2011 State Tourney, Day 1

To Williams Arena for the opening day of the 2011 state tournament.  I wrote articles on the first 3 games of the day for Minnesota Preps and then sat back and took a different look at the last 3 games.  My random thoughts from the day.

• The Johnson game looked like New Prague would make a run and then Johnson would just be Johnson and at some point take off and put the game away.  With 5 minutes, Johnson did go up 7 thanks to Estan Tyler but to the amazement of many, New Prague came back and took the lead.  The lead was 10 earlier in the half.  Down 4 it almost looked like Johnson went into panic mode.  Very surprising from an experienced team.   No surprise that New Prague shot it that well from 3 to pull the upset.  That shooting combined with stingy defense make their semifinal matchup with Columbia Heights very interesting.
• Lots of chatter on boards and specifically on my pages about Zach Lofton and Columbia Heights.  They get it done behind a quality performance from Lofton but they also had great productivity from the rest of the squad.  They handle Marshall and playing like they did today would make them very tough to beat.
• In a day where big leads vanished, Waconia jumped out to a 19 point lead at half time and then saw that lead get all the way down to 8 at one point.  Shelby Moats and his hot start got Waconia going.  Grand Rapids 8th grade PF Alex Illikainen with a double double.  Long and lean with good touch and nice hands, he's definitely a quality power forward right now and has nice upside.
• For Waconia, you have to be impressed with them.  One day its Alex Schmitt, the next its Ben Kortuem, today its Wylie Ferron.  Hard to argue with the fact that they just win.
• As to the last quarterfinal in 3A, Apollo thought they overcame demons when beating Little Falls during section play but after leading by 18 in the second half over Orono (who beat them at Christmas), this is a demon that won't go away anytime soon.  Orono used a 26-6 run over 7 minutes to regain the lead.  Great to see Ibrahim Abukar nail 2 clutch free throws to force overtime.  
• Story of the day was the appearance of Zach Gabbard with his Perham teammates.  Great ovation from the crowd.  Great class from the Virginia players to include him in pregame and postgame handshakes.
• As to the game, what a tough spot for Virginia because Perham is not the team you want to end up with in the draw.  This one was practically over when Perham boarded the bus to make the trip to the cities due to the emotion involved (nothing to due with Virginia's skill just to be clear).  Perham was an absolute buzzsaw.  They shot 52.3% for the game, 8-14 from 3 and executed their offense as well as any team I saw today. 
• As to other offense, very difficult to watch.  Virginia shot 32.6% and turned it over 19 times.  Zimmerman shot 35.5% in the second half to lose a 10 point halftime lead and they lost 61-58 to Waterville-Elysian-Morristown.  Those teams combined for 40 turnovers.  WEM did shoot 61.9% in the 2nd half and held off 2 late 3 point attempts and blocked a 3rd to hang on. 
• Zimmerman's star Brandon Giese shoots 5-19, 1-9 from 3, WEM has the hot second half and Zimmerman still should have won the game.  Their Mississippi 8 schedule was definitely useful in prepping them for the talent level they saw in this one.  Give WEM credit for their execution of the dribble drive in the 2nd half to get that high shooting percentage.
• Maybe Zimmerman runs normally, but playing 10 guys in 2 to 3 minute shifts in what amounted to a halfcourt game mostly and with no press put on by the Thunder seemed very strange.  Not to mention WEM is one of the more high-powered teams in the state, they'll be happy to run with you.  You play those shifts and number of guys to take advantage of depth.  Playing slow and in limited possessions takes away those advantages because it doesn't force the opponent into their depth where you're better.
• So after day 1 we have no Johnson, no Alex Richter or Johnny Woodard.  Will there be anything left on championship Saturday that fans want to watch?  Last year attendance was down almost 10,000 fans with no star power to watch.  Attendance has dropped the last 4 years from 78,660 in 2007 to 55,731 last year and I wouldn't be shocked if we don't reach 50K this year.  Is it time for Minnesota to ditch bringing 8 teams in every class to state and go a route like Wisconsin where we focus on bringing fewer teams for better games and scheduling those games around television (read 4A always plays in primetime like the Yankees) instead for the travel interest of the small schools?

The Czar's 2011 Mr Basketball Final 5

The Mr Basketball committee just trimmed their list of 20 candidates down to 5 finalists.  Not that it matters since this is one of the easiest selections we'll have, but at least guessing how long we'll have to wait for the official announcement makes it interesting.  Here's a refresher on who the original 20 were and who made the final cut.  Then I'll tell you who I would have picked and why.

Finalists
Lucas Brown-Roseville
Joe Coleman - Hopkins
Shelby Moats - Waconia
Kyle Noreen - Minnesota Transitions
Jake White - Chaska

The other 15 candidates
Tom Schalk - Apple Valley
Marquel Curtis - Robbinsdale Armstrong
Marcus Alipate - Bloomington Jefferson
Ross Travis - Chaska
Benji Figini - Chisago Lakes
Zach Lofton - Columbia Heights
Raijon Kelly - Cretin-Derham Hall
Jonah Travis - DeLaSalle
Marvin Singleton - Hopkins
Alex Richter - Lakeville South
Seth Hinrichs - MACCRAY
Cole Olstad - Plainview - Elgin - Millville
Roosevelt Scott - St. Paul Johnson
Estan Tyler - St. Paul Johnson
Eric Robertson - Wayzata

The Czar's Final 5
Joe Coleman - Hopkins
Roosevelt Scott - Johnson 
Marvin Singleton - Hopkins
Jonah Travis - DeLaSalle
Jake White - Chaska

Coleman, Singleton, Travis and White were easy choices as they were clear game changers and consistent night in and night out.  I've been outspoken that I don't like picking 2 guys from the same team but Singleton was just that dominant compared to everybody else, couldn't keep him out.  Coleman, Travis and White were monsters all season and dominated most of their competition.  The last spot was really tough as there's a bunch of guys worthy of a look.  So based on individual performance, importance to their team, overall team performance and college upside, Scott got my 5th spot.  I had him as MVP of the St. Paul City, Johnson was undefeated in Minnesota until the Twin Cities Game, he played well in big games (40 vs MTS and end of Lakeville South game on opening night before Tyler's game winning tip are 2 examples) and he's a difference maker athlete even for Johnson and has large college upside.

Johnson runs away from MTS

Prologue
To #1AAA Johnson for a showdown with #3A Minnesota Transitions.  This is a rematch of the Best Buy Holiday Classic 3rd place game that Johnson won 93-77.  How similar would this one be?  One of the lower ranked hot dogs of the season and the always entertaing 16.9 oz bottle of Gatorade (that's 500 ml for those who are wondering about the goofy measurement).  Surprisingly poor crowd too.  Williston State and Itasca in the building looking on.  And how could I miss the Mr Basketball guys sitting right where you'd expect them with their popcorn.  With a fast paced game and teams with title aspirations, this song seemed to make sense.

Song of the Day
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Running Down a Dream

Game Time
Early on its all MTS.  Rodney Owens nails a 3 to start the game and then 3 straight layups as MTS leads 16-7 at the 13:45 mark.  Roosevelt Scott and Anthony Lee don't start for Johnson but within the 1st minute they're up off the bench and waiting at the scorer's table.  Estan Tyler with a layup and a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 5.  Kyle Noreen counters as he banks in a 3, puts back a miss and seals his man for weakside inbounds layup.  Add in a Matt Lanier 3 and layup and its all part of a 12-4 MTS run.  32-19 Wolves with 7 minutes left in the half.  Owens makes 2 free throws to keep the lead at 12 with 5 minutes left in the half.  Most of the rest of the night is the Roosevelt Scott Show.  A putback, a 3, 2 steals for Lee layups, another 3 as Johnson cuts the lead down to 3 before the half.  46-42 MTS at the break.  MTS looked like they had momentum with the 13 point lead and similar to what Hyde Park did to Johnson, MTS spread the floor and went high dribble weave.  Johnson's defensive intensity picked up and kept them close.

Tyler with a drive and 2 free throws along with a Marcus Marshall 3 and Johnson has evened the score at 49 not even 2 minutes into the half.  Game on.  Marshall on the side out with a jumper with 15:15 left and the Govs have their 1st lead of the night 53-51.  Back to back layups put MTS back on top 60-59 with 12:40 left.  Then Tyler for 3, Scott with a dunk and a Lee layup in 50 seconds.  But Noreen nails an NBA 3 to cut the lead in half.  Scott gets his jersey grabs but gets the continuation + 1, a turnover leads to a Tyler layup and then Owens charges for his 4th foul with 10 minutes left.  Timeout MTS after a 12-3 Johnson run and the Govs have all the momentum with the 71-63 lead.  I thought MTS would get the timeout quicker, especially on the road.  The timeout works as Johnson holds and turns it over to ignite an 11-2 Wolves run that ends with a Lanier 3.  74-73 MTS with 6:53 left.  Scott won't be denied.  He goes to the reverse layup for 2 and adds on 2 free throws.  That's followed by a 3 point play and on the break, Owens fouls him to prevent dunk.  But that's the 5th foul on Owens and 5:57 remains as Scott makes both freebies.  That's 9 in a row for Scott in about 45 seconds.  82-76 Govs lead.  Noreen dives inside for 2 to cut the lead to 4 with 5:15 left but MTS will get no closer.  Scott adds on some late free throws and an exclamation point dunk.  Johnson wins 104-90.

Post Game
For MTS, the loss drops them to 16-5 and breaks a 9 game winning streak.  They give up 62 points in the 2nd half which just won't get it done.  Though 16 of those were in the last 3 minutes when playing catch up.  Kyle Noreen leads MTS with 30 points.  Rodney Owens 22.  Devonte Harvey in the MTS lineup for the 1st time in my viewing of MTS this season.  He finishes with 14.  Its not any easier for the Wolves the rest of the way.  They play at #5AAAA Eden Prairie on Friday and then visit #9A Springfield next Monday.

For Johnson, Roosevelt Scott has 27 of his 40 points in the 2nd half.  13-24 shooting with most of those misses in the 1st half.  He missed some bunnies in the first half otherwise he might have been close to 50.  I also had him for 8 rebounds and 5 steals.  Estan Tyler 17 points and he had the task of guarding Noreen.  That continues the Johnson strategy of having Tyler play the defensive stopper role even when Scott seems like the logical small forward vs small forward matchup.   Anthony Lee also finishes with 17 points.  Johnson improves wot 20-2 and remains undefeated against Minnesota opponents.  They play at Richfield on Thursday in what should be another fast paced game.  That's before finishing conference play next week.

2011 East Metro Showcase Day 1

Prologue
To Johnson for the annual East Metro Showcase.  Today is day 1 beginning with a 61-56 St. John's Military Academy (Delafield, WI) victory over #1A Minnesota Transitions.  I then show up for a quality hot dog and Pepsi which is never a bad thing.  South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Kirkwood and NDSCS in the building watching action tonight.  We also get WCCO TV for the entire night as Frank Vascellaro is in the building live but no Amelia Santaniello, what's up with that?  As to song of the day, let's honor this disgusting weather with a classic.

Song of the Day
Foreigner - Cold as Ice

Game 1: #1AAAA Hopkins vs #2 D1 Milwaukee Riverside
Its a showdown of high ranked teams in the middle game of the day as 11-1 Milwaukee Riverside comes in ranked #2 in Wisconsin.  They knocked off previous #1 Milwaukee King last week  King then beat Johnson by 15 the following day.  Riverside star Trinson White just picked up an offer from Cal Poly this week.  Hopkins off to a quick 7-0 lead as Riverside can't take care of the ball.  After a Zach Stahl steal and dunk, Riverside comes back with a 9-0 run ended by a White putback to cut the Hopkins lead to 22-20 at the 7:30 mark.  Hopkins then goes on a 20-6 run over the next 6 minutes.  Nick Jorgenson with a pair of left corner 3s against a 1-3-1 and it finishes with a Marvin Singleton 3.  Riverside cuts the margin to 42-31 at half.  Very ugly half for both teams.  Then its a 13-2 Hopkins run run to start the 2nd half with 7 points from Siyani Chambers.  The lead is 55-33 with 14:55 left, it gets to 30 but we don't get running time.  Hopkins goes on to a easy 92-68 win.  Joe Coleman finishes with 29 points and 6 rebounds.  12-17 shooting but only 1-2 on real jump shots.  That's 4-13 on the year in real shooting in the games I've attended.  Siyani Chambers all 12 of his points in the 2nd half.  Nick Jorgenson 15 points with 3 3s.  Trinson White 20 points for Riverside.

Game 2: #2AAA Johnson vs Superior, WI
This game is very interesting one as you have a battle of D1 point guards who both saw time for MN PNR this summer.  Joel Lindberg from Superior will attend NDSU next season.  Then you have Estan Tyler on the other side who will attend Missouri-Kansas City.  Rumor has it NDSU had their choice of the 2.  Johnson gets out to a 6-0 lead to force a Superior timeout and then Superior will go 3-2 zone the rest of the way.  Tyler with a hand in the 1st 11 points of the game for Johnson with a pair of sweet assists for layups, a putback, a 3 and a steal for 2 free throws.  11-2 Johnson at the 15:46 mark.  Johnson doubling Lindberg on inbounds plays and running 2 guys at him all over the floor.  Rob Kraft hot all night.  His first 2 triples help bring Superior within 21-20 at the 8:50 mark.  Marcus Marshall to Tyler for 3 and then reverse roles for another 3.  Then Lindberg picks up foul #2 at the 7:15 mark on a charge and sits.  Superior is within 30-25 at the 5:59 mark and Lindberg comes back in, slightly surprising.  His bank shot cuts the lead to 3 before the dice come up snake eyes at 4:27.  30-27 Johnson leads.  Marcus Marshall gets 3 bounces and the shooters role for 3 right after that.  Tyler ends the 12-4 spurt with a 3 point play to push the lead to 11.  But Johnson is sloppy in the last 45 seconds of the half.  42-36 Johnson at the break.  Can't be too displeased with that if you're Superior.

14-5 Johnson goes off in the 1st 7:10 of the half.  It ends with a Waylon Johnson putback at 10:50, 56-41 Johnson.  Superior claws their way back.  Dustin Hobson with a layup and Lindberg with his only points of the 2nd half on 2 free throws at the 6:36 mark.  Timeout Johnson up 60-53.  Then a set play finds Kraft for 3 in the corner, Tyler misses a layup and the same set play for Kraft and he's fouled shooting the 3.  All 3 free throws are good at the 5:27 mark.  2 missed free throws on the other end but Lindberg misses a good look at a 3 to tie.  Tyler finds Roosevelt Scott for a layup with 4:25 left to push the lead to 64-59 and it seems Johnson has weathered the storm. 

Maybe not!  Josh Kimmes with a layup and then a no look pass from Lindberg for another.  Johnson turns it over and its Kraft with his 6th triple of the night.  The 7-0 runs gives Superior their only lead of the night 66-64 with 2:50 left.  Tyler drives at 2:18 to tie the game and then a pair of free throws with 1:16 left for a 68-66 lead.  Kraft has an OK look at a 3 but its quick and no good.  Tyler is fouled but misses the front end.  Trey Coffman snares the rebound for Johnson and they get a timeout to save possession with 38 seconds left.  Johnson still holds and takes 2 more times-out (I hate proper english) as Superior won't foul.  Finally, Scott is fouled with 17 seconds left and misses the front end.  Kimmes misses a bunny inside that would have tied it.  Marcus Marshall makes 2 free throws with 3 seconds left to seal the 70-66 Johnson win.   Estan Tyler absolutely outstanding in another big game.  He has 19 of his 30 in the 1st half.  I had him for 5 rebounds and 5 assists as well.  He had numerous other quality passes as well.  Marcus Marshall 20 points with 4 3s vs the zone.  Those were mainly on skip passes.  Roosevelt Scott 10 points in an off night for him as he easily could have had 20 points with the good looks he had at the rim.  Joel Lindberg held to 6 points on 2-9 shooting.  Rob Kraft 6 3s and 4 free throws for 22 points to lead the Spartans.  With DeLaSalle winning easily over Superior at UW-Superior 2 weeks ago and this home struggle for Johnson against the Spartans, I can see this win solidifying the #1 spot in the AAA poll for DLS.  That assumes of course that both teams win out, which isn't a given.

2010 Best Buy Holiday Classic Championships

My 2010 Most Excellent Holiday Adventure continues with a trip to Augsburg for championship day at the Best Buy Holiday Classic.  Barbeque at a game is never a bad thing and on the quality advice of Mrs Krosschell I decide to have the brisket.  Anytime you look at a sandwich and think "Where do I even begin to tackle this thing?", that's a very good sign.  So props to Tom Krosschell for having Baldy's Barbeque as part of the concessions fare this year (and no $2 12 oz cans of soda either).  $5 is usually steep for concessions, but not true in this case.  Baldy himself was in the building serving up that very good barbeque.  Though my spies tell me that his basketball game needs work.  Big laundry type carts full of Pepsi too, can't go wrong with that.  Now I need a song, since we get very few rain references in and its not November...

Song of the Day
I Wish It Would Rain Down - Phil Collins

Webcast America had the online broadcast of 1 consolation semifinal and the championship bracket semifinal games on Wednesday along with the 3rd place and championship games today.  I did the color commentary for the 3rd place and championships.  You can check out the broadcast of any of those 5 games here.

7th Place Game: Henry Sibley vs Minneapolis Patrick Henry
Full names required here to eliminate confusion.   Sibley bringing their 3 main seniors off the bench and starting 5 non-seniors.  Glad to see Deonte Blakemore back in the Henry lineup to resurrect my Minneapolis City MVP hopes.  Sibley's Alex Stafford has come out of nowhere (football kid I think) to be a useful post player.  All 13 of his points in the 1st half led Sibley on the night.  Second half is all soph Darius Hill for Henry.  He nails 4 straight triples (3 from left corner) on his way to 18 points in the half.  Sibley battles back from 6 down in the last 5 minutes to tie the game, but Hill comes up big with a steal for 2 and an offensive rebound for 2 free throws.  Sibley has a couple of late chances but Henry hangs on for 7th place 62-60.  Hill 20 points, Latrell Love 19 and 11 for the Patriots.

5th Place Game: Burnsville vs Chanhassen
A matchup of 1 year Lake Conference foes and natural disasters for 5th.  Chanhassen jumps out to a 12-5 start 5 minutes in but falls behind 17-16 at the 7:30 mark.  After a Chanhassen timeout at the 6:46 mark, the Storm finish the half strong on an 11-2 run.  27-19 Storm at half.  Chance Panning hot in both runs with 15 points and 3 3s.  Burnsville comes right back with an 11-2 run to take a 30-29 lead just 1:33 into the half.  The Blaze extend the the lead to 50-44 with 6:20 left.  Chanhassen gets 6 in a row to tie and we go right to the end.  Cam Jones in the post to put Burnsville up 54-52 with 32 seconds left and then a Chanhassen turnover.  Burnsville misses a front end and takes a foul with 8.8 left (only 4 team fouls at that point).  Time Burnsville.  On the inbounds Burnsville waits and takes their 6th foul with 3 seconds left.  Timeout Chanhassen.  CJ Smith then bear hugs Panning before the ball ever gets inbounds.  That's the bonus but Panning misses the 2nd one just long.  Burnsville hangs on 54-53 as Storm does not put out Blaze.  Cam Jones missed a late 1 and 1 but his post bucket was the clincher.  He leads the Blaze with 13 points (I'm not buying the 17 in the official box).  CJ Smith 10 for Burnsville.  Chance Panning 15 of his 18 in the first half to lead Chanhassen.  Kevin Jensen 11 points.

3rd Place: St. Paul Johnson vs Minnesota Transitions (broadcast here)
Still not a bad 3rd place game with #1AAA Johnson taking on #1A MTS.  The teams will meet again at Johnson in late Feburary too.  MTS uses their 3-2 zone to keep Johnson at bay and they jump out to an 18-11 lead at the 11:25 mark on a Kyle Noreen 3.  42-39 MTS at the break.  Johnson getting baseline penetration against the zone though.  Rodney Owens with a 3 point play with 13:17 left and MTS leads 55-48 but Johnson quickly cuts the lead to 2 on a nice cut for an And 1 from Roosevelt Scott.  A Marcus Marshall 3 ties it at 58 with 8:30 left.  Then a  Estan Tyler 3 with 7:50 left for a 63-60 lead.  Then a Tyler tip in + 1 for a 68-64 lead.  Owens coast to coast to cut the lead to 2 but Johnson has the ball with the lead and they'll hold against the MTS zone so MTS extends it. Owens ties the game on a putback with 4:15 left, 68 all.  Marshall for 3, Tyler with a steal for 2 and a second straight Oh No, Great shot 3 by Marshall inside of 3 minutes finishes an 8-0 run.  76-68 Govs.  MTS has to extend and foul and Johnson adds on from there for a 93-77 win.    Estan Tyler 26 on my sheet (25 officially) to lead Johnson.  I had Marcus Marshall 1-7 from 3 before making the last 2 that put the game away.  14 of his 20 in the 2nd half, 3 triples.  Kyle Noreen a quiet 19 points guarded by Estan Tyler most of the night.  4 rebounds and 5 assists on my sheet.  Matt Lanier 13 of his 15 in the first half.  Rodney Owens with 25 for the Wolves (I had 27 on my sheet) and 7 rebounds. 

Championship: Hopkins vs Chicago Hyde Park (broadcast here)
Hyde Park with a nice screen and roll for 2 and a Marcellis Davis triple to take a 7-2 lead at the 15:25 mark.  Then its all Hopkins.  Joe Coleman with a drive for 2, a steal for a dunk, another turnover leads to him going glass and a reverse layup off a nice feed from Siyani Chambers.  That's all part of a 16-2 Hopkins run over the next 5 minutes.  Coleman with another layup then 1 assist to Nick Jorgensen and another pretty assist on a 3 on 1 break to Demetrius Martin.  Marvin Singleton with 1 layup and he grabs a rebound and goes coast to coast for another layup.  52-29 at the half, they get a hoop to clear the century mark for a 101-53 win.  Joe Coleman leads Hopkins with 31 points and 8 rebounds (sat last 10:17).  Only 1 outside shot so that's 3-11 in 3 games I've witnessed this season.  Siyani Chambers 8 points and 6 assists on my sheet.  5 total players in double figures for the Royals.  Kyle Davis 14 points to lead Hyde Park.  Leading scorer PG Treyshawn Jones was held scoreless.  Hyde Park too small for the Hopkins guards and they had no matchup for Coleman.

All-Tournament Team
Kyle Noreen - MTS
Estan Tyler - Johnson
Marcellis Davis - Hyde Park
Siyani Chambers, Marvin Singleton - Hopkins
MVP : Joe Coleman - Hopkins

Johnson overwhelms Roseville

Prologue
I finish my pre-Christmas schedule with another look at 2 teams I've already seen this season.  Its also another trip to the east side of St. Paul as Roseville visits Johnson.  With 3 great wing athletes (Scott, Wells and Brown) and 3 of the top 10 2011 prospects in the state (Scott, Brown, Tyler), plenty to see.  A quality crowd on hand for a holiday week.  A respectable hot dog and Pepsi on the menu at the standard concession stand.  Longtime no see the Coolest Guy in the NSIC, he's in the building tonight continuing a metro scouting trip.  As to our song of the day, Roseville getting blown out means.

Song of the Day
I never promised you a rose garden - Lynn Anderson

Game Time
Emeche Wells with a layup for a 10-7 Roseville lead 4 minutes into the game.  Anthony Lee with a 3 for the first Johnson lead of the night.  That's countered by a Lucas Brown bucket that ties the game at 12 at the 12:40 mark.  Then Anthony Lee with a jumper, an assist to Shelby Ashford and Ashford with a steal dunk.  Another turnover leads to Marcus Marshall to Roosevelt Scott for a layup.  That 10-0 run (or 15-2) forces a Roseville timeout.  22-12 Govs at 9:28.  Roseville right back with the next 7.  Sam Peterson 2 FTs and a big block that leads to 8th grader Kobe Critchley nailing a 3.  Then a Johnson turnover gets the little guys playing at the rim.  David Stanley finishes over and through Estan Tyler up high.  22-19 outside of 8 minutes.  15-5 Johnson over the next 3:30 with Tyler scoring 5 points in the run.  Lucas Brown with 4 free throws to cut the lead to 9.  But Marcus Marshall with his 3rd 3 of the half and then a layup to conclude the half from Scott.  47-31 Johnson at the break.

Roseville comes out triangle and 2 in the second half guarding Tyler and Marshall and leaving Scott.  Tyler gets loose for 3 to push the lead to 54-33 at the 15:35 mark.  But Johnson settles for too many jumpers and Roseville makes a comeback.  Brown to Wells and Wells to Stanley for easy buckets.  Then Wells with a putback and Peterson 2 FTs on an offensive board.  Brown from the left corner for 3 to conclude a 12-0 Raiders run.  54-45 Johnson with 13:30 remaining.  The teams trade 3s before a Brown drive at 12:10 cuts the lead to 58-50.  But Roseville won't challenge the rest of the night.  Marshall 2 FTs, Scott with 3 layups, Marshall and Tyler layups.  That run was thanks to 3 quick threes from Roseville that didn't go and allowed Johnson to run.  Time Roseville as they're down 20, 70-50, with 9:09 left.  The rest is running back and forth.  Johnson wins 99-79.

Post Game
For Roseville, David Stanley 18 of his 25 in the 2nd half.  3 triples on the night.  Lucas Brown 19 points on 5-14 shooting on my sheet.  Another game where he had 1st half foul trouble.  8th grader Kobe Critchley now see minutes as the 9th man tonight.  Roseville falls to 3-1 and travels to the Owatonna holiday tournament next week.

For Johnson, Roosevelt Scott with an early triple and then hanging around the rim for 18 points on my sheet.  Lengthy Wayland Johnson with a very productive night of 6-6 FTs in the 1st half and 5 FGs in the 2nd half for 16 total points off the bench.  Shelby Ashford 10 points off the bench.  Estan Tyler 14 points after missing 5 of his 1st 6 shots.  He once again had the tough defensive task as he guarded Lucas Brown most of the night.  Marcus Marshall 11 of his 15 in the first half.  Once again the relentless Johnson pressure was just too much.  They did a terrific job of taking misses and running the other way, especially against the 3 quick 3s in the decisive second half run.  The Govs improve to 4-0 as they head into the Best Buy Holiday Classic next week at Augsburg .  There's a potential rematch with Hopkins in the title game next Thursday.

Buzzer beaters and stars in the snow

Prologue
Its an opening Friday monster clash of #1AAA St. Paul Johnson visiting #5AAAA Lakeville South.  A 2 hour trip for Johnson to the very snowy south metro we start the JV game at 6:57 PM.  A quality crowd in the building despite the snow.  Augsburg and UW-River Falls (think Bruce Pearl) in scouting.  MN Pump N Run and 43 Hoops in the building to cheer on their guys (Richter, Scott, Tyler on 1 side, Marcus Marshall on the other).  And we have Hopkins scouting and spending quality time with Tyus Jones who was in attendance.  Standard food fare, but since its the weekend, that means Pepsi is on The Czar's menu with a strictly average hot dog.  The student section all dressed up for "Happy New Season" (think Happy New Year) as its the season and home opener for Lakeville South.  Quality New Year's gear included.  The students even put a basketball on a string and lowered it as the clock ticked down to tip off of the varsity game.  Best student section demonstration I've seen since the quality Benilde-St. Margaret's student sections of a couple years ago.  So that means today's song is


Song of the Day
Auld Lang Syne (traditional, new year's eve theme)

Game Time
Fun strategy in this one right way.  Johnson with their standard man defense but its Estan Tyler guarding Alex Richter.  South on the other end decided to go with a 3-2 zone with guys like Jon Christensen and Richter playing the top of it.  Richter with a pair of early buckets including the 1st of the game inside against Tyler (a very under used strategy in this one).  10-6 South at 13:47.  Out of a Johnson timeout, they respond with a 9-0 run in 2:30 finished off by a Tyler 3.  15-10 Johnson at 11:17 and Tyler with 7 quick points.  South closes to 20-18 before Tyler scores 3 straight buckets for Johnson.  28-21 Johnson for their biggest lead of the night.  Timeout Lakeville South with 4:38 left in the half.  Out of the timeout, Tyler picks up a cheap 2nd foul.  South doesn't go at him on the next possession which was disappointing.  But Johnson brings in Roosevelt Scott and doesn't switch him onto Richter.  Richter gets Tyler inside on the next possession for Tyler's 3rd foul.  He has to sit the last 2:40 of the half.  Johnson runs out the last minute to lead 32-27 at the half.  Richter and Tyler with 14 points each.  No other player with more than 1 field goal.

South jumps right back in the game in the 2nd half.  Richter on the offensive glass, an assist to Christensen for a layup and a post deuce put the Cougars on top 35-34 at the 13:40 mark.  Richter fouled playing the high post vs an out of bounds 2-3 zone.  The 2 freebies at 8:41 put South up 43-40.  South now starting to pack in that 3-2 zone which was long overdue as they were beaten off the dribble lunging out at non-shooters.  That allowed Johnson to break down the interior of the zone to generate offense.  After 2 more Richter free throws, Marcus Marshall for 3 to tie the game at 45 with 6:40 to go.  49 all at 4:17 when Johnson takes time.  Riley West with a tip at the 4 minute mark and Richter with a steal for 2 at 3:10.  53-49 South with the momentum.    Johnson won't fold.  Roosevelt Scott comes right back to the rim for a 3 point play at 3:04.  Then a referee sequence.  Marshall drops a shoulder and gets the charge call (flop), then Anthony Lee on the possession flops and gets the block call (probably should have been a charge).  But South can't make the free throws.  Lakeville South takes time at 2:36 up 54-52.

Out of the timeout, South goes Box and 1 on Tyler.  Nobody else for Johnson with more than 2 field goals at this point.  Scott makes the Cougars pay as he goes to the basket for a layup with 90 seconds left to tie the game at 54.  Richter on the post results in 1 free throw and Scott again comes up huge with a left wing 3 with 56 seconds left.  57-55 Johnson leads and South turns it over on the possession with 45.7 left.  Out of their own timeout, South chooses not to foul or trap.  Very strange.  Johnson takes care of it for 20 seconds and takes time with 24.7 left.  Tyler easily gets the inbounds and is promptly fouled.  He makes the 1st and misses the 2nd but Chris Smith-Bond is there to grab the offensive board.  He's fouled for 1 of 2 freebies with 22.1 left.  59-55 Johnson.  Richter to the rim for 2 with 13.1 left and South takes their final timeout.  Out of the timeout, Johnson goes diamond set with 1 guy deep, 2 guys at the sideline at center court.  Tyler was one of them and Roosevelt Scott up at the foul line.  Scott flashes to the ball, catches and is immediately fouled.  Seems strange to not have your point guard in that spot but Tyler was 1-4 FTs and Scott was 3-3 FTs.  Scott misses both and Smith-Bond gets called for a very light touch foul on the rebound with 11.7 left.  Christensen steps up and he misses both.  But Richter was in the lane early (no call) and he flies through to put back the miss and he's fouled by Scott (his 5th), holy cow and the crowd erupts. Richter drains the free throw and South leads 60-59 with 10.8 left.

Johnson decides to go without using their last timeout.  Remember South didn't have a timeout to use to set their defense.  Tyler drives the lane but Richter swats it away.  Ball goes out of bounds with 2.5 seconds left and now Johnson calls their final timeout.  Out of the timeout, South switches a screen for Tyler so he doesn't touch it.  Quashingm Smith catches on the back block, his layup goes off the front of the rim and Tyler tips it in.  Nobody in the building could hear the very quiet buzzer so despite what seemed like a long 2.5 seconds, the basket counts and Johnson stuns the building with a 61-60 win storming the court.  South absolutely stunned as they left.

Post Game

For Lakeville South, no answers for Alex Richter as he finishes with 33 points on 11-17 shooting and I had him for 7 boards.  Riley West 1 field goal and 10-15 FTs for 12 points.  Loved South's strategy to slow the game down as the pace was in their favor for most of the game.  I'm surprised teams don't really pack it in more against Johnson (or most city teams for that matter).  They didn't do nearly enough to get Alex Richter touches in the paint area against Estan Tyler or any post touches for Spencer Pankonin.  The schedule doesn't get any easier with trips to Hill-Murray and Minnetonka next week and then Hopkins comes to town on the 14th.

For Johnson, Estan Tyler with 14 of his 19 in the second half including the game winning tip at the horn.  Roosevelt Scott with half of his 16 points in the last 3:04 to come up large despite the 2 missed freebies at the end.  Nobody else with more than 6 points on either side.  While Johnson did force some turnovers, they never didn't get into that defensive rhythm that snowballs and puts teams away.  Easy to say this now since they won, but great coaching move by coach Simmons to hold that final timeout so that he could get his team set on the final inbounds play.  Very surprised South decided to play man on that though since you usually zone baseline out of bounds.  Also surprising since South played zone almost all game.  Hard to make a critical switch in man defense after playing zone.

What else would you want from a game?  Quality students? Check.  Stars on hand and showing up big?  Check with Scott, Tyler and Richter all having outstanding nights.  Quality play?  Check.  Buzzer Beater?  Checkmate!  Its one of the proverbial games where you say you hate to see a team lose.  Both teams made huge plays late and also had chances they'd say they missed out on, especially missed free throws (21-30 for South  and 10-24 for Johnson).  The trip was miserable (2 hours 45 minutes round trip for 3 hours in the gym and 4 hours there) but it was worth every minute.  It'll be very hard to pick any game over this if you're talking games of the year.

10-11 St. Paul City Preview

This is the 9th preview in my 2010-2011 season preview series.  In this preview, a look at the St. Paul City Conference.  For a list of all the season previews, click here.

Its addition by subtraction with Arlington closing down. But with the school expanding to hold the growth of the old Washington high school (now Washington Middle but expanding to 7-12 eventually), we'll see them back in a couple of years.  Outside of Harding, the rest of the league is better, but not great. Middle of the pack should be a good struggle to see who finishes 3rd.

Central Minutemen (2009-10 season 20-6, 10-2 Conference, 2nd)
I thought Central was one of the most overrated teams last season but the results were hard to argue with.  Forward LeDarian Horton averaged 17.5 PPG last year to finish 2nd in the league.  Horton and a bunch of guards including Taylor Smaller will need to be replaced.  Point guard William McDonough leads the way outside with Dwayne Cannady.  Martin Smith returns to anchor the post.  Keep an eye on the lower levels here as there's a good freshman group and the sophs won the city last year. 

Como Park Cougars (2009-10 season 14-11, 8-4 Conference, 3rd)
The top 3 scorers including point guard Adrian Wackett and wings Joe Conley and Brandon Baker are gone.  Soph Bajaun Adams returns inside and guard Terrance Williams will lead the way on the perimeter.  They have a couple of other talented sophomores as well.

Harding Knights (2009-10 season 4-19, 2-10 Conference, 6th)
2 of the 4 wins were over Arlington last year.  Top players Vernon Keller and Jeremy Hallowanger are gone.  Hard to see Harding improving on last season's mark.

Highland Park Scots (2009-10 season 10-13, 5-7 Conference, tied 4th)
Leading scorer Jimmy Sauser is gone and there's a new coach.  Jon DePerry comes over from Central after being a longtime top assistant to Scott Howell at Central. Senior Cordero Washington and soph Dion Bradley are the top returnees.  Guard TyShaun Williams is one of the many guards on this small roster.

Humboldt Hawks (2009-10 season 14-12, 5-7 Conference, tied 4th)
Last year's breakout star in the league Bryale Winters and his 18 points a night are gone.  5'8 guard Julian Luster's 11.1 PPG returns along with Keith Jackson and Danny Barber.

Johnson Governors (2009-10 season 32-0 AAA State Champs, 12-0 Conference, 1st)
Max Rosenbloom is off to Bemidji State after averaging almost a double double with 9.8 points and rebounds a night.  Wing athlete Jordan Pluff and guard Donte Warlick are gone, but this is Johnson where the talent is overflowing.  One of the best perimeter trios in the state is back with Estan Tyler running the show.  Wings Roosevelt Scott and Marcus Marshall both had breakout summers.  Chris Smith-Bond returns in the middle.  Juniors Jalen Albritton and Shelby Ashford are ready to make contributions as well.  Expect another run at a state title.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Johnson
2. Central
3. Highland Park
4. Como Park
5. Humboldt
6. Harding

Conference MVP: Roosevelt Scott - Johnson

Underclassmen to watch:  
Quashingm Smith-Pugh, Kendarius Latimore - Johnson
Malik Durant-Haines, Lester Patton - Central
Kayshiva Shaw, Bajaun Adams - Como Park
Dion Bradley - Highland Park

Games that will determine the conference title

• Johnson at Central - Feb 4th

Non-Conference Games to Watch

• St. Paul Johnson at Lakeville South - Dec 3rd
• Central at Tartan - Dec 14th
• Roseville at Johnson - Dec 22nd
• Central at Catholic Spirit Tournament - Dec 28th-30th (U of St. Thomas)
• Johnson vs Hopkins - Dec 30th (projected Augsburg tourney championship) 
• Johnson at Eden Prairie - Jan 13th
• Johnson at Midwest Players Showcase - Jan 15th (La Crosse, WI)
• Superior (WI) at Johnson - Jan 21st (East Metro Showcase)
• Orono at St. Paul Central - Feb 25th

2010 East Metro Showcase Day 1

Estan Tyler

Prologue
Day 1 of the 4th annual East Metro Showcase.  Rene Pulley, Chris Monter, Chris Carr and Wishoops.net editor Mark Miller taking in the game with Jason Jesperson.  Gotta like the plump hot dog too.  Tough break with the weather forcing Sioux City Heelan to cancel their trip.  Nice job by coach Simmons to readjust the schedule and get the games in.

Game 1: Superior vs St. John's Military Academy
How crazy is it to have 2 Wisconsin teams playing each other but under Minnesota rules?  Kevin Mays was big with 21 points for St. John's Military Academy but they had no answer for the Superior 1-2-2 zone.  The poise and shooting stroke of DJ Mlachnik were evident in this one despite a low point total.  Isaiah Gray struggled with foul trouble in the 2nd half and didn't shoot it well.  Superior's Joel Lindberg with most of his 21 points in the 2nd half after 3 fouls (2 charges) had him in 1st half foul trouble.  Superior was down 2 at half but won easily 68-53.

Game 2: St. Paul Johnson vs Milwaukee Vincent
Vincent is a historically strong program, but they're mid-level in Milwaukee this season behind Hamilton, King and Washington at a minimum.  Vincent forces 3 quick turnovers with the diamond press and forces a quick Johnson timeout in the 1st minute of the game, but its only 3-0 Vincent.  Vincent's star frosh Deonte Burton with an assist for 3 to put Vincent up 8-6 at 14:25 before Johnson goes off on a run.  The Govs apply their own pressure, run and jump in this instance and not the 2-2-1 I'm accustomed to seeing from them.  Jordan Pluff with great energy off the bench and providing the offense to go with the defense in a 21-4 Johnson run over 5:50.  27-12 Johnson with 8:35 left in the half.  36-21 Johnson at half and they push the lead to 25 less than 6 minutes into the second half.  Johnson wins easily again 70-51.  Estan Tyler with 11 points and 6 assists.  Jordan Pluff with 16 points to lead the scoring.  Donte Warlick with 13 points and stellar passing in this one.  Anthony Lee scored 12 points in the balanced attack.

Game 3: Hopkins vs Maple Northwestern (WI)
Steve Tecker still on crutches for Northwestern so no best player for the Tigers (OK we knew that coming in).  10-8 Hopkins leads after a Northwestern postup basket at 14:10.  Hopkins is too much defensively as they take advantage of forced turnovers to open the lead up to 40-20 (30-12 run over 9:30).  But 3 triples from Northwestern in an 11-2 run threaten to make this one interesting.  But DJ Peterson nails a 3 and Jeremiah Tolbert with a steal for 2 both in the last 30 seconds of the half for a 46-31 halftime lead.  2nd half score is almost identical as Hopkins wins 93-62.  Siyani Chambers with 7 points and 5 assists in the 1st half with the assist largely on the break after turnovers.  Joe Coleman finishes with 21.  Marvin Singleton with 18.  Northwestern star Donnie Hissa with only 8 points.  1 sleeper from up north for you 2nd tier AAU folks is Tyler Forysthe who finished with 15 points and is a big shooting guard who can knock it down. 

Estan Tyler photo courtesy of MNPhotoNet.net

2009 Best Buy Holiday Classic Title Day

Prologue
We love the Davanni's pizza but 2 bucks for a 12 oz can of soda.  That'll break me of my drinking habit in a hurry.  Nice setup at Augsburg but the introduction takes forever to say (Ernie Anderson court at Si Melby Hall).  1st 2 games minimal attendance, but a nice crowd for the championship game.

Game 1: St. Louis Park (2-6) vs Minneapolis Roosevelt (1-5)
St. Louis Park looks like they're going to run away with this one early.  Alex Koch for 3.  Joe Zangel with a 3 point play and a putback for an 11-4 start.  Then Koch for 3 again for an 18-8 lead.  Calvin Jenkins with a pair of baskets and a James Smith hoop at 9:35 cuts the Park lead to 18-14.  Koch with a putback and a pair of bombs and another hoop to blow this one open.  38-20 St. Louis Park at the break and Koch has 22.  Its a 22 point game with 8:30 left before Roosevelt applies the press to the reserves and makes this one close.  65-56 St. Louis Park wins.  Alex Koch with 28 in the win on 11-20 shooting on my sheet. 5 triples in that.  Calvin Jenkins leads Roosevelt with 15 points.

Game 2: Chicago Julian vs Milwaukee Marshall (5th place game)
Gotta love the blue hoodies on the Marshall warmups.  Even the Chicago kids appeared to have a laugh at that.  Worth noting that these teams were staying at the same hotel and got to know each other a bit.  Julian with a late first half run to take a 37-26 halftime lead.  They close it out 72-21.  Julian star Walter Lemon with 22 points.  Aristede Brattchet with 17 for Marshall.  Fun contest of athletic teams that was a lot like an AAU game.

Game 3: Henry Sibley (4-3) vs Christian Faith Academy, NC (3rd Place Game)
4 all early after a Jordan Jackson follow dunk.  CFA applying pressure to get out to a 22-13 lead at the 8:46 mark with superstar 8th grader Andrew Wiggins scoring 7 in a row.  But Sibley withstands the early heat.  Jake Kreuser gets it going inside with a postup and a putback.  Jordan Jackson with 6 free throws thanks to the bonus.  Kreuser again inside for 2 postups to put Sibley on top.  They take a 32-30 lead to the half.  19-8 run over the last 8:45.

Sibley tries to pull away but can't.  43 all at the 13:53 mark.  Then 6 straight Sibley points push the lead to 7 with 8:17 left.  Chris Bultena with a big 3 at the 6 minute mark for a 55-49 Sibley lead.  CFA cuts into the lead but Sibley hanging on up 59-56 with 2:54 left when Kreuser fouls out.  Big play when Sibley runs a postup for Rostampour that gets smashed down and converted to a pair of CFA free throws.  59 all with 1:24 left.  Sibley holds for 1 shot and gets 2 looks including a decent look from Jimmy Ryan at the horn that's no good and we'll play OT.

Wiggins quiet but opens the OT with a triple for the first CFA lead since late in the first half.  Then Rostampour fouls out at 3:13 of the OT.  Too much to ask with both bigs gone.  CFA makes enough free throws to withstand 9 late Jordan Jackson points.  78-74 CFA wins.  Jordan Jackson with 30 points.  Mike Rostampour with a tough night against the long and athletic CFA bigs.  I had him 1-15 on my sheet with a 10 and 10 double-double.  Jake Kreuser 13 points and 9 rebounds.  Andrew Wiggins with 22 for CFA.

Game 4: #1AAAA Hopkins (7-0) vs #1AAA St. Paul Johnson (8-0) (Championship)
The crowd finally files in for this battle of titans.  A 13-4 Johnson run over 3:20 forces a Hopkins timeout with 10:15 left in the half.  19-12 Govs lead.  Marvin Singleton strong inside for 2 at 9:23 with the foul that puts Hopkins in the bonus.  Zach Stahl with a nice lefty bank, a Riley Dearring layup at 8:15 and 2 Singleton freebies cut the lead to 26-24.  29 all after a Siyani Chambers nails triple at 5:57 for Hopkins.  Back and forth action.  42-39 Johnson at the half.

Jeremiah Tolbert for 3 and a nice catch of a lob and reverse layup by Joe Coleman put Hopkins on top quickly in the 2nd half.  Johnson counters with 2 pairs of freebies.  Anthony Lee with a steal for 2, Roosevelt Scott with a big 3 and a Hopkins turnover for a Estan Tyler layup conclude another Johnson spurt.  58-49 Johnson with 12:03 left and Hopkins needs a timeout after the 8-2 run.  Hopkins has to have a run in them don't they?  DJ Peterson and Riley Dearring score to cut the margin to 64-63 with 8:15 left. After a pair of Siyani Chambers free throws, Hopkins is down 66-65 with 7:33 left.

Johnson has all the answers.  Jordan Pluff a pair of free throws.  Zach Stahl misses a front end and Donte Warlick converts a layup on the other end.  Pluff with a floater countered by 2 Stahl free throws.  Then a huge Marcus Marshall triple at the 5 minute mark to push the Johnson lead to 75-67.  Anthony Lee drives for 2.  77-69 Govs with 3:55 left.  Hopkins can't convert a pair of Tyler turnovers in the next minute.  Johnson misses free throws late to keep Hopkins in it.  82-78 with 15.3 left and Hopkins forces a jump ball but it goes to Johnson.  Estan Tyler seals the deal with 4 freebies.  Johnson wins 86-78 to cement their status as the top team in the metro.

Estan Tyler leads all scorers with 20 points.  He didn't shoot it particularly well (6-15) and did have turnovers but he did out play Siyani Chambers at the point.  Another struggle for DJ Peterson as well for Hopkins.  Jordan Pluff absolutely fearless tonight with 16 points.  Roosevelt Scott with 12 points in limited minutes.  Marvin Singleton was a beast inside with 18 points and 9 rebounds for Hopkins.  Joe Coleman with 18 points and hit a jump shot tonight which was nice to see. Zach Stahl with nice bench minutes for the Royals.  The Govs depth was a factor in this one as Hopkins did appear to wear down in the second half.

Johnson dominates Stillwater

Prologue
For tonight's intro, we take you back to the early days of The Czar.  December 19, 2007 when Stillwater came from behind for a wild 64-62 buzzer beater victory.  Stillwater might be on their 2nd coach since that game, but it does mark the return of Paul Franklin to the building where he had that life-long memory.  Stillwater #4 in AAAA coming in, Johnson #3 in AAA.  Blah Hot Dog but the 7-up was appropriate for this one.

Game Time
Let's just say this one was over quickly.  Estan Tyler with a pullup, a triple and a sweet behind the back pass for a layup.  Max Rosenbloom with back to back triples and its 15-3 Johnson at the 14:30 mark.  Tyler with a steal that leads to him nailing another triple.26-7 Johnson at the 8:57 mark.  Ryan Duxbury finally gets a touch in the post and scores at the 7:10 mark.  Tyler with another pair of threes and this one is over at the half as Johnson leads 50-22 .  The 2nd half is nothing but blah.  Stillwater does win the 2nd half and keeps it out of running time.  Johnson rolls 77-52

For Stillwater, turnovers were an absolute killer.  They just couldn't generate anything vs the Johnson man or 1-2-2 pressure.  Against the 1-2-2, the Ponies almost looked lost.  Duxbury playing the high post against it and not finding him.  Paul Franklin leads the way with 13 points and Ryan Duxbury with 12 points. White Bear Lake and Hudson are a pair of games for the Ponies before they travel to Rochester for the Rochester Rotary Tournament over the holidays.

For Johnson, an impressive first half performance from a deep Johnson squad.  Defensively they really get after people.  And Estan Tyler's shot was absolutely pure tonight with 4 triples in the first half.  Much improved from outside for him.  Max Rosenbloom with a nice night of 10 points.  The Governors could get their chance at the best at the Best Buy Holiday Classic where the brackets layout with Sibley and Hopkins in the semis and final.

Crazy day 2 in Chicago

Wow, what a day here in Chicago. Only disappointment was finding out that I forgot to reference "25 or 6 to 4" when I did my Chicago hits scroll. Yes that song was before my time, but that's a bad omission.

Game 1: MN Heat Elite vs Peoria.
8 AM games really, really need to be outlawed. Heat come back from 7 down at the half and a 3 by Paul Franklin with 9 minutes left gives them the lead. Miles Heller grabs a pair of clutch offensive boards for putbacks along with a pair of Franklin free throws. That appears to ice the game but Peoria throws in a prayer from the top of the key (their key not 3/4 court) to send the game to OT. Heat hangs on to win 57-54.

Game 2: 43 Hoops Harris vs All Iowa Attack Red
All Iowa comes out on fire and they jump out to a 28-13 lead behind hot shooting, especially from Dau Jok. Both teams go scoreless for 4 minutes late in the 2nd half with 43 within 7 points. Star Zach McCabe with 2 late buckets to seal the game and All Iowa wins 57-47. McCabe with 12, 6 and 3. Once again no player in double figures for 43 Hoops. Clay Horne with 9 points to lead the way. Poor job by 43 of getting out to the shooters in this one was the major downfall as All Iowa was hot enough to make them pay.

Game 3: Redhawks hit 9 triples in the 1st half vs Full Package Elite but only lead by 2. They go on a big run to push a close game to 18 points and win easily.

Game 4: 43 Hoops Harris vs Velocity Red
43 out to a quick 7-0 lead and that translates to 30-25 at the half. Jordan Reetz with 11 points in the half so we will have a player in double figures. Velocity comes back to lead 41-39 with 7:43 left as the offense sputters. But Vinard Birch has a pair of hoops in a 7-0 run to put 43 up for good. They win 59-48 to finish the 1st 2 days at 2-1. Reetz was the only guy in double figures as he finished with 23 points.

Game 5: 43 Hoops Carr vs Rising Stars Gold 17s
A loaded Rising Stars Gold team was the 43 16s opponent in this one. PG Ben Brust (Iowa), SG Alex Rossi (California) and Fred Heldring (William and Mary) all on display. 2 other studs (including a Ohio St commit, Lenzelle Smith) not here. A team that during the spring was considered by some to be the best team here (yes that includes Mac Irvin Fire, more on them later).

35-30 Carr at the half and they controlled it. Brust 15 points in the half. Estan Tyler hot for 43 in the early part on the 2nd half and Ross Travis adds his 1st monster slam of the day. The lead extends to 55-41 with just under 10 minutes to play. Rising Stars makes their run and a Brust NBA 3 cuts the 43 Hoops lead to 69-66 with 45.2 to play. After a 5 second call on the inbounds, Brust gets another good look but Jameson Parsons swats it and 43 hangs on for the 74-68 win. Estan Tyler with 19 points to lead the way with the clutch spurt to push the lead out to 14 early in the 2nd half. Jordan Smith with 12 points and held to 1 3 pointer.

Ben Brust was far more athletic than I expected (keep reading, you'll see this later). NBA range too and a lack of conscience to go with it. 28 points with 6 triples. Alex Rossi couldn't make a shot in his own building as he went 3-14 on my sheet for 9 points. A great win for the 16s. I thought Rising Stars should have made a better attempt to exploit their inside advantage in this one. The bigs just didn't get many post looks.

Game 6: Pump N Run 17s vs Mac Irvin Fire 17s
LOADED! Mike Shaw, Wayne Blackshear, Myers Leonard, Tim Hardaway Jr, etc etc. The list goes on and on and on. What a crew. Pump N Run using the 1-2-2 with Alec Brown on top to slow things down. 35-31 MIF at the half. Hardaway with 3 triples for 9 points in the half. MIF extends a 5 point game to 11. Its a 7 point game with 3:43 to go when PNR goes on a 7-0 run. Kevin Noreen with 5 points in the run. Crockett finishes the run with a hoop to tie the game at 57 with 1:25 left. After Blackshear makes 2 FTs, Dyami Starks misses a good look at a step-in 3. He gets another chance late that is not good and Mac Irvin Fire wins 62-57.

Kevin Noreen with 17 points to lead PNR along with 6 rebounds and a couple of blocks. Also worth a mention is Alec Brown. First of all, his dad saved me sheer doom by snagging an errant pass that would have been pure carnage had I had to make a play on it. As to Alec, he looks like a completely different player than in the spring period. Lots of minutes (him and Andre Ingram man the center spot with Brown getting the minutes). He's active and he finished this game with 4 points and 8 rebounds in a respectable performance. Looks far more like the player that many thought he could be for them. Blackshear leads the Fire with 17 points.

Game 7: Pump N Run vs Rising Stars Gold (both 16s)
Not to be confused with other Rising Stars Gold team. This is their 16s. Rising Stars gets out to a 13 point 1st half lead. PNR chips away and cuts the lead to 8 at the half. Alex Richter starts the 2nd half hot and a Jason Perkins 3 point play along with another offensive board for 2 put PNR up 52-45 with 7 minutes left. Game is tied at 56 with 3 minute left. Richter tops off his 13 point 2nd half with a hoop with 40 seconds left and PNR wins 60-56. Richter finishes with 20.

Game 8 (bonus): Last minute of 43 Hoops Carr vs Illinois Wolves 16s
This is the same squad, sans Chasson Randle, that held off the PNR 16s last night. Before I arrive the Wolves have a 18 point lead. Ross Travis with a monster follow dunk over 2 guys during a big recovery. Fast forward to my arrival at the old Chicago Bulls practice facility. 57-54 Wolves with 1 minute left. The entire 43 Hoops organization (Harris team, Daniels team etc) are packed on the Wolves endline and they are off the hook. I'm outside watching thru the glass and its electric and LOUD. Jordan Smith with a huge 3 with 40 seconds left to tie the game. Then he applies some D and Estan Tyler retreives a loose ball and finds Marquel Curtis for a layup for a 59-57 lead with 7 seconds left. The Wolves have 1 last chance that is no good and Carr's group steals one. What a finish.

Game 9: Pump N Run vs Rising Stars Gold (Both 17s)
I caught the start of this one and came back with about 10 minutes left just in time to see Ben Brust posterize Tazz Crockett. WOW! Where did that come from? That starts a 10-0 run for the Gold for a 41-35 Gold lead with 7 minutes left. Brust and Dyami Starks trade points and the PNR deficit is 5 with 4:15 left. Brust misses a front end with 38 seconds left and Alec Brown converts to put PNR up 50-49. Crockett busts out for a layup to end the game for a 52-49 PNR win.

Bonus Game 10: Mac Irvin Fire vs Team Stat
Suppossedly the game of the tournament. Right down to the wire and we end up in overtime. Loose ball and a Mac Irvin Fire player makes a bad foul grabbing a guy on a loose ball and Team Stat wins by 2 in OT. Myers Leonard is a beast with a real mean streak.

Johnson outlasts Central for St. Paul City Title

Tonight takes The Czar to St. Paul Central for the St. Paul City's last chance to stay in the race against Johnson. The Central pep band on hand tonight and it takes up half the Central side. Big horn section so they had to do the Chicago hit 25 or 6 to 4. Too bad the gym has a temperature of about 40 degrees.

Jordan Larson off to a quick start for Central. That counters a couple of Estan Tyler buckets. A Dion Suggs layup gives Johnson an 8-7 lead at 3:40. Larson with a triple to start a 10-0 run and he's got the 1st 10 for Central. Taylor Smaller with a 3 and then Cameron Smith with a 4 point play to end the run. 17-8 Central with 11:44 left in the half. After a Larson putback, Dion Suggs with a 3 and Tyler with another jumper. 19-15 Central at 7:15. Central with another run, this time 14-3 over 2:20 via 4 Johnson turnovers. Central up 15, 33-18 with 4:35 left in the half. But Johnson cranks it up on D too and gets back it it. They end the half on a 16-4 run in a sloppy end to the half. Central 37-34 at the half as they've lost an opportunity. Larson with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Dion Suggs with 12 points and Estan Tyler with 9 for Johnson. My sheet has Central with 11 turnovers and Johnson with 9.

Johnson with the 1st 5 out of the break to conclude a 21-4 run. Smaller throws in a running prayer that banks home to break the run and tie the game at 39 with 16 minutes left. Larson continues to go to work with a couple of buckets. Smaller with a jumper at 12:43, 48-45 Central as they look to pull away. Larson picks up his 4th on a tough call with 10:07 left and he has to sit. Maurice Thomas makes the 2 FTs for a 52-50 Johnson lead. The Governors extend the lead to 5 on a Michael Talley layin and Central needs a timeout. 55-50 Johnson with 8:13 left. 10 turnovers in the half for Central. Michael Adams with a putback at 6:35, but then a bad shot leads to a Dion Suggs layup. Adams with 1 of 2 at the stripe, but Larson cleans up the mess for a 3 point play. 60 all with 5:43 left. Nice job here by coach Howell of playing offense for defense with Larson by putting him in the game on offensive possessions and subbing him out on defense. 63 all at 4:30 on a Nathanial Kado jumper for the Minutemen. Down to crunch time we go.

Suggs with a jumper at 3:40 after a Central turnover. Larson 1 of 2 FTs and then a Suggs miss. DJ Johnson 2 FTs at 2:51 for a 66-65 Central lead. After a Michael Talley charge for Johnson, LeDarian Horton scores on a nice high/low feed from Larson with 2 minutes left and Central leads by 3. A wild scramble of misses and offensive rebounds on the Johnson end, Larson with a block in the exchange. Johnson gets nothing out of it. Larson on the other end with 2 and Central is up 70-65 wiht 1:20 left. But the wheels fall off for Central. Demitri Conwell is given a free lane to the hoop for 2 at 1:08. Larson misses 2 FTs at 1:04 and then gets called for a block on the other end and that's his 5th foul. Talley with 1 of the 2 FTs. 70-68 Central with 59.2 left. Central breaks the press for a 2 on 1 but Kado gets called for the charge with 50.1 left. Who do you go to if you're Johnson? Who else but one of the most clutch players around, Dion Suggs. They go high screen/roll with him and he converts with 37 seconds left to the game at 70. Central goes with it and Adams turns it over with 20 seconds left. Horton then commits the deliberate foul. Don't know if he thought Central was behind or if he was trying to stop a breakaway. Talley makes 1 of 2 again and Johnson leads by 1. Central again decides to play it without a timeout. Cameron Smith drives left baseline and turns it over in the last 5 seconds and Johnson steals a win over Central 71-70.

For Central, what a night for Jordan Larson. He fouls out with 27 points and 16 rebounds. No answer for him inside. Taylor Smaller with 12 points for the Minutemen. 3 late turnovers, 2 missed free throws an a blown defensive assignment did Central in in the last 1:15. Central with about 25 turnovers on the night. Central's smallish guards had trouble all night against the aggressive Johnson D. When Central did take care of the ball, their inside strength was superior. Though LeDarian Horton wasn't able to push around Johnson kids (e.g Maxie Rosenbloom) like he does other players. Central falls to 14-5 and 5-2 in the St. Paul City. I look for them to run the table and finish 20-5 against a soft schedule. Right now, they're probably looking at the 3 seed in section 4AAAA unless Tartan takes a tumble. Last year 1st with a record of 21-6 (including the Twin Cities Game), 5 seed. This year, 20-5, 2nd place, 3 seed.

For Johnson, Dion Suggs-Young leads the way with 20 points and he was the guy making the plays late. Estan Tyler with 15. They are just relentless with the number of people they play and the pressure they apply. Add in Tyler and a finisher in Suggs and there you go as they can use both of those guys to generate offense off high screen and roll. The Govs are now 16-3 and 7-0 in the league, 2 games ahead thanks to 2 wins by a total of 3 points over Central. They too should easily run the table until a likely monster rematch in the Twin Cities Game vs Washburn on March 7th. Johnson won the 1st meeting at home 86-83 in a double OT classic (maybe the game of the year anywhere in the metro) on December 16th. After that, anything but a cakewalk thru section 4AAA to state will be a surprise.

Day 1 at the 08-09 East Metro Showcase

The Czar welcomes The Emperor to The Kingdom for a special visit to see the 3rd annual East Metro Showcase at St. Paul Johnson. A nice job by Johnson coach Vern Simmons in putting this event together. From our perch high above the action, here's what I saw.

Game 1: St Paul Johnson vs Milwaukee Northwest.
Northwest out to a 6-4 lead thanks to a putback and 2 free throws from 6'6 soph Eric Allen. Johnson's own star soph Estan Tyler then gets it going. He knocks down a jumper and 4 free throws in a 13-0 Johnson run. 17-6 Johnson at 12:38. The lead seesaws around this the rest of the half. 40-29 at the break. Tyler with 18 and Northwest not taking care of the ball with turnovers. Johnson then uses a 2nd half 15-4 run over 3 minutes of the 2nd half to blow the game open. The Governors win easily 93-69. Estan Tyler with 21 and Lamar Anderson with 15 points for Johnson. Keith Townsend with 24 for Northwest.

Game 2: St. Paul Arlington vs Milwaukee Marshall
Best game of the day was this one. Marshall gets out to a 15-10 lead 4 and a half in to the game, but Arlington comes back to lead 31-30 at the break in a very back and forth game. Very fast pace the 1st 10 minutes that slowed down the rest of the half. Arlington gives up the 1st 5 of the half but then goes on a 9-0 run to take a 40-35 lead with 14:37 left. London Love with a couple of buckets for Marshall to break a 47 all tie, 51-47 Marshall with 9:40 left. Arlington uses an 11-2 run thanks to turnovers from Marshall for a 58-53 lead with 7:20 left. Charles Langhorne with a tip in at 5:30 to keep the lead at 5, 64-59. Marshall star Chauncey Williams gets a 4 point play at 5:20 and that's the beginning of the end. Arlington turns it over for a Love bucket, Williams then grabs an offensive rebound and finds Reggie Hearn for 2. That's the start of a 13-2 run for Marshall. Joseph Brooks cuts lead Marshall lead to 72-68 with a bucket at 1:55. Hearn them misses a dunk but grabs the miss and is fouled for 2 free throws at 1:32. Deondre White has 2 triples go in and out and Marshall goes on to win 77-68. They out score the Phoenix 18-4 over the last 5:30. DeMarcko Jones with 19, Deondre White with 15 for Arlington. Alfreeman Flowers with 22, Reggie Hearn with 11 and I had 19 rebounds on my sheet. Chauncey Williams with 12 points on cold shooting and a very quiet 2nd half (only the 4 point play).

Game 3: Hopkins vs Milwaukee Vincent
Vincent gets 1 field goal in the 1st 7 minutes as they can't get into any offense thanks to the Hopkins man-man D. By that time its 23-5 Hopkins. Royce White with a dunk but out of sync on the offense end. Trent Lockett with a couple of nice dunks. White and Lockett with 13 in the half. 51-26 Hopkins at the break and The Emperor and I call it a day since we'll see enough of Hopkins in the La Crosse Aquinas game.

Fans be warned that some of the Wisconsin rosters are from last year and not totally accurate. Check Wishoops.net for current accurate rosters for the Wisconsin teams.