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.
Showing posts with label Jake White. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jake White. Show all posts
Flying to the end of the season
Labels:
Jake White,
Ross Travis
Prologue
To Hopkins for the final non State Tourney game of my 2010-2011 season. Its Chaska vs Eden Prairie in the 2AAAA final. Its a neutral floor rubber match as these teams split during the regular season with each winning at home. A surprisingly big line when I make my early entrance and then much to my horror I realize its a 7:30 start, not a 7:00 start. That means 2 things, 1 is that we'll have an SRO crowd (which we did) and that I won't make the end of this game. BOLSHEVIK! Kicking myself for that mistake. Taco in a Bag at Hopkins is always good but the sour cream seemed lumpy, just didn't mix well tonight, disappointing way to eat my way out of the season. Mr Basketball guys amongst those watching. We get both school's pep bands but with the final night of sections and the NCAA tourney getting underway, I'll steal from CBS.
Song of the Day
One Shining Moment - Written by David Barrett performed by Luther Vandross (certainly NOT the disaster done by Jennifer Hudson last year)
Game Time
Ross Travis gets the assignment for Chaska guarding Dylan Stewart. Chaska gets the offense going inside with Jake White scoring their first 5 on the post. Then Travis with a jumper and a post up and White sticks back a miss. 11-8 Chaska at the 12 minute mark. Dylan Stewart already with a pair of drives for layups. He then runs out and challenges for a 3 point play. Robert Vishnevskiy off the EP bench for 3 and Grant Soderberg drives for an easy layup. The 8-0 run over 3:50 forces Chaska to take timeout at the 8:10 mark down 16-11. Chaska comes back with 5 in a row to tie as Travis goes to a nice spin move, White makes the 1st of 2 FTs and Travis puts back the 2nd one. 21-18 EP at 3:20 before Chaska runs off 7 in a row featuring a pretty give and go with White and Travis that resulted in a big 2 handed baseline flush from Travis. 25-23 Chaska at the half. EP comes back to take a 32-28 lead before Ross Travis converts an offensive rebound to tie the game at 32. Then EP takes over. Sander Mohn for 3, Jack Klukas on the post for 2 and then an EP 3. 42-35 Eden Prairie with about 9 minutes left when I have to head for the exits. Thanks to Ryan James' updates it looks like EP kept a 10 point lead most of the rest of the way as they win 67-57.
I had Mr Basketball finalist Jake White (one of the last 5 now) for a double double of 11 and 10 in the first half on his way to 22 points. Ross Travis 16 of his 25 in the second half and he had at least 3 blocks in the game that I saw. Only 5 points from the rest of the roster in each half. Chaska's offense never got into any kind of flow as Eden Prairie defensively made early adjustments to get back side help in the post out of a 4 out look. Chaska finishes the season 24-5 and has the entire base rotation that played tonight graduating.
Eden Prairie gets 4 in double figures as Jack Klukas scores all 15 of his points in the second half. Dylan Stewart 7 of his 11 in the first half. Derek Dedeker 12, Sander Mohn 11. Their defense really kept Chaska at bay and the pace was definitely to their liking. Eden Prairie is now 25-4 and the debate for the #2 seed with Osseo tomorrow should be very entertaining. EP's losses are to Johnson, Hopkins, Washburn and Chaska and they have a win over Hopkins plus a ridiculously tough schedule. Osseo is 27-2 with a loss to Hopkins and a league loss to Blaine. Best win might be Plainview-Elgin-Millville though as the rest of the schedule doesn't inspire (beating Buffalo once and Maple Grove twice is nice but not the same)
That leaves CDH and Lakeville South likely fighting for the last seed. Duluth East, Owatonna and Maple Grove are probably locks for the random draw. Duluth East will be a team nobody wants to draw with the lightning quick Taylor Stafford at the point (see performance vs Hopkins) and star wing Johnny Woodard.
To Hopkins for the final non State Tourney game of my 2010-2011 season. Its Chaska vs Eden Prairie in the 2AAAA final. Its a neutral floor rubber match as these teams split during the regular season with each winning at home. A surprisingly big line when I make my early entrance and then much to my horror I realize its a 7:30 start, not a 7:00 start. That means 2 things, 1 is that we'll have an SRO crowd (which we did) and that I won't make the end of this game. BOLSHEVIK! Kicking myself for that mistake. Taco in a Bag at Hopkins is always good but the sour cream seemed lumpy, just didn't mix well tonight, disappointing way to eat my way out of the season. Mr Basketball guys amongst those watching. We get both school's pep bands but with the final night of sections and the NCAA tourney getting underway, I'll steal from CBS.
Song of the Day
One Shining Moment - Written by David Barrett performed by Luther Vandross (certainly NOT the disaster done by Jennifer Hudson last year)
Game Time
Ross Travis gets the assignment for Chaska guarding Dylan Stewart. Chaska gets the offense going inside with Jake White scoring their first 5 on the post. Then Travis with a jumper and a post up and White sticks back a miss. 11-8 Chaska at the 12 minute mark. Dylan Stewart already with a pair of drives for layups. He then runs out and challenges for a 3 point play. Robert Vishnevskiy off the EP bench for 3 and Grant Soderberg drives for an easy layup. The 8-0 run over 3:50 forces Chaska to take timeout at the 8:10 mark down 16-11. Chaska comes back with 5 in a row to tie as Travis goes to a nice spin move, White makes the 1st of 2 FTs and Travis puts back the 2nd one. 21-18 EP at 3:20 before Chaska runs off 7 in a row featuring a pretty give and go with White and Travis that resulted in a big 2 handed baseline flush from Travis. 25-23 Chaska at the half. EP comes back to take a 32-28 lead before Ross Travis converts an offensive rebound to tie the game at 32. Then EP takes over. Sander Mohn for 3, Jack Klukas on the post for 2 and then an EP 3. 42-35 Eden Prairie with about 9 minutes left when I have to head for the exits. Thanks to Ryan James' updates it looks like EP kept a 10 point lead most of the rest of the way as they win 67-57.
I had Mr Basketball finalist Jake White (one of the last 5 now) for a double double of 11 and 10 in the first half on his way to 22 points. Ross Travis 16 of his 25 in the second half and he had at least 3 blocks in the game that I saw. Only 5 points from the rest of the roster in each half. Chaska's offense never got into any kind of flow as Eden Prairie defensively made early adjustments to get back side help in the post out of a 4 out look. Chaska finishes the season 24-5 and has the entire base rotation that played tonight graduating.
Eden Prairie gets 4 in double figures as Jack Klukas scores all 15 of his points in the second half. Dylan Stewart 7 of his 11 in the first half. Derek Dedeker 12, Sander Mohn 11. Their defense really kept Chaska at bay and the pace was definitely to their liking. Eden Prairie is now 25-4 and the debate for the #2 seed with Osseo tomorrow should be very entertaining. EP's losses are to Johnson, Hopkins, Washburn and Chaska and they have a win over Hopkins plus a ridiculously tough schedule. Osseo is 27-2 with a loss to Hopkins and a league loss to Blaine. Best win might be Plainview-Elgin-Millville though as the rest of the schedule doesn't inspire (beating Buffalo once and Maple Grove twice is nice but not the same)
That leaves CDH and Lakeville South likely fighting for the last seed. Duluth East, Owatonna and Maple Grove are probably locks for the random draw. Duluth East will be a team nobody wants to draw with the lightning quick Taylor Stafford at the point (see performance vs Hopkins) and star wing Johnny Woodard.
2011 Timberwolves Shootout Thoughts
Labels:
2011 Timberwolves Shootout,
Jake White,
Ross Travis
My thoughts from the 2011 Timberwolves Shootout.
Have to feel bad that Tom Schalk rolls an ankle late Thursday on a freak play and then has to miss his chance to play in the Shootout. The Tyus Jones injury just killed the turnout and any coaching interest in the game. Nice touch to announce the Marcus Paige verbal to North Carolina during the game. Except for the last game, nice to see 3 close games. 2nd game was hard to watch because of the officiating. 4 cheese pizza was disappointing and that's not just because it was $7. I was also surprised at how little we saw of Kyle Washington in the BSM game. To the games
Game 1: Roseville vs Viborg/Hurley, SD
I got this one exactly right by saying the game would be closer than people thought. 4 Viborg starters with 2 fouls in the first half, including 2 on star Cory Jacobsen in 3 minutes and Stephen Lee (the main guy defending Lucas Brown) got his second 20 seconds later. But that forced the Cougars to play 2-3 zone and Roseville had no answers for it. Viborg goes on a 15-6 run over the last 8:25 of the half thanks to 13 first half points from Dennis DeNeui off the bench. 40-29 Viborg at half. Roseville falls behind by 59-43 with 9:08 left as the drought continues and Cory Jacobsen's 9 points in the half. Roseville chips away and the lead is 62-51 with 6:10 left. Then the run kicks in. Sam Peterson 2 FTs, David Stanley with a layup and a 3 and Mack Johnson from the NBA line for 3 at 3:40 to cut the lead to 2. Then a Viborg turnover but Lucas Brown misses the breakaway dunk to tie it. Roseville had no answer for 6'9 center Zach Kraning all day and he scores on the other end. 65-61 with 2:52 left and the missed dunk looks to be a huge factor. But Mack Johnson from the NBA line again and Lucas Brown with a drive at 1:55 and Roseville is all the way back to lead 66-65. After a Viborg free throw ties it, Lucas Brown with a great drive but Peterson misses the layup with 1:15 left but he blocks a Kraning jump hook on the other end. Viborg gets it out of bounds with 43 seconds left and tries to go to Kraning again but Lucas Brown jumps around and takes it away. Out of a timeout, Lucas Brown gets it. He goes to the rim late, no good but Peterson tips it in at the buzzer for the 68-66 Roseville win in the best game of the day. Kraning leads Viborg with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Cory Jacobsen all 13 in the 2nd half. I liked soph Trevor Jacobsen and his 12 points as well. Mack Johnson 4 triples including the 2 long bombs late to lead Roseville with 16 points. Lucas Brown 8 points on 2-15 shooting but he showed up big late with 3 clutch steals, a drive and pass that was a missed layup and the final drive that was tapped in at the buzzer.
Game 2: Benilde-St. Margaret's vs Onalaska, WI
This one is close for most of the first half until Onalaska uses a Matt Thomas pull up and triple to push the lead to 21-14 at the 4:35 mark and force a BSM timeout. The Red Knights finish the half on a 10-1 spurt to end the half thanks to 6 Isaiah Zierden points, a Will Dunn hoop and a spinning drive from Sanjay Lumpkin who once again showed extra aggressiveness in this game. A Zierden drive gets him 2 free throws and more importantly is the 4th foul on Matt Thomas with 11:20 left. 35-34 Red Knights. The Hilltoppers counter with a 8-0 run with Thomas on the bench thanks to a Nick Arenz short J sandwiched between a pair of Clint Rihn 3s. 42-35 Onalaska with 9:06 left. 53-44 Onalaska with 4:44 to go and Matt Thomas back in the lineup. But BSM isn't quite done. Zierden with 2 free throws and a steal for 2, Isaiah Gray to the hoop and Lumpkin with 2 freebies. The 8-0 BSM run in only 51 seconds cuts the lead to 53-52 with 3:53 left. Lumpkin with a steal and assist to Dunn and BSM has a 56-55 lead with 1:57 left. Tony Thomas counters with a layup on the other end against the effective BSM pressure that got them back in it. Zierden with 2 misses and Tony Thomas gets another layup on a runout with 33 seconds left. The teams trade free throws and Isaiah Gray misses a 3 with 5 seconds left. Tony Thomas seals the deal with 2 freebies. 62-57 Onalaska wins. Isaiah Zierden 19 points on 5-15 shooting with only 1 triple. Will Dunn 11 points, Isaiah Gray 10 points. 4 of Onalaska's 5 scorers in double figures. Clint Rihn 4 triples for 16 points. Star Nick Arenz 12 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks on my sheet. Not dominant but effective.
Game 3: Chaska vs Cedar Rapids Washington
Big shock for me during the day was finding out that Minnetonka beat Washington (Iowa's 9th ranked team) at their place Friday night. So I expected Chaska to roll. 10-9 Washington at 10:05 after a Jake White bucket inside. Then Washington goes on a 18-4 run over the next 7 minutes thanks to a Josh Oglesby 3 point play and a pair of triples. 35-20 Washington at half in a major surprise. After a surprising low number of inside touches in the first half, Jake White gets going in the second half. He has 2 putbacks, a free throw and a nice reverse layup from Ross Travis along with 2 Max Watts triples and a long Adam Happ 3 to cut the lead to 45-40 on an 18-6 run. Wes Washpun keeps Washington afloat by scoring 3 straight hoops for them and he's challenging White and Travis at the rim. Then White with back to back hoops to cut the lead to 51-50, 4:50 left. Washpun 2 FTs help push the lead back to 5. White with the lefty layin, Washpun misses a front end and White again on the post with 1:30 left. 55-54 Washington. Oglesby 2 FTs with 1:09 left. Chaska patient on the possession down 3 and they find Ross Travis inside with 33.3 left. He makes 1 of the 2 free throws. Oglesby makes a mistake by giving the ball up and Washpun misses 2 free throws with 21.4 left. Washpun under 50% at the line on the season, not the guy Washington wanted there. Chaska misses a layup on the other end with 12 seconds left and Oglesby makes 2 free throws to seal it. 59-55 Washington wins. Josh Oglesby 14 of his 20 points in the 1st half. 5-14 FGs and 7 turnovers with Ross Travis hounding him for a part of the night when Chaska wasn't playing 1-3-1. Wes Washpun leads the way with 23 points and I didn't recall the lefty having those kinds of hops. Ross Travis 13 points, 7 boards, 3 blocks on 4-10 shooting. Jake White 18 of his 26 points in the second half along with 8 rebounds.
Game 4: Linn-Mar (Marion, IA) vs Apple Valley
No Schalk or Jones for this one and we got the expected blowout. Apple Valley keeps this close at 30-21 with 2:35 left in the half, but a 13-0 run by Linn-Mar to end the half puts it away. Matt Bohannon 14 of his 19 in the first half. Marcus Paige outstanding as expected with 16 points. Shane Benton with a nice second half before the starters were pulled to finish with 17 points. 81-35 Linn-Mar wins. Should be fun to see Linn-Mar again next weekend vs Madison Memorial at the Midwest Players Classic. Jordan Crockett with 7 points to lead Apple Valley.
The Czar's All-Shootout Team
Marcus Paige- Linn-Mar (MVP)
Matt Bohannon - Linn-Mar
Matt Thomas - Onalaska
Josh Oglesby - Cedar Rapids Washington
Jake White - Chaska
Have to feel bad that Tom Schalk rolls an ankle late Thursday on a freak play and then has to miss his chance to play in the Shootout. The Tyus Jones injury just killed the turnout and any coaching interest in the game. Nice touch to announce the Marcus Paige verbal to North Carolina during the game. Except for the last game, nice to see 3 close games. 2nd game was hard to watch because of the officiating. 4 cheese pizza was disappointing and that's not just because it was $7. I was also surprised at how little we saw of Kyle Washington in the BSM game. To the games
Game 1: Roseville vs Viborg/Hurley, SD
I got this one exactly right by saying the game would be closer than people thought. 4 Viborg starters with 2 fouls in the first half, including 2 on star Cory Jacobsen in 3 minutes and Stephen Lee (the main guy defending Lucas Brown) got his second 20 seconds later. But that forced the Cougars to play 2-3 zone and Roseville had no answers for it. Viborg goes on a 15-6 run over the last 8:25 of the half thanks to 13 first half points from Dennis DeNeui off the bench. 40-29 Viborg at half. Roseville falls behind by 59-43 with 9:08 left as the drought continues and Cory Jacobsen's 9 points in the half. Roseville chips away and the lead is 62-51 with 6:10 left. Then the run kicks in. Sam Peterson 2 FTs, David Stanley with a layup and a 3 and Mack Johnson from the NBA line for 3 at 3:40 to cut the lead to 2. Then a Viborg turnover but Lucas Brown misses the breakaway dunk to tie it. Roseville had no answer for 6'9 center Zach Kraning all day and he scores on the other end. 65-61 with 2:52 left and the missed dunk looks to be a huge factor. But Mack Johnson from the NBA line again and Lucas Brown with a drive at 1:55 and Roseville is all the way back to lead 66-65. After a Viborg free throw ties it, Lucas Brown with a great drive but Peterson misses the layup with 1:15 left but he blocks a Kraning jump hook on the other end. Viborg gets it out of bounds with 43 seconds left and tries to go to Kraning again but Lucas Brown jumps around and takes it away. Out of a timeout, Lucas Brown gets it. He goes to the rim late, no good but Peterson tips it in at the buzzer for the 68-66 Roseville win in the best game of the day. Kraning leads Viborg with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Cory Jacobsen all 13 in the 2nd half. I liked soph Trevor Jacobsen and his 12 points as well. Mack Johnson 4 triples including the 2 long bombs late to lead Roseville with 16 points. Lucas Brown 8 points on 2-15 shooting but he showed up big late with 3 clutch steals, a drive and pass that was a missed layup and the final drive that was tapped in at the buzzer.
Game 2: Benilde-St. Margaret's vs Onalaska, WI
This one is close for most of the first half until Onalaska uses a Matt Thomas pull up and triple to push the lead to 21-14 at the 4:35 mark and force a BSM timeout. The Red Knights finish the half on a 10-1 spurt to end the half thanks to 6 Isaiah Zierden points, a Will Dunn hoop and a spinning drive from Sanjay Lumpkin who once again showed extra aggressiveness in this game. A Zierden drive gets him 2 free throws and more importantly is the 4th foul on Matt Thomas with 11:20 left. 35-34 Red Knights. The Hilltoppers counter with a 8-0 run with Thomas on the bench thanks to a Nick Arenz short J sandwiched between a pair of Clint Rihn 3s. 42-35 Onalaska with 9:06 left. 53-44 Onalaska with 4:44 to go and Matt Thomas back in the lineup. But BSM isn't quite done. Zierden with 2 free throws and a steal for 2, Isaiah Gray to the hoop and Lumpkin with 2 freebies. The 8-0 BSM run in only 51 seconds cuts the lead to 53-52 with 3:53 left. Lumpkin with a steal and assist to Dunn and BSM has a 56-55 lead with 1:57 left. Tony Thomas counters with a layup on the other end against the effective BSM pressure that got them back in it. Zierden with 2 misses and Tony Thomas gets another layup on a runout with 33 seconds left. The teams trade free throws and Isaiah Gray misses a 3 with 5 seconds left. Tony Thomas seals the deal with 2 freebies. 62-57 Onalaska wins. Isaiah Zierden 19 points on 5-15 shooting with only 1 triple. Will Dunn 11 points, Isaiah Gray 10 points. 4 of Onalaska's 5 scorers in double figures. Clint Rihn 4 triples for 16 points. Star Nick Arenz 12 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks on my sheet. Not dominant but effective.
Game 3: Chaska vs Cedar Rapids Washington
Big shock for me during the day was finding out that Minnetonka beat Washington (Iowa's 9th ranked team) at their place Friday night. So I expected Chaska to roll. 10-9 Washington at 10:05 after a Jake White bucket inside. Then Washington goes on a 18-4 run over the next 7 minutes thanks to a Josh Oglesby 3 point play and a pair of triples. 35-20 Washington at half in a major surprise. After a surprising low number of inside touches in the first half, Jake White gets going in the second half. He has 2 putbacks, a free throw and a nice reverse layup from Ross Travis along with 2 Max Watts triples and a long Adam Happ 3 to cut the lead to 45-40 on an 18-6 run. Wes Washpun keeps Washington afloat by scoring 3 straight hoops for them and he's challenging White and Travis at the rim. Then White with back to back hoops to cut the lead to 51-50, 4:50 left. Washpun 2 FTs help push the lead back to 5. White with the lefty layin, Washpun misses a front end and White again on the post with 1:30 left. 55-54 Washington. Oglesby 2 FTs with 1:09 left. Chaska patient on the possession down 3 and they find Ross Travis inside with 33.3 left. He makes 1 of the 2 free throws. Oglesby makes a mistake by giving the ball up and Washpun misses 2 free throws with 21.4 left. Washpun under 50% at the line on the season, not the guy Washington wanted there. Chaska misses a layup on the other end with 12 seconds left and Oglesby makes 2 free throws to seal it. 59-55 Washington wins. Josh Oglesby 14 of his 20 points in the 1st half. 5-14 FGs and 7 turnovers with Ross Travis hounding him for a part of the night when Chaska wasn't playing 1-3-1. Wes Washpun leads the way with 23 points and I didn't recall the lefty having those kinds of hops. Ross Travis 13 points, 7 boards, 3 blocks on 4-10 shooting. Jake White 18 of his 26 points in the second half along with 8 rebounds.
Game 4: Linn-Mar (Marion, IA) vs Apple Valley
No Schalk or Jones for this one and we got the expected blowout. Apple Valley keeps this close at 30-21 with 2:35 left in the half, but a 13-0 run by Linn-Mar to end the half puts it away. Matt Bohannon 14 of his 19 in the first half. Marcus Paige outstanding as expected with 16 points. Shane Benton with a nice second half before the starters were pulled to finish with 17 points. 81-35 Linn-Mar wins. Should be fun to see Linn-Mar again next weekend vs Madison Memorial at the Midwest Players Classic. Jordan Crockett with 7 points to lead Apple Valley.
The Czar's All-Shootout Team
Marcus Paige- Linn-Mar (MVP)
Matt Bohannon - Linn-Mar
Matt Thomas - Onalaska
Josh Oglesby - Cedar Rapids Washington
Jake White - Chaska
2011 Timberwolves Shootout Preview
Labels:
2011 Timberwolves Shootout,
Jake White,
Ross Travis
A light schedule at the 2011 Timberwolves Shootout and it may be the worst shootout in recent memory, but it's not all bad. Here's what I'm looking for. Next year let's all campaign for Shootout director Jeff Munneke to get Eleate Sports star Jeremy Lieberman in from California to take on Tyus Jones and bring back the old days of the shootout when it was a must see event. Those stars do bring in extra fans contrary to popular belief.
1 PM: Viborg/Hurley, SD vs Roseville
The Cougars make the trip from South Dakota with a record of 5-0 and are ranked #2 in the South Dakota Class A poll. These were separate schools before forming a combined program this season. Their star is 6'1" G Cory Jacobsen. He has over 1700 career points and is averaging 19.4 PPG this season. He also helped lead the Cougars to a state runner-up finish in football.. There are 5 players who were members of the Dakota Schoolers this summer and have appeared locally. 6'9" senior center Zach Kraning is their man in the middle. 5'8" Soph Trevor Jacobsen is having a nice year at the point guard spot. He was one of the members of the very good Schoolers 15s.
Roseville features Wofford signee Lucas Brown on the wing. He's averaging 16.7 points a night. Point guard David Stanley leads the way at 18 PPG. Don't be surprised to see Emeche Wells get the assignment guarding Cory Jacobsen. Wells and Soph Mack Johnson each average 11 PPG. Johnson is one of the top shooters in the sophomore class and has range from anywhere in the building. 8th grader Kobe Critchley may also see time as a reserve guard.
Czar's Pick: Roseville but something tells me this game might be better than expected.
3 PM: Onalaska, WI vs Benilde-St. Margaret's
Onalaska is 8-0 and currently ranked #1 in Wisconsin's Division 2 poll. Coach Craig Kowal returns to the Target Center after leading neighboring La Crescent to the state tournament in 2008. The Hilltoppers star is 6'8" Jr forward Nick Arenz. He's averaging 15.9 PPG and has a handful of D1 mid-major offers already. He was MVP at last week's 3 day WBY Shootout, Wisconsin's top event of the year. 6'1 soph shooting guard Matt Thomas is one of the top shooters in Wisconsin's sophomore class. He's averaging 12.1 PPG. Older brother Tony is a 6'6" senior and does the dirty work up front for the Hilltoppers.
Benilde-St. Margaret's has one of the most loaded classes I've seen in my time. Their juniors lead the way. PG Isaiah Zierden leads the way at 16.2 PPG. 6'8" Kyle Washington has blown up in the last 6 months. He averages 10.4 PPG and is a major presence inside blocking shots with his length. 6'6" Sanjay Lumpkin is used as the defensive stopper on the wing but is capable of going off for 30. These are 3 of the top 2012 prospects in Minnesota. 6'3" Will Dunn averages 11.2 on the wing and is a very good shooter but has been successfully attacking the basket when teams run out at him.
Czar's Pick: Benilde-St. Margaret's in the best game of the day. Washington vs Arenz and Lumpkin guarding Matt Thomas are matchups I'm watching. I think the Benilde depth puts them over the top. Worth noting that both teams have big conference games on Thursday night so hopefully there are no big game hangovers.
5 PM: Cedar Rapids, IA Washington vs Chaska
Washington comes into the shootout with a record of 5-2 and ranked #9 in Iowa's Class 4A. They feature a pair of Iowa Barnstormers that have played locally. 6'6" senior SG Josh Oglesby has signed with Iowa. He's ranked #118 in the nation by Rivals.com. This season he's averaging 21.6 PPG and shooting 29-55 (52.7%) from the 3 point line. That includes 8-10 in a 56-51 to Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Wisconsin signee Jarrod Uthoff. Point guard Wes Washpun is averaging 18.3 PPG but only shooting 16-38 from the foul line (42.1%). He nailed a buzzer beater on Tuesday to beat Iowa City West (video in this article). In a bit of irony, they host Minnetonka on Friday night before making the trip on Saturday.
Chaska features 6'8 Power Forward Jake White inside. He's signed with Wichita State and is having a huge year. He's averaging 27.3 PPG this season and was averaging 12.7 Rebounds through the 1st 7 games. 6'7" Penn State signee Ross Travis is a catalyst on the perimeter. He's averaging 18.1 PPG and has 27 or more points in 3 of his last 4 games, all against quality competition. Shooter Max Watts is averaging 13.3 PPG.
Czar's Pick: Chaska. Jake White is the difference inside and Travis can take over at anytime. But they'll have to keep Oglesby in check.
7 PM: Linn-Mar (Marion, IA) vs Apple Valley
Linn-Mar returns to the shootout (for the 4th time in my memory) at 7-0 and ranked #1 in Iowa's class 4A. They're also #6 in the Midlands region according to PrepNation.com (Hopkins is #1, Johnson is #9 for comparison). 6'1" lefty point guard Marcus Paige is ranked #37 in the nation by Rivals.com. He has numerous high major D1 offers including Kansas and Minnesota. Gopher fans would love for him to fill a desperate point guard need. He put on a show vs Minnetonka last year with his passing and scoring and I expect no less this year. He's averaging 19 PPG this season. But he's not the whole show.
6'4" shooter Matt Bohannon impressed last year. He's averaging 14.7 PPG this season and will attend Northern Iowa next year. 6'3 Shane Benton has only played 3 games this year and is averaging 8.7 PPG. He'll attend North Dakota. 6'6 multi-sport athlete Josh Montague mans the interior. He's averaging 11 PPG and has interest in both football and basketball. A group that is well coached and runs great stuff, a pleasure to watch.
Apple Valley will play the game without star freshman Tyus Jones at the point. His kidney injury suffered on opening night will keep him out until February according to published reports this week. That takes away the star attraction of the entire event. But 6'7" William and Mary signee Thomas Schalk is having a monster year filling in the gap. He's averaging 28.7 points a game this season. He can play inside or out with his 3 point shooting range. Soph shooter Dustin Fronk is averaging 9.3 PPG. Gavin Bronson and Josh Johnson have picked up their game as well.
Czar's Pick: Linn-Mar. Too deep, too talented, too good vs a depleted Apple Valley squad.
1 PM: Viborg/Hurley, SD vs Roseville
The Cougars make the trip from South Dakota with a record of 5-0 and are ranked #2 in the South Dakota Class A poll. These were separate schools before forming a combined program this season. Their star is 6'1" G Cory Jacobsen. He has over 1700 career points and is averaging 19.4 PPG this season. He also helped lead the Cougars to a state runner-up finish in football.. There are 5 players who were members of the Dakota Schoolers this summer and have appeared locally. 6'9" senior center Zach Kraning is their man in the middle. 5'8" Soph Trevor Jacobsen is having a nice year at the point guard spot. He was one of the members of the very good Schoolers 15s.
Roseville features Wofford signee Lucas Brown on the wing. He's averaging 16.7 points a night. Point guard David Stanley leads the way at 18 PPG. Don't be surprised to see Emeche Wells get the assignment guarding Cory Jacobsen. Wells and Soph Mack Johnson each average 11 PPG. Johnson is one of the top shooters in the sophomore class and has range from anywhere in the building. 8th grader Kobe Critchley may also see time as a reserve guard.
Czar's Pick: Roseville but something tells me this game might be better than expected.
3 PM: Onalaska, WI vs Benilde-St. Margaret's
Onalaska is 8-0 and currently ranked #1 in Wisconsin's Division 2 poll. Coach Craig Kowal returns to the Target Center after leading neighboring La Crescent to the state tournament in 2008. The Hilltoppers star is 6'8" Jr forward Nick Arenz. He's averaging 15.9 PPG and has a handful of D1 mid-major offers already. He was MVP at last week's 3 day WBY Shootout, Wisconsin's top event of the year. 6'1 soph shooting guard Matt Thomas is one of the top shooters in Wisconsin's sophomore class. He's averaging 12.1 PPG. Older brother Tony is a 6'6" senior and does the dirty work up front for the Hilltoppers.
Benilde-St. Margaret's has one of the most loaded classes I've seen in my time. Their juniors lead the way. PG Isaiah Zierden leads the way at 16.2 PPG. 6'8" Kyle Washington has blown up in the last 6 months. He averages 10.4 PPG and is a major presence inside blocking shots with his length. 6'6" Sanjay Lumpkin is used as the defensive stopper on the wing but is capable of going off for 30. These are 3 of the top 2012 prospects in Minnesota. 6'3" Will Dunn averages 11.2 on the wing and is a very good shooter but has been successfully attacking the basket when teams run out at him.
Czar's Pick: Benilde-St. Margaret's in the best game of the day. Washington vs Arenz and Lumpkin guarding Matt Thomas are matchups I'm watching. I think the Benilde depth puts them over the top. Worth noting that both teams have big conference games on Thursday night so hopefully there are no big game hangovers.
5 PM: Cedar Rapids, IA Washington vs Chaska
Washington comes into the shootout with a record of 5-2 and ranked #9 in Iowa's Class 4A. They feature a pair of Iowa Barnstormers that have played locally. 6'6" senior SG Josh Oglesby has signed with Iowa. He's ranked #118 in the nation by Rivals.com. This season he's averaging 21.6 PPG and shooting 29-55 (52.7%) from the 3 point line. That includes 8-10 in a 56-51 to Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Wisconsin signee Jarrod Uthoff. Point guard Wes Washpun is averaging 18.3 PPG but only shooting 16-38 from the foul line (42.1%). He nailed a buzzer beater on Tuesday to beat Iowa City West (video in this article). In a bit of irony, they host Minnetonka on Friday night before making the trip on Saturday.
Chaska features 6'8 Power Forward Jake White inside. He's signed with Wichita State and is having a huge year. He's averaging 27.3 PPG this season and was averaging 12.7 Rebounds through the 1st 7 games. 6'7" Penn State signee Ross Travis is a catalyst on the perimeter. He's averaging 18.1 PPG and has 27 or more points in 3 of his last 4 games, all against quality competition. Shooter Max Watts is averaging 13.3 PPG.
Czar's Pick: Chaska. Jake White is the difference inside and Travis can take over at anytime. But they'll have to keep Oglesby in check.
7 PM: Linn-Mar (Marion, IA) vs Apple Valley
Linn-Mar returns to the shootout (for the 4th time in my memory) at 7-0 and ranked #1 in Iowa's class 4A. They're also #6 in the Midlands region according to PrepNation.com (Hopkins is #1, Johnson is #9 for comparison). 6'1" lefty point guard Marcus Paige is ranked #37 in the nation by Rivals.com. He has numerous high major D1 offers including Kansas and Minnesota. Gopher fans would love for him to fill a desperate point guard need. He put on a show vs Minnetonka last year with his passing and scoring and I expect no less this year. He's averaging 19 PPG this season. But he's not the whole show.
6'4" shooter Matt Bohannon impressed last year. He's averaging 14.7 PPG this season and will attend Northern Iowa next year. 6'3 Shane Benton has only played 3 games this year and is averaging 8.7 PPG. He'll attend North Dakota. 6'6 multi-sport athlete Josh Montague mans the interior. He's averaging 11 PPG and has interest in both football and basketball. A group that is well coached and runs great stuff, a pleasure to watch.
Apple Valley will play the game without star freshman Tyus Jones at the point. His kidney injury suffered on opening night will keep him out until February according to published reports this week. That takes away the star attraction of the entire event. But 6'7" William and Mary signee Thomas Schalk is having a monster year filling in the gap. He's averaging 28.7 points a game this season. He can play inside or out with his 3 point shooting range. Soph shooter Dustin Fronk is averaging 9.3 PPG. Gavin Bronson and Josh Johnson have picked up their game as well.
Czar's Pick: Linn-Mar. Too deep, too talented, too good vs a depleted Apple Valley squad.
10-11 Missota Preview
Labels:
10-11 Season Previews,
Jake White,
Ross Travis
This is the fifth in my 2010-2011 season preview series. In this preview, a look at the Missota Conference. For a list of all the season previews, click here.
Its a year of new faces in the Missota. Still 8 teams but Hutchinson and Prior Lake are gone for Chaska and Chanhassen. Interesting to see Chaska back in the league after they had a ton of success here before moving to the Lake Conference and now they're back in a big way.
Academy of Holy Angels Stars (2009-10 season 17-12, 11-3 Conference, tied 2nd)
A typical year for coach Larry McKenzie's crew. They started 3-8 against a tough schedule and then ran off 14 of 18 to end the year. But they did come up 1 game short of McKenzie's conference title prediction. This year is a rebuilding year with the top 6 scorers including center Andy Jirik and shooter Sam Gullickson all gone. Guards Parker Bredow and Damon Woods return. Watch frosh Jordan Dembley and soph Danny Sullivan.
Chaska Hawks (2009-10 season 17-12, 12-10 Lake Conference, tied 6th)
The Hawks move into the league with visions of winning the league. Wichita State commit Jake White leads the front line at 21.2 a night dominating inside. Penn State commit Ross Travis is a super athletic wing who does a bit of everything for them. Add in guard Max Watts and you have a returning group of top 3 scorers that can match anybody in the league.
Chanhassen Storm (2009-10 season 4-23, 2-20 Lake Conference, 12th)
Year 2 at Chanhassen should look better than year 1 with everyone back and a much softer bottom of the league than the Lake. Shooter Chance Panning averaged 11.9 PPG last year to lead the team. Talented junior Kevin Jensen was the other double figure scorer at 10.8 a night and is the goto player. After that, the talent drops off quickly.
Farmington Tigers (2009-10 season 7-20, 5-9 Conference, 5th)
The Tigers were the best of the have nots in the league last year. Now 4 of the top 5 players are gone. Senior Alex Michels averaged 11 points a game last year and returns. Sophomore Darren Beenken averaged almost 5 points a night in 15 games.
New Prague Trojans (2009-10 season 19-10, 9-5 Conference, 4th)
All everything Danny Geiger and his 20.6 PPG are gone but most of the rest of the roster is back. Forward Cale Girten figures to be a matchup problem in the dribble drive system for most teams. Senior shooters Alex Dittberner and Jed Kreuser return. Junior Jake Meyer returns to man the post.
Northfield Raiders (2009-10 season 5-21, 3-11 Conference, tied 6th)
Tons of losses here as well from a team that had a rough year. But they have one of the best names around, Otto Pfefferle, to man the front line. He tall and lean but can step out and shoot it. He'll be their top player this season.
Red Wing Wingers (2009-10 season 6-20, 3-11 Conference, tied 6th)
The Wingers return 3 of their top 4 players including guard Pat Kelly who lit up Prior Lake for 32 points at the end of last season. They have some size back as well. Expect them to be improved this season, but the top of the league is still too strong for them.
Shakopee Sabers (2009-10 season 21-7, 12-2 Conference, 1st)
I learned a long time ago not to go against the Sabers so I won't this season. Versatile Jason Perkins returns up front. Ethan Petrill returns to hold down either guard position. Dylan Ulferts is an athletic wing who can go off at any time. They're well coached and they defend.
Predicted Order of Finish
Underclassmen to watch:
Jordan Dembley, Anthony Baysah, Danny Sullivan - Holy Angels
Darren Beenken - Farmington
Eric Shepley - Northfield
Games that will determine the conference title
Its a year of new faces in the Missota. Still 8 teams but Hutchinson and Prior Lake are gone for Chaska and Chanhassen. Interesting to see Chaska back in the league after they had a ton of success here before moving to the Lake Conference and now they're back in a big way.
Academy of Holy Angels Stars (2009-10 season 17-12, 11-3 Conference, tied 2nd)
A typical year for coach Larry McKenzie's crew. They started 3-8 against a tough schedule and then ran off 14 of 18 to end the year. But they did come up 1 game short of McKenzie's conference title prediction. This year is a rebuilding year with the top 6 scorers including center Andy Jirik and shooter Sam Gullickson all gone. Guards Parker Bredow and Damon Woods return. Watch frosh Jordan Dembley and soph Danny Sullivan.
Chaska Hawks (2009-10 season 17-12, 12-10 Lake Conference, tied 6th)
The Hawks move into the league with visions of winning the league. Wichita State commit Jake White leads the front line at 21.2 a night dominating inside. Penn State commit Ross Travis is a super athletic wing who does a bit of everything for them. Add in guard Max Watts and you have a returning group of top 3 scorers that can match anybody in the league.
Chanhassen Storm (2009-10 season 4-23, 2-20 Lake Conference, 12th)
Year 2 at Chanhassen should look better than year 1 with everyone back and a much softer bottom of the league than the Lake. Shooter Chance Panning averaged 11.9 PPG last year to lead the team. Talented junior Kevin Jensen was the other double figure scorer at 10.8 a night and is the goto player. After that, the talent drops off quickly.
Farmington Tigers (2009-10 season 7-20, 5-9 Conference, 5th)
The Tigers were the best of the have nots in the league last year. Now 4 of the top 5 players are gone. Senior Alex Michels averaged 11 points a game last year and returns. Sophomore Darren Beenken averaged almost 5 points a night in 15 games.
New Prague Trojans (2009-10 season 19-10, 9-5 Conference, 4th)
All everything Danny Geiger and his 20.6 PPG are gone but most of the rest of the roster is back. Forward Cale Girten figures to be a matchup problem in the dribble drive system for most teams. Senior shooters Alex Dittberner and Jed Kreuser return. Junior Jake Meyer returns to man the post.
Northfield Raiders (2009-10 season 5-21, 3-11 Conference, tied 6th)
Tons of losses here as well from a team that had a rough year. But they have one of the best names around, Otto Pfefferle, to man the front line. He tall and lean but can step out and shoot it. He'll be their top player this season.
Red Wing Wingers (2009-10 season 6-20, 3-11 Conference, tied 6th)
The Wingers return 3 of their top 4 players including guard Pat Kelly who lit up Prior Lake for 32 points at the end of last season. They have some size back as well. Expect them to be improved this season, but the top of the league is still too strong for them.
Shakopee Sabers (2009-10 season 21-7, 12-2 Conference, 1st)
I learned a long time ago not to go against the Sabers so I won't this season. Versatile Jason Perkins returns up front. Ethan Petrill returns to hold down either guard position. Dylan Ulferts is an athletic wing who can go off at any time. They're well coached and they defend.
Predicted Order of Finish
- Chaska
- Shakopee
- New Prague
- Holy Angels
- Chanhassen
- Red Wing
- Northfield
- Farmington
Underclassmen to watch:
Jordan Dembley, Anthony Baysah, Danny Sullivan - Holy Angels
Darren Beenken - Farmington
Eric Shepley - Northfield
Games that will determine the conference title
- Chaska at New Prague - Jan 14th
- Shakopee at Chaska - Feb 1st
- Shakopee at New Prague - Feb 15th
- Chaska at Shakopee - Mar 1st
- Holy Angels at Minneapolis Henry - Dec 7th
- Minneapolis Washburn vs Shakopee - Dec 11 (Breakdown Tipoff Classic)
- DeLaSalle vs Chaska - Dec 11th (Breakdown Tipoff Classic)
- Apple Valley at Chaska - Dec 14th
- Shakopee at Waconia - Dec 17th
- Shakopee vs Lakeville South - Dec 29th (projected championship Lakeville Rotary Tourney)
- Shakopee at Eden Prairie - Jan 4th
- Chaska vs Cedar Rapids Washington - Jan 8th (Timberwolves Shootout)
- Chaska vs St. John's Military Academy - Jan 22nd (East Metro Showcase)
- Eden Prairie at Chaska - Feb 8th
43 Hoops too much for Pump N Run
Labels:
Jake White,
Jonah Travis,
Ross Travis
Prologue
To 43 Hoops for a 17U showdown between Pump N Run and 43 Hoops. All the notables in the building including the obvious ones (Monter, James, me) along with JohnnyGopher, UWOle and GopherLady of GopherHole fame. Willie Vang from the MN Heat makes an appearance as well. Lots of notables including Randy Carter, Eric Coleman, Zach Towle, Ryan Duxbury, Anthony Tucker all playing tonight in the early games just to name a few. Men meet boys. Sorry folks, no food or beverage at the game but I did have a messy Pulled Pork sandwich with Sierra Mist for dinner prior to venturing over to 43.
Funny moment before the game as I was one of many people who moved back and forth between courts about 5 times until we finally got it right that the curtain would be opened and we'd have action on court 2. The court lined with fans all the way around with 3 quality officials working the game. Gotta like that. PNR without Estan Tyler (unknown), Eric Robertson (ankle), Joel Lindberg (Wisconsin camp) and Kyle Noreen (west coast college tour). They added Carlos Emory and Jonathon Crockett from last year's 17U PNR squad. No Jordan Smith for 43 as he was suffering from tendonitis and just resumed work outs today. Let the record show with Matt Sellers' mom as my witness that I predicted an 8 point 43 Hoops win right before tip.
Game Time
Jake White gets the assignment on Jonah Travis in this one. Travis immediately spins and is fouled. He shoots the 1st free throw and its good. But the ball is trash so let's put that one out of play and pick a new one. Travis drives for 2 more, Emory for 3 and then the alley oop from Crockett. 13-5 PNR leads at the 14:45 in a very low scoring half (these are 25 minute running time halves). But 43 cranks up the pressure and without their regular point guards PNR struggles to get into offense. Schalk with 2 free throws and a 3 ball and 43 has the momentum and the crowd on their side. Emory strong for 1 free throw as he's fouled on a dunk attempt to try and stem the tide. Zach Romashko for 2 and Freddie Young with a steal for 2 and PNR wants time. 14 all with 9 minutes left in the first half. 20-19 43 Hoops leads after 1 Jonah Travis freebie at the 3:40 mark. Raijon Kelly with a pair of big 3s that counter a pair of Travis dunks. 28-23 43 Hoops at the half. Marquel Curtis and Jonah Travis each with 9 points in the half to lead their teams.
Jonah Travis stays hot as he knocks down a pair of left wing triples but the lead is still 5 for 43. A Curtis steal for 2 free throws pushes the lead to 39-33 with 18 minutes left. PNR won't go away. Roosevelt Scott with a 1 handed hammer and Crockett with a layup. Ross Travis emerges with a strong 2 and the foul through Mike Yahnke. Curtis puts in a miss for a 44-39 lead with 14 minutes left. Jonah Travis with 1 free throw, Crockett with 2 freebies of his own and a tough step back jumper. Alex Richter with a layup, Scott with 2 free throws and Emory goes strong and makes 2 more PNR free throws. Its an 11-2 PNR run over 6:30 with 7 free throws and it gives the Pumps a 50-46 lead with 7:30 to play.
Then 43 steps it up. Ross Travis for 3 and a layup. Curtis with a steal for a dunk. Scott misses a layup. Curtis offensive rebounds an airball and puts it back just in time to beat the 30 second shot clock with 3 minutes left. That concludes a 9-0 43 Hoops run and they lead 55-50 with 3 minutes left. Jonah Travis with 2 free throws but 43 is on the offensive board again. This time its Jake White grabbing a Ross Travis miss and making 2 free throws from it at the 1:47 mark. Ross doesn't miss on the next trip as he hammers home a dunk at the 1:10 mark for a 7 point lead. A Crockett steal for 2 cuts the lead to 4 but it doesn't matter. Curtis with the exclamation point dunk and 43 Hoops wins 63-55.
Post Game
For Pump N Run, Jonah Travis leads the way with 18 points and 7 rebounds on my officially unofficial (but I use it anyway) stat sheet. Carlos Emory with 16 points but his turnovers down the stretch were critical. Trying to take over is great but it can be said on this night that he tried to do too much. Jon Crockett 9 points, Roosevelt Scott 8 points, Alex Richter a rough night of 4 points on 1-8 shooting to round out the PNR scoring. Surprisingly PNR gave up critical buckets on the offensive glass. Not surprisingly, when Crockett wasn't handling the ball, 43 did have success with pressure defense and that included Emory.
For 43 Hoops, Marquel Curtis is your game MVP with 21 points. His numerous forays to the rim and off handed finishes (lefty on right side too) had no answer. 12 of those 21 in the 2nd half. 6 in the last 6 minutes to put 43 over the top. Raijon Kelly lived large in this one too with 13 clutch points right across the halftime boundary. Ross Travis a quiet first half but had all 12 of his points in the 2nd half. Versatile too with a putback, an old-fashioned 3 point play with power and then a 3 ball. Tack on a steal for a dunk to show off the athletic ability. Jake White quiet with 8 points and 6 boards but a board for 2 free throws late was large. Tom Schalk 5 points, Zach Romashko 2 and Freddie Young 2 to round out the scoring for 43 Hoops. All in all, a hard fought battle of 2 high quality teams that was greatly enjoyed by all. 43 was the better team on this night and no griping about missing players etc. PNR had plenty of chances in this one and had a lead just outside 6 minutes to play. Let's hope they again in July in Chicago and/or Las Vegas.
Marquel Curtis photo courtesy of MNPhotoNet.net
To 43 Hoops for a 17U showdown between Pump N Run and 43 Hoops. All the notables in the building including the obvious ones (Monter, James, me) along with JohnnyGopher, UWOle and GopherLady of GopherHole fame. Willie Vang from the MN Heat makes an appearance as well. Lots of notables including Randy Carter, Eric Coleman, Zach Towle, Ryan Duxbury, Anthony Tucker all playing tonight in the early games just to name a few. Men meet boys. Sorry folks, no food or beverage at the game but I did have a messy Pulled Pork sandwich with Sierra Mist for dinner prior to venturing over to 43.
Funny moment before the game as I was one of many people who moved back and forth between courts about 5 times until we finally got it right that the curtain would be opened and we'd have action on court 2. The court lined with fans all the way around with 3 quality officials working the game. Gotta like that. PNR without Estan Tyler (unknown), Eric Robertson (ankle), Joel Lindberg (Wisconsin camp) and Kyle Noreen (west coast college tour). They added Carlos Emory and Jonathon Crockett from last year's 17U PNR squad. No Jordan Smith for 43 as he was suffering from tendonitis and just resumed work outs today. Let the record show with Matt Sellers' mom as my witness that I predicted an 8 point 43 Hoops win right before tip.
Game Time
Jake White gets the assignment on Jonah Travis in this one. Travis immediately spins and is fouled. He shoots the 1st free throw and its good. But the ball is trash so let's put that one out of play and pick a new one. Travis drives for 2 more, Emory for 3 and then the alley oop from Crockett. 13-5 PNR leads at the 14:45 in a very low scoring half (these are 25 minute running time halves). But 43 cranks up the pressure and without their regular point guards PNR struggles to get into offense. Schalk with 2 free throws and a 3 ball and 43 has the momentum and the crowd on their side. Emory strong for 1 free throw as he's fouled on a dunk attempt to try and stem the tide. Zach Romashko for 2 and Freddie Young with a steal for 2 and PNR wants time. 14 all with 9 minutes left in the first half. 20-19 43 Hoops leads after 1 Jonah Travis freebie at the 3:40 mark. Raijon Kelly with a pair of big 3s that counter a pair of Travis dunks. 28-23 43 Hoops at the half. Marquel Curtis and Jonah Travis each with 9 points in the half to lead their teams.
Jonah Travis stays hot as he knocks down a pair of left wing triples but the lead is still 5 for 43. A Curtis steal for 2 free throws pushes the lead to 39-33 with 18 minutes left. PNR won't go away. Roosevelt Scott with a 1 handed hammer and Crockett with a layup. Ross Travis emerges with a strong 2 and the foul through Mike Yahnke. Curtis puts in a miss for a 44-39 lead with 14 minutes left. Jonah Travis with 1 free throw, Crockett with 2 freebies of his own and a tough step back jumper. Alex Richter with a layup, Scott with 2 free throws and Emory goes strong and makes 2 more PNR free throws. Its an 11-2 PNR run over 6:30 with 7 free throws and it gives the Pumps a 50-46 lead with 7:30 to play.
Then 43 steps it up. Ross Travis for 3 and a layup. Curtis with a steal for a dunk. Scott misses a layup. Curtis offensive rebounds an airball and puts it back just in time to beat the 30 second shot clock with 3 minutes left. That concludes a 9-0 43 Hoops run and they lead 55-50 with 3 minutes left. Jonah Travis with 2 free throws but 43 is on the offensive board again. This time its Jake White grabbing a Ross Travis miss and making 2 free throws from it at the 1:47 mark. Ross doesn't miss on the next trip as he hammers home a dunk at the 1:10 mark for a 7 point lead. A Crockett steal for 2 cuts the lead to 4 but it doesn't matter. Curtis with the exclamation point dunk and 43 Hoops wins 63-55.
Post Game
For Pump N Run, Jonah Travis leads the way with 18 points and 7 rebounds on my officially unofficial (but I use it anyway) stat sheet. Carlos Emory with 16 points but his turnovers down the stretch were critical. Trying to take over is great but it can be said on this night that he tried to do too much. Jon Crockett 9 points, Roosevelt Scott 8 points, Alex Richter a rough night of 4 points on 1-8 shooting to round out the PNR scoring. Surprisingly PNR gave up critical buckets on the offensive glass. Not surprisingly, when Crockett wasn't handling the ball, 43 did have success with pressure defense and that included Emory.
For 43 Hoops, Marquel Curtis is your game MVP with 21 points. His numerous forays to the rim and off handed finishes (lefty on right side too) had no answer. 12 of those 21 in the 2nd half. 6 in the last 6 minutes to put 43 over the top. Raijon Kelly lived large in this one too with 13 clutch points right across the halftime boundary. Ross Travis a quiet first half but had all 12 of his points in the 2nd half. Versatile too with a putback, an old-fashioned 3 point play with power and then a 3 ball. Tack on a steal for a dunk to show off the athletic ability. Jake White quiet with 8 points and 6 boards but a board for 2 free throws late was large. Tom Schalk 5 points, Zach Romashko 2 and Freddie Young 2 to round out the scoring for 43 Hoops. All in all, a hard fought battle of 2 high quality teams that was greatly enjoyed by all. 43 was the better team on this night and no griping about missing players etc. PNR had plenty of chances in this one and had a lead just outside 6 minutes to play. Let's hope they again in July in Chicago and/or Las Vegas.
Marquel Curtis photo courtesy of MNPhotoNet.net
Hawks recover against Eagles
Labels:
Jake White,
Ross Travis,
Tyus Jones
Prologue
My Lake Conference tour de force wraps up tonight as I finally get in a trip to Chaska, the final school in the league that I hadn't seen a game at. Its a varsity only night for me in this one vs Apple Valley so no concessions. Tubby Smith is in the building along with former Chaska and Gopher star Spencer Tollackson. Biggest news is the return of Ross Travis for Chaska. Only 1 game (and probably minimal minutes in that one vs Eastview) since January 19th. How big of a factor would he be?
Game Time
8-3 Apple Valley on an Isaiah Thomas putback. Then Jacob Meyer starts his hot night with a 3 and tack on a Jake White 3 for 9-8 Chaska lead at the 14:35 mark. Tyus Jones to the line at 13:59 mark and greeted with a "Middle School" chant from the Hawks students. He makes 1 of 2 and then a nice lefty finish. 11-9 Eagles at 12:50. Tom Schalk with a jumper, Jones to Zach Johnson for 3 and Schalk for 2 off the out of bounds play. 20-15 Apple Valley before another Meyer 3 is countered by a Schalk putback and foul (FT no good). Max Watts carried off with an apparent ankle injury on the play. 20 all with 8:41 left in the half. Anthony Webber with a jumper and a White stickback put the Hawks up 4. Then Thomas with another putback and then Jones finds him for a layup. Then Jones off the high horns screen nails a 3 to end a 7-0 Eagles run. 29-26 Eagles at the 5:10 mark. Zach Johnson with another 3 off the horns set and then a set play for him for another 3. 35-30 Apple Valley. Jones with 2 free throws to counter a Webber bucket. Jones then with a grab on an inbounds and its called an intentional foul which is totally awful. Then the official has an attitude to boot. Meyer makes the freebies but give the ref credit as he correctly called a charge on Chaska on the possession despite jawing at coach Goring right before. Then he gets into it with coach Kallman. Few things worse than an official with a bad attitude. Meyer with a sweet reverse layup and then nails another triple in transition before the half is out. 43-39 Apple Valley at the half.
Schalk with a layup and Jones for 3 again off the horns set. 48-41 Apple Valley as Chaska is totally dead vs the 2-3 zone. Coach Kallman gets a good timeout at 16:17 to try and get his team into some productive offense. Chaska and Ross Travis awaken out of the timeout. Travis with a putback and a pullup followed by a Meyer dunk in a 8-0 run to put the Hawks back on top 49-48 with 13:50 left. Schalk with 2 free throws countered by a White postup at the 13 minute mark. Then its Apple Valley's turn to spurt. Schalk with a putback, Zach Johnson from deep, Schalk with a pet move of drive middle from the right wing with the left hand and then spin back right for 2. Then he gets 2 and the foul inside on a block call that could have gone either way and would have been Schalk's 4th foul. Jones then with a steal for a layup. Travis scores to stop that bleeding but then Jones skips to Schalk for 3 more. 64-53 Apple Valley with 9:20 left after a 16-4 run. Chaska with no energy and no good idea on the offense end.
Chaska still has a run in them as they go back to the 1-3-1 zone. White with a 3 point play, Meyer with a bomb, Travis with a putback, then White with a nice pass out of the post to find Travis for a dunk and a turnover brings Chaska back the other way and Travis goes up and throws down a lob. Crowd is jacked up. Timeout Apple Valley after they turn the ball over. Chaska tracks down a miss and the ball finds Meyer for another triple and Chaska has come all the way back. 68 all with 5:35 to play as Chaska uses their own 15-4 run. Zach Johnson again from deep with 3:15 left and Apple Valley is up 5 but Meyer immediately counters that. Then Apple Valley turns it over and Chaska runs a set for Meyer who buries his 7th 3 of the night. 74-73 Chaska with 2:15 left. Schalk with a layup on the other end to put Apple Valley back on top with 2 minutes left followed by an unforced Chaska turnover. Apple Valley holding against the 1-3-1 before White comes up with a clutch block with 1:15 left. Nate Auer fouled and makes 2 freebies to put Chaska back on top 76-75 with 1:04 left. Apple Valley pushes to half court and takes timeout. After the timeout, the ball is back in play and out go the lights. Only light in the court area is scoreboard over halfcourt. A small delay and we have lights again with the coaches getting a nice laugh about it. Jones turns it over against the zone with 29.6 left and Schalk fouls out. Alex Prince misses the front end of the bonus and Apple Valley has a chance to win it. Jones drives right baseline and goes into the trees and its short. Ball tipped and out of bounds to Chaska with 4.9 left. Travis outjumps everybody for a dangerous inbounds lob at halfcourt and takes it for a layup that ends a 78-75 Chaska victory.
For Apple Valley, Tom Schalk leads the way with 15 of his 25 points in the second half. Tyus Jones 19 points mainly from a horns screen and roll set. 14 of those 19 points in the first half. Zach Johnson 16 points, I had 5 3s on my sheet. The Eagles fall to 19-7. They stay 1 game in front of Lakeville South and have 2 wins over the Cougars so expect them to get the 1 seed in section 3AAAA.
For Chaska, Jacob Meyer 7 triples and 27 points on the night. Jake White 19 points but with the exception of the late block, was very quiet late. Ross Travis 16 points and had a nice spurt in the big run that got Chaska back in it. I would have liked to see him be much more active, specifically at the top of the 1-3-1. Chaska finishes the regular season at 15-11. They're looking at probably the 3 seed in section 2AAAA and a home game against Bloomington Jefferson (who also plays a ton of 2-3 zone) in the first round. Jefferson was ahead by 5 at the half in the last meeting without Ross Travis. Then a possible rivalry game against Shakopee in the semis.
Photo of Chaska head coach Dana Kallman courtesy of MNPhotoNet.net
My Lake Conference tour de force wraps up tonight as I finally get in a trip to Chaska, the final school in the league that I hadn't seen a game at. Its a varsity only night for me in this one vs Apple Valley so no concessions. Tubby Smith is in the building along with former Chaska and Gopher star Spencer Tollackson. Biggest news is the return of Ross Travis for Chaska. Only 1 game (and probably minimal minutes in that one vs Eastview) since January 19th. How big of a factor would he be?
Game Time
8-3 Apple Valley on an Isaiah Thomas putback. Then Jacob Meyer starts his hot night with a 3 and tack on a Jake White 3 for 9-8 Chaska lead at the 14:35 mark. Tyus Jones to the line at 13:59 mark and greeted with a "Middle School" chant from the Hawks students. He makes 1 of 2 and then a nice lefty finish. 11-9 Eagles at 12:50. Tom Schalk with a jumper, Jones to Zach Johnson for 3 and Schalk for 2 off the out of bounds play. 20-15 Apple Valley before another Meyer 3 is countered by a Schalk putback and foul (FT no good). Max Watts carried off with an apparent ankle injury on the play. 20 all with 8:41 left in the half. Anthony Webber with a jumper and a White stickback put the Hawks up 4. Then Thomas with another putback and then Jones finds him for a layup. Then Jones off the high horns screen nails a 3 to end a 7-0 Eagles run. 29-26 Eagles at the 5:10 mark. Zach Johnson with another 3 off the horns set and then a set play for him for another 3. 35-30 Apple Valley. Jones with 2 free throws to counter a Webber bucket. Jones then with a grab on an inbounds and its called an intentional foul which is totally awful. Then the official has an attitude to boot. Meyer makes the freebies but give the ref credit as he correctly called a charge on Chaska on the possession despite jawing at coach Goring right before. Then he gets into it with coach Kallman. Few things worse than an official with a bad attitude. Meyer with a sweet reverse layup and then nails another triple in transition before the half is out. 43-39 Apple Valley at the half.
Schalk with a layup and Jones for 3 again off the horns set. 48-41 Apple Valley as Chaska is totally dead vs the 2-3 zone. Coach Kallman gets a good timeout at 16:17 to try and get his team into some productive offense. Chaska and Ross Travis awaken out of the timeout. Travis with a putback and a pullup followed by a Meyer dunk in a 8-0 run to put the Hawks back on top 49-48 with 13:50 left. Schalk with 2 free throws countered by a White postup at the 13 minute mark. Then its Apple Valley's turn to spurt. Schalk with a putback, Zach Johnson from deep, Schalk with a pet move of drive middle from the right wing with the left hand and then spin back right for 2. Then he gets 2 and the foul inside on a block call that could have gone either way and would have been Schalk's 4th foul. Jones then with a steal for a layup. Travis scores to stop that bleeding but then Jones skips to Schalk for 3 more. 64-53 Apple Valley with 9:20 left after a 16-4 run. Chaska with no energy and no good idea on the offense end.
Chaska still has a run in them as they go back to the 1-3-1 zone. White with a 3 point play, Meyer with a bomb, Travis with a putback, then White with a nice pass out of the post to find Travis for a dunk and a turnover brings Chaska back the other way and Travis goes up and throws down a lob. Crowd is jacked up. Timeout Apple Valley after they turn the ball over. Chaska tracks down a miss and the ball finds Meyer for another triple and Chaska has come all the way back. 68 all with 5:35 to play as Chaska uses their own 15-4 run. Zach Johnson again from deep with 3:15 left and Apple Valley is up 5 but Meyer immediately counters that. Then Apple Valley turns it over and Chaska runs a set for Meyer who buries his 7th 3 of the night. 74-73 Chaska with 2:15 left. Schalk with a layup on the other end to put Apple Valley back on top with 2 minutes left followed by an unforced Chaska turnover. Apple Valley holding against the 1-3-1 before White comes up with a clutch block with 1:15 left. Nate Auer fouled and makes 2 freebies to put Chaska back on top 76-75 with 1:04 left. Apple Valley pushes to half court and takes timeout. After the timeout, the ball is back in play and out go the lights. Only light in the court area is scoreboard over halfcourt. A small delay and we have lights again with the coaches getting a nice laugh about it. Jones turns it over against the zone with 29.6 left and Schalk fouls out. Alex Prince misses the front end of the bonus and Apple Valley has a chance to win it. Jones drives right baseline and goes into the trees and its short. Ball tipped and out of bounds to Chaska with 4.9 left. Travis outjumps everybody for a dangerous inbounds lob at halfcourt and takes it for a layup that ends a 78-75 Chaska victory.
For Apple Valley, Tom Schalk leads the way with 15 of his 25 points in the second half. Tyus Jones 19 points mainly from a horns screen and roll set. 14 of those 19 points in the first half. Zach Johnson 16 points, I had 5 3s on my sheet. The Eagles fall to 19-7. They stay 1 game in front of Lakeville South and have 2 wins over the Cougars so expect them to get the 1 seed in section 3AAAA.
For Chaska, Jacob Meyer 7 triples and 27 points on the night. Jake White 19 points but with the exception of the late block, was very quiet late. Ross Travis 16 points and had a nice spurt in the big run that got Chaska back in it. I would have liked to see him be much more active, specifically at the top of the 1-3-1. Chaska finishes the regular season at 15-11. They're looking at probably the 3 seed in section 2AAAA and a home game against Bloomington Jefferson (who also plays a ton of 2-3 zone) in the first round. Jefferson was ahead by 5 at the half in the last meeting without Ross Travis. Then a possible rivalry game against Shakopee in the semis.
Photo of Chaska head coach Dana Kallman courtesy of MNPhotoNet.net
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