20 times. Cooper won't be happy with their 23 turnovers. 7 of them in a row were in a 9-0 1st half run that allowed Armstrong to get the margin back to 20 after it was 40-11.

Four Factors

FACTOR	Cooper	Armstrong
Effective FG %	54.8%	38.8%
Offensive Rebound %	48.7%	41.1%
Free Throw Rate	33.3%	53.5%
Turnover %	29.9%	25.6%

Points Per Possession	1.09	0.73

Rev up the playoff engine

Prologue
One of my favorite traditions during the opening round of the playoffs is the Thursday night small school game. Its always a nice reprieve from the big school games. Also a nice lead-in to the big school section semis. Tonight, leave the defense at home as Kaleidoscope visits Hope Academy. Hope won the regular season meeting 87-80.

Game Time
The 2 stars not getting cheated in this one. Elijah Wade 3 early buckets for a 9-8 Hope lead. Michael Jude with 2 technical free throws for a wrong jersey on the home team. Official scorer gets fired for that, if you're the home scorer you just fix that. Jude adds a triple on the possession for a 18-16 Kaleidoscope lead. Wade hoop and harm to tie the game at 23 at 9:32. Wade and Jude trade pairs of buckets. 30-27 Kaliedoscope at 5:40. Hope closes with 2 assisted Kaleb Dube layups and a Jordan Brown triple just before the buzzer. 38 all going to halftime.

Hope totally dominates the second half. Wade 1-2 free throws, then a steal for a bucket and another steal that he'll dish for an assist. Then a straight away 3. Zak Ruhland with a 3 off a great Dube hustle play to save an errant shot. Ruhland adds another bucket. Its a 20-3 Lions run before Kaleidoscope can make a bucket in the half. That run only takes 5 minutes.

A slight bit of drama as Wade picks up his 4th foul with 12 minutes left. Matt Aasen with a 3 and a bucket. Isaac Freeman with a putback with 6:30 left to cut the lead to 13. Wade playing thru 4 fouls as he quickly came back in with just under 10 minutes left. Comets only make 1 more field goal, a late Jude triple. Hope scores 17 of the last 22 to win big. Lions win 83-58.

Post Game
Kaleidoscope finishes their season 10-8. Soph PG Michael Jude leads the Comets with 24 points. Comets shoot 6-38 in the 2nd half. With the exception of 1 senior, the Comets do return their entire lineup next season with a large group of sophomores in this year's rotation.

Hope advances to play at top seeded Legacy Christian on Saturday afternoon. Elijah Wade 29 points to lead the Lions. Jordan Brown 12 points. Kaleb Dube and Eyuel Temesgen with 14 points each playing off those 2, particularly Wade who was everywhere. Kaleidoscope had no answer for him anywhere. Hope just went to the rim at will. If it wasn't a direct layup it was a dish to Dube for easy points.

Four Factors

FACTOR	Hope	Kaleidoscope
Effective FG %	50.7%	31.8%
Offensive Rebound %	42.9%	42.1%
Free Throw Rate	9.2%	13%
Turnover %	14.9%	24%

Points Per Possession	1.12	0.77

153 shot attempts in this one meant plenty of offensive rebounds available. The teams combined for 40 of those. Kaleidoscope really tries to get shots up but some of those are quick difficult rim finishes. That was part of their struggle in the 2nd half. But they had plenty of solid looks that didn't go in. Hope also won the turnover battle forcing 18 of them.

2021 Section 3AAAA Qtrs Viewing

Prologue
The big school playoffs roll on with a 4 vs 5 game in section 3AAAA. Park of Cottage Grove hosting Eagan in this one. Plenty of talent to preview for next year on display with Park going with a junior dominated lineup. Eagan's lineup with a bunch of seniors but the leading scorers are a pair of sophs and the top big man is a junior.

Game Time
A cold start for both teams. Eagan's Oscar Khazon gets a bucket and a steal for another 2. 6-2 Eagan 5 minutes in. Eagan stretches that lead to 11-2. Then its Jayden Lane with 12 of the next 14 for Park as they pull back to even at 18 at the 7:15 mark. Khazon with a pull up and a wing triple to put Eagan back on top. They'll go to halftime up 27-23.

Park goes 1-3-1 to start the 2nd half and its effective. Lane with a steal for a bucket and we're immediately tied at 27. He'll add 2 more bombs and another tough finish. Pharrel Payne adds a putback. 10-2 Park run and they lead 37-32 with 13:45 left. 3 straight Eagan turnovers to end the run. They continue to struggle vs the zone as Lane takes another steal for a dunk. Khazon trying to keep Eagan close. He buries a left corner 3 off a turnover and adds a tough 2.

That 2nd bucket vs man as Park switched out of the zone after a timeout. Payne with a dunk and a pair of free throws to keep Park ahead 50-41. Timeout Eagan and Park will go back to the 1-3-1. Evan Bearth for 3 and a blocked shots gives him a layup. Lane another steal for a bucket. Park stretches the lead to 61-46 and its over. Park wins 65-52.

Post Game
Soph guard Oscar Khazon with 22 points to lead Eagan. He was out the 1st time I watched Eagan this year. Fellow soph Emmanuel Schmitter adds 10 points. Good young group to build around for coach Kevin McKenzie. Eagan finishes their season 6-13.

Jayden Lane outstanding for Park. He created on offense, hit 4 3s and was a pest in the 1-3-1 zone on defense. He finishes with 26 points to lead all scorers. Pharrel Payne had a quiet first half but finished with 15 points. Evan Bearth also in double figures with 11 points. The move to the 1-3-1 in the 2nd half was the critical moment. Then a quick step away from it to avoid a set play before closing the game with it.

Four Factors

FACTOR	Park	Eagan
Effective FG %	54.6%	57%
Offensive Rebound %	43.3%	26.1%
Free Throw Rate	12.7%	9.3%
Turnover %	17.9%	27.3%

Points Per Possession	1.16	0.95

Park was cold in the 1st half but almost made up the EFG value. Wolfpack shot 17-29 in the 2nd half. Czar's Law takes the L to fall to 96-24 on the season. 8 2nd half turnovers for Eagan leading to 3 transition buckets for Park. 13 offensive rebounds also a factor for Park. Very clean game with only 11 total free throw attempts.

2021 2AAAA Qtrs Viewing

Early starts for 3 of the 4 quarterfinals in section 2AAAA along with a normal starts means the old Ernie Banks favorite. Let's Play Two!

Game 1: 3 Chaska 57 def 6 Minnetonka 44
#5AAAA Chaska off to a very slow start in this one. They go 1-8 from the floor to start the game. Tonka doubling the post after giving 49 pts and getting mauled by the Hawks bigs in the last meeting. Vlad Ciubotaru with a triple and fade for a 7-0 Tonka lead. Jakobe Lyles good bench minutes with a 3 point play and an assist for a Jack Frick triple plus a triple of his own. Luke Strazzanti a 3 point play and 2 FTs. Chaska takes a 26-21 lead to halftime with only 3 players scoring.

Ciubotaru fouled on a 3 and makes all 3 FTs. Vince Brown adds a 3 and Jalen Cain off the bounce for 1-2 FTs. That means Tonka also gets the 1st 7 points of the 2nd half to tie it up at 26. Jack Frick with a bucket, a triple and an assist off a Tonka turnover. Brady Nicholson 2 and the harm and Chaska threatens to run away up 38-31. Tonka closes to 38-36 thanks to 4 straight Chaska turnovers. Jalen Cain with 8 straight Skippers points as Chaska has no answer for him attacking off the dribble. Vince Brown finishes that spurt by putting back a missed free throw.

Chaska closes it from there with buckets on 6 of their next 7 trips. Frick with a layup on a set, Spencer Goetz 2 assisted layups (1 on a set). Nicholson finishes it. 10-0 Chaska run for a 12 point lead. No danger from there. 5-6 free throws to close it out. Second half shooting in this one Chaska 12-20, Tonka 8-24. Tonka finishes 4-21 from 3 for the game. Jack Frick scores 16 points, Luke Strazzanti 13 and Brady Nicholson 10 for Chaska. Minnetonka gets 18 points from Jalen Cain and 13 from Vince Brown. Chaska advances to a rematch at Eden Prairie on Friday at 5 PM. EP won the 1st meeting 61-55 less than 2 weeks ago. Minnetonka finishes their season with a 6-12 record.

Four Factors

FACTOR	Chaska	Minnetonka
Effective FG %	54.7%	40.9%
Offensive Rebound %	33.3%	18.2%
Free Throw Rate	27.9%	29.6%
Turnover %	24.5%	17%

Points Per Possession	1.08	0.83

Games 2/3:
5 Bloomington Jefferson 59 def 4 Edina 57 in section 2AAAA
5 Minneapolis South 56 def 4 Minneapolis Southwest 55 in section 6AAAA

For the late session and due to some delayed video in the 6AAAA game, lets have some fun with a couple of 4 vs 5 games. Jefferson doing what Jefferson does and running patient offense and sound defense. A couple nice plays in the half from Jefferson frosh Daniel Frietag pushes the Jags to a 23-20 halftime lead on Edina. Meanwhile South giving Southwest all they want. South with a late 1st half spurt for a 30-25 halftime lead.

South opens up a 7 point lead that is quickly washed away by Southwest. A couple of South triples in an 8-0 takes a 46-45 lead and stretches it to 54-45 with just over 3 min left. But South's youth still learning how to close it out. Southwest fights back and a putback with 25 seconds left cuts the lead to 1. South to the foul line with 10.2 left and misses a front end. SW pushes the ball to their bench and takes timeout with 5.2 left. South has 2 fouls to give and they smartly use them. Another SW timeout to setup a final play with 1.9 left. They get an open right corner 3 and that's off the mark.

Meanwhile, Daniel Frietag and Jeremy Wanguhu productive in the 2nd half for Jefferson. Jags open up a 51-39 lead with 6 minutes left. Hornets rally back with Brady Helgren scoring a bucket and a couple of FTs. Gabe Jobe a big night for the Hornets, He'll drive and score with 1:35 left to cut the lead to 2. Wanguhu on the cut and they find him with a minute left. Jobe counters with 2 free throws. Jefferson 1 free throw and I think they iced their own shooter on the 2nd. Jobe 2 more freebies with 18.9 left and Edina gets the steal. Nothing off of that so they take timeout with 9 seconds left. Staggered screen away to the top on the SLOB and they try to find the 2nd screener Helgren on the slip. Isaac Freitag was guarding the 1st screener and makes a very alert defensive play to tip the pass. Officials say its off Helgren. Jefferson makes 1 FT with 6.7 left. Edina pushes and will get 1 last good look from the right wing. That's no good, no Shock The Czar. Jefferson wins.

2021 Better Than Chalk Section Predictions

120 games and 2 months later, it all comes down to this. Its March and now its tournament time if we want to conveniently ignore some final regular season make up games early in the week. So that means prediction time.

A rules refresher. Any fool can pick nothing but top seeds (aka chalk) and claim they were something like 85-6. My mission, and I do choose to accept it, is to do better than a bracket with nothing but higher seeds picked. Last year I was exactly even when the season was halted.

Not happy with how I picked your team? Use the hastag #ShockTheCzar on twitter and on your locker room/virtual whiteboards to express your outrage. So without delay, here we go. Upset picks will be noted with underlines

Class A
Section 1: United Christian gets the EMAC treatment from the 1A coaches (and don't get me started on the stupidity of them being in this section instead of section 4A). They take that out on winless Houston in the pigtail game before losing to Lyle/Austin Pacelli

Section 2: Lester Prairie survives GFW in round 1 but then loses a rematch from last year's tourney to Sleepy Eye St. Mary's

Section 4:
Thursday Pigtails: PACT over Eagle Ridge, W Lutheran over N Lakes, Avail over Liberty for a 3rd time in an EMAC rivalry, Hope and Kaleidoscope is 1st one to 80 wins. Hope won 87-80 in the regular season and with the home game they do it again.
Saturday Quarterfinals: Legacy over Hope, CHOF over Avail, Heritage over W Lutheran, Trinity over PACT
Tuesday semis: Legacy over Trinity, CHOF over Heritage
Th final: Legacy over CHOF. Legacy won the regular season game big

Class AA
Section 4 (Nova Classical, Mounds Park Academy, Math & Science out)
Thursday Pigtails: New Life over Metro Schools College Prep, Cristo Rey over Washington, Concordia, one of the worst possible matchups for Hiawatha, gets the win.
Saturday Quarterfinals: St. Croix Prep over Concordia, St. Paul Academy over Cristo Rey, TCA/GR over New Life, St. Agnes Shocks the Czar with a win over Humboldt.
Tues Semis: SCPA over St. Agnes. SPA over TCA/GR in a repeat of the regular season.
Th Final: SCPA over SPA

Section 5AA
Thursday Round of 16: Litchfield over Dassel-Cokato, Maranatha over Brooklyn Center, Providence over HLWW, Holy Family repeats over Breck, SW Christian lost the season opener to Watertown-Mayer but I'll take the upset here with W-M losing 6 of their last 7 (only win over Dassel-Cokato).
Sat Qtrs: North over SW Christian, Blake over Holy Family, Rockford over Providence, Litchfield over Maranatha
Wed Semis: North over Litchfield, Blake over Rockford
Fri Final: North over Blake

Section 6: Spectrum goes out at Albany in the round of 16

Class AAA
Section 1: Simley over Kasson-Mantorville before losing to Austin
Section 3
Monday Pigtail: Harding on the road as high seed over Kennedy.
Wednesday Qtrs: SSP over Harding, Richfield over Sibley, St. Croix Lutheran over St. Thomas Academy, Holy Angels as home low seed knocks out Highland Park in the 4/5 game.
Saturday semis: SSP over Holy Angels, Richfield over St. Croix Lutheran (teams split regular season
Thursday final: SSP over Richfield. Richfield size is a problem but a 2 big man lineup trying to defend the SSP offense is also a problem.

Section 4:
Wednesday qtrs: Minnehaha over Como Park, TG over Hill-Murray, Columbia Heights over St. Anthony (closer than you think, Heights banged up), Mahtomedi wins a clash of styles over Johnson
Saturday semis: Minnehaha over Mahtomedi, TG over Columbia Heights
Thursday final: Minnehaha over TG. Lots will be made of this game, but Minnehaha is a machine and TG hasn't had the elite season many (like me) thought they would.

Section 5:
Fri Qtr: Fridley over Becker continuing their winning streak against the Mississippi 8. Delano wins to face them in the semis.
Tues semi: Delano over Fridley

Section 6: (Mpls Henry and Mpls Edison out)
Wednesday Qtrs: Waconia over Roosevelt, Orono over BSM. I've been wrong on Orono all year and BSM won the regular season meeting big blowing the game open late. No matter, I'll stick with them.
Sat semis: Mound-Westonka over Orono in a rivalry type battle. DLS over Waconia
Th Final : DLS over Mound-Westonka. DLS won't have to face a big man problem inside in this one. I like how they matchup here.

Class AAAA
Section 1 (Rochester JM out)
Wed Qtrs: Owatonna over New Prague, Farmington over Rochester Mayo, Rochester Century wins a 3rd close game over Northfield
Sat Semis: Lakeville South over Century, Farmington grinds out a win vs Owatonna
Th final: Lakeville South over Farmington. Teams split the regular season but Lakeville South has found a groove recently winning 5 in a row (Farmington, Shakopee, Eastview in that list).

Section 2
Tues Qtrs: Shakopee over Chanhassen, Eden Prairie over Prior Lake, Chaska repeats over Minnetonka, Edina too much firepower for Bloomington Jefferson.
Fri Semis: Shakopee over Edina, Eden Prairie repeats over Chaska
Th Final: Eden Prairie over Shakopee. Eden Prairie very good defensively and Shakopee has struggled to score in big games since Cade McGraw went down. McGraw may be back for this one but not enough.

Section 3:
Wed Qtrs: Eastview over Burnsville, Lakeville N over Apple Valley, Rosemount over Hastings, Park over Eagan because of home court
Sat semis: Eastview over Park, Lakeville North over Rosemount (teams split home and home)
Th final at Farmington: Lakeville North over Eastview. Eastview lost the last meeting at home and is without Jackson Purcell. Also hard to bet against John Oxton in a section final

Section 4:
Th Qtrs: Woodbury over Stillwater, CDH over NSP, E Ridge over White Bear Lake, Tartan over St. Paul Central.
Tues Semis: Woodbury over Tartan, CDH over East Ridge. The teams split but CDH lost without Tre Holloman
Fri Final: Woodbury over CDH. Woodbury won 2 close regular season meetings.

Section 5:
Fri/Sat Qtrs: Champlin Park over Irondale, Mounds View over Centennial, Park Center over Roseville, Spring Lake Park over Osseo. Osseo and SLP tied in the NW Suburban standings but Osseo won the regular season meeting at home 46-45. SLP gets the win on home court.
Tues Semis: Champlin Park over Spring Lake Park, Park Center over Mounds View. Mounds View has fallen back after a hot start.
Th Final: Champlin Park over Park Center. Champlin Park won 2 close meetings in the regular season.

Section 6: (Hopkins and St. Louis Park out)
Tues Qtrs: Cooper or Armstrong over Washburn, Southwest over South (teams split)
Fri Semis: Wayzata over Southwest, Cooper over Armstrong in a great district rivalry that sadly doesn't get played anymore. Cooper too much quickness
Th Final: Wayzata over Cooper

Section 7:
Sat Qtrs: Duluth East over Anoka, Forest Lake over Cambridge-Isanti, Blaine another close win over Coon Rapids
Tues Semis: Andover over Blaine, Duluth East over Forest Lake
Th Final: Duluth East over Andover. I've been high on Duluth East all year. Noah Paulson and Mattie Thompson are both problem matchups. Andover's high powered offense gets slowed down in this one.

Section 8:
Fri Qtrs: Maple Grove over Rogers, Buffalo over Elk River, STMA over Moorhead
Tues Semis: Brainerd repeats over STMA, Maple Grove over Buffalo
Fri Final: Maple Grove over Brainerd. I liked what I saw of Brainerd in their win over Alexandria. But 3 wins over Moorhead and STMA by a total of 10 points gets my attention. Maple Grove continues their run in section 8.

A Titanic Finish

Prologue
The Saturday matinee this week is a trip to the Metro East. Second place on the line with Mahtomedi hosting Tartan. Tartan coming in on a surprising 3 game losing streak to fall into 3rd place. But they move into a tie for 2nd and have the 2-0 head to head tiebreak with a win here. Titans won the first meeting 63-58 after trailing by 8 at halftime. All star officiating crew with Stoney, T-Rod and one of the AAU All-Stars on the whistles.

Game Time
Tartan grinding out long possessions early with their 5 out offense. Curtis Favors working inside and David Perkins working outside for their offense. Favors with 11 pionts in the 1st half. Perkins with 3 triples and 11 to complement that. Will Underwood 10 early points via a couple triples for Mahtomedi but very quiet in the 2nd part of the half. Mahtomedi would take a 23-18 lead but they a stretch of 4 straight turnovers allowed Tartan to tie the game back up. Marko Vuckomanovich 2 late Tartan hoops. That sends Tartan to halftime with a 34-32 lead.

Underwood with a pretty cut and they find him off an offensive board for a 3 point play. Then the defense loses him for a wide open 3. Perkins counters with a 3 but Underwood puts back his own miss for another 3 point play. Underwood scores 11 straight for Mahtomedi and its a 49-45 Zephyrs lead with 9:23 left. Tartan takes time to try and figure out how to get a stop on him.

The timeout works as Mahtomedi's offense goes into an 11 possession slump. 4 misses, 4 turnovers and 1-6 from the charity stripe. Tartan takes advantage. Derrick Love buries a kick out 3. Perkins 2 FTs and a triple around a Dewayne Thompson putback. A very smart set play call out of a timeout for another Perkins 3 with 6:05 left (the last Titans FG). Thompson adds bonus free throws for a 60-52 Tartan lead with 3:43 left. That a 15-3 run for the Titans.

But now the turnover bug bites Tartan. John Schaefer converts 1 into a dunk. Underwood converts another. Schaefer with a putback after another Tartan turnover and its a 1 possession game with just under 2 minutes left. Tartan misses 2 free throws and another turnover for 2 Mahtomedi misses. Tartan with their 5th turnover in 7 trips. Underwood pushes it back the other way and pulls up for 3. Bank that baby in and we're tied with 25 seconds left. DeWayne Thompson attacks with 3.2 left. Block/Charge call and the AAU All-Star is up to the challenge seeing the foot on the charge circle. BLOCK! Thompson to the line, he'll miss the 1st and Mahtomedi will try to ice him with a timeout before the 2nd. Nothing comes of that as Thompson makes the 2nd. Another Zephyrs timeout to draw up a final play. Ball out underneath and here we go.

This was fantastic on all levels. Mahtomedi goes 1 guy deep under the rim. 3 in the backcourt across the foul line (nail and 2 wings). Will Underwood goes a step or 2 deeper to the volleyball junction on the right wing. Dewayne Thompson looking like he's going to double Underwood but he backs off. Underwood takes a hard step to the ball. The deep guy flashes right to the center circle. Tartan loses him so its an easy catch. On the flight of that pass, Underwood takes off for the rim and has a step. But David Perkins, who hounded Underwood all day, turns on the burners and makes a fantastic play to tip the backdoor pass away and save the game. Tartan wins 62-61.

What a great concept for the final play and a great defensive play to break it up. I first saw the concept back in a 2003 Wisconsin playoff game that I still consider the best game I've ever seen in person That's Adams-Friendship vs La Crosse Aquinas in a Division 2 regional final for those wondering. In that game, the star player was doubled and wings started at the midcourt/sideline junction but the rest of the concept was the exact same.

Post Game
Mahtomedi finishes the regular season 12-4, 10-4 in the Metro East. Will Underwood 4 triples and 29 points to lead all scorers. John Schaefer adds 12 points. Mahtomedi will open the 4AAA playoffs on Friday vs St. Paul Johnson. That's always an interesting matchup of styles. 18 turnovers too much to over come.

Tartan has the exact same record as Mahtomedi but won both head to head meetings by a total of 6 points. A win over Hill-Murray on Monday would give them a 1/2 game margin for 2nd. David Perkins with 6 triples and 22 points plus the hounding defense on Underwood. Curtis Favors does the inside work for 16 points. Dewayne Thompson with a couple of triples and 13 points as well. Tartan very patient and disciplined in their 5 out offense. But its varied 5 out with some triangle STS action for Favors, curls and flares that they use as back screens.

Four Factors

FACTOR	Mahtomedi	Tartan
Effective FG %	51%	49%
Offensive Rebound %	39.4%	35%
Free Throw Rate	25%	38.5%
Turnover %	27.3%	15.2%

Points Per Possession	0.92	0.94

Tartan went a cold 7-23 in the 2nd half to lose EFG. They finish 9-31 from 3 but 12-21 from 2 thanks to Favors. That means Czar's Law falls to 94-22 for the season. But that means they win the turnover battle 18-10. But 5 late Tartan turnovers almost cost them the game. In fact, the last 14 Tartan possessions in the last 6 minutes were 5 TO, 4 misses and 4-10 FTs. Both teams left points at the line, Tartan 11-20, Mahtomedi 8-13.

March 12, 2021 CzarPI

Labels: 20-21 CzarPI

This is the 5th CzarPI of the 2020-21 season (see CzarPI Explained Here). It includes games through Friday, March 12th, 2021. The value in () after the CzarPI value is the team's strength of schedule ranking within their class.

CzarPI Record: 2768-499 (84.7%)

Class AAAA

Champlin Park (18-0) - 59.46 (40) 0-0 vs higher, 18-0 vs lower
Wayzata (14-2) - 57.28 (21) 0-1 vs higher, 14-1 vs lower
Duluth East (11-3) - 56.45 (7) 0-2 vs higher, 11-1 vs lower
Hopkins (12-5) - 56.24 (9) 1-3 vs higher, 11-2 vs lower
Eastview (16-2) - 56.14 (55) 0-0 vs higher, 16-2 vs lower
Brainerd (14-2) - 56.01 (49) 1-1 vs higher, 13-1 vs lower
Woodbury (15-3) - 55.13 (53) 0-0 vs higher, 15-3 vs lower
St. Paul Central (10-1) - 54.93 (62) 0-0 vs higher, 10-1 vs lower
Mounds View (15-3) - 54.46 (54) 1-1 vs higher, 14-2 vs lower
Robbinsdale Cooper (14-2) - 53.74 (61) 0-1 vs higher, 14-1 vs lower
Park Center (13-5) - 53.30 (19) 1-3 vs higher, 12-2 vs lower
Chaska (12-3) - 52.62 (57) 1-2 vs higher, 11-1 vs lower
Tartan (11-4) - 52.61 (33) 1-2 vs higher, 10-2 vs lower
Owatonna (14-3) - 52.44 (60) 1-3 vs higher, 13-0 vs lower
Cretin-Derham Hall (13-5) - 51.81 (50) 1-3 vs higher, 12-2 vs lower
Eden Prairie (11-6) - 51.58 (27) 1-4 vs higher, 10-2 vs lower
Shakopee (13-5) - 51.41 (48) 0-2 vs higher, 13-3 vs lower
Lakeville North (12-6) - 51.24 (43) 1-3 vs higher, 11-3 vs lower
Moorhead (4-7) - 50.90 (2) 3-3 vs higher, 1-4 vs lower
Lakeville South (12-6) - 50.33 (44) 3-3 vs higher, 9-3 vs lower
East Ridge (11-6) - 50.23 (35) 2-4 vs higher, 9-2 vs lower
Rosemount (12-6) - 49.88 (45) 4-4 vs higher, 8-2 vs lower
Spring Lake Park (12-6) - 49.62 (47) 1-3 vs higher, 11-3 vs lower
Andover (13-5) - 49.36 (59) 1-4 vs higher, 12-1 vs lower
Rochester Century (12-5) - 49.29 (51) 1-5 vs higher, 11-0 vs lower
Farmington (11-7) - 48.88 (39) 4-6 vs higher, 7-1 vs lower
Osseo (10-8) - 48.41 (14) 2-6 vs higher, 8-2 vs lower
Robbinsdale Armstrong (11-7) - 48.21 (42) 3-6 vs higher, 8-1 vs lower
Park of Cottage Grove (9-9) - 47.54 (34) 2-6 vs higher, 7-3 vs lower
Forest Lake (10-8) - 46.65 (37) 2-8 vs higher, 8-0 vs lower
Buffalo (7-8) - 46.37 (20) 2-5 vs higher, 5-3 vs lower
Maple Grove (9-9) - 46.36 (18) 3-8 vs higher, 6-1 vs lower
New Prague (5-12) - 46.35 (3) 3-12 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Minnetonka (5-11) - 45.67 (6) 3-8 vs higher, 2-3 vs lower
Minneapolis South (6-6) - 45.64 (17) 1-4 vs higher, 5-2 vs lower
Northfield (8-9) - 45.51 (31) 2-6 vs higher, 6-3 vs lower
Hastings (8-8) - 45.50 (13) 2-7 vs higher, 6-1 vs lower
Edina (6-9) - 44.78 (8) 2-9 vs higher, 4-0 vs lower
St. Michael-Albertville (6-12) - 44.70 (5) 5-12 vs higher, 1-0 vs lower
North St. Paul (5-9) - 43.72 (1) 2-9 vs higher, 3-0 vs lower
Bloomington Jefferson (9-8) - 43.51 (38) 1-7 vs higher, 8-1 vs lower
Minneapolis Southwest (9-7) - 42.59 (41) 1-7 vs higher, 8-0 vs lower
White Bear Lake (7-11) - 41.36 (32) 2-10 vs higher, 5-1 vs lower
Rochester Mayo (7-10) - 37.75 (46) 1-9 vs higher, 6-1 vs lower
Chanhassen (3-8) - 37.26 (12) 1-7 vs higher, 2-1 vs lower
Eagan (6-12) - 36.95 (29) 1-11 vs higher, 5-1 vs lower
Stillwater Area (4-14) - 36.15 (24) 2-12 vs higher, 2-2 vs lower
Elk River (4-11) - 36.08 (25) 1-9 vs higher, 3-2 vs lower
Coon Rapids (7-11) - 34.79 (56) 1-10 vs higher, 6-1 vs lower
Blaine (6-11) - 33.94 (36) 1-10 vs higher, 5-1 vs lower
Prior Lake (4-14) - 33.64 (22) 1-13 vs higher, 3-1 vs lower
Roseville (4-13) - 33.57 (28) 2-13 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Rogers (5-13) - 32.91 (52) 2-13 vs higher, 3-0 vs lower
St. Louis Park (3-13) - 31.64 (4) 1-13 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Apple Valley (4-14) - 30.09 (23) 2-14 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Cambridge-Isanti (2-14) - 29.12 (26) 2-14 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Minneapolis Washburn (2-8) - 24.69 (15) 2-8 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Irondale (1-17) - 23.82 (16) 1-17 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Rochester John Marshall (2-11) - 22.73 (10) 0-11 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Burnsville (0-18) - 0.00 (11) 0-18 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Centennial (2-16) - 0.00 (58) 0-16 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Anoka (0-17) - 0.00 (30) 0-15 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower

Class AAA

Minnehaha Academy (14-0) - 67.18 (1) 0-0 vs higher, 14-0 vs lower
South St. Paul (17-1) - 59.28 (35) 0-0 vs higher, 17-1 vs lower
Alexandria (16-1) - 58.47 (44) 0-0 vs higher, 16-1 vs lower
Mound Westonka (13-3) - 58.41 (10) 0-2 vs higher, 13-1 vs lower
Byron (14-1) - 58.29 (45) 0-0 vs higher, 14-1 vs lower
Marshall (14-3) - 57.70 (7) 0-3 vs higher, 14-0 vs lower
Hibbing (13-3) - 55.71 (21) 2-3 vs higher, 11-0 vs lower
Columbia Heights (11-2) - 55.69 (52) 0-0 vs higher, 11-2 vs lower
Totino-Grace (14-4) - 54.93 (30) 0-2 vs higher, 14-2 vs lower
Austin (14-2) - 54.92 (59) 0-0 vs higher, 14-2 vs lower
Delano (11-6) - 54.88 (24) 0-2 vs higher, 11-4 vs lower
DeLaSalle (12-5) - 54.22 (17) 0-3 vs higher, 12-2 vs lower
Princeton (14-1) - 54.18 (65) 0-1 vs higher, 14-0 vs lower
Mankato East (13-3) - 53.91 (57) 1-0 vs higher, 12-3 vs lower
Mahtomedi (12-3) - 53.68 (53) 1-1 vs higher, 11-2 vs lower
Mankato West (13-4) - 53.45 (43) 1-3 vs higher, 12-1 vs lower
Richfield (12-4) - 53.00 (40) 2-3 vs higher, 10-1 vs lower
Minneapolis Edison (9-3) - 52.73 (63) 0-0 vs higher, 9-3 vs lower
St. Paul Highland Park (9-2) - 52.50 (61) 0-1 vs higher, 9-1 vs lower
St. Croix Lutheran (12-5) - 52.45 (36) 2-5 vs higher, 10-0 vs lower
Waconia (11-6) - 51.91 (25) 0-5 vs higher, 11-1 vs lower
Simley (7-5) - 50.74 (15) 1-3 vs higher, 6-2 vs lower
Grand Rapids (7-7) - 50.43 (4) 2-6 vs higher, 5-1 vs lower
Sauk Rapids-Rice (9-6) - 50.23 (50) 0-3 vs higher, 9-3 vs lower
Sartell-St. Stephen (9-9) - 50.08 (37) 3-4 vs higher, 6-5 vs lower
St. Paul Johnson (8-3) - 50.07 (54) 1-3 vs higher, 7-0 vs lower
Cloquet (9-6) - 49.50 (27) 3-6 vs higher, 6-0 vs lower
Detroit Lakes (8-6) - 49.34 (41) 2-5 vs higher, 6-1 vs lower
Orono (9-8) - 48.90 (26) 1-6 vs higher, 8-2 vs lower
Hutchinson (9-9) - 48.88 (13) 2-8 vs higher, 7-1 vs lower
St. Francis (12-6) - 48.08 (60) 0-4 vs higher, 12-2 vs lower
Worthington (8-10) - 46.57 (12) 1-7 vs higher, 7-3 vs lower
St. Cloud Apollo (7-11) - 44.83 (23) 2-8 vs higher, 5-3 vs lower
St. Peter (8-10) - 44.73 (22) 2-9 vs higher, 6-1 vs lower
Benilde-St. Margaret's (7-8) - 43.36 (48) 2-7 vs higher, 5-1 vs lower
Hermantown (5-6) - 43.29 (33) 1-6 vs higher, 4-0 vs lower
Winona (10-7) - 43.00 (55) 2-7 vs higher, 8-0 vs lower
Kasson-Mantorville (7-11) - 42.99 (29) 1-10 vs higher, 6-1 vs lower
St. Cloud Tech (4-12) - 42.96 (34) 4-6 vs higher, 0-6 vs lower
Willmar (6-12) - 42.80 (14) 4-11 vs higher, 2-1 vs lower
Big Lake (5-8) - 42.61 (56) 0-4 vs higher, 5-4 vs lower
Rocori (6-11) - 42.53 (31) 5-10 vs higher, 1-1 vs lower
Chisago Lakes Area (9-7) - 42.43 (64) 1-6 vs higher, 8-1 vs lower
Holy Angels (7-10) - 42.38 (39) 2-8 vs higher, 5-2 vs lower
Becker (9-8) - 42.26 (62) 2-7 vs higher, 7-1 vs lower
Bemidji (5-10) - 41.90 (11) 5-10 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Fridley (7-9) - 41.73 (47) 3-8 vs higher, 4-1 vs lower
Little Falls (8-10) - 41.37 (28) 2-10 vs higher, 6-0 vs lower
New Ulm (5-10) - 40.18 (49) 2-9 vs higher, 3-1 vs lower
St. Anthony Village (5-13) - 39.77 (6) 3-13 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Minneapolis Henry (4-8) - 39.15 (20) 1-8 vs higher, 3-0 vs lower
St. Paul Harding (5-7) - 37.54 (38) 1-7 vs higher, 4-0 vs lower
Zimmerman (4-14) - 36.81 (51) 2-13 vs higher, 2-1 vs lower
St. Thomas Academy (2-10) - 35.62 (2) 1-10 vs higher, 1-0 vs lower
Monticello (5-12) - 35.53 (58) 1-12 vs higher, 4-0 vs lower
Henry Sibley (3-12) - 34.85 (8) 1-11 vs higher, 2-1 vs lower
Faribault (3-12) - 32.04 (16) 1-12 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Hill-Murray (2-11) - 31.42 (5) 2-11 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
North Branch (2-15) - 31.18 (46) 1-14 vs higher, 1-1 vs lower
Minneapolis Roosevelt (1-11) - 27.59 (42) 1-9 vs higher, 0-2 vs lower
Duluth Denfeld (1-9) - 26.12 (3) 1-9 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Bloomington Kennedy (1-15) - 26.06 (32) 1-15 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
St. Paul Como Park (2-10) - 0.00 (18) 0-10 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Red Wing (2-15) - 0.00 (19) 0-15 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Albert Lea (0-18) - 0.00 (9) 0-16 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower

Class AA

Melrose (17-1) - 61.14 (18) 0-0 vs higher, 17-1 vs lower
Caledonia (16-0) - 59.71 (79) 0-0 vs higher, 16-0 vs lower
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta (15-2) - 59.33 (9) 0-2 vs higher, 15-0 vs lower
Annandale (14-1) - 59.19 (66) 0-0 vs higher, 14-1 vs lower
Blake (15-1) - 59.11 (46) 0-1 vs higher, 15-0 vs lower
Waseca (16-1) - 58.50 (65) 0-1 vs higher, 16-0 vs lower
Perham (13-4) - 58.14 (16) 0-0 vs higher, 13-4 vs lower
Pequot Lakes (15-2) - 57.85 (60) 0-1 vs higher, 15-1 vs lower
Mora (15-1) - 57.05 (96) 0-0 vs higher, 15-1 vs lower
Breckenridge (12-4) - 56.76 (23) 1-2 vs higher, 11-2 vs lower
Maple River (17-1) - 56.31 (113) 0-0 vs higher, 17-1 vs lower
Minneapolis North (11-1) - 56.27 (87) 0-1 vs higher, 11-0 vs lower
Luverne (14-3) - 55.92 (71) 0-2 vs higher, 14-1 vs lower
Stewartville (15-3) - 55.59 (43) 1-3 vs higher, 14-0 vs lower
Eden Valley-Watkins (16-2) - 55.47 (110) 0-0 vs higher, 16-2 vs lower
Litchfield (13-5) - 55.45 (8) 2-2 vs higher, 11-3 vs lower
St. Croix Prep (17-1) - 55.36 (116) 0-1 vs higher, 17-0 vs lower
Albany (15-3) - 55.28 (54) 1-3 vs higher, 14-0 vs lower
Rockford (15-3) - 55.13 (74) 2-2 vs higher, 13-1 vs lower
Moose Lake-Willow River (13-3) - 55.03 (52) 0-2 vs higher, 13-1 vs lower
Duluth Marshall (12-3) - 54.66 (99) 1-0 vs higher, 11-3 vs lower
Minnesota Valley Lutheran (12-4) - 54.18 (84) 0-1 vs higher, 12-3 vs lower
Plainview-Elgin-Millville (12-5) - 54.09 (51) 0-1 vs higher, 12-4 vs lower
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (9-6) - 54.08 (11) 1-3 vs higher, 8-3 vs lower
Barnesville (9-7) - 53.88 (17) 3-2 vs higher, 6-5 vs lower
Lake City (11-5) - 53.42 (32) 1-3 vs higher, 10-2 vs lower
Blue Earth Area (13-4) - 53.27 (82) 1-2 vs higher, 12-2 vs lower
Lewiston-Altura (13-5) - 52.33 (75) 0-3 vs higher, 13-2 vs lower
Redwood Valley (12-6) - 52.04 (31) 1-5 vs higher, 11-1 vs lower
Pine City (13-5) - 51.87 (100) 0-1 vs higher, 13-4 vs lower
Warroad (14-2) - 51.56 (124) 2-1 vs higher, 12-1 vs lower
Esko (11-7) - 51.53 (21) 0-6 vs higher, 11-1 vs lower
Eveleth-Gilbert (12-5) - 51.44 (98) 0-2 vs higher, 12-3 vs lower
Chatfield (13-4) - 51.09 (108) 2-3 vs higher, 11-1 vs lower
Glencoe-Silver Lake (10-8) - 50.96 (15) 2-6 vs higher, 8-2 vs lower
Fergus Falls (11-7) - 50.66 (67) 2-3 vs higher, 9-4 vs lower
Goodhue (10-8) - 50.63 (39) 2-4 vs higher, 8-4 vs lower
Osakis (13-5) - 50.56 (78) 0-4 vs higher, 13-1 vs lower
Rush City (12-5) - 50.21 (111) 2-3 vs higher, 10-2 vs lower
Crosby-Ironton (9-7) - 49.79 (47) 1-3 vs higher, 8-4 vs lower
Triton (11-7) - 49.75 (48) 2-6 vs higher, 9-1 vs lower
Sauk Centre (10-8) - 49.68 (25) 2-5 vs higher, 8-3 vs lower
Pillager (11-6) - 49.56 (95) 1-4 vs higher, 10-2 vs lower
Southwest Christian (11-6) - 49.03 (114) 1-3 vs higher, 10-3 vs lower
Providence Academy (11-7) - 48.91 (42) 0-5 vs higher, 11-2 vs lower
La Crescent-Hokah (8-7) - 48.81 (7) 3-5 vs higher, 5-2 vs lower
St. Paul Academy (8-7) - 48.27 (94) 1-3 vs higher, 7-4 vs lower
Maranatha Christian (11-5) - 48.18 (107) 1-4 vs higher, 10-1 vs lower
Two Harbors (12-5) - 48.14 (119) 1-4 vs higher, 11-1 vs lower
Kenyon-Wanamingo (8-10) - 48.00 (49) 3-6 vs higher, 5-4 vs lower
Watertown-Mayer (8-9) - 47.92 (6) 3-7 vs higher, 5-2 vs lower
Kimball Area (9-4) - 47.70 (117) 1-3 vs higher, 8-1 vs lower
Holy Family Catholic (6-9) - 47.66 (44) 3-6 vs higher, 3-3 vs lower
Pierz (11-7) - 47.66 (83) 2-5 vs higher, 9-2 vs lower
Pelican Rapids (8-8) - 47.46 (22) 1-8 vs higher, 7-0 vs lower
Twin Cities Academy/Great River (9-5) - 47.41 (102) 0-5 vs higher, 9-0 vs lower
Jordan (7-10) - 47.29 (26) 3-10 vs higher, 4-0 vs lower
Minnewaska Area (7-10) - 47.07 (1) 2-7 vs higher, 5-3 vs lower
Frazee (8-9) - 47.03 (33) 1-9 vs higher, 7-0 vs lower
Wadena-Deer Creek (10-8) - 47.00 (104) 2-5 vs higher, 8-3 vs lower
Hawley (7-10) - 46.95 (27) 3-9 vs higher, 4-1 vs lower
Menahga (6-8) - 46.77 (72) 3-5 vs higher, 3-3 vs lower
Breck (9-7) - 46.64 (77) 2-7 vs higher, 7-0 vs lower
Aitkin (8-8) - 46.47 (35) 2-8 vs higher, 6-0 vs lower
Pipestone Area (8-10) - 46.20 (38) 2-9 vs higher, 6-1 vs lower
Paynesville Area (10-8) - 45.76 (64) 1-8 vs higher, 9-0 vs lower
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton (10-8) - 45.57 (106) 2-6 vs higher, 8-2 vs lower
Belle Plaine (9-6) - 45.37 (122) 1-4 vs higher, 8-2 vs lower
Hiawatha Collegiate (9-6) - 45.13 (120) 0-5 vs higher, 9-1 vs lower
Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial (7-10) - 44.37 (41) 3-7 vs higher, 4-3 vs lower
St. Paul Humboldt (6-5) - 44.13 (85) 1-4 vs higher, 5-1 vs lower
Spectrum (10-8) - 43.92 (109) 1-6 vs higher, 9-2 vs lower
Cannon Falls (8-9) - 43.78 (50) 1-8 vs higher, 7-1 vs lower
Windom Area (8-10) - 43.71 (69) 3-9 vs higher, 5-1 vs lower
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted (6-10) - 43.56 (4) 2-9 vs higher, 4-1 vs lower
New London-Spicer (8-10) - 43.28 (37) 4-10 vs higher, 4-0 vs lower
Thief River Falls (6-7) - 43.23 (73) 1-6 vs higher, 5-1 vs lower
Virginia (6-10) - 43.23 (14) 2-10 vs higher, 4-0 vs lower
Benson (8-10) - 43.22 (55) 2-8 vs higher, 6-2 vs lower
International Falls (8-9) - 43.05 (92) 1-9 vs higher, 7-0 vs lower
Royalton (8-10) - 42.27 (97) 1-8 vs higher, 7-2 vs lower
East Grand Forks (6-11) - 42.04 (68) 3-9 vs higher, 3-2 vs lower
Zumbrota-Mazeppa (5-11) - 42.01 (19) 3-11 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
St. Charles (7-6) - 41.99 (81) 1-6 vs higher, 6-0 vs lower
Foley (7-11) - 41.86 (57) 2-7 vs higher, 5-4 vs lower
Cristo Rey Jesuit (6-9) - 39.87 (76) 2-8 vs higher, 4-1 vs lower
Montevideo (5-12) - 39.64 (13) 3-12 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Tri-City United (5-8) - 39.64 (91) 1-7 vs higher, 4-1 vs lower
Park Rapids Area (5-11) - 39.51 (40) 2-11 vs higher, 3-0 vs lower
Fairmont (6-10) - 39.39 (80) 2-10 vs higher, 4-0 vs lower
Greenway (4-13) - 39.32 (63) 2-11 vs higher, 2-2 vs lower
Rochester Lourdes (4-12) - 39.29 (30) 2-11 vs higher, 2-1 vs lower
Milaca (5-13) - 39.04 (20) 2-13 vs higher, 3-0 vs lower
Norwood-Young America (6-12) - 38.96 (115) 2-10 vs higher, 4-2 vs lower
Bagley (8-9) - 38.95 (112) 1-8 vs higher, 7-1 vs lower
New Richland-H-E-G (5-12) - 38.86 (93) 3-10 vs higher, 2-2 vs lower
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle (6-12) - 38.27 (103) 1-10 vs higher, 5-2 vs lower
New Life Academy (6-11) - 38.08 (86) 2-9 vs higher, 4-2 vs lower
Staples-Motley (4-13) - 37.94 (53) 3-13 vs higher, 1-0 vs lower
Metro Schools College Prep (4-5) - 37.30 (125) 0-5 vs higher, 4-0 vs lower
Pine Island (4-14) - 35.57 (45) 2-14 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Mesabi East (2-14) - 35.26 (36) 2-13 vs higher, 0-1 vs lower
St. Agnes (6-12) - 34.62 (88) 2-12 vs higher, 4-0 vs lower
Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (3-11) - 34.32 (61) 2-10 vs higher, 1-1 vs lower
Math and Science Academy (3-7) - 33.70 (121) 0-5 vs higher, 3-2 vs lower
Jackson County Central (3-15) - 33.16 (12) 2-15 vs higher, 1-0 vs lower
Maple Lake (4-14) - 33.02 (58) 1-13 vs higher, 3-1 vs lower
Medford (3-14) - 32.21 (56) 2-14 vs higher, 1-0 vs lower
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (2-13) - 31.35 (34) 1-13 vs higher, 1-0 vs lower
LeSueur-Henderson (3-14) - 31.14 (105) 1-13 vs higher, 2-1 vs lower
Brooklyn Center (1-15) - 31.01 (5) 1-15 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Roseau (6-11) - 30.82 (118) 1-11 vs higher, 5-0 vs lower
St. Cloud Cathedral (2-16) - 30.79 (3) 2-16 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Sibley East (3-14) - 30.45 (101) 3-14 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Holdingford (2-14) - 30.12 (29) 2-14 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Dassel-Cokato (2-16) - 29.80 (2) 2-16 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Proctor (2-10) - 29.40 (62) 2-9 vs higher, 0-1 vs lower
Concordia Academy (4-13) - 28.28 (90) 1-13 vs higher, 3-0 vs lower
Winona Cotter/Hope Lutheran (1-16) - 27.29 (28) 1-15 vs higher, 0-1 vs lower
Crookston (2-16) - 27.04 (89) 2-16 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
St. James Area (1-16) - 25.81 (59) 1-16 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Dover-Eyota (2-14) - 25.68 (24) 2-14 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Mounds Park Academy (1-14) - 21.80 (70) 1-14 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
St. Paul Washington (0-12) - 0.00 (10) 0-10 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Nova Classical Academy (1-16) - 0.00 (123) 0-16 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower

Class A

Mahnomen/Waubun (17-0) - 60.06 (21) 0-0 vs higher, 17-0 vs lower
Ashby (18-0) - 58.04 (110) 0-0 vs higher, 18-0 vs lower
Legacy Christian (17-1) - 56.60 (107) 0-0 vs higher, 17-1 vs lower
Southwest MN Christian (16-2) - 56.54 (85) 0-0 vs higher, 16-2 vs lower
Southland (15-2) - 56.54 (27) 0-0 vs higher, 15-2 vs lower
Nevis (16-2) - 56.37 (47) 0-1 vs higher, 16-1 vs lower
New York Mills (15-2) - 56.28 (63) 0-1 vs higher, 15-1 vs lower
Nashwauk-Keewatin (15-2) - 56.15 (43) 0-1 vs higher, 15-1 vs lower
Deer River (16-2) - 55.61 (93) 0-1 vs higher, 16-1 vs lower
Lyle/Austin Pacelli (16-2) - 55.25 (97) 1-1 vs higher, 15-1 vs lower
Cleveland (10-2) - 55.21 (39) 0-0 vs higher, 10-2 vs lower
Fertile-Beltrami (15-2) - 55.05 (92) 0-1 vs higher, 15-1 vs lower
Cass Lake-Bena (15-3) - 54.56 (36) 1-3 vs higher, 14-0 vs lower
Lac qui Parle Valley (15-3) - 54.44 (94) 0-0 vs higher, 15-3 vs lower
Badger/Greenbush-Middle River (15-3) - 54.35 (86) 0-0 vs higher, 15-3 vs lower
St. Clair (11-2) - 54.31 (91) 1-1 vs higher, 10-1 vs lower
Westbrook-Walnut Grove (14-3) - 54.19 (74) 0-2 vs higher, 14-1 vs lower
Lester Prairie (15-3) - 54.17 (102) 1-1 vs higher, 14-2 vs lower
Renville County West (12-5) - 53.93 (68) 1-1 vs higher, 11-4 vs lower
Sleepy Eye Saint Mary's (14-3) - 53.74 (105) 0-2 vs higher, 14-1 vs lower
Central MN Christian (14-4) - 53.52 (62) 2-3 vs higher, 12-1 vs lower
Hayfield (14-4) - 53.00 (31) 1-3 vs higher, 13-1 vs lower
T/ML/GHEC (12-5) - 52.79 (20) 1-3 vs higher, 11-2 vs lower
Mankato Loyola (11-3) - 52.79 (80) 2-3 vs higher, 9-0 vs lower
Win-E-Mac (14-3) - 52.75 (98) 1-3 vs higher, 13-0 vs lower
Hancock (13-5) - 52.70 (14) 1-4 vs higher, 12-1 vs lower
Spring Grove (13-3) - 52.67 (111) 1-1 vs higher, 12-2 vs lower
Stephen-Argyle (11-3) - 52.52 (95) 1-2 vs higher, 10-1 vs lower
Parkers Prairie (13-4) - 52.16 (60) 0-3 vs higher, 13-1 vs lower
Northern Freeze (11-5) - 51.98 (54) 2-1 vs higher, 9-4 vs lower
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (14-4) - 51.84 (100) 0-2 vs higher, 14-2 vs lower
Mayer Lutheran (13-3) - 51.61 (129) 1-1 vs higher, 12-2 vs lower
CHOF (8-5) - 51.56 (12) 0-2 vs higher, 8-3 vs lower
East Central (13-3) - 51.49 (133) 1-1 vs higher, 12-2 vs lower
Henning (12-5) - 51.36 (66) 0-3 vs higher, 12-2 vs lower
Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda (12-6) - 50.44 (33) 1-3 vs higher, 11-3 vs lower
North Woods (11-5) - 50.38 (69) 1-2 vs higher, 10-3 vs lower
New Ulm Cathedral (11-5) - 50.17 (109) 1-3 vs higher, 10-2 vs lower
Northland (14-4) - 50.03 (136) 2-1 vs higher, 12-3 vs lower
Cherry (11-6) - 49.71 (49) 1-4 vs higher, 10-2 vs lower
Upsala (12-6) - 49.44 (25) 1-6 vs higher, 11-0 vs lower
Randolph (11-6) - 49.18 (50) 2-4 vs higher, 9-2 vs lower
Red Lake County (12-6) - 48.96 (52) 1-6 vs higher, 11-0 vs lower
West Central Area (12-4) - 48.81 (123) 2-4 vs higher, 10-0 vs lower
Grand Meadow (9-6) - 47.93 (9) 2-5 vs higher, 7-1 vs lower
United Christian Academy (11-4) - 47.92 (146) 0-2 vs higher, 11-2 vs lower
Russell-Tyler-Ruthton (11-6) - 47.83 (113) 1-3 vs higher, 10-3 vs lower
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy (11-5) - 47.53 (115) 1-4 vs higher, 10-1 vs lower
Murray County Central (10-6) - 47.46 (45) 1-5 vs higher, 9-1 vs lower
South Ridge (12-6) - 47.40 (118) 1-5 vs higher, 11-1 vs lower
Ely (11-6) - 47.17 (124) 2-4 vs higher, 9-2 vs lower
Minneota (11-6) - 47.13 (126) 2-3 vs higher, 9-3 vs lower
Martin County West (10-8) - 47.03 (32) 1-6 vs higher, 9-2 vs lower
Barnum (10-8) - 46.84 (58) 1-6 vs higher, 9-2 vs lower
Chisholm (9-9) - 46.66 (90) 3-5 vs higher, 6-4 vs lower
Heritage Christian (10-6) - 46.42 (82) 0-5 vs higher, 10-1 vs lower
Rushford-Peterson (11-6) - 46.26 (76) 2-6 vs higher, 9-0 vs lower
Wabasso (8-9) - 45.93 (70) 2-5 vs higher, 6-4 vs lower
Hills-Beaver Creek (9-7) - 45.90 (22) 2-6 vs higher, 7-1 vs lower
Braham (12-6) - 45.47 (135) 1-6 vs higher, 11-0 vs lower
Red Lake (9-7) - 45.25 (81) 0-5 vs higher, 9-2 vs lower
Cedar Mountain (7-10) - 45.12 (87) 2-6 vs higher, 5-4 vs lower
Springfield (7-9) - 44.92 (78) 3-6 vs higher, 4-3 vs lower
MACCRAY (8-10) - 44.65 (51) 2-7 vs higher, 6-3 vs lower
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo (10-8) - 44.57 (101) 1-6 vs higher, 9-2 vs lower
Ada-Borup (9-7) - 44.39 (114) 1-5 vs higher, 8-2 vs lower
Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey (8-8) - 44.35 (13) 2-8 vs higher, 6-0 vs lower
Verndale (9-9) - 43.95 (84) 3-7 vs higher, 6-2 vs lower
Sacred Heart (8-9) - 43.86 (37) 2-8 vs higher, 6-1 vs lower
Avail Academy (9-8) - 43.85 (137) 1-6 vs higher, 8-2 vs lower
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (8-8) - 43.80 (30) 0-6 vs higher, 8-2 vs lower
Lanesboro (7-11) - 43.20 (16) 2-7 vs higher, 5-4 vs lower
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross (8-9) - 43.07 (41) 1-8 vs higher, 7-1 vs lower
Blackduck (9-8) - 42.96 (71) 1-7 vs higher, 8-1 vs lower
Nicollet (9-8) - 42.71 (117) 2-7 vs higher, 7-1 vs lower
Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop (8-9) - 42.62 (99) 3-9 vs higher, 5-0 vs lower
Cromwell-Wright (11-6) - 42.62 (145) 0-6 vs higher, 11-0 vs lower
Lakeview (8-8) - 42.44 (112) 2-8 vs higher, 6-0 vs lower
PACT Charter (8-9) - 42.42 (75) 2-8 vs higher, 6-1 vs lower
United South Central (5-8) - 42.15 (56) 1-6 vs higher, 4-2 vs lower
Hope Academy (5-10) - 41.87 (130) 2-4 vs higher, 3-6 vs lower
Pine River-Backus (8-9) - 41.59 (38) 1-8 vs higher, 7-1 vs lower
BOLD (4-7) - 40.92 (26) 2-7 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Trinity School (9-9) - 40.25 (127) 0-7 vs higher, 9-2 vs lower
Mountain Iron-Buhl (7-9) - 40.10 (88) 1-9 vs higher, 6-0 vs lower
Browerville/Eagle Valley (6-11) - 40.10 (61) 0-10 vs higher, 6-1 vs lower
Bethlehem Academy (5-11) - 39.65 (40) 1-8 vs higher, 4-3 vs lower
Carlton (10-8) - 39.54 (142) 0-7 vs higher, 10-1 vs lower
Lake Park-Audubon (7-10) - 39.43 (131) 0-7 vs higher, 7-3 vs lower
Blooming Prairie (6-11) - 39.29 (77) 3-9 vs higher, 3-2 vs lower
Schaeffer Academy (5-9) - 38.89 (24) 1-7 vs higher, 4-2 vs lower
West Lutheran (7-9) - 38.61 (73) 1-9 vs higher, 6-0 vs lower
Hinckley-Finlayson (7-10) - 38.57 (89) 1-10 vs higher, 6-0 vs lower
Rothsay (8-10) - 37.93 (108) 1-8 vs higher, 7-2 vs lower
Swanville (6-12) - 37.78 (125) 2-10 vs higher, 4-2 vs lower
Battle Lake (6-11) - 37.71 (10) 2-10 vs higher, 4-1 vs lower
LeRoy-Ostrander (7-7) - 37.67 (119) 1-7 vs higher, 6-0 vs lower
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (6-12) - 37.06 (42) 1-12 vs higher, 5-0 vs lower
St. John's Prep (6-12) - 37.03 (143) 2-10 vs higher, 4-2 vs lower
Clearbrook-Gonvick (4-14) - 36.89 (19) 2-11 vs higher, 2-3 vs lower
Kaleidoscope Charter (8-6) - 36.77 (150) 0-6 vs higher, 8-0 vs lower
Madelia (4-12) - 36.54 (83) 2-10 vs higher, 2-2 vs lower
Brandon/Evansville (6-12) - 36.21 (53) 3-11 vs higher, 3-1 vs lower
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart (4-12) - 36.20 (44) 2-12 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Fosston (6-12) - 36.02 (46) 2-11 vs higher, 4-1 vs lower
Lakeview Christian (5-12) - 35.37 (57) 1-12 vs higher, 4-0 vs lower
Dawson-Boyd (3-15) - 35.35 (18) 2-14 vs higher, 1-1 vs lower
NCE/U-H (4-10) - 35.01 (104) 1-10 vs higher, 3-0 vs lower
Wrenshall (6-12) - 33.97 (138) 0-9 vs higher, 6-3 vs lower
Red Rock Central (5-13) - 33.57 (8) 1-13 vs higher, 4-0 vs lower
Sebeka (5-13) - 33.45 (67) 1-13 vs higher, 4-0 vs lower
Fillmore Central (3-9) - 33.43 (2) 1-9 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Sleepy Eye (2-15) - 33.27 (64) 2-14 vs higher, 0-1 vs lower
Goodridge/Grygla (7-11) - 33.15 (106) 2-11 vs higher, 5-0 vs lower
Ogilvie (4-11) - 33.05 (139) 1-10 vs higher, 3-1 vs lower
Liberty Classical Academy (5-11) - 31.72 (147) 1-11 vs higher, 4-0 vs lower
Wabasha-Kellogg (3-12) - 31.62 (5) 1-11 vs higher, 2-1 vs lower
Northome/Kelliher (7-11) - 31.11 (132) 0-10 vs higher, 7-1 vs lower
Mabel-Canton (5-13) - 31.00 (65) 1-12 vs higher, 4-1 vs lower
Hill City (4-12) - 30.99 (120) 1-10 vs higher, 3-2 vs lower
Alden-Conger (2-13) - 30.57 (23) 2-13 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Bigfork (3-14) - 30.56 (28) 1-14 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Ortonville (2-12) - 30.21 (35) 1-10 vs higher, 1-2 vs lower
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley (3-14) - 29.98 (59) 1-14 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Silver Bay (4-13) - 29.75 (122) 1-13 vs higher, 3-0 vs lower
Floodwood (3-11) - 28.71 (134) 1-10 vs higher, 2-1 vs lower
McGregor (2-16) - 28.59 (141) 2-14 vs higher, 0-2 vs lower
Kingsland (3-12) - 28.54 (3) 1-12 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Climax/Fisher (1-16) - 27.82 (15) 1-14 vs higher, 0-2 vs lower
North Lakes Academy (2-14) - 27.60 (48) 1-12 vs higher, 1-2 vs lower
Onamia (2-15) - 26.39 (103) 1-14 vs higher, 1-1 vs lower
Canby (3-13) - 26.36 (55) 2-13 vs higher, 1-0 vs lower
Edgerton (2-15) - 26.14 (7) 1-14 vs higher, 1-1 vs lower
Isle (2-16) - 22.74 (121) 2-16 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley (2-13) - 22.04 (79) 1-13 vs higher, 1-0 vs lower
Eagle Ridge Academy (2-12) - 21.86 (148) 1-11 vs higher, 1-1 vs lower
Adrian/Ellsworth (1-16) - 20.55 (6) 1-16 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Cook County (1-13) - 20.16 (96) 1-13 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Littlefork-Big Falls (3-12) - 20.09 (116) 0-12 vs higher, 3-0 vs lower
Lakes International Language Academy (3-14) - 19.48 (144) 1-14 vs higher, 2-0 vs lower
Park Christian (2-15) - 16.32 (17) 1-15 vs higher, 1-0 vs lower
Glenville-Emmons (0-8) - 0.00 (1) 0-8 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Houston (0-16) - 0.00 (4) 0-16 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Kittson County Central (1-16) - 0.00 (11) 0-16 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Yellow Medicine East (0-17) - 0.00 (29) 0-17 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Underwood (0-17) - 0.00 (34) 0-16 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Bertha-Hewitt (1-12) - 0.00 (72) 0-12 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Laporte (2-14) - 0.00 (128) 0-14 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Lake of the Woods (0-14) - 0.00 (140) 0-11 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower
Chesterton Academy (0-5) - 0.00 (149) 0-4 vs higher, 0-0 vs lower

A defensive playoff tune up

Prologue
Now its back to the South Suburban for the #3AAAA Eastview vs #6AAAA Shakopee rematch. This looked like it might decide the league title, but Eastview already clinched coming in. Shakopee trying to keep 2nd place in the league all to themselves rather than share it with Lakeville North

Game Time
A really rough start for Eastview. They start 2-15 shooting with 8 turnovers. The only 2 makes were steals for a dunk and a layup by Henry Shannon. The best offense of the 1st half was Shakopee looking for Sam West inside as Eastview went small on him with one of the bigs having to guard Nick Katona. West took advantage for 8 first half points. Its a 12-2 start for Shakopee. Mick Wherley with a right corner triple, an inside bucket and 2 of 4 free throws late in the half. Shakopee stretches the lead to 26-13 at the break.

Shakopee with 3 early buckets as Eastview turns it over 3 more times. 32-18 Sabers when their offense falls apart. Eastview turns it over 4 more times before they finally start getting some shots up. Grayson Stalboerger for 3. Kenji Scales for 3 and 2 FTs. Brady Schmitz backdoor for 2 and adds 2 FTs. Zach Spann and Aryan Kohli for 3s. Shakopee can't throw it in the ocean to get the MoKiller timeout. The Eastview run is 20-1 with 8 Shakopee turnovers included. Eastview on top 38-33. Shakopee in a stretch of 1 FG in 20 trips. Wherley and Shannon trading points. Wherley's 2 FTs with 1:54 left keep Shakopee within 42-39. Kenji Scales 3-4 FTs with a Shannon swat sandwiched inbetween.

Scales both ends of the bonus before Katona hits a 3 and gets fouled. The FT is no good but Shakopee still within 1 possession. 47-44 Eastview with 50 seconds left. They miss a front end and Wherley goes quick to cut the lead to 1. Eastview breaks the press but turns it over in the front court with 10 seconds left. Shakopee out of timeouts. They get it to the front court. Katona gets a wide open look at the top of the key at the buzzer that's no good. Eastview wins 47-46.

Post Game
Shakopee falls to 13-5 on the season. But with Lakeville North's upset loss to Prior Lake, the Sabers still claim 2nd place outright in the South Suburban. Mick Wherley with 20 points. Sam West with 8 of his 10 in the 1st half. Nick Katona held to 8 points. The Shakopee still likely the top seed in the wide open section 2AAAA bracket.

Eastview wins the South Suburban at 16-2. They'll be the top seed in the 3AAAA playoffs and open with Burnsville next week. Kenji Scales 10 points to lead the Lightning. 1 triple and 7 of 8 from the free throw line for Scales. Henry Shannon held to 8 points. Grayson Stalboerger all 8 of his points in the 2nd half with a couple of 3s.

Four Factors

FACTOR	Shakopee	Eastview
Effective FG %	35.6%	51.4%
Offensive Rebound %	42.1%	18.2%
Free Throw Rate	48.9%	37.1%
Turnover %	31.7%	33.9%

Points Per Possession	0.77	0.80

This one wasn't pretty but Czar's Law still holds to go to 94-21 on the season. Eastview started 2-15 and then finished the game 13-20 from the floor. Shakopee started 12-25 and then finished 3-20 as the game totally flipped early in the 2nd half. But they do get the perfect analytics shot chart. Turnovers end up being a wash. Shakopee with the edge on the offensive board and at the foul line. But they leave 8 points at the charity stripe. The 0.80 PPP for Eastview may take the cake for lowest winning value of the season.

Completing the clean slate

Prologue
Back to the Northwest Suburban for another battle. #1AAAA Champlin Park hosting Park Center. Park Center gave away a late lead in the 1st meeting before losing on a late bucket in overtime. This one a possible preview of a section 5AAAA final. Seeding implications for Park Center at stake.

Game Time
Senior night for Champlin Park means Baron Bahn and Darien Hoek in the starting lineup. Bahn and Hoek with early 3s and a Bahn postup puts the Rebels up 10-5 at 14:40. Dawson Rudolph 2 triples to get Park Center back to even before a 7-0 run puts Champlin Park up 17-10. Francis Nwaokorie 2 freebies and a post bucket for a 25-19 lead. Rudolph with a late triple and a Champlin Park turnover. Ayouba Berthe with a triple off of that just before the buzzer. 32-30 Champlin Park at the break.

Blocked shot on 1 end leads to a Josh Strong putback. 40-34 Rebels stretch the lead. A score delay of over 5 minutes with the scoreboard being incorrect. After total mismanagement of that, they do get it right and we're back underway with 13:09 left. Strong backcuts the inbounds for a bucket, 46-39 Rebels.

Braeden Carrington with a tough bucket. Rudolph with his 4th triple of the night and we're back to even at 46. Nwaokorie fouled for the 4th on James Parker with 7:51 left. He adds another post bucket and with PC going small, he takes advantage for 2 FTs. Leo Torbor counters that for PC with 2 buckets and a free throw. 61-59 Champlin Park with 3:34 left and Parker will come back in.

The Rebels add 3 of 4 FTs to stretch the lead to 5. Carrington with a pullup jumper to keep PC within 3. Pirates get a couple of chances late to tie or take the lead. They'll miss a 3 and another miss with 1 minute left while down by 2. Strong with 2 clutch FTs with 37 seconds left to keep it at 2 possessions. PC 1 of 2 FTs and Gichaba with a dunk to break the pressure. Carrington fouled on a 3 with 12 seconds left. Makes 2 of 3 to keep the Pirates within 3 points. 3 of 4 FTs from Champlin Park seal it. Champlin Park wins 72-66.

Post Game
Park Center falls to 13-5 with the loss. It likely locks them into the 3 seed in section play and a 1st round matchup next week with Roseville. Braeden Carrington is unorthodox but gets the job done. He leads PC with 16 points. Ayouba Berthe effectively hounded Josh Strong most of the night. Plus he added 15 points. Dawson Rudolph 4 triples for 12 points. When I see Leo Torbor 2 things stick out immediately. Bounce and Burst. A super quick 1st step and hops to go with it. He scored 9 points but I see a breakout guy over the next year.

Champlin Park finishes the regular season at an undefeated 18-0. They'll open with either Irondale or Centennial in the 5AAAA playoffs next Friday. Francis Nwaokorie with 25 points to lead the Rebels. Dylan Gichaba with 13 and Josh Strong with 12. 19 of those 25 in the 2nd half. The role guys chip in just enough and they make just enough plays. This was their 7th win by 7 points or less. Coach Tuch looking like the hands down AAAA coach of the year with all the talent that graduated from last season.

Four Factors

FACTOR	Champlin Park	Park Center
Effective FG %	51%	45%
Offensive Rebound %	39.4%	39.5%
Free Throw Rate	54%	31.7%
Turnover %	18.5%	12.3%

Points Per Possession	1.11	1.02

Czar's Law improves to 93-21 for the season. Biggest difference in this one is at the foul line. Champlin Park shoots 21-27 compared to 12-19 for Park Center. Champlin Park slightly better from the field as well.

Rebels still yelling from the mountain top

Prologue
Its a top notch non-conference battle in the NW Suburban as #1AAAA Champlin Park visits #2AAA Totino-Grace. Champlin Park won the 1st meeting by 10 and ran the table at 13-0 in the single round robin edition of 2021 conference play.

Game Time
Close game early when Demarion Watson sits with 2 fouls at the 12:37 mark. Taison Chatman to CJ O'Hara as the teams are out running. 11-10 Champlin Park at 11:45. Josh Strong 2 buckets, Francis Nwaokorie and Dylan Gichaba for 3. Rebels expand the lead to 24-14. Nwaokorie 2 buckets as he's taking over inside. 33-21 Champlin Park at 6:45. He adds a 3 point play to stretch the lead to 41-27. Chatman with the last 7 TG points of the half via a drive and nice lefty finish. A straight away triple and 2 freebies finish that spurt. 43-32 Champlin Park leads at half.

The Eagles storm back with top 2 sophs. O'Hara backdoor for 2 to start the half. Chatman and O'Hara for 3. Chatman converts a turnover and O'Hara adds 2 free throws. DJ Akpati with the 1st of 2 triples to flip the scoreboard. Its a 16-4 TG run to start the half. 48-47 Eagles take the lead with 13:30 to play. Akpati and Devin Burger from deep for a 58-56 TG lead with 8:20 left. Strong with 2 triples countered by 2 Watson buckets. 62 all with 6:18 to play.

Once again late in the half the pace slows dramatically. Nwaokorie in the post for 2 free throws with 2 minutes left. Then in the post for a dunk with 1 minute left and the Rebels go up by 4. Burger quickly counters for 3 with 45.8 left. Rebels get a layup. TG down 3 has a chance. Chatman on the iso gets a good straight away look and its in and out with 15 seconds left. Rebels make 1 FT before an Akpati hoop with 1.5 left. Rebels miss a front end, TG takes the quick timeout with 0.5 left down 2. But their full court attempt doesn't yield anything. Champlin Park wins 71-69.

Post Game
Totino-Grace falls to 13-4 overall with the loss. They get 4 players in double figures. Taison Chatman with 16 points, CJ O'Hara 14. Devin Burger with 11 and DJ Akpati with 13 points off the bench. Both of them made 3 treys. Never really saw an offensive rhythm for the Eagles. Lots of 1 on 1 play. The Eagles are still looking at the 2 seed in the ridiculousness known as section 4AAA where the top 3 teams in the current AAA poll reside. TG finishes the regular season on Thursday at Anoka.

Champlin Park continues their impressive season as they remain undefeated at 17-0. I'll see their finale vs Park Center on Thursday as well. Francis Nwaokorie did whatever he wanted on the way to 32 points. But it wasn't just the post play. He hit a 3 and had more than 1 scenario where he faced up and made a scoring play off the dribble. Josh Strong 15 points and 3 triples including a couple big ones in the 2nd half as TG threatened to build a lead. Dylan Gichaba adds 12 points. The Rebels are looking at the top seed in the deep section 5AAAA playoffs.

Four Factors

FACTOR	Totino-Grace	Champlin Park
Effective FG %	50.9%	56.5%
Offensive Rebound %	24.4%	26.7%
Free Throw Rate	27.1%	24.1%
Turnover %	13%	23.5%

Points Per Possession	1.00	1.04

Czar's Law now 89-20 as Champlin Park wins the EFG battle. The Rebels get the perfect analytics shot chart. They go 20-35 in the paint thanks to Nwaokorie going nuts. That's compared to 13-24 for TG along with their 2-9 on mid-range 2s. Champlin Park loses the turnover battle 16-9 but for live ball buckets going the other way, I actually had a 2-1 Rebels edge.

Featured Pages