Dueling Sophs

Prologue
A couple of top level games on the schedule tonight but I decide to look for a more individual matchup.  Its from the Suburban East and section 4AAAA.  The Ponies of Stillwater galloping down highway 36 to White Bear Lake.  The first game between these teams was a 68-66 thriller with a White Bear Lake steal and layup to win it with 4 seconds left.  But its the matchup of top sophomore guards in this one that really catches my eye.  White Bear Lake's Jack Janicki had 39 in the 1st meeting.  Max Shikenjanski had 36 for Stillwater.

Game Time
The 1st half was the Max Shikenjanski show.  He'll spin for 2 and then kick for 3.  12-5 Stillwater leads.  Max from deep at the 10 minute mark for a 19-15 lead.  He'll add a pretty backdoor cut for 2, a drive for 2 and then he grabs 2 of his own misses for another bucket.  18 points in the 1st 11 minutes and a pair of assists in the 1st 27 Ponies points.  27-19 Stillwater at 7:10.  Kanye Raheem keeping White Bear Lake close with a triple and a 3 point play off a turnover.   Stillwater 38-29 at the break.

Jack Janicki with a very quiet first half thanks to a faceguarding Stillwater defense.  He heats up in the 2nd half.  A steal for 2 and a 3 point play around 2 Raheem free throws ties the game at 42 with 13:51 to play.  Stillwater puts the game away with a 12-2 run.  Who else but Max Shikenjanski.  Great off ball movement to go over a DHO and then come right back and get it for a 3 (thank you Duncan Robinson).  A drive for 2 and then a pretty assist to big brother Sam for 2 and the foul.  54-44 Stillwater back up by double digits with 8:59 left.

Max with a free throw and then Stillwater runs their offense to the other side to get him a flare 3.  But its only fitting that Tyler Tompkins gets the backdoor layup out of the Princeton point action to slam the door with 2:45 left. He was the stopper on Janicki for most of the night.  White Bear Lake misses, Stillwater goes 4 corners and the rest is free throws.  Stillwater with a nice road win 69-55.

Post Game
White Bear Lake falls to 7-9 overall and in Suburban East play.  They finish up with Woodbury and at Forest Lake.  First round of the 4AAAA playoffs is looking like a trip to Tartan or East Ridge.  Jack Janicki was shut down in the 1st half.  But he scores 16 of his 18 in the 2nd half to top the Bears scoring chart.  But he really had to work to get his and took a bunch of tough shots.  Kanye Raheem with 11 of his 15 in the 1st half.

Stillwater improves to 3-13 with the loss. Max Shikenjanski goes for 37 points with 4 3s and a handful of assists.  Fun to see him move without the ball and orchestrate off the screen and roll.  While Stillwater had a new plan for Janicki in this game, I didn't see any real change in plan for Shikenjanski from White Bear Lake.  Stillwater ran Princeton point action and got quality looks all night.  Lots of high pick and roll from it on the screen and pop, but they also got the backcut on the pop a couple times.  Not to mention the spin to the weakside and then flare the top for a couple good looks too.  The Ponies still fighting with North St. Paul to get out of the cellar in the section standing and this win was a big help.  They have a winnable game against Irondale on Wednesday before finishing out at Mounds View on Friday.

Four Factors

FACTOR	White Bear Lake	Stillwater
Effective FG %	49%	64%
Offensive Rebound %	24.1%	32.1%
Free Throw Rate	11.8%	53.5%
Turnover %	21.7%	21.7%
Points Per Possession	0.92	1.15

Stillwater shot a ridiculous 15-20 (85% EFG) in the 1st half on their way to the win.  That also puts Czar's Law in the winner's column for a season record of 87-20.  Even without the late free throws, Stillwater with a big edge at the charity stripe going 14-23 with only 5-6 for White Bear Lake.  That number with shot selection were the difference.  Offensive Rebounds a non factor and turnovers dead even.