Prologue
Out to Burnsville for the 3AAAA final and the 3rd show by the Eastview Apple Valley circus. I arrive at 5:30 and the line is already up the stairs, down the hall and 40 feet out the door. It ends up twice as long later. Thankfully I find the Presold line and jump right in before the concession stand gets out of hand. Then its about 60% full when I enter 55 minutes before tip. Sounds like 200+ (and probably much more than that) were turned away. The building is cozy and with the amazing weather, the gym (especially up high in my seat) is an absolute sauna. Might need another 24 oz Pepsi after using the 1st to wash down the cheese pizza. Both bands in attendance and quality choices starting 45 minutes before intros. Apple Valley pulls out a Queen classic Crazy Little Thing Called Love. But the final Song of the Day for this season goes to the Eastview band.
Song of the Day
Born to be Wild - Steppenwolf
Game Time
The 1st half pace is very slow and you'd think that would favor Eastview. But its Apple Valley that jumps out to an 8-2 lead behind a pair of Tyus Jones buckets and an assist for another. 8-2 Eagles at the 15:07 mark. Joey King starts to get it going. He finds Jordan Bulger for 2 on the high/low feed. Then he counters a Tyus assist with a faceup jumper out of the post. Apple Valley guards really annoyed the Eastview bigs early by digging inside and sagging but they got used to it. 13-8 Apple Valley at the 8:05 mark. Bolger with 2 more and then King 6 straight Eastview points to put the Lightning ahead 16-15. That's their 1st lead. Dustin Fronk with a pullup jumper in the lane then he goes the other way on the break. Ben Oberfeld sprints back and challenges that for a miss and then hustles the other way and King finds him running for a layup. Impressive sequence there. Its sends Eastview to the locker room ahead 21-18 at the half. King with 13 of those points but didn't shoot it well. Tyus with 7.
Quinn Trusty for 2, Oberfeld with the face up jumper in the post and Chris Narum for 3. 7-0 run for a 28-18 lead at the 16:31 mark. Apple Valley takes a timeout to regroup. They stay close and then Harry Sonie for 3, Tyus for 2 and then off a screen roll, Tyus to Dennis Austin who regroups and goes to the reverse at the 12:15 mark. 35-32 Eastview hanging on to the lead. Tyus with a putback at the 10:30 mark to keep the lead at 38-34. Then 8 in a row from the Lightning. After a long possession, Oberfeld puts back a miss and then finds Bolger on the post give and go. King drives for 2 and makes the tough shot. Tyus with the rare turnovers and Oberfeld runs and Darin Haugh finds him for a layup with 5:48 left. 46-34 Eastview with the lead and it looks to be over.
Haugh with a drive and then find Bolger for another layup with 3:10 left. 51-39 Eastview leading. Apple Valley won't go quietly. Tyus with 2 free throws and Eastview misses a front end. Harry Sonie with a 3 at the 2:20 mark to cut the lead to 9. Then more missed Eastview free throws and Tyus gets fouled shooting a 3. Might have kicked his legs out to draw it but he's crafty like that. He makes all 3 with 1:52 left to cut the lead to 6, 53-47. Jump ball to Eastview, they drive and miss a layup with 1:30 left. Tyus has a long 3 go all the way down and come out and Bolger converts it for a layup. Surely it has to be over now.
Not yet. Dustin Fronk was cold all night but knocks down a 3 with 53 seconds left and the lead is 5. Eastview turns it over and Fronk has a good look at 3 that's short. Tyus misses a 3 with 28 seconds left. Eastview misses another front end and Chris Laymon comes off the AV bench cold to knock down a 3 with 12.5 left. Holy cow we have a 2 point game. Eastview has 2 timeouts but they get called for a quick 5 second call on the inbound. Oh My! Apple Valley has it back with a chance to tie or lead. Tyus to the lane and into the trees. There's some contact but no whistle and Joey King comes away with the miss with 5.5 seconds left. He makes 2 free throws and that seals it. Eastview wins 57-53.
Post Game
Apple Valley ends their season at 23-6. All 6 losses were to teams that will play at state next week (3 to Eastview, 2 to Lakeville North and 1 to Eden Prairie). They lose only 1 senior and almost all of their firepower back with Tyus Jones, Dustin Fronk and Harry Sonie returning. Expect them to be a top 5 team and favored to make state out of this section next year. Tyus Jones leads the way with 20 points but thanks to cold shooting his assist number was kept down. The pace of the game certainly helped slow him down too. Harry Sonie with 3 3s for 9. Dustin Fronk had a few good looks but only saw 1 3 go in. He finished with 7 points. One of those nights where the ball just doesn't want to go in. Despite Eastview's struggles to close the game out, give the Eagles credit for making a comeback. You can see the will to win in Tyus Jones.
Joey King leads Eastview with 20 points and I had him for 9 rebounds. He struggled with his shot in the 1st half. Ben Oberfeld 11 points and 18 rebounds. Another case of Apple Valley's lack of size haunting them. Jordan Bolger with the surprise of the night as he comes off the bench and scores 14 points. Always that guy you don't expect in a big game that puts you over the top and Bolger was outstanding. Eastview stayed mostly man but did show some triangle and 2 against Jones and Fronk. Teams did that this year and watching Apple Valley next year should be interesting to see how much opponents go to it. Eastview would be my 2 seed at the state tournament. Lakeville North 1, Hopkins 3, Osseo 4 with Duluth East and Eden Prairie wanting that 4th spot but ending up as teams you don't want to draw. I go with Lakeville North due to the win at Eastview in last meeting. Hopkins without Stahl has to go behind Eastview due to Eastview's win over BSM and the Hopkins loss to BSM without Stahl. Osseo definitely the best of the rest.
Showing posts with label Joey King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joey King. Show all posts
2012 Section Semi Saturday
Labels:
Joey King,
Tyus Jones
Prologue
I continue my extremes of the metro tour with a pair of section semifinals. Nothing like 4 games in 2 locations with big stakes. Quality pizza at Burnsville and Chaska. The 24 oz Pepsi at Burnsville always a must have too. Nice work in the Prior Lake student section with the retro blue Denver Nuggets jersey. That's a quality Alex English jersey. Very good crowd at Burnsville and next Friday there should be an absolute zoo.
Game 1: #1 Eden Prairie vs #4 Bloomington Kennedy #2AAAA Semifinal #1
Grant Schaeffer for 3, an assist to Andre Wallace for 3 and Schaeffer for 3 again. 16-4 EP at the 12:34 mark and Kennedy needs their 2nd timeout. They settle down and cut the lead down to 5 thanks to a 6-0 run with 4 points from junior Jumah'ri Turner. 20-15 EP at the 6:06 mark. Soph CJ Lewis with a 3 to cut the lead to 27-23. Then center Jordan Peterson with the hustle save for a Wallace floater. Peterson adds a 3 point play to end the half. 34-26 EP at the break. Turner hits a 3 for the 1st Kennedy bucket of the 2nd half to cut the lead to 7 but Kennedy would get no closer. Center Jacob Kohner with a pair of buckets in a 6-0 run that cuts the EP lead to 61-53 with 7:10 left. Kennedy would only get 1 more basket the rest of the way. EP moves on 74-57. Sander Mohn with 22 points, 12 in the 1st half. Soph Andre Wallace with 18, junior PG Grant Schaeffer with 16. Jumah'ri Turner 14 to lead Kennedy.
Game 2: #2 Chanhassen vs #3 Prior Lake
This one was tight the entire way. Biggest 1st half lead was 4 points by Chanhassen. Star soph PG Jon Sobaski would erase that quickly for Prior Lake with a burst to the rack for 2, a steal for 2 more and 2 free throws on another turnover. Carson Shanks sits the last 9:01 with 2 fouls but Prior Lake has Jack Kaiser. Kaiser goes back and forth with Storm star Kevin Jensen in the last 3 minutes. Kaiser scores 6, Jensen 8 in that stretch with a pair of 3s. 32-31 Chanhassen at the half.
Shanks picks up a quick 3rd foul on a double foul fighting inside (I always hate the double foul call as there's usually a personal long before that point, thank you John Lithgow for that call). Shanks goes back to the bench for the next 6 minutes. 38-34 Chanhassen at the 14:51 mark before a Prior Lake run. Noah Scanlon for 3, set play for a Evan Kotchevar 3, Sobaski for 3 and a steal for 2 more to end an 11-2 Lakers run. 45-40 Prior Lake with 11:45 to play. Chanhassen counters with 8 straight as Cole Otto drains a 3 to end the run and break a 45 all tie. Shanks back in the game and he immediately goes to work with 6 Lakers points in a row from the left block. 53-51 Chanhassen with 6:40 left. Jensen on the post with a pair of Chanhassen buckets as the Storm go ahead 59-53 with 4:35 left. The Storm have a couple of rough possessions and the Lakers come back. Kotchevar with a pair of free throws and another rendition of the same set play finds Kotchevar for another bomb just inside 3 to play. Tie game at 59. He then goes back door and is fouled for 1 of 2 free throws. That was after the teams traded turnovers. 60-59 Lakers with 1:29 left. Storm point guard Brandon Arnold drives for 2 and then steals the inbounds. After a timeout, Prior Lake goes to a trap and forces a turnover with 1:05 left. Prior Lake misses a couple of chances and they have to foul freshman Joey Witthus with 24.6 left. He drains both. Kotchevar gets loose for another 3 (same set) and we're tied at 63 with 8.8 to go. Arnold gets down the lane and can't get the layup to drop in the last 3 seconds and we'll go to overtime.
Jared Lea with a steal and basket with 1:20 left in the overtime for a 67-65 Chanhassen lead. Shanks gets the ball on the left block but its low and under the basket and it ends up in a turnover with 46.1 to play. Jensen makes 2 free throws with 26.9 left and then Witthus is pure with 2 at the 13.9 mark to seal it. Chanhassen moves on to play Eden Prairie next Friday with the 71-67 win. Kevin Jensen 18 and 9, Witthus with 12. Evan Kotchevar 5 3s and 20 points to lead Prior Lake. Jon Sobaski 19, Carson Shanks 10.
Game 3: #1 Eastview vs #4 Eagan
Joey King with the 1st 5 for Eastview. Lightning point guard was outstanding in this one. He knocks down 3 straight 3s. Eagan guard Nick Sabatke counters that with 2 of his own. That keeps Eagan within 17-15 at the 9:35 mark. King with a pair of buckets to sandwich another Haugh triple (4th of half). The Eastview lead opens up to 24-15 at the 5:45 mark. That's a 13-3 Eastview run as Eagan once led 12-11 after the 1st Sabatke 3. Haugh nails another 3 and beats the halftime buzzer. 31-24 Eastview at half.
The Eastview defense dominates the second half. The Lightning go on a 15-2 run over the 1st 9 minutes of the half. Joey King highlighting that with a lefty bullet touch pass to Jordan Bolger for a layup. Bolger would get another layup off a Haugh steal as he was all over the place pressuring the ball. 46-26 Lightning at the 9:15 mark. Haugh splits a trap and finds Quinn Trusty for a layup. Great look. Eastview rolls from there to a 62-43 win. Darin Haugh 6 3s and 21 points (17 1st half) in another marvelous performance. Joey King with 20 but was fairly quiet. Nick Sabatke led Eagan with 16 points. Shea Mandli had foul trouble all game and was held to 6 points by the big Eastview front line.
Game 4: #2 Apple Valley vs #3 Cretin-Derham Hall
Cretin-Derham Hall would knock down 2 3s to start the game with a 6-2 lead. Apple Valley would counter wtih a 14-1 run. Tyus Jones giving the ball up early and Dustin Fronk was one of the beneficiaries. He knocks down 2 3s and scores 10 points in that run. 16-7 Eagles at the 12:12 mark. Fronk with another 3 to stretch the lead to 22-12 at the 10:53 mark. CDH would cut the lead to 2 thanks to back to back triples from frosh Sam Neumann and point guard Cortez Tillman. 26-24 Apple Valley just inside the 6 minute mark. Tyus with the pullup and then a crazy good bounce pass to Mitch Hechsel running down the middle for 2 more. Tyus for 2 more and splits the defense (ooh) for another bucket. Fronk ends the scoring in the half with another 3. 41-33 Apple Valley at half.
CDH comes out pounding the ball inside with their height advantage (something they could have done much more of). CJ Neumann starts it on the 1st possession with a set postup, Luke Hamel adds a pair of buckets inside. Tillman knocks down a pair of 3s. That allows CDH to pull within 1, 46-45, with 15:42 to play after the 12-5 start. CJ Neumann with a tip in and a nice cut that he converts for 2. That ties the game at 51 with 14:20 to play. Tyus with a steal for 2 and he leans in for another bucket and gets the foul call. That easily could have been a charge or no call. It a 9-0 run in under 2 minutes. 60-51 Apple Valley in the lead with 12:33 left. The CDH bench pulls the Raiders back in it. Frosh Jashon Cornell with a putback and Teddy Chapman for 3. 62-57 Apple Valley with 10:39 left and Apple Valley takes timeout. Hechsel with a jumper after a CDH T and then a putback for 3. Bang just like that the lead is back to 11, 68-57 with 8:29 left. He adds another bucket before a Taylor Montero 3. 72-65 Eagles with 5:25 left. Then Tyus draws a cheap foul and buries 2 free throws. After a CDH miss, he throws a full court pass on the money which is kicked out for a Fronk 3. 77-65 Apple Valley with the lead and CDH needs a timeout with 4:12 left. The senior Montero not going out without a fight. He knocks down a 3, then a jumper and another pullup jumper after an Eagles turnover. 78-73 Eagles with 2:21 left. CDH gets no closer as Tyus drives for 2 and drains 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch. Apple Valley moves on to play Eastview on Friday with the 87-76 win. Tyus Jones ends up with 33 points and 8-10 assists. He was 13-15 from the foul line, all in the 2nd half. Dustin Fronk a huge night with 29 points and 6 3s. 18 of those points in the 1st half. Taylor Montero leads CDH with 21 points. Cortez Tillman 5 3s and 17 points. CJ Neumann 15 points but I was surprised he was utilized more inside against the undersized Apple Valley front line.
Stat of the Night: Apple Valley shoots 23-26 from 2 point range.
I continue my extremes of the metro tour with a pair of section semifinals. Nothing like 4 games in 2 locations with big stakes. Quality pizza at Burnsville and Chaska. The 24 oz Pepsi at Burnsville always a must have too. Nice work in the Prior Lake student section with the retro blue Denver Nuggets jersey. That's a quality Alex English jersey. Very good crowd at Burnsville and next Friday there should be an absolute zoo.
Game 1: #1 Eden Prairie vs #4 Bloomington Kennedy #2AAAA Semifinal #1
Grant Schaeffer for 3, an assist to Andre Wallace for 3 and Schaeffer for 3 again. 16-4 EP at the 12:34 mark and Kennedy needs their 2nd timeout. They settle down and cut the lead down to 5 thanks to a 6-0 run with 4 points from junior Jumah'ri Turner. 20-15 EP at the 6:06 mark. Soph CJ Lewis with a 3 to cut the lead to 27-23. Then center Jordan Peterson with the hustle save for a Wallace floater. Peterson adds a 3 point play to end the half. 34-26 EP at the break. Turner hits a 3 for the 1st Kennedy bucket of the 2nd half to cut the lead to 7 but Kennedy would get no closer. Center Jacob Kohner with a pair of buckets in a 6-0 run that cuts the EP lead to 61-53 with 7:10 left. Kennedy would only get 1 more basket the rest of the way. EP moves on 74-57. Sander Mohn with 22 points, 12 in the 1st half. Soph Andre Wallace with 18, junior PG Grant Schaeffer with 16. Jumah'ri Turner 14 to lead Kennedy.
Game 2: #2 Chanhassen vs #3 Prior Lake
This one was tight the entire way. Biggest 1st half lead was 4 points by Chanhassen. Star soph PG Jon Sobaski would erase that quickly for Prior Lake with a burst to the rack for 2, a steal for 2 more and 2 free throws on another turnover. Carson Shanks sits the last 9:01 with 2 fouls but Prior Lake has Jack Kaiser. Kaiser goes back and forth with Storm star Kevin Jensen in the last 3 minutes. Kaiser scores 6, Jensen 8 in that stretch with a pair of 3s. 32-31 Chanhassen at the half.
Shanks picks up a quick 3rd foul on a double foul fighting inside (I always hate the double foul call as there's usually a personal long before that point, thank you John Lithgow for that call). Shanks goes back to the bench for the next 6 minutes. 38-34 Chanhassen at the 14:51 mark before a Prior Lake run. Noah Scanlon for 3, set play for a Evan Kotchevar 3, Sobaski for 3 and a steal for 2 more to end an 11-2 Lakers run. 45-40 Prior Lake with 11:45 to play. Chanhassen counters with 8 straight as Cole Otto drains a 3 to end the run and break a 45 all tie. Shanks back in the game and he immediately goes to work with 6 Lakers points in a row from the left block. 53-51 Chanhassen with 6:40 left. Jensen on the post with a pair of Chanhassen buckets as the Storm go ahead 59-53 with 4:35 left. The Storm have a couple of rough possessions and the Lakers come back. Kotchevar with a pair of free throws and another rendition of the same set play finds Kotchevar for another bomb just inside 3 to play. Tie game at 59. He then goes back door and is fouled for 1 of 2 free throws. That was after the teams traded turnovers. 60-59 Lakers with 1:29 left. Storm point guard Brandon Arnold drives for 2 and then steals the inbounds. After a timeout, Prior Lake goes to a trap and forces a turnover with 1:05 left. Prior Lake misses a couple of chances and they have to foul freshman Joey Witthus with 24.6 left. He drains both. Kotchevar gets loose for another 3 (same set) and we're tied at 63 with 8.8 to go. Arnold gets down the lane and can't get the layup to drop in the last 3 seconds and we'll go to overtime.
Jared Lea with a steal and basket with 1:20 left in the overtime for a 67-65 Chanhassen lead. Shanks gets the ball on the left block but its low and under the basket and it ends up in a turnover with 46.1 to play. Jensen makes 2 free throws with 26.9 left and then Witthus is pure with 2 at the 13.9 mark to seal it. Chanhassen moves on to play Eden Prairie next Friday with the 71-67 win. Kevin Jensen 18 and 9, Witthus with 12. Evan Kotchevar 5 3s and 20 points to lead Prior Lake. Jon Sobaski 19, Carson Shanks 10.
Game 3: #1 Eastview vs #4 Eagan
Joey King with the 1st 5 for Eastview. Lightning point guard was outstanding in this one. He knocks down 3 straight 3s. Eagan guard Nick Sabatke counters that with 2 of his own. That keeps Eagan within 17-15 at the 9:35 mark. King with a pair of buckets to sandwich another Haugh triple (4th of half). The Eastview lead opens up to 24-15 at the 5:45 mark. That's a 13-3 Eastview run as Eagan once led 12-11 after the 1st Sabatke 3. Haugh nails another 3 and beats the halftime buzzer. 31-24 Eastview at half.
The Eastview defense dominates the second half. The Lightning go on a 15-2 run over the 1st 9 minutes of the half. Joey King highlighting that with a lefty bullet touch pass to Jordan Bolger for a layup. Bolger would get another layup off a Haugh steal as he was all over the place pressuring the ball. 46-26 Lightning at the 9:15 mark. Haugh splits a trap and finds Quinn Trusty for a layup. Great look. Eastview rolls from there to a 62-43 win. Darin Haugh 6 3s and 21 points (17 1st half) in another marvelous performance. Joey King with 20 but was fairly quiet. Nick Sabatke led Eagan with 16 points. Shea Mandli had foul trouble all game and was held to 6 points by the big Eastview front line.
Game 4: #2 Apple Valley vs #3 Cretin-Derham Hall
Cretin-Derham Hall would knock down 2 3s to start the game with a 6-2 lead. Apple Valley would counter wtih a 14-1 run. Tyus Jones giving the ball up early and Dustin Fronk was one of the beneficiaries. He knocks down 2 3s and scores 10 points in that run. 16-7 Eagles at the 12:12 mark. Fronk with another 3 to stretch the lead to 22-12 at the 10:53 mark. CDH would cut the lead to 2 thanks to back to back triples from frosh Sam Neumann and point guard Cortez Tillman. 26-24 Apple Valley just inside the 6 minute mark. Tyus with the pullup and then a crazy good bounce pass to Mitch Hechsel running down the middle for 2 more. Tyus for 2 more and splits the defense (ooh) for another bucket. Fronk ends the scoring in the half with another 3. 41-33 Apple Valley at half.
CDH comes out pounding the ball inside with their height advantage (something they could have done much more of). CJ Neumann starts it on the 1st possession with a set postup, Luke Hamel adds a pair of buckets inside. Tillman knocks down a pair of 3s. That allows CDH to pull within 1, 46-45, with 15:42 to play after the 12-5 start. CJ Neumann with a tip in and a nice cut that he converts for 2. That ties the game at 51 with 14:20 to play. Tyus with a steal for 2 and he leans in for another bucket and gets the foul call. That easily could have been a charge or no call. It a 9-0 run in under 2 minutes. 60-51 Apple Valley in the lead with 12:33 left. The CDH bench pulls the Raiders back in it. Frosh Jashon Cornell with a putback and Teddy Chapman for 3. 62-57 Apple Valley with 10:39 left and Apple Valley takes timeout. Hechsel with a jumper after a CDH T and then a putback for 3. Bang just like that the lead is back to 11, 68-57 with 8:29 left. He adds another bucket before a Taylor Montero 3. 72-65 Eagles with 5:25 left. Then Tyus draws a cheap foul and buries 2 free throws. After a CDH miss, he throws a full court pass on the money which is kicked out for a Fronk 3. 77-65 Apple Valley with the lead and CDH needs a timeout with 4:12 left. The senior Montero not going out without a fight. He knocks down a 3, then a jumper and another pullup jumper after an Eagles turnover. 78-73 Eagles with 2:21 left. CDH gets no closer as Tyus drives for 2 and drains 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch. Apple Valley moves on to play Eastview on Friday with the 87-76 win. Tyus Jones ends up with 33 points and 8-10 assists. He was 13-15 from the foul line, all in the 2nd half. Dustin Fronk a huge night with 29 points and 6 3s. 18 of those points in the 1st half. Taylor Montero leads CDH with 21 points. Cortez Tillman 5 3s and 17 points. CJ Neumann 15 points but I was surprised he was utilized more inside against the undersized Apple Valley front line.
Stat of the Night: Apple Valley shoots 23-26 from 2 point range.
11-12 Section 3AAAA Preview
Labels:
11-12 Season Previews,
Joey King,
Tyus Jones
This is the 19th preview in my 2011-2012
season preview series. In this preview, a look at section 3AAAA. For a list of all
the season previews, click here.
Defending Champion: Lakeville South
Predicted Seeding
Sleeper: East Ridge. With shooter Justin Pahl and the development of freshman Sidney Tomes at the point there's enough here to pay attention to. Plus they have no games against the South Suburban which makes them a better sleeper than Rosemount (who would play those teams twice).
Section Winner: Eastview. I think they're too big across the front line and they have a star to ride in Joey King. Apple Valley is scary with Tyus Jones able to go off on any given night but come section final time, teams will make others beat them and I'm not sure the Eagles have enough other firepower to do that in a big time game.
Defending Champion: Lakeville South
Predicted Seeding
- Eastview
- Apple Valley
- Cretin-Derham Hall
- Eagan
- East Ridge
- Rosemount
- Henry Sibley
- Park
Sleeper: East Ridge. With shooter Justin Pahl and the development of freshman Sidney Tomes at the point there's enough here to pay attention to. Plus they have no games against the South Suburban which makes them a better sleeper than Rosemount (who would play those teams twice).
Section Winner: Eastview. I think they're too big across the front line and they have a star to ride in Joey King. Apple Valley is scary with Tyus Jones able to go off on any given night but come section final time, teams will make others beat them and I'm not sure the Eagles have enough other firepower to do that in a big time game.
11-12 South Suburban Preview
Labels:
11-12 Season Previews,
Joey King,
Tyus Jones
We begin week 3 of my 2010-2011 season preview series with the 10th preview. In this
preview, a look at the South Suburban
Conference. For a list of all the season previews, click here.
A down year in the South Suburban but that's a relative term for what is still a very difficult league. I see 8 teams that can beat you on any given night. The top 3 stand alone with Apple Valley, Eastview and Lakeville North all making runs in the top 5 this season. The next group of 5 is very competitive and then Burnsville and Jefferson I think will struggle at the bottom.
Apple Valley Eagles (2010-11 season 19-10, 13-5 Conference, Tied 3rd)
Probably the most important loss in the league is 6'7 forward Tom Schalk who's off to William & Mary (not to be confused with Lois and Clark or Penn and Teller). But super soph Tyus Jones returns at the point to run the show. His athleticism has taken a step up in the offseason and now he can be a scoring force in addition to his already superior ability to run a team. Guards Dustin Fronk (shooter) and Harry Sonie (handler who will shoot) return for what will be a very small lineup. 6'3" Soph Dennis Austin is undersized but very active and figures to see lots of minutes up front. He'll replace the departed Josh Johnson and Gavin Bronson on the front line.
Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars (2010-11 season 4-21, 2-16 Conference, 10th)
Yes they're slowdown style is enough to cure insomnia and unwatchable but it keeps the Jags competitive. 4 wins by a total of 13 points but 8 very close losses. They lose leading scorer Marcus Alipate and post Reggie Lynch is now at Edina. Post Kevin Handt and wing Matt Hovila are also gone. Ryan Gilmer is the top returnee along with juniors Brian Fritzlar and Kevin Woebke.
Bloomington Kennedy Eagles (2010-11 season 16-12, 10-8 Conference, Tied 5th)
Leading scorer and top post Cullen Russo is off to Quakerdale Prep in Iowa. Guard DeShun Patterson was an athletic guard. Both depart as double figure scorers. But the Eagles will still be loaded with guard firepower. Point guard Darrian Pittman comes over from Maranatha. Darrian Johnson and Rico Gunn (9.9 PPG) also return. Jacob Kohner returns as an interior banger.
Burnsville Blaze (2010-11 season 12-14, 7-11 Conference, 7th)
The top 5 scorers are gone from a defensive minded squad that started well. Then won a pair of 1 point games before losing 8 in a row. Adam Lambrecht, Dan Motl and post Chase Roullier return from last year's rotation. But in this league you need returning stars so I expect the Blaze to struggle against the tough schedule.
Eagan Wildcats (2010-11 season 21-6, 14-4 Conference, 2nd)
Eagan does suffer some heavy losses with forward Matt Hentges and sharpshooter Jameson Parsons gone. Point guard Ben Sicoli is also gone. But plenty returns with big guard Nick Sabatke (9.3 PPG) and forward Shea Mandli. Guards Drew Bauer and AJ Bauer also return.
Eastview Lightning (2010-11 season 22-5, 15-3 Conference, 1st)
A talented group returns led by 6'8 F Joey King (Drake commit) at 17.6 a game. Most of the offense will run through him. The next 2 scorers were wings Frank Veldman and Shane McSparron. They will be missed, especially Veldman who was a stickem defender last season. The front line is loaded with King, Center Ben Oberfeld who is a double double threat and the return of Sam Burt (injured last season). Burt is an athletic piece who should fit in nicely. Point guard Darin Haugh returns to run the show as does shooter Chris Narum. Bodies were in short supply last year so keep an eye on the depth especially in the backcourt.
Lakeville North Panthers (2010-11 season 12-15, 10-8 Conference, Tied 5th)
Another team like Eastview that was built for this season. Leading scorer Adam Petterson and point guard Al Erickson are gone but this roster is still stacked. South Dakota commit Tyler Flack leads the way as an athletic forward. Brett Rasmussen is the bruiser portion of the duo. There's also 6'3 Ryan Saarela. The guards are solid with Trey Heid, Devin Shockley and Grant Erickson. Shockley is a scoring threat but I'm told he'll sit out the first half of the regular season.
Lakeville South Cougars (2010-11 season 21-9, 13-5 Conference, Tied 3rd)
Down the street, the Cougars lose almost the entire rotation. The top 4 scorers (Alex Richter, Jon Christensen, Riley West and Spencer Pankonin) are off to the NSIC. Mitch Liedner will miss basketball to finish school early for football at Minnesota. Matt Heller is the only returnee and he just missed a football game due to concussion. But the JV squad last year was very good (pounding St. Paul City champ Johnson 60-34 on opening night). Ty Powell will take over at the point. Lefty Nick Sanborn will see minutes up front along with Nick Bachinski. Roster could surprise, but I see them as a year away. Think of them the way you may have looked at Lakeville North last year.
Prior Lake Lakers (2010-11 season 6-21, 3-15 Conference, Tied 8th)
Now a look at the finest southern resort town in The Kingdom (Not fair to call it Siberia, you'll read that in the next preview). The Lakers had already matched their 3 wins from 09-10 by New Years (3-4). Then point guard Jon Sobaski broke his wrist and South Suburban play started. That's a bad combination and the Lakers went 3-17 the rest of the way (including last 6 with Sobaski). A different team this year with 7 footer Carson Shanks eligible after sitting out last year (transfer from Eastview). 2 of the top 3 scorers are gone but you have a nucleus of Sobaski (soph), Shanks and 6'10 Jeff Probert (both juniors) to build on for 2 years. Add in forward Jack Harrison at 6'5 and you have one of the biggest potential front lines around. Harrison and Jack Kaiser provide a full year's worth of experience.
Rosemount Irish (2010-11 season 7-21, 3-15 Conference, Tied 8th)
MN-Moorhead commit Matt Nelson leads the way as the only double figure scorer coming back. Forward Brandon Forcier and guards Charlie Broback and Evan Mitchell also return. Soph guard Garrett Goetz may take over the point. Interior scorer of lefty Andrew Nelson will need to be replaced (9 PPG).
Predicted Order of Finish
Underclassmen to watch:
A down year in the South Suburban but that's a relative term for what is still a very difficult league. I see 8 teams that can beat you on any given night. The top 3 stand alone with Apple Valley, Eastview and Lakeville North all making runs in the top 5 this season. The next group of 5 is very competitive and then Burnsville and Jefferson I think will struggle at the bottom.
Apple Valley Eagles (2010-11 season 19-10, 13-5 Conference, Tied 3rd)
Probably the most important loss in the league is 6'7 forward Tom Schalk who's off to William & Mary (not to be confused with Lois and Clark or Penn and Teller). But super soph Tyus Jones returns at the point to run the show. His athleticism has taken a step up in the offseason and now he can be a scoring force in addition to his already superior ability to run a team. Guards Dustin Fronk (shooter) and Harry Sonie (handler who will shoot) return for what will be a very small lineup. 6'3" Soph Dennis Austin is undersized but very active and figures to see lots of minutes up front. He'll replace the departed Josh Johnson and Gavin Bronson on the front line.
Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars (2010-11 season 4-21, 2-16 Conference, 10th)
Yes they're slowdown style is enough to cure insomnia and unwatchable but it keeps the Jags competitive. 4 wins by a total of 13 points but 8 very close losses. They lose leading scorer Marcus Alipate and post Reggie Lynch is now at Edina. Post Kevin Handt and wing Matt Hovila are also gone. Ryan Gilmer is the top returnee along with juniors Brian Fritzlar and Kevin Woebke.
Bloomington Kennedy Eagles (2010-11 season 16-12, 10-8 Conference, Tied 5th)
Leading scorer and top post Cullen Russo is off to Quakerdale Prep in Iowa. Guard DeShun Patterson was an athletic guard. Both depart as double figure scorers. But the Eagles will still be loaded with guard firepower. Point guard Darrian Pittman comes over from Maranatha. Darrian Johnson and Rico Gunn (9.9 PPG) also return. Jacob Kohner returns as an interior banger.
Burnsville Blaze (2010-11 season 12-14, 7-11 Conference, 7th)
The top 5 scorers are gone from a defensive minded squad that started well. Then won a pair of 1 point games before losing 8 in a row. Adam Lambrecht, Dan Motl and post Chase Roullier return from last year's rotation. But in this league you need returning stars so I expect the Blaze to struggle against the tough schedule.
Eagan Wildcats (2010-11 season 21-6, 14-4 Conference, 2nd)
Eagan does suffer some heavy losses with forward Matt Hentges and sharpshooter Jameson Parsons gone. Point guard Ben Sicoli is also gone. But plenty returns with big guard Nick Sabatke (9.3 PPG) and forward Shea Mandli. Guards Drew Bauer and AJ Bauer also return.
Eastview Lightning (2010-11 season 22-5, 15-3 Conference, 1st)
A talented group returns led by 6'8 F Joey King (Drake commit) at 17.6 a game. Most of the offense will run through him. The next 2 scorers were wings Frank Veldman and Shane McSparron. They will be missed, especially Veldman who was a stickem defender last season. The front line is loaded with King, Center Ben Oberfeld who is a double double threat and the return of Sam Burt (injured last season). Burt is an athletic piece who should fit in nicely. Point guard Darin Haugh returns to run the show as does shooter Chris Narum. Bodies were in short supply last year so keep an eye on the depth especially in the backcourt.
Lakeville North Panthers (2010-11 season 12-15, 10-8 Conference, Tied 5th)
Another team like Eastview that was built for this season. Leading scorer Adam Petterson and point guard Al Erickson are gone but this roster is still stacked. South Dakota commit Tyler Flack leads the way as an athletic forward. Brett Rasmussen is the bruiser portion of the duo. There's also 6'3 Ryan Saarela. The guards are solid with Trey Heid, Devin Shockley and Grant Erickson. Shockley is a scoring threat but I'm told he'll sit out the first half of the regular season.
Lakeville South Cougars (2010-11 season 21-9, 13-5 Conference, Tied 3rd)
Down the street, the Cougars lose almost the entire rotation. The top 4 scorers (Alex Richter, Jon Christensen, Riley West and Spencer Pankonin) are off to the NSIC. Mitch Liedner will miss basketball to finish school early for football at Minnesota. Matt Heller is the only returnee and he just missed a football game due to concussion. But the JV squad last year was very good (pounding St. Paul City champ Johnson 60-34 on opening night). Ty Powell will take over at the point. Lefty Nick Sanborn will see minutes up front along with Nick Bachinski. Roster could surprise, but I see them as a year away. Think of them the way you may have looked at Lakeville North last year.
Prior Lake Lakers (2010-11 season 6-21, 3-15 Conference, Tied 8th)
Now a look at the finest southern resort town in The Kingdom (Not fair to call it Siberia, you'll read that in the next preview). The Lakers had already matched their 3 wins from 09-10 by New Years (3-4). Then point guard Jon Sobaski broke his wrist and South Suburban play started. That's a bad combination and the Lakers went 3-17 the rest of the way (including last 6 with Sobaski). A different team this year with 7 footer Carson Shanks eligible after sitting out last year (transfer from Eastview). 2 of the top 3 scorers are gone but you have a nucleus of Sobaski (soph), Shanks and 6'10 Jeff Probert (both juniors) to build on for 2 years. Add in forward Jack Harrison at 6'5 and you have one of the biggest potential front lines around. Harrison and Jack Kaiser provide a full year's worth of experience.
Rosemount Irish (2010-11 season 7-21, 3-15 Conference, Tied 8th)
MN-Moorhead commit Matt Nelson leads the way as the only double figure scorer coming back. Forward Brandon Forcier and guards Charlie Broback and Evan Mitchell also return. Soph guard Garrett Goetz may take over the point. Interior scorer of lefty Andrew Nelson will need to be replaced (9 PPG).
Predicted Order of Finish
- Eastview
- Apple Valley
- Lakeville North
- Bloomington Kennedy
- Eagan
- Lakeville South
- Prior Lake
- Rosemount
- Bloomington Jefferson
- Burnsville
Underclassmen to watch:
- Tyus Jones, Dennis Austin - Apple Valley
- Jon Sobaski - Prior Lake
- JP Macura - Lakeville North
- GT Johnson - Eagan
- Tommy Gadtke - Bloomington Jefferson
- Brett Shepley - Burnsville
- Garrett Goetz - Rosemount
- Eastview at Lakeville North - Jan 10th
- Eastview at Apple Valley - Jan 13th
- Lakeville North at Apple Valley - Jan 24th
- Lakeville North at Eastview - Feb 10th
- Apple Valley at Eastview- Feb 14th
- Apple Valley at Lakeville North - Feb 24th
- Eden Prairie at Apple Valley - Dec 6th
- Lakeville North at Chanhassen - Dec 9th
- Lakeville North vs Champlin Park - Dec 10th (Breakdown Tipoff Classic at Minnetonka)
- Prior Lake vs Osseo - Dec 10th (Breakdown Tipoff Classic at Minnetonka)
- Eastview vs Benilde-St. Margaret's- Dec 10th (Breakdown Tipoff Classic at Minnetonka)
- Apple Valley vs Tartan - Dec 10th (Breakdown Tipoff Classic at Minnetonka)
- Lakeville North at Eden Prairie - Dec 20th
- Eastview at Spring Lake Park - Dec 20th
- Moorhead at Eastview - Dec 23rd
- Prior Lake, Rosemount & Apple Valley at Granite City Classic - Dec 28/29 (St. Cloud)
- Lakeville North holiday tournament - Dec 28/29
- Apple Valley vs Onalaska, WI - Jan 7th (Timberwolves Shootout)
- Prior Lake vs Cedar Falls, IA - Jan 7th (Timberwolves Shootout)
- Eastview at Midwest Players Classic - Jan 14th (La Crosse, WI)
5 to watch in the 2011 recruiting period
Labels:
Joey King,
Siyani Chambers,
Tyus Jones
Here are 5 names that have a chance to be noteworthy stockraisers this July.
Joey King - MN Southside
Maybe the player with the most pressure this July. He played well against SW MN Stars at the spring PNR Tourney and was up and down in Iowa. He gets a great opportunity in Milwaukee at the 1st NY2LA event. A win in pool play is a must and will propel them into the platinum bracket. This is the 1 month where his interest level will be crystalized.
Johnny Woodard - Net Gain Sports
Woodard starts his summer where it "ended" as Net Gain returns to Milwaukee to open July. When he last played before Memorial Day it was in Milwaukee where he injured a shoulder and was thought to be done. He's since been cleared and after the outstanding spring he had, it would have been a shame to see him sit out. He has the most college ready body in the class. Using that body, he's also demonstrated that he's as good a finisher as anyone in the class as he can take contact and still score. Continued quality play should have high majors after him.
Nate Kratch - 43 Hoops
Has been outstanding all spring for coach Al Harris and the D1 offers have started to come as Jacksonville and Nebraska-Omaha are on board (how cool would a front line of Krych and Kratch sound?). More athletic than he looks and has shown the ability to swat shots. Expect his stock to rise during this period during a tough schedule in Indianapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Louis.
Siyani Chambers - Howard Pulley Black
He's rebounded nicely after a tough start to the spring. He's a quality leader and has good basketball IQ. Will his size be an issue for high D1 schools? He has the ultimate platforms to show as he'll be at the Lebron James Skills Academy and the Peach Jam during the opening period.
Carson Shanks - MN Select White 16U
Ignoring the fact that its totally ridiculous that I at a hulking 5'3" am projecting results for a 7 footer, let's get a 2013 kid in here. The size and the potential have shown and he's played well recently, specifically at the Gopher Team Camp. Will get plenty of looks because you can't teach size. With a quality July, interest would skyrocket.
10 more to watch
Tyler Flack - MN Select White
Kyle Bauman - MN Select White
Isaiah Zierden - Howard Pulley Black
Zach Stahl - Howard Pulley Black
Wally Ellenson - MN Pump N Run
Sanjay Lumpkin - MN Pump N Run
Zach Huisken - SW MN Stars
Casey Schilling - Dakota Schoolers
Ater Mangyang - Net Gain Sports
Tyler Vaughan - MN Comets
Joey King - MN Southside
Maybe the player with the most pressure this July. He played well against SW MN Stars at the spring PNR Tourney and was up and down in Iowa. He gets a great opportunity in Milwaukee at the 1st NY2LA event. A win in pool play is a must and will propel them into the platinum bracket. This is the 1 month where his interest level will be crystalized.
Johnny Woodard - Net Gain Sports
Woodard starts his summer where it "ended" as Net Gain returns to Milwaukee to open July. When he last played before Memorial Day it was in Milwaukee where he injured a shoulder and was thought to be done. He's since been cleared and after the outstanding spring he had, it would have been a shame to see him sit out. He has the most college ready body in the class. Using that body, he's also demonstrated that he's as good a finisher as anyone in the class as he can take contact and still score. Continued quality play should have high majors after him.
Nate Kratch - 43 Hoops
Has been outstanding all spring for coach Al Harris and the D1 offers have started to come as Jacksonville and Nebraska-Omaha are on board (how cool would a front line of Krych and Kratch sound?). More athletic than he looks and has shown the ability to swat shots. Expect his stock to rise during this period during a tough schedule in Indianapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Louis.
Siyani Chambers - Howard Pulley Black
He's rebounded nicely after a tough start to the spring. He's a quality leader and has good basketball IQ. Will his size be an issue for high D1 schools? He has the ultimate platforms to show as he'll be at the Lebron James Skills Academy and the Peach Jam during the opening period.
Carson Shanks - MN Select White 16U
Ignoring the fact that its totally ridiculous that I at a hulking 5'3" am projecting results for a 7 footer, let's get a 2013 kid in here. The size and the potential have shown and he's played well recently, specifically at the Gopher Team Camp. Will get plenty of looks because you can't teach size. With a quality July, interest would skyrocket.
10 more to watch
Tyler Flack - MN Select White
Kyle Bauman - MN Select White
Isaiah Zierden - Howard Pulley Black
Zach Stahl - Howard Pulley Black
Wally Ellenson - MN Pump N Run
Sanjay Lumpkin - MN Pump N Run
Zach Huisken - SW MN Stars
Casey Schilling - Dakota Schoolers
Ater Mangyang - Net Gain Sports
Tyler Vaughan - MN Comets
Veldman beats the buzzer
Labels:
Joey King
Prologue
A last minute trip out to Apple Valley to Lakeville South take on Eastview in a matchup of 2 of the 3 teams leading the South Suburban. The pregame story is fellow hoops scribe Chris Monter challenging me in ping pong. I ran my mouth on twitter before hand (if you don't follow me on twitter, shame on you, start now) and needless to say I got smacked in the teeth hard. I lose 8 games to him with him using his off hand, 1 where he tuned up the band with the good hand and another where the good hand just showed up. A perfect 0-10 mark. Well done Czar. So tonight's menu is a Smörgåsbord of crow and humble pie. In reality the hot dog wasn't bad and 24 oz Pepsi after a thrashing does replenish the fluids. Nice work by the elementary kids with the national anthem and the dance crew at halftime.
Game Time
Joey King is all of the Eastview offense early. He nails 3 straight 3s and then finds Ben Oberfeld inside for a 3 point play. 12-4 Eastview at the 10:32 mark. Meanwhile Jon Christensen is all of the Lakeville South offense as he scores their 1st 6 points. Frank Veldman with a jumper and a 3 followed by King high/low for a 3 point play. 20-8 Eastview at the 7:37 mark and he'll get a rest. That gets Lakeville South going. Riley West with a 3 point play and Alex Richter to the rim for 2 more. Eastview takes a timeout at the 6:19 mark and that's the end of King's rest. Lakeville South gets out of their 1-2-2 with Christensen on top and sagging and goes man. That means Richter and King go at each other the rest of the night. Richter with a putback and Christensen with another layup to cut the lead to 3. King off a baseline out of bounds nails his 4th 3 of the half but that's only Eastview bucket in the last 7:30. Christensen nails another jumper from the key. in the last 30 seconds. Its an 11-3 Lakeville South run over the last 7:32 giving up only 1 bucket. 23-19 Eastview at the half.
After another Christensen jumper, Chris Narum for 3 and a drive. 28-21 Eastview with 15:10 left. South has another run in them. Spencer Pankonin with a jumper out of the post, Matt Heller puts back a miss off a turnover, Richter with 2 free throws, West for 3 to tie it at 30 with 13 minutes left. An Eastview turnover results in Richter going the other way for a dunk and that's the 1st lead for the Cougars. He adds a layup to end a 13-2 Lakeville South run. 34-30 South with 11:25 remaining. King with a putback at the 8:40 to stop the run and end a scoring drought of 4:45. Richter draws a touch foul on King with 5:17 left. That's King's 4th and he has to head to the bench. Out of a timeout with 4:52 left, South sets up a nice lob for Richter and Veldman makes a spectacular block of it at the rim. Veldman then drives and makes 1 of 2 free throws with 4:11 left to tie the game at 37. Pankonin with a putback and Christensen with a steal and tough lefty finish with 3:17 left. 41-37 South and a good timeout from Eastview to not only cut the momentum but also to get King back in the game.
Oberfeld singled up in the post and he channels his inner Kevin McHale with the up and under for 2 with 2:50 left. Richter kicks out of the post and South misses the open jumper with 2:05 left. King held on a baseline out of bounds before the ball was released. He steps up and makes the clutch 1 and 1 with 1:41 left. Tie game at 41. Timeout Eastview and they show their own 1-2-2 zone. South almost turns it over once and they get a post touch afterwards but its a walk with 1:03 left. Eastview goes 5 out and holds until a timeout with 35.6 remaining. They run more 5 out to run the clock down and they never do get into a set. King doesn't it touch it late. Veldman ends up with the ball high right side and has to make a play. He drives left into the lane and the short 8 ft floater is good with 1.5 seconds left. The clock runs out and the Eastview fans storm the floor. But wait, South somehow got a timeout with 1.1 left. Richter gets a look from halfcourt and that's no good. 43-41 Eastview wins by scoring the last 6 points of the game.
Post Game
For Lakeville South, Jon Christensen leads the way with 16 points. He showed good range with the 17 foot jumper in the top of the key area. He also had a couple of steals on passes back to the top that he took the other way. Alex Richter with 11 points on a rough shooting night of 4-17. Good aggression and he had a fair number of those misses where he may have been fouled, but I felt he also pressed too hard on some of those. South falls to 12-4 and 1 game behind Eagan and Eastview in the South Suburban. They're now 17-7 and probably lost a shot at the 1 seed. Based on the remaining schedule, they could be anywhere from 2-4. I'll have more detail on that in my weekly MN Preps column on Monday.
For Eastview, Joey King with 15 of his 19 in the first half. 12 of those in the 1st 12 minutes vs zone. I had him shooting 6-12 from the field after a 5-8 start. Frank Veldman with 7 of his 12 in the second half including the game winner. He's a name you'll see later when I hand out end of season awards. Ben Oberfeld 5 points and 11 rebounds on my sheet. Eastview is now 19-4, 13-3 in the South Suburban The Lightning have 2 winnable games next week at Kennedy and at home vs Jefferson to go for a share of the league crown (or win it outright with help from South at Eagan) and the top seed in section 3AAAA. But note that Kennedy just beat South on Tuesday and only lost by 2 at Eastview a month ago. Point guard Darin Haugh played through pneumonia tonight (and a surprising number of quality minutes considering how bad he felt). If he's out, that puts a strain on the lineup.
A last minute trip out to Apple Valley to Lakeville South take on Eastview in a matchup of 2 of the 3 teams leading the South Suburban. The pregame story is fellow hoops scribe Chris Monter challenging me in ping pong. I ran my mouth on twitter before hand (if you don't follow me on twitter, shame on you, start now) and needless to say I got smacked in the teeth hard. I lose 8 games to him with him using his off hand, 1 where he tuned up the band with the good hand and another where the good hand just showed up. A perfect 0-10 mark. Well done Czar. So tonight's menu is a Smörgåsbord of crow and humble pie. In reality the hot dog wasn't bad and 24 oz Pepsi after a thrashing does replenish the fluids. Nice work by the elementary kids with the national anthem and the dance crew at halftime.
Game Time
Joey King is all of the Eastview offense early. He nails 3 straight 3s and then finds Ben Oberfeld inside for a 3 point play. 12-4 Eastview at the 10:32 mark. Meanwhile Jon Christensen is all of the Lakeville South offense as he scores their 1st 6 points. Frank Veldman with a jumper and a 3 followed by King high/low for a 3 point play. 20-8 Eastview at the 7:37 mark and he'll get a rest. That gets Lakeville South going. Riley West with a 3 point play and Alex Richter to the rim for 2 more. Eastview takes a timeout at the 6:19 mark and that's the end of King's rest. Lakeville South gets out of their 1-2-2 with Christensen on top and sagging and goes man. That means Richter and King go at each other the rest of the night. Richter with a putback and Christensen with another layup to cut the lead to 3. King off a baseline out of bounds nails his 4th 3 of the half but that's only Eastview bucket in the last 7:30. Christensen nails another jumper from the key. in the last 30 seconds. Its an 11-3 Lakeville South run over the last 7:32 giving up only 1 bucket. 23-19 Eastview at the half.
After another Christensen jumper, Chris Narum for 3 and a drive. 28-21 Eastview with 15:10 left. South has another run in them. Spencer Pankonin with a jumper out of the post, Matt Heller puts back a miss off a turnover, Richter with 2 free throws, West for 3 to tie it at 30 with 13 minutes left. An Eastview turnover results in Richter going the other way for a dunk and that's the 1st lead for the Cougars. He adds a layup to end a 13-2 Lakeville South run. 34-30 South with 11:25 remaining. King with a putback at the 8:40 to stop the run and end a scoring drought of 4:45. Richter draws a touch foul on King with 5:17 left. That's King's 4th and he has to head to the bench. Out of a timeout with 4:52 left, South sets up a nice lob for Richter and Veldman makes a spectacular block of it at the rim. Veldman then drives and makes 1 of 2 free throws with 4:11 left to tie the game at 37. Pankonin with a putback and Christensen with a steal and tough lefty finish with 3:17 left. 41-37 South and a good timeout from Eastview to not only cut the momentum but also to get King back in the game.
Oberfeld singled up in the post and he channels his inner Kevin McHale with the up and under for 2 with 2:50 left. Richter kicks out of the post and South misses the open jumper with 2:05 left. King held on a baseline out of bounds before the ball was released. He steps up and makes the clutch 1 and 1 with 1:41 left. Tie game at 41. Timeout Eastview and they show their own 1-2-2 zone. South almost turns it over once and they get a post touch afterwards but its a walk with 1:03 left. Eastview goes 5 out and holds until a timeout with 35.6 remaining. They run more 5 out to run the clock down and they never do get into a set. King doesn't it touch it late. Veldman ends up with the ball high right side and has to make a play. He drives left into the lane and the short 8 ft floater is good with 1.5 seconds left. The clock runs out and the Eastview fans storm the floor. But wait, South somehow got a timeout with 1.1 left. Richter gets a look from halfcourt and that's no good. 43-41 Eastview wins by scoring the last 6 points of the game.
Post Game
For Lakeville South, Jon Christensen leads the way with 16 points. He showed good range with the 17 foot jumper in the top of the key area. He also had a couple of steals on passes back to the top that he took the other way. Alex Richter with 11 points on a rough shooting night of 4-17. Good aggression and he had a fair number of those misses where he may have been fouled, but I felt he also pressed too hard on some of those. South falls to 12-4 and 1 game behind Eagan and Eastview in the South Suburban. They're now 17-7 and probably lost a shot at the 1 seed. Based on the remaining schedule, they could be anywhere from 2-4. I'll have more detail on that in my weekly MN Preps column on Monday.
For Eastview, Joey King with 15 of his 19 in the first half. 12 of those in the 1st 12 minutes vs zone. I had him shooting 6-12 from the field after a 5-8 start. Frank Veldman with 7 of his 12 in the second half including the game winner. He's a name you'll see later when I hand out end of season awards. Ben Oberfeld 5 points and 11 rebounds on my sheet. Eastview is now 19-4, 13-3 in the South Suburban The Lightning have 2 winnable games next week at Kennedy and at home vs Jefferson to go for a share of the league crown (or win it outright with help from South at Eagan) and the top seed in section 3AAAA. But note that Kennedy just beat South on Tuesday and only lost by 2 at Eastview a month ago. Point guard Darin Haugh played through pneumonia tonight (and a surprising number of quality minutes considering how bad he felt). If he's out, that puts a strain on the lineup.
Eastview wins city rivalry
Labels:
Joey King,
Tyus Jones
Prologue
To Apple Valley for a look at Tyus Jones and the Eagles as they take on city rival #7AAAA Eastview in a big South Suburban Conference matchup. Eastview comes in 1 game ahead of Apple Valley for 3rd in the league standings. Quality Taco in a Bag meal deal on the menu tonight. Very good crowd with a pink out of all pink shirts for Apple Valley fans. We're about 85% full in a big building and the parking lot was jammed. Mr Basketball's Ken Lien and friends also in the house tonight along with Tubby Smith. With Pink being a theme and a quality game, that's an easy music choice.
Song of the Day
Pink - Get The Party Started
Game Time
Tyus Jones came ready to play. He gets a steal right out of the gate, a layup and an assist to Tom Schalk all in the first minute. Jones with another rip for 2. Joey King counters with a 3 and a jumper. Jones with 2 free throws for a 14-11 Apple Valley at the 14:51 mark. Definitely not the pace Eastview would want. King on the post for 2 and a putback. Jones off the high screen and roll and he goes all the way for the lefty layup. King with another jumper and then he scores off the inbounds to give Eastview their first lead of the night, 21-20 at 9:50. Jones still doing it as he nails a 3 and his 3rd rip of the half for a layup. Then Jones behind the high screen for 3. 31-24 Apple Valley at the 7:20 mark. Tom Schalk with a pair of 3s late in the half, 1 of those to push the lead to 10. Eastview cuts the lead to 41-36 at half. Jones 18, all in the 1st 11:40. King 16, Schalk 14.
King 2 buckets on the post, but those are countered by a pair of Jones free throws and a 3 point play on a steal. 49-42 Apple Valley with 12:17 left. Ben Oberfeld 3 of 4 free throws and Tyus Jones gets a breather. King with 3 straight misses in 40 seconds as Eastview tries to cut the 4 point lead. King rests as Jones comes back in at the 10:06 mark. Frank Veldman drives for 2 and Jones turns it over for a Veldman 3. 50-49 Eastview at the 9:20 mark after an 8-0 run. Nice move by coach Gerber to get King right back in the game after the Apple Valley timeout. After a nice Schalk assist for a layup, King on the post for 2 free throws and then Chris Narum with a big 3 of an inbounds. After a Schalk bucket, Eastview point guard Darin Haugh with 2 freebies and then around a double high ball screen for a layup. Jones for 3 countered by a King 3. 62-56 Eastview with 4 minutes left. Schalk with another assist for a layup, then Apple Valley misses a pair of chances to cut into the lead further. King tips in his own miss to push the lead to 6. Jones with 2 free throws and then Eastview gets bailed out. They were up against a 10 second call and Haugh gets fouled at the 9 second mark no where near halfcourt. He nails both freebies and Jones to the rim for 2. Eastview turns it over but Schalk misses at the 1:21 mark. That results in a King runout for 2 and the foul. Schalk scores on the other end. AV chooses not to foul and then Ben Oberfeld touches inside and before he can get fouled on the ground he scores for a 3 point play. Veldman adds the icing with a breakaway dunk. Eastview wins 74-67.
Post Game
For Apple Valley, Tyus Jones ends up with 33 points and 7 assists on 11-21 shooting, 4-7 from 3. Tom Schalk 18 points and 6 rebounds. 14 of those points in the first half. Jones had 18 quick points and then was quiet until the last 5 minutes. I was surprised that there wasn't more high pick and roll used. The Eagles had their chances late and just didn't convert. They had an open layup, open 3 and fouled on a 10 second call in a 1 minute stretch starting with 3 minutes left. Balance was also an issue as Jones and Schalk combined for 51 of the 67. Apple Valley falls to 12-9 and 8-5 in the South Suburban. They visit league co-leader #4AAAA Eagan on Friday night. Their game with Lakeville North next Friday looks like a preview of the 4 vs 5 game in section 3AAAA with the winner getting home court.
For Eastview, Joey King leads the way with 30 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. 12-23 from the floor and 3-8 from 3. They Lightning are now 16-4 overall and stay 1 game behind Eagan and Lakeville South at 10-3 in the conference. That also keeps them in the race for the top seed in section 3AAAA. Frank Veldman 15 points. Darin Haugh stepped up with 11 points after a tough start against Jones and was 4-4 from the charity stripe. Ben Oberfeld 12 points in the middle. Sam Burt out for the year with a bad knee, Shane McSparron still out with the bad hip, no backup point guard and a group of the varsity that plays JV. Depth is a major issue for the Lightning. Fortunately there was no foul trouble and the pace slowed to their liking in the 2nd half after a Daytona 500 start. Eastview is off until they host Prior Lake next Tuesday. (Czar's Note 2/16/11, MN-Scores didn't have the Friday game at home vs Rosemount posted so that is actually the next game)
To Apple Valley for a look at Tyus Jones and the Eagles as they take on city rival #7AAAA Eastview in a big South Suburban Conference matchup. Eastview comes in 1 game ahead of Apple Valley for 3rd in the league standings. Quality Taco in a Bag meal deal on the menu tonight. Very good crowd with a pink out of all pink shirts for Apple Valley fans. We're about 85% full in a big building and the parking lot was jammed. Mr Basketball's Ken Lien and friends also in the house tonight along with Tubby Smith. With Pink being a theme and a quality game, that's an easy music choice.
Song of the Day
Pink - Get The Party Started
Game Time
Tyus Jones came ready to play. He gets a steal right out of the gate, a layup and an assist to Tom Schalk all in the first minute. Jones with another rip for 2. Joey King counters with a 3 and a jumper. Jones with 2 free throws for a 14-11 Apple Valley at the 14:51 mark. Definitely not the pace Eastview would want. King on the post for 2 and a putback. Jones off the high screen and roll and he goes all the way for the lefty layup. King with another jumper and then he scores off the inbounds to give Eastview their first lead of the night, 21-20 at 9:50. Jones still doing it as he nails a 3 and his 3rd rip of the half for a layup. Then Jones behind the high screen for 3. 31-24 Apple Valley at the 7:20 mark. Tom Schalk with a pair of 3s late in the half, 1 of those to push the lead to 10. Eastview cuts the lead to 41-36 at half. Jones 18, all in the 1st 11:40. King 16, Schalk 14.
King 2 buckets on the post, but those are countered by a pair of Jones free throws and a 3 point play on a steal. 49-42 Apple Valley with 12:17 left. Ben Oberfeld 3 of 4 free throws and Tyus Jones gets a breather. King with 3 straight misses in 40 seconds as Eastview tries to cut the 4 point lead. King rests as Jones comes back in at the 10:06 mark. Frank Veldman drives for 2 and Jones turns it over for a Veldman 3. 50-49 Eastview at the 9:20 mark after an 8-0 run. Nice move by coach Gerber to get King right back in the game after the Apple Valley timeout. After a nice Schalk assist for a layup, King on the post for 2 free throws and then Chris Narum with a big 3 of an inbounds. After a Schalk bucket, Eastview point guard Darin Haugh with 2 freebies and then around a double high ball screen for a layup. Jones for 3 countered by a King 3. 62-56 Eastview with 4 minutes left. Schalk with another assist for a layup, then Apple Valley misses a pair of chances to cut into the lead further. King tips in his own miss to push the lead to 6. Jones with 2 free throws and then Eastview gets bailed out. They were up against a 10 second call and Haugh gets fouled at the 9 second mark no where near halfcourt. He nails both freebies and Jones to the rim for 2. Eastview turns it over but Schalk misses at the 1:21 mark. That results in a King runout for 2 and the foul. Schalk scores on the other end. AV chooses not to foul and then Ben Oberfeld touches inside and before he can get fouled on the ground he scores for a 3 point play. Veldman adds the icing with a breakaway dunk. Eastview wins 74-67.
Post Game
For Apple Valley, Tyus Jones ends up with 33 points and 7 assists on 11-21 shooting, 4-7 from 3. Tom Schalk 18 points and 6 rebounds. 14 of those points in the first half. Jones had 18 quick points and then was quiet until the last 5 minutes. I was surprised that there wasn't more high pick and roll used. The Eagles had their chances late and just didn't convert. They had an open layup, open 3 and fouled on a 10 second call in a 1 minute stretch starting with 3 minutes left. Balance was also an issue as Jones and Schalk combined for 51 of the 67. Apple Valley falls to 12-9 and 8-5 in the South Suburban. They visit league co-leader #4AAAA Eagan on Friday night. Their game with Lakeville North next Friday looks like a preview of the 4 vs 5 game in section 3AAAA with the winner getting home court.
For Eastview, Joey King leads the way with 30 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. 12-23 from the floor and 3-8 from 3. They Lightning are now 16-4 overall and stay 1 game behind Eagan and Lakeville South at 10-3 in the conference. That also keeps them in the race for the top seed in section 3AAAA. Frank Veldman 15 points. Darin Haugh stepped up with 11 points after a tough start against Jones and was 4-4 from the charity stripe. Ben Oberfeld 12 points in the middle. Sam Burt out for the year with a bad knee, Shane McSparron still out with the bad hip, no backup point guard and a group of the varsity that plays JV. Depth is a major issue for the Lightning. Fortunately there was no foul trouble and the pace slowed to their liking in the 2nd half after a Daytona 500 start. Eastview is off until they host Prior Lake next Tuesday. (Czar's Note 2/16/11, MN-Scores didn't have the Friday game at home vs Rosemount posted so that is actually the next game)
Lakeville South's offense disappears
Labels:
Joey King
Prologue
To Lakeville South for a South Suburban showdown of the #3 Cougars vs #6 Eastview. A truckload of coaches on hand too. St. Olaf, Augsburg, UW-River Falls, UMD, MN State-Mankato, MN-Moorhead, South Dakota and Columbia at a minimum. Standard concessions with the piping hot hot dog. An appearance by the Lakeville South band is always welcome which means they get today's music selection.
Song of the Day
Do Wah Diddy Diddy - Manfred Mann
Game Time
Right off the bat we get a pair of surprises with Eastview's Joey King guarding Alex Richter and Spencer Pankonin coming off the South bench. I expected Eastview's normal defensive stopper Frank Veldman to get the task. Richter starts the game off with a 3, surprising that he went to that right away. Riley West from Pankonin out of the high post for 3 and then a drive for 2 more. 10-8 South at the 12:45 mark. Frank Veldman playing well for Eastview he has an early dunk and drive and an assist to Ben Oberfeld for an easy layup. A strong drive to the rack nets 2 more. That's countered by a pair of South buckets to tie the game at the 8:55 mark. Then the rest of the half is all Eastview. They go to THE WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE to slow the pace to a crawl. A jumper out of it, Joey King with a drive for 2, then a handoff to Veldman for another jumper, Richter's 2nd foul at 4:11 gives King 2 FTs and then King with an NBA 3 at the 3:15 mark for an 11-0 run. No more scoring the rest of the half. 29-18 Eastview at the break.
The drought from the floor goes on for South during the 2nd half. Veldman with a big dunk to push the lead to 19, King 3-6 FTs and Veldman with a nice backcut in the 5 out for a layup. Richter misses a lob for a dunk and a bunny that he usually finishes in moments that were fitting of South's night. 47-24 Eastview with 9:53 left. Finally Alec Jensen makes 3 at the 8:38 mark to break South's FG drought. It covers 18:17 on the clock (more than a half). Richter with 6 free throws in the half before that as he tried to get going. Richter strong for a 3 point play and a 3 pointer to cut the lead to 14 with 4:05 left but Veldman goes strong for 2 free throws (foul prevents dunk), a big 2 handed dunk and another backcut for 2 to keep the game out of reach. Eastview wins 59-43.
Post Game
For Lakeville South, they fall to 11-3 and into a 3 way with Eastview and Eagan for 1st in the South Suburban at 6-1. Alex Richter 13 of his 16 points in the 2nd half to lead the Cougars, 3-9 FG and I haven't seen him shoot that many outside shots in a long time, if ever. I expected to see him go at King more, especially in the 1st half. Jon Christensen 6 of his 8 in the first half. Riley West an off night of 7 points. No rest in the South Suburban as the Cougars visit Eagan on Friday.
For Eastview, Frank Veldman was outstanding with 18 points and probably double-digit boards. He showed explosiveness going to the basket but also a nice handoff jumper in the first half. Joey King with only 2 field goals but he finishes with 14 points. In an unusual night for him, only 9-17 from the foul line. Chris Narum 11 points and Ben Oberfeld 10 points for the Lightning. Eastview now has wins over the other 3 top league contenders during the 1st round of league play (Apple Valley, Eagan, Lakeville South). The Lightning improve to 13-2 and host Bloomington Kennedy on Friday.
To Lakeville South for a South Suburban showdown of the #3 Cougars vs #6 Eastview. A truckload of coaches on hand too. St. Olaf, Augsburg, UW-River Falls, UMD, MN State-Mankato, MN-Moorhead, South Dakota and Columbia at a minimum. Standard concessions with the piping hot hot dog. An appearance by the Lakeville South band is always welcome which means they get today's music selection.
Song of the Day
Do Wah Diddy Diddy - Manfred Mann
Game Time
Right off the bat we get a pair of surprises with Eastview's Joey King guarding Alex Richter and Spencer Pankonin coming off the South bench. I expected Eastview's normal defensive stopper Frank Veldman to get the task. Richter starts the game off with a 3, surprising that he went to that right away. Riley West from Pankonin out of the high post for 3 and then a drive for 2 more. 10-8 South at the 12:45 mark. Frank Veldman playing well for Eastview he has an early dunk and drive and an assist to Ben Oberfeld for an easy layup. A strong drive to the rack nets 2 more. That's countered by a pair of South buckets to tie the game at the 8:55 mark. Then the rest of the half is all Eastview. They go to THE WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE to slow the pace to a crawl. A jumper out of it, Joey King with a drive for 2, then a handoff to Veldman for another jumper, Richter's 2nd foul at 4:11 gives King 2 FTs and then King with an NBA 3 at the 3:15 mark for an 11-0 run. No more scoring the rest of the half. 29-18 Eastview at the break.
The drought from the floor goes on for South during the 2nd half. Veldman with a big dunk to push the lead to 19, King 3-6 FTs and Veldman with a nice backcut in the 5 out for a layup. Richter misses a lob for a dunk and a bunny that he usually finishes in moments that were fitting of South's night. 47-24 Eastview with 9:53 left. Finally Alec Jensen makes 3 at the 8:38 mark to break South's FG drought. It covers 18:17 on the clock (more than a half). Richter with 6 free throws in the half before that as he tried to get going. Richter strong for a 3 point play and a 3 pointer to cut the lead to 14 with 4:05 left but Veldman goes strong for 2 free throws (foul prevents dunk), a big 2 handed dunk and another backcut for 2 to keep the game out of reach. Eastview wins 59-43.
Post Game
For Lakeville South, they fall to 11-3 and into a 3 way with Eastview and Eagan for 1st in the South Suburban at 6-1. Alex Richter 13 of his 16 points in the 2nd half to lead the Cougars, 3-9 FG and I haven't seen him shoot that many outside shots in a long time, if ever. I expected to see him go at King more, especially in the 1st half. Jon Christensen 6 of his 8 in the first half. Riley West an off night of 7 points. No rest in the South Suburban as the Cougars visit Eagan on Friday.
For Eastview, Frank Veldman was outstanding with 18 points and probably double-digit boards. He showed explosiveness going to the basket but also a nice handoff jumper in the first half. Joey King with only 2 field goals but he finishes with 14 points. In an unusual night for him, only 9-17 from the foul line. Chris Narum 11 points and Ben Oberfeld 10 points for the Lightning. Eastview now has wins over the other 3 top league contenders during the 1st round of league play (Apple Valley, Eagan, Lakeville South). The Lightning improve to 13-2 and host Bloomington Kennedy on Friday.
2011 Midwest Players Classic Thoughts
Labels:
Joey King
Prologue
Its a special return to The Old Kingdom as I get to see all the coulee region members of the Mississippi Valley Conference. Its all part of seeing the 1st annual Midwest Players Classic at the La Crosse Center put on by La Crosse Aquinas. Premier sponsor? Pepsi. So you know I'm there. As part of my invasion of the Emperor's Palace, the trip also gives me a chance to take a look at my alma mater as La Crosse Central took on Holmen on Friday night. Holmen takes a 6 point lead to halftime thanks to 4 3s from a pair of freshmen and then holds it before scoring the last 5 points of the 3rd quarter to lead by 11. The lead is still 11 before a pair of steals for layups seals it. Holmen sends me out of the alma mater unhappy with a 54-42 win. Then its 6 games as part of the classic.
Game 1: Richfield vs La Crosse, WI Logan
Richfield had the benefit of having last night off but looked unprepared to deal with Logan's star forward Trevor Jorgenson. He scores 11 points in the post in the 1st quarter for a 22-12 lead after the 1st stanza. Richfield scores the 1st 2 buckets of the 2nd quarter to cut the lead to 6 but then the wheels fall off. Ryan Koel with a pair of 3s, Jorgensen 2 post buckets, 2 turnovers for a layup and a 3. Its a 15-0 Logan run. Koel nails his 3rd 3 of the quarter for a 46-22 Logan lead at half. 2nd half is meaningless. Logan wins 79-56. Trevor Jorgenson 25 points and 5 rebounds to lead the Rangers (swampies). Dashawn Jones 13 points to lead Richfield. Logan with 8 3s in the game. Logan senior Drew Escher with arguably the finest high school beard you'll see. And I figure out that former Wisconsin and Washington State coach (and Wisconsin coaching legend) Dick Bennett is in the building watching the games all day.
Game 2: Eastview vs DeForest, WI
Eastview coming off a tough overtime win against city rival Apple Valley Friday night and then had to play the 12:30 game. Tough turnaround. Joey King 2 1st quarter 3s for a 10-5 lead after 1 quarter. DeForest scoreless for the 1st 4:30 of the game. Chris Narum for 3 at the 1:55 mark of the 2nd quarter pushes the Eastview lead to 22-8. DeForest cuts the lead to 24-14 at the half. 37-29 Eastview after 3. Ben Oberfeld starts the 4th with a layup to extend the lead to 10. Joey King picks up 3 straight charges in the next minute. 6:39 left and King has to sit with 4 fouls while DeForest is on a run. That runs ends with DeForest's leader Brandon Staffiel stealing a pass and making 2 free throws. 40-39 DeForest with the lead and 6:07 remaining as Eastview has come unglued during the 11-0 run. Kyle Renz with the 3 point play at 4:07 for a 43-42 DeForest lead and King is back in the game. He picks up a ticky tack 5th foul with 3:35 left for 2 more Renz FTs. On the next possession, DeForest gets called for a foul and mocking applause from the Eastview bench draws a technical (the ref and the bench hadn't been getting along). 1 free throw on the T and DeForest scores on the possession, 48-45 Norskies with 3:10 left. Jacob Ulrich misses a layup but grabs the miss for 2 FTs with 1:31 left. Staffiel called for elbowing out of a trap with 1:29 left. Oberfeld can't get a layup off the inbounds to go in but DeForest with a quick bad miss on the other end. Eastview is tied up but gets the arrow with 54 seconds left. They take their last time out and run Sibley's Razor set from last year for an Oberfeld layup with 30 seconds left. DeForest can't get a good look out of a timeout with 12 seconds left and Ulrich finishes it with 2 free throws. Eastview survives 51-48. Joey King 16 points on 4-6 shooting. All 4 FGs were 3s and 4-6 FTs. Ben Oberfeld 15 points and 4 rebounds.
Game 3: Minneapolis South vs La Crosse, WI Aquinas
The hosts Blugolds feature a bigger than previously remembered Bronson Koenig. The soph PG blew up over the spring to the point where Roy Williams of UNC is following him along with Wisconsin and Marquette offers. (Williams was rumored to attend today but didn't, he saw Marcus Paige play against Josh Oglesby last night). In a very heady play he catches outside the 3 point line just before the halftime buzzer and instead of a desperation heave, he goes to the rack and earns 2 free throws at the buzzer. Aquinas up 44-37 after 3 quarters but they haven't had a double digit lead either. South makes them pay with the 1st 8 points of the 4th quarter as Carnell Sheppard with a nice headfake and jumper followed by a Peter Goldstein tap to finish the run. 45-44 South with 5:27 left and Aquinas needs time. Koenig responds with a tough fading jumper to start a 12-2 Aquinas run. That's a 9 point lead with 1:40 left and Aquinas wins 62-55. Bronson Koenig 19 points on 8-18 shooting. Only 2 official assists but many other hockey assists and outstanding passes. He was used in all facets, off screens like a 2 guard, handling and posting a shorter defender for 3 or 4 good looks. Carnell Sheppard leads South with 21 points, 3 3s, on 7-16 shooting. Thomas Ford 15 points for South.
Game 4: St. Paul Johnson vs Milwaukee King
King came into the week #1 in Wisconsin D1 but lost to Milwaukee Riverside Friday night. Side Note: Riverside will play Hopkins Friday Night at Johnson in the East Metro Showcase. No Cinmeon Bowers for King in this one. A chaotic but even 1st half results in a 25-23 King lead at the break. The 3rd quarter does Johnson in. After Johnson tied the game to start the quarter, King went on a 17-2 run (with no Johnson timeout surprisingly) to lead 42-27. Dominique Borom 3 big triples in the run. Johnson fights back to cut the lead to 11 at the end of the 3rd. They continue the run and after a Marcus Marshall steal and 2 FTs, its 46-42 King with 5:01 left. 15-4 Johnson run across the quarter break. King makes 1 FG the last 4 minutes but converts 16 of their last 18 FTs in the quarter and Johnson can't get over the hump. King wins 67-52. Arroyo Edwards 18 points for King. Marcus Marshall 18 points for Johnson. Estan Tyler 11 points. Roosevelt Scott 10 points.
The Rest
Linn-Mar jumped out to a 18-5 lead on Madison Memorial in the 1st quarter thanks to 10 quick points from forward Josh Montague. The margin was 12 after 1 quarter and 12 at the half. Memorial fought back to cut the lead to 4 with 50 seconds left in the game, but Linn-Mar won 74-64. Another pleasure watching Marcus Paige direct the team. Matt Bohannon with a cold shooting night. Love the poise of soph Brendan Ortiz at the point. Memorial played without 6'6 Jamar Morris due to injury. Junior Lomomba with a nice night as well for Memorial.
Onalaska without star forward Nick Arenz due to a torn right ACL suffered this week but that didn't matter as they beat up on Milwaukee Bay View in the night cap. Matt Thomas playing well in that win.
The Czar's All-Classic Team
Trevor Jorgenson - Logan
Bronson Koenig - Aquinas
Marcus Paige - Linn-Mar
Arroyo Edwards - King
Joey King - Eastview
Its a special return to The Old Kingdom as I get to see all the coulee region members of the Mississippi Valley Conference. Its all part of seeing the 1st annual Midwest Players Classic at the La Crosse Center put on by La Crosse Aquinas. Premier sponsor? Pepsi. So you know I'm there. As part of my invasion of the Emperor's Palace, the trip also gives me a chance to take a look at my alma mater as La Crosse Central took on Holmen on Friday night. Holmen takes a 6 point lead to halftime thanks to 4 3s from a pair of freshmen and then holds it before scoring the last 5 points of the 3rd quarter to lead by 11. The lead is still 11 before a pair of steals for layups seals it. Holmen sends me out of the alma mater unhappy with a 54-42 win. Then its 6 games as part of the classic.
Game 1: Richfield vs La Crosse, WI Logan
Richfield had the benefit of having last night off but looked unprepared to deal with Logan's star forward Trevor Jorgenson. He scores 11 points in the post in the 1st quarter for a 22-12 lead after the 1st stanza. Richfield scores the 1st 2 buckets of the 2nd quarter to cut the lead to 6 but then the wheels fall off. Ryan Koel with a pair of 3s, Jorgensen 2 post buckets, 2 turnovers for a layup and a 3. Its a 15-0 Logan run. Koel nails his 3rd 3 of the quarter for a 46-22 Logan lead at half. 2nd half is meaningless. Logan wins 79-56. Trevor Jorgenson 25 points and 5 rebounds to lead the Rangers (swampies). Dashawn Jones 13 points to lead Richfield. Logan with 8 3s in the game. Logan senior Drew Escher with arguably the finest high school beard you'll see. And I figure out that former Wisconsin and Washington State coach (and Wisconsin coaching legend) Dick Bennett is in the building watching the games all day.
Game 2: Eastview vs DeForest, WI
Eastview coming off a tough overtime win against city rival Apple Valley Friday night and then had to play the 12:30 game. Tough turnaround. Joey King 2 1st quarter 3s for a 10-5 lead after 1 quarter. DeForest scoreless for the 1st 4:30 of the game. Chris Narum for 3 at the 1:55 mark of the 2nd quarter pushes the Eastview lead to 22-8. DeForest cuts the lead to 24-14 at the half. 37-29 Eastview after 3. Ben Oberfeld starts the 4th with a layup to extend the lead to 10. Joey King picks up 3 straight charges in the next minute. 6:39 left and King has to sit with 4 fouls while DeForest is on a run. That runs ends with DeForest's leader Brandon Staffiel stealing a pass and making 2 free throws. 40-39 DeForest with the lead and 6:07 remaining as Eastview has come unglued during the 11-0 run. Kyle Renz with the 3 point play at 4:07 for a 43-42 DeForest lead and King is back in the game. He picks up a ticky tack 5th foul with 3:35 left for 2 more Renz FTs. On the next possession, DeForest gets called for a foul and mocking applause from the Eastview bench draws a technical (the ref and the bench hadn't been getting along). 1 free throw on the T and DeForest scores on the possession, 48-45 Norskies with 3:10 left. Jacob Ulrich misses a layup but grabs the miss for 2 FTs with 1:31 left. Staffiel called for elbowing out of a trap with 1:29 left. Oberfeld can't get a layup off the inbounds to go in but DeForest with a quick bad miss on the other end. Eastview is tied up but gets the arrow with 54 seconds left. They take their last time out and run Sibley's Razor set from last year for an Oberfeld layup with 30 seconds left. DeForest can't get a good look out of a timeout with 12 seconds left and Ulrich finishes it with 2 free throws. Eastview survives 51-48. Joey King 16 points on 4-6 shooting. All 4 FGs were 3s and 4-6 FTs. Ben Oberfeld 15 points and 4 rebounds.
Game 3: Minneapolis South vs La Crosse, WI Aquinas
The hosts Blugolds feature a bigger than previously remembered Bronson Koenig. The soph PG blew up over the spring to the point where Roy Williams of UNC is following him along with Wisconsin and Marquette offers. (Williams was rumored to attend today but didn't, he saw Marcus Paige play against Josh Oglesby last night). In a very heady play he catches outside the 3 point line just before the halftime buzzer and instead of a desperation heave, he goes to the rack and earns 2 free throws at the buzzer. Aquinas up 44-37 after 3 quarters but they haven't had a double digit lead either. South makes them pay with the 1st 8 points of the 4th quarter as Carnell Sheppard with a nice headfake and jumper followed by a Peter Goldstein tap to finish the run. 45-44 South with 5:27 left and Aquinas needs time. Koenig responds with a tough fading jumper to start a 12-2 Aquinas run. That's a 9 point lead with 1:40 left and Aquinas wins 62-55. Bronson Koenig 19 points on 8-18 shooting. Only 2 official assists but many other hockey assists and outstanding passes. He was used in all facets, off screens like a 2 guard, handling and posting a shorter defender for 3 or 4 good looks. Carnell Sheppard leads South with 21 points, 3 3s, on 7-16 shooting. Thomas Ford 15 points for South.
Game 4: St. Paul Johnson vs Milwaukee King
King came into the week #1 in Wisconsin D1 but lost to Milwaukee Riverside Friday night. Side Note: Riverside will play Hopkins Friday Night at Johnson in the East Metro Showcase. No Cinmeon Bowers for King in this one. A chaotic but even 1st half results in a 25-23 King lead at the break. The 3rd quarter does Johnson in. After Johnson tied the game to start the quarter, King went on a 17-2 run (with no Johnson timeout surprisingly) to lead 42-27. Dominique Borom 3 big triples in the run. Johnson fights back to cut the lead to 11 at the end of the 3rd. They continue the run and after a Marcus Marshall steal and 2 FTs, its 46-42 King with 5:01 left. 15-4 Johnson run across the quarter break. King makes 1 FG the last 4 minutes but converts 16 of their last 18 FTs in the quarter and Johnson can't get over the hump. King wins 67-52. Arroyo Edwards 18 points for King. Marcus Marshall 18 points for Johnson. Estan Tyler 11 points. Roosevelt Scott 10 points.
The Rest
Linn-Mar jumped out to a 18-5 lead on Madison Memorial in the 1st quarter thanks to 10 quick points from forward Josh Montague. The margin was 12 after 1 quarter and 12 at the half. Memorial fought back to cut the lead to 4 with 50 seconds left in the game, but Linn-Mar won 74-64. Another pleasure watching Marcus Paige direct the team. Matt Bohannon with a cold shooting night. Love the poise of soph Brendan Ortiz at the point. Memorial played without 6'6 Jamar Morris due to injury. Junior Lomomba with a nice night as well for Memorial.
Onalaska without star forward Nick Arenz due to a torn right ACL suffered this week but that didn't matter as they beat up on Milwaukee Bay View in the night cap. Matt Thomas playing well in that win.
The Czar's All-Classic Team
Trevor Jorgenson - Logan
Bronson Koenig - Aquinas
Marcus Paige - Linn-Mar
Arroyo Edwards - King
Joey King - Eastview
36 Bolts of Lightning for Eagan
Labels:
Joey King
Prologue
Its off to Eastview to see the #5AAAA Lightning take on #4AAAA Eagan in the South Suburban opener for both teams. Some history here in a couple of ways. The important one is that its Joey King's 1st game against Eagan since leaving there as a freshman. The last game he sat out last season was the 2nd league game against them. On a lighter note, I actually passed on the pizza and subway for a hot dog. Free chips in the deal is always helpful. Usually I'm hoping for anything but a hot dog. A rare appearance by the swarm known as the Eastview Pep Band. I haven't seen a pep band that big since Lake City's band took up the entire baseline at Holy Angels during section play many moons ago. Since we have a pep band tonight, that means the song of the day comes from their set list.
Song of the Day
Carry On My Wayward Son - Kansas
JV Game Time
A wild ending to the JV game. Eastview down 3 with the ball. Player gets hammered, extremely late whistle while the rebound is bouncing around and the kid will get 3 shots with 1.5 seconds left. First 2 are good and Eagan takes timeout. No matter as the 3rd is good to tie the game. But off the make Eagan takes it right out of bounds and throws the touchdown pass to a streaking player at the opposite foul line for the easy layup to beat the buzzer for a 48-46 win.
Varsity Game Time
No Matt Hentges for Eagan as he's sitting out after suffering a concussion last week in Winona. Ryan Patterson with a 3 point play and a Ben Sicoli free throw give Eagan 4 in a row to tie the game at 4 at the 15:11 mark. Then Eagan can't buy a bucket and Joey King goes off. King with back to back 3s. Ben Oberfeld on the offensive glass for 2, Frank Veldman to the basket for 2. Timeout Eagan down 10 and its doesn't help. King with back to back hoops for another Eagan timeout, a putback and 2 on the post. Veldman with a sweet drive and dish to Oberfeld for a layup. Then a turnover results in King out on the break and he delivers a huge 2 handed facial and the foul. He misses the free throw and Veldman puts it back. 31-6 Eastview leads at the 5:55 mark. Its a 27-2 run over 9:16. Eagan stays even the rest of the half for a 37-12 halftime margin. King with 22 in the half on 10-14 shooting. Eagan's scoring combo of Ben Sicoli and Jameson Parsons 0-11 in the half for 3 points (all 3 FTs by Sicoli).
King isn't done though. He's left alone for a layup at the 17 minute mark. Parsons finally gets on the board at the 16:40 mark with a drive for 2. Darin Haugh for 3 and another Parsons drive gets him no call except a frustration technical. King makes the 2 freebies and then nails back to back triples from the left wing for 8 in a row. Timeout Eagan. 52-18 Eastview at the 13:22 mark and this one is totally over. Eastview wins 71-45.
Post Game
For Eagan, Jameson Parsons missed his 1st 8 shots on my sheet. He finishes with 7 points on 3 of 14 shooting. Ben Sicoli 1-6 for 5 points. Shea Mandli's 4 field goals leads the team. Too many jump shots and they couldn't get Parsons going. Hentges and his physical play would have been a major help. But there were probably a half dozen shots that went in and out too. Just one of those nights.
For Eastview, Joey King with the extra motivation drops 36 with 4 3s on 14-19 shooting with 4-6 at the line. Post play, 3s, fake and pull up or right to the rim, no answer for him in this one. Ben Oberfeld with another double double as he finishes with 10 points and 11 rebounds on my sheet. He averaged 14 and 10 at the Hastings tournament last week and tied the Eastview individual rebounding record with 15 boards against Duluth East in the season opener. Frank Veldman with a very good night on the defensive end giving Parsons almost no good looks. Eastview chose to leave him on an island and stay close to Parsons most of the night.
Its off to Eastview to see the #5AAAA Lightning take on #4AAAA Eagan in the South Suburban opener for both teams. Some history here in a couple of ways. The important one is that its Joey King's 1st game against Eagan since leaving there as a freshman. The last game he sat out last season was the 2nd league game against them. On a lighter note, I actually passed on the pizza and subway for a hot dog. Free chips in the deal is always helpful. Usually I'm hoping for anything but a hot dog. A rare appearance by the swarm known as the Eastview Pep Band. I haven't seen a pep band that big since Lake City's band took up the entire baseline at Holy Angels during section play many moons ago. Since we have a pep band tonight, that means the song of the day comes from their set list.
Song of the Day
Carry On My Wayward Son - Kansas
JV Game Time
A wild ending to the JV game. Eastview down 3 with the ball. Player gets hammered, extremely late whistle while the rebound is bouncing around and the kid will get 3 shots with 1.5 seconds left. First 2 are good and Eagan takes timeout. No matter as the 3rd is good to tie the game. But off the make Eagan takes it right out of bounds and throws the touchdown pass to a streaking player at the opposite foul line for the easy layup to beat the buzzer for a 48-46 win.
Varsity Game Time
No Matt Hentges for Eagan as he's sitting out after suffering a concussion last week in Winona. Ryan Patterson with a 3 point play and a Ben Sicoli free throw give Eagan 4 in a row to tie the game at 4 at the 15:11 mark. Then Eagan can't buy a bucket and Joey King goes off. King with back to back 3s. Ben Oberfeld on the offensive glass for 2, Frank Veldman to the basket for 2. Timeout Eagan down 10 and its doesn't help. King with back to back hoops for another Eagan timeout, a putback and 2 on the post. Veldman with a sweet drive and dish to Oberfeld for a layup. Then a turnover results in King out on the break and he delivers a huge 2 handed facial and the foul. He misses the free throw and Veldman puts it back. 31-6 Eastview leads at the 5:55 mark. Its a 27-2 run over 9:16. Eagan stays even the rest of the half for a 37-12 halftime margin. King with 22 in the half on 10-14 shooting. Eagan's scoring combo of Ben Sicoli and Jameson Parsons 0-11 in the half for 3 points (all 3 FTs by Sicoli).
King isn't done though. He's left alone for a layup at the 17 minute mark. Parsons finally gets on the board at the 16:40 mark with a drive for 2. Darin Haugh for 3 and another Parsons drive gets him no call except a frustration technical. King makes the 2 freebies and then nails back to back triples from the left wing for 8 in a row. Timeout Eagan. 52-18 Eastview at the 13:22 mark and this one is totally over. Eastview wins 71-45.
Post Game
For Eagan, Jameson Parsons missed his 1st 8 shots on my sheet. He finishes with 7 points on 3 of 14 shooting. Ben Sicoli 1-6 for 5 points. Shea Mandli's 4 field goals leads the team. Too many jump shots and they couldn't get Parsons going. Hentges and his physical play would have been a major help. But there were probably a half dozen shots that went in and out too. Just one of those nights.
For Eastview, Joey King with the extra motivation drops 36 with 4 3s on 14-19 shooting with 4-6 at the line. Post play, 3s, fake and pull up or right to the rim, no answer for him in this one. Ben Oberfeld with another double double as he finishes with 10 points and 11 rebounds on my sheet. He averaged 14 and 10 at the Hastings tournament last week and tied the Eastview individual rebounding record with 15 boards against Duluth East in the season opener. Frank Veldman with a very good night on the defensive end giving Parsons almost no good looks. Eastview chose to leave him on an island and stay close to Parsons most of the night.
10-11 South Suburban Preview
Labels:
10-11 Season Previews,
Joey King,
Tyus Jones
This is the 8th preview in my 2010-2011 season preview series. In this preview, we go from north to south with a look at the South Suburban Conference. For a list of all the season previews, click here.
It may not be the Lake Conference in name, but its all the same teams and the same ridiculously tough league schedule. 4 teams at the top with tons of talent back, a fast rising program right behind them and an up and coming team moving up the back of the pack. The top of the league could be the best race around. Difficult race to pick as Lakeville South matches up well with Eastview but didn't fare as well against Apple Valley. Records below are for last year's Lake Conference standings except for Prior Lake's Missota record.
Apple Valley Eagles (2009-10 season 20-8, 16-6 Conference, 2nd)
The 2nd leading scorer in the league returns. That's William and Mary commit Thomas Schalk. But of course the Eagles revolve around freshman point guard Tyus Jones. The Eagles are a different team when he's on the floor. Gavin Bronson and Josh Johnson also return. Shooter Dustin Fronk and guard Harry Sonie are youngsters to watch.
Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars (2009-10 season 7-18, 5-17 Conference, 10th)
With their ugly slowdown style, they can steal a game like they did against Apple Valley at home and at Eastview last year. 8 of the 18 losses were by 5 points or less. Guard Marcus Alipate averaged 17.8 PPG last season and is the top returner. Matt Hovila is the other returner of note. Sophomore post Reggie Lynch is making a rapid rise.
Bloomington Kennedy Eagles (2009-10 season 6-21, 4-18 Conference, 11th)
Coach Jared Nuness is gone to take a job at Baylor. Also gone are the top 4 scorers from last season including guard Deron Murphy. DeShun Patterson comes over from Jefferson to be one of the top players. A long season on the horizon.
Burnsville Blaze (2009-10 season 11-16, 8-14 Conference, 9th)
The top 2 scorers Jeff Fallat and Jack Ghizoni are gone. CJ Smith is the top returner after a nice summer with the Minnesota Magic Elite.
Eagan Wildcats (2009-10 season 16-11, 12-10 Conference, tied 6th)
Here's a team that would make a run in most other leagues. Adam Carl is gone but most everyone else is back. Jameson Parsons is a sharpshooting guard at 21.2 a night and can go off at anytime. Ben Sicoli returns to run the point. Matt Hentges is a bruising forward. Shea Mandli is a versatile post. Leading rebounder Eric Wittenburg is also back.
Eastview Lightning (2009-10 season 18-12, 14-8 Conference, tied 4th)
The most loaded team in the league. Don't let last year's record fool you and the loss of point guard Vinard Birch fool you. Once Joey King became eligible the Lightning went on an 11-2 team with the 2 losses by 3 points to Sibley at state and 4 points at Apple Valley in a game that could have gone either way. King averaged more than 16 a night. Shane McSparron and Frank Veldman are a pair of athletic wings. Soph Ben Oberfeld gives them an inside presence along with DeLaSalle transfer Sam Burt. Darin Haugh and Oshari Arnett are guards who saw varsity time last season. Point guard play will be key.
Lakeville North Panthers (2009-10 season 18-10, 14-8 Conference, tied 4th)
The high octane guard duo of Dajon Newell and Devon Knopke is gone. Alex Moore is the top returnee along with guard Al Erickson.
Lakeville South Cougars (2009-10 season 20-9, 15-7 Conference, 3rd)
Another group that is loaded and they are built for this season. Forward Alex Richter topped the league in scoring last year at 22.9 a night. He returns along with point guard Riley West. The other top 2 scorers are inside and both return. That's active Jon Christensen and Spencer Pankonin.
Prior Lake Lakers (2009-10 season 3-24, 2-12 Conference, 8th)
And now a look at the finest southern resort in The Kingdom (wasn't fair to call it Siberia so I've had a change of heart). 3-24 in the relatively down Missota and the top scorer Jake Bolks at 12.6 a night is gone along with Ryan Boegeman and Andrew Dale. Boo hoo. Kyle Repinski and Jack Harrison return. But new coach Alex Focke has some reinforcements coming. 7 footer Carson Shanks comes over from Eastview. 6'8 soph Jeff Probert and freshman point guard Jon Sabaski are also on the way up.
Rosemount Irish (2009-10 season 14-13, 11-11 Conference, 8th)
17.9 PPG from forward Zach Vraa is gone along with 11.4 from guard Toriano Tatum. And Matt Larson may be focusing on football. Center Justin Larson also graduated. Help is on the way as Rosemount has a couple of quality classes on the way. Leading the way will be 6'7 junior Matt Nelson. He's on everybody's AAU radar.
Predicted Order of Finish
Underclassmen to watch:
Tyus Jones, Dustin Fronk, Harry Sonie - Apple Valley
Reggie Lynch - Bloomington Jefferson
Ben Oberfeld - Eastview
Jon Sabaski, Carson Shanks, Jeff Probert - Prior Lake
Games that will determine the conference title
It may not be the Lake Conference in name, but its all the same teams and the same ridiculously tough league schedule. 4 teams at the top with tons of talent back, a fast rising program right behind them and an up and coming team moving up the back of the pack. The top of the league could be the best race around. Difficult race to pick as Lakeville South matches up well with Eastview but didn't fare as well against Apple Valley. Records below are for last year's Lake Conference standings except for Prior Lake's Missota record.
Apple Valley Eagles (2009-10 season 20-8, 16-6 Conference, 2nd)
The 2nd leading scorer in the league returns. That's William and Mary commit Thomas Schalk. But of course the Eagles revolve around freshman point guard Tyus Jones. The Eagles are a different team when he's on the floor. Gavin Bronson and Josh Johnson also return. Shooter Dustin Fronk and guard Harry Sonie are youngsters to watch.
Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars (2009-10 season 7-18, 5-17 Conference, 10th)
With their ugly slowdown style, they can steal a game like they did against Apple Valley at home and at Eastview last year. 8 of the 18 losses were by 5 points or less. Guard Marcus Alipate averaged 17.8 PPG last season and is the top returner. Matt Hovila is the other returner of note. Sophomore post Reggie Lynch is making a rapid rise.
Bloomington Kennedy Eagles (2009-10 season 6-21, 4-18 Conference, 11th)
Coach Jared Nuness is gone to take a job at Baylor. Also gone are the top 4 scorers from last season including guard Deron Murphy. DeShun Patterson comes over from Jefferson to be one of the top players. A long season on the horizon.
Burnsville Blaze (2009-10 season 11-16, 8-14 Conference, 9th)
The top 2 scorers Jeff Fallat and Jack Ghizoni are gone. CJ Smith is the top returner after a nice summer with the Minnesota Magic Elite.
Eagan Wildcats (2009-10 season 16-11, 12-10 Conference, tied 6th)
Here's a team that would make a run in most other leagues. Adam Carl is gone but most everyone else is back. Jameson Parsons is a sharpshooting guard at 21.2 a night and can go off at anytime. Ben Sicoli returns to run the point. Matt Hentges is a bruising forward. Shea Mandli is a versatile post. Leading rebounder Eric Wittenburg is also back.
Eastview Lightning (2009-10 season 18-12, 14-8 Conference, tied 4th)
The most loaded team in the league. Don't let last year's record fool you and the loss of point guard Vinard Birch fool you. Once Joey King became eligible the Lightning went on an 11-2 team with the 2 losses by 3 points to Sibley at state and 4 points at Apple Valley in a game that could have gone either way. King averaged more than 16 a night. Shane McSparron and Frank Veldman are a pair of athletic wings. Soph Ben Oberfeld gives them an inside presence along with DeLaSalle transfer Sam Burt. Darin Haugh and Oshari Arnett are guards who saw varsity time last season. Point guard play will be key.
Lakeville North Panthers (2009-10 season 18-10, 14-8 Conference, tied 4th)
The high octane guard duo of Dajon Newell and Devon Knopke is gone. Alex Moore is the top returnee along with guard Al Erickson.
Lakeville South Cougars (2009-10 season 20-9, 15-7 Conference, 3rd)
Another group that is loaded and they are built for this season. Forward Alex Richter topped the league in scoring last year at 22.9 a night. He returns along with point guard Riley West. The other top 2 scorers are inside and both return. That's active Jon Christensen and Spencer Pankonin.
Prior Lake Lakers (2009-10 season 3-24, 2-12 Conference, 8th)
And now a look at the finest southern resort in The Kingdom (wasn't fair to call it Siberia so I've had a change of heart). 3-24 in the relatively down Missota and the top scorer Jake Bolks at 12.6 a night is gone along with Ryan Boegeman and Andrew Dale. Boo hoo. Kyle Repinski and Jack Harrison return. But new coach Alex Focke has some reinforcements coming. 7 footer Carson Shanks comes over from Eastview. 6'8 soph Jeff Probert and freshman point guard Jon Sabaski are also on the way up.
Rosemount Irish (2009-10 season 14-13, 11-11 Conference, 8th)
17.9 PPG from forward Zach Vraa is gone along with 11.4 from guard Toriano Tatum. And Matt Larson may be focusing on football. Center Justin Larson also graduated. Help is on the way as Rosemount has a couple of quality classes on the way. Leading the way will be 6'7 junior Matt Nelson. He's on everybody's AAU radar.
Predicted Order of Finish
- Eastview
- Apple Valley
- Lakeville South
- Eagan
- Bloomington Jefferson
- Lakeville North
- Rosemount
- Prior Lake
- Burnsville
- Bloomington Kennedy
Underclassmen to watch:
Tyus Jones, Dustin Fronk, Harry Sonie - Apple Valley
Reggie Lynch - Bloomington Jefferson
Ben Oberfeld - Eastview
Jon Sabaski, Carson Shanks, Jeff Probert - Prior Lake
Games that will determine the conference title
- Lakeville South at Apple Valley - Jan 7th
- Apple Valley at Eastview - Jan 14th
- Eastview at Lakeville South - Jan 25th
- Lakeville South at Eagan - Jan 28th
- Eastview at Eagan - Feb 4th
- Apple Valley at Lakeville South - Feb 8th
- Eastview at Apple Valley - Feb 15th
- Apple Valley at Eagan - Feb 18th
- Lakeville South at Eastview - Feb 25th
- St. Paul Johnson at Lakeville South - Dec 3rd
- Duluth East at Eastview - Dec 3rd
- Eastview vs Waconia - Dec 11th (Breakdown Tipoff Classic)
- Apple Valley vs Tartan - Dec 11th (Breakdown Tipoff Classic)
- Apple Valley at Chaska - Dec 14th
- Hopkins at Lakeville South - Dec 14th
- Apple Valley at Eden Prairie - Dec 17th
- Apple Valley at Granite City Classic Tournament- Dec 28th-30th (St. Cloud Apollo)
- Shakopee at Lakeville South - Dec 29th (Projected Lakeville Rotary championship)
- Eastview at Midwest Players Classic - Jan 15th (La Crosse, WI)
Pacesetter Sweet 16 Thoughts
Labels:
2010 Pacesetter Sweet 16,
Joe Coleman,
Joey King,
Tyus Jones
Here are my observations from the 2010 Pacesetter Sweet 16
Love the setup at St Ben's. The 4 court activity center gives plenty of room to move around and watch games. Not the cramped atmosphere we see on the AAU circuit. Have to like the pizza too. Lots of players coming down with ankle injuries this weekend though. Not good. Its hard to beat a quality look and one of the players from Waterville-Elysian-Morristown was sporting the blonde hair and a yellow headband. Hard not to mistake him for evil Johnny from The Karate Kid. With the black uniforms, WEM = Cobra Kai?
As to my predictions. 6-2 in the openers. 2-2 for winner's semis and I get the 1st and 3rd place finishers right. 10-4. 1-7 in the consolation bracket puts me at 11-11 for the weekend.
Saturday didn't feature much in the way of competitive games. However, it did have the story of the weekend, huge individual performances. I took in all of Ellsworth vs Orono. Jordan Smith goes off for 8 triples and 32 points in Orono's easy win. Casey Schilling with 31 points doing what he wanted for Ellsworth. Best game of Saturday that I saw was Lakeville South vs St. Cloud Apollo. Apollo comes from 10 down in the 4th quarter to take a 51-49 lead but Lakeville South moves on with a 62-54 win. Best story of the weekend is Alex Richter returning from Pump N Run's tournament in Los Angeles at 1:30 Saturday morning and thinking he wasn't going to play. But then he read my preview where I picked Apollo and decided to play. Coaches, if you need bulletin board material, please contact me. Braham took on Ellsworth in the opening round of the consolation bracket and what a shootout. Tyler Vaughan with 48 for Braham. Casey Schilling ices the game late at the foul line and finishes with 46. When talking about the state's top shooters, Vaughan needs to be in that discussion.
To Sunday and what a way to start my day with Hopkins vs Apple Valley. No Marvin Singleton as he suffered a high ankle sprain yesterday and may be down for 2 months. Apple Valley with 3 quick 3s thanks to a pair of Tyus assists and they lead 11-6 at 6:15 of the first quarter. Hopkins dominates the rest of the quarter for a 28-17 at the end of the first quarter. Jones with a pullup at the 4 minute mark that cuts the Hopkins lead to 36-33. 46-42 Hopkins as we go to the break. Apple Valley already down 1 big guy and Dustin Fronk's 14 points (4 3s) won't play the rest of the way as he came down really hard on his back just before halftime.
Joe Coleman goes for 14 points in the 3rd quarter. Jones struggles with a handful of forced shots in the quarter thanks to Thomas Schalk being in foul trouble all game. Hopkins goes to the 4th with a 70-54 lead. Then the Tyus Jones show starts. He scores 19 of the 1st 21 Apple Valley points in the quarter. That cuts the Hopkins lead to 81-75 with 4 minutes left. Jones with another 3 with 45 seconds left to cut the lead to 2 but Apple Valley gets no closer. Hopkins moves on to the title game with a 96-89 win. Jones goes for 24 of his 40 points in the 4th quarter. 12-29 from the floor, 14-16 from the line with a pair of 3s. 6 of his 7 turnovers were in the 1st half. Coleman finishes with 32 points but very little from outside. He had 1 triple and maybe 1 other jumper. Everything else at the rim. Siyani Chambers with 27 points and 5 assists.
MTS took on Ellsworth in the consolation bracket final. MTS gets off to a quick start to lead 20-9 after quarter 1 as Ellsworth can't buy a bucket. But they comeback to close the margin to 40-38 at halftime. 56-50 MTS after the 3rd quarter and they pull away in the 4th for a 82-63 win. Casey Schilling with 17 points in the 1st half but a very quiet 2nd half with only a pair of triples. Rodney Owens 20 points and Kyle Noreen with 23 points. Noreen a glue guy for this MTS roster with Owens creating the offense off the bounce.
Hopkins took on Eastview in the championship bracket final. This one all Hopkins and once again Joe Coleman getting to the rim at will. He finishes with 28 points and 8 rebounds. Siyani Chambers only 10 points, but he was outstanding distributing the ball for 7 assists. Joey King with a double double of 12 points and 12 boards. His shooting was off this weekend but he was wearing different contacts due to an eye infection. Shane McSparron is your classic slasher and he topped Eastview with 15 points. Nice work by a couple of unheralded bigs inside in Jacob Peterson of Hopkins and soph Ben Oberfeld of Eastview.
Other finishes in the championship bracket. Apple Valley def Lakeville South 84-77 for 3rd. Benilde-St. Margaret's 84-77 over Orono for 5th. Windom 64-53 over Plainview-Elgin-Millville for 7th.
Consolation bracket finishes include St. Cloud Apollo def Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa for 3rd. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown over Braham 74-56 for 5th, Waconia 91-83 over Sebeka for 7th in the consolation bracket.
My All-Tournament Team
Love the setup at St Ben's. The 4 court activity center gives plenty of room to move around and watch games. Not the cramped atmosphere we see on the AAU circuit. Have to like the pizza too. Lots of players coming down with ankle injuries this weekend though. Not good. Its hard to beat a quality look and one of the players from Waterville-Elysian-Morristown was sporting the blonde hair and a yellow headband. Hard not to mistake him for evil Johnny from The Karate Kid. With the black uniforms, WEM = Cobra Kai?
As to my predictions. 6-2 in the openers. 2-2 for winner's semis and I get the 1st and 3rd place finishers right. 10-4. 1-7 in the consolation bracket puts me at 11-11 for the weekend.
Saturday didn't feature much in the way of competitive games. However, it did have the story of the weekend, huge individual performances. I took in all of Ellsworth vs Orono. Jordan Smith goes off for 8 triples and 32 points in Orono's easy win. Casey Schilling with 31 points doing what he wanted for Ellsworth. Best game of Saturday that I saw was Lakeville South vs St. Cloud Apollo. Apollo comes from 10 down in the 4th quarter to take a 51-49 lead but Lakeville South moves on with a 62-54 win. Best story of the weekend is Alex Richter returning from Pump N Run's tournament in Los Angeles at 1:30 Saturday morning and thinking he wasn't going to play. But then he read my preview where I picked Apollo and decided to play. Coaches, if you need bulletin board material, please contact me. Braham took on Ellsworth in the opening round of the consolation bracket and what a shootout. Tyler Vaughan with 48 for Braham. Casey Schilling ices the game late at the foul line and finishes with 46. When talking about the state's top shooters, Vaughan needs to be in that discussion.
To Sunday and what a way to start my day with Hopkins vs Apple Valley. No Marvin Singleton as he suffered a high ankle sprain yesterday and may be down for 2 months. Apple Valley with 3 quick 3s thanks to a pair of Tyus assists and they lead 11-6 at 6:15 of the first quarter. Hopkins dominates the rest of the quarter for a 28-17 at the end of the first quarter. Jones with a pullup at the 4 minute mark that cuts the Hopkins lead to 36-33. 46-42 Hopkins as we go to the break. Apple Valley already down 1 big guy and Dustin Fronk's 14 points (4 3s) won't play the rest of the way as he came down really hard on his back just before halftime.
Joe Coleman goes for 14 points in the 3rd quarter. Jones struggles with a handful of forced shots in the quarter thanks to Thomas Schalk being in foul trouble all game. Hopkins goes to the 4th with a 70-54 lead. Then the Tyus Jones show starts. He scores 19 of the 1st 21 Apple Valley points in the quarter. That cuts the Hopkins lead to 81-75 with 4 minutes left. Jones with another 3 with 45 seconds left to cut the lead to 2 but Apple Valley gets no closer. Hopkins moves on to the title game with a 96-89 win. Jones goes for 24 of his 40 points in the 4th quarter. 12-29 from the floor, 14-16 from the line with a pair of 3s. 6 of his 7 turnovers were in the 1st half. Coleman finishes with 32 points but very little from outside. He had 1 triple and maybe 1 other jumper. Everything else at the rim. Siyani Chambers with 27 points and 5 assists.
MTS took on Ellsworth in the consolation bracket final. MTS gets off to a quick start to lead 20-9 after quarter 1 as Ellsworth can't buy a bucket. But they comeback to close the margin to 40-38 at halftime. 56-50 MTS after the 3rd quarter and they pull away in the 4th for a 82-63 win. Casey Schilling with 17 points in the 1st half but a very quiet 2nd half with only a pair of triples. Rodney Owens 20 points and Kyle Noreen with 23 points. Noreen a glue guy for this MTS roster with Owens creating the offense off the bounce.
Hopkins took on Eastview in the championship bracket final. This one all Hopkins and once again Joe Coleman getting to the rim at will. He finishes with 28 points and 8 rebounds. Siyani Chambers only 10 points, but he was outstanding distributing the ball for 7 assists. Joey King with a double double of 12 points and 12 boards. His shooting was off this weekend but he was wearing different contacts due to an eye infection. Shane McSparron is your classic slasher and he topped Eastview with 15 points. Nice work by a couple of unheralded bigs inside in Jacob Peterson of Hopkins and soph Ben Oberfeld of Eastview.
Other finishes in the championship bracket. Apple Valley def Lakeville South 84-77 for 3rd. Benilde-St. Margaret's 84-77 over Orono for 5th. Windom 64-53 over Plainview-Elgin-Millville for 7th.
Consolation bracket finishes include St. Cloud Apollo def Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa for 3rd. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown over Braham 74-56 for 5th, Waconia 91-83 over Sebeka for 7th in the consolation bracket.
My All-Tournament Team
- Joe Coleman - Hopkins (MVP). Most dominant player of the weekend
- Siyani Chambers - Hopkins. Coached his group along with leading the way from the point and adding scoring from his point guard spot.
- Tyus Jones - Apple Valley. He may have pressed when Schalk was out of the game but 24 points vs Chambers with Schalk in the game and almost single handedly bringing his team back by scoring instead of passing is a huge step for him.
- Rodney Owens - MTS. Only loss was to runner-up Eastview. His play was the major reason MTS won the consolation championship
- Casey Schilling - Ellsworth. Had very little help all weekend but was a huge force in at least 3 of their 4 games. Great work at the end of the Braham game making sure he had the ball in his hands to make 9-10 FTs late to seal that victory.
2010 State Tourney Preview
Labels:
Joey King
Here are my thoughts on the 3A and 4A opening round games for the 2010 State Tournament.
Class 4A
Hopkins vs Forest Lake. Forest Lake plays a style that can frustrate teams, especially if they go 1-3-1 in this one. I think they have to as Duluth East was too much to handle man-man. Hopkins is more than that but they'll have to execute against the zone and not gamble vs the patient 5-out offense. I'll take Hopkins in this one.
Eastview vs Sibley. A pair of teams on fire right now with Eastview rolling since the return of Joey King and Sibley hasn't been beaten since the TWolves Shootout. Mike Rostampour vs the physical Eastview defense is something to watch. Rostampour will have to stay out of foul trouble as he's the best matchup to try and slow down King. I also expect to see a matchup of Vinard Birch and Jordan Jackson during the game. I think Sibley has too much offense in this one so the move on.
Owatonna vs Eden Prairie. Owatonna comes out of a weak Big 9 with a win over Hastings in the section 1 championship. Eden Prairie waltzed through section 2 and their defense is way too much in this one. I take the Eagles to win easily.
St. Cloud Tech vs Champlin Park. Don't be surprised if this is the best game of the AAAA quarterfinals. Champlin Park with more weapons on offense but the backcourt combo of Scott Nystrom and Alex Hanks for Tech can fill it up. Kyle Zimmerman is a tough matchup for Tech, interesting to see if Tech will use Hanks on him at any point. Tech keeps this one close and low-scoring, but the Rebels have too much offense in the end.
So that leaves us with Sibley vs Hopkins and Champlin Park vs Eden Prairie. Sibley vs Hopkins would feel like a state title game, too bad its the 6 PM game on Thursday.
Class 3A
Hutchinson vs Johnson. If you haven't experienced Johnson during the year, its really hard to grasp just how good they are defensively. Play zone, pack it in tight and make Johnson slow down and make shots. Then don't give Johnson easy points off of turnovers. Johnson is a heavy favorite, but that strategy will allow Hutch to keep it close.
Orono vs Winona. This is game for me that has the most intrigue. Orono will throw the kitchen sink of traps at Winona's guards to try and offset the huge size advantage of Alec Brown and Mark Blacklock inside. You'll see zone traps, full court pressure, man pressure with run and jump along with some scramble. Very hard to prepare for them which makes their 2 wins over league rivals in section play more impressive. If I'm Winona, I put Brown in the high post/top of the key area to break pressure and let him feed Blacklock down low all night. Nothing like a 7-footer to be a 1 man press break. Expect Winona to go zone which will give Orono plenty of looks from deep. If Orono gets a lead in this one and forces Winona to come out and play man, then it could out of hand. Orono loves to play spread ball and its not a good matchup for Winona to come out and play against it.
De La Salle vs Little Falls. Dan Kornbaum will have to work to get his as there's no secret on the DLS strategy. Front him, pressure the ball and get back side help. The supporting cast will have to step up for the Flyers. Jonah Travis is athletic enough to front and make the lob difficult but he has to stay out of foul trouble. If you're Little Falls, hopefully you've worked on defending flare screens as DLS runs more of them, better and more points than anybody. Expect a slow pace with both teams having to work to generate their offense.
Benilde-St. Margaret's vs Grand Rapids. I don't like this matchup at all for Grand Rapids. Their strengths are all better strengths for BSM and the Red Knights are deeper. Peter Crawford, Seth Marx and Isaiah Zierden all matchup really well with Erik Stark, Austin Pohlen and Michael Johnson. Grand Rapids has the experience of tough games this year so I think they keep it respectable but BSM wins.
1 semifinal would be a dynamite rematch between Benilde-St. Margaret's and De La Salle. A shame that those would be the day games at Target Center on Thursday. Johnson vs Winona if it happens would be another very interesting size vs speed matchup.
Final Predictions
No surprise here but I have to take Johnson in 3A and Hopkins to win 4A.
Class 4A
Hopkins vs Forest Lake. Forest Lake plays a style that can frustrate teams, especially if they go 1-3-1 in this one. I think they have to as Duluth East was too much to handle man-man. Hopkins is more than that but they'll have to execute against the zone and not gamble vs the patient 5-out offense. I'll take Hopkins in this one.
Eastview vs Sibley. A pair of teams on fire right now with Eastview rolling since the return of Joey King and Sibley hasn't been beaten since the TWolves Shootout. Mike Rostampour vs the physical Eastview defense is something to watch. Rostampour will have to stay out of foul trouble as he's the best matchup to try and slow down King. I also expect to see a matchup of Vinard Birch and Jordan Jackson during the game. I think Sibley has too much offense in this one so the move on.
Owatonna vs Eden Prairie. Owatonna comes out of a weak Big 9 with a win over Hastings in the section 1 championship. Eden Prairie waltzed through section 2 and their defense is way too much in this one. I take the Eagles to win easily.
St. Cloud Tech vs Champlin Park. Don't be surprised if this is the best game of the AAAA quarterfinals. Champlin Park with more weapons on offense but the backcourt combo of Scott Nystrom and Alex Hanks for Tech can fill it up. Kyle Zimmerman is a tough matchup for Tech, interesting to see if Tech will use Hanks on him at any point. Tech keeps this one close and low-scoring, but the Rebels have too much offense in the end.
So that leaves us with Sibley vs Hopkins and Champlin Park vs Eden Prairie. Sibley vs Hopkins would feel like a state title game, too bad its the 6 PM game on Thursday.
Class 3A
Hutchinson vs Johnson. If you haven't experienced Johnson during the year, its really hard to grasp just how good they are defensively. Play zone, pack it in tight and make Johnson slow down and make shots. Then don't give Johnson easy points off of turnovers. Johnson is a heavy favorite, but that strategy will allow Hutch to keep it close.
Orono vs Winona. This is game for me that has the most intrigue. Orono will throw the kitchen sink of traps at Winona's guards to try and offset the huge size advantage of Alec Brown and Mark Blacklock inside. You'll see zone traps, full court pressure, man pressure with run and jump along with some scramble. Very hard to prepare for them which makes their 2 wins over league rivals in section play more impressive. If I'm Winona, I put Brown in the high post/top of the key area to break pressure and let him feed Blacklock down low all night. Nothing like a 7-footer to be a 1 man press break. Expect Winona to go zone which will give Orono plenty of looks from deep. If Orono gets a lead in this one and forces Winona to come out and play man, then it could out of hand. Orono loves to play spread ball and its not a good matchup for Winona to come out and play against it.
De La Salle vs Little Falls. Dan Kornbaum will have to work to get his as there's no secret on the DLS strategy. Front him, pressure the ball and get back side help. The supporting cast will have to step up for the Flyers. Jonah Travis is athletic enough to front and make the lob difficult but he has to stay out of foul trouble. If you're Little Falls, hopefully you've worked on defending flare screens as DLS runs more of them, better and more points than anybody. Expect a slow pace with both teams having to work to generate their offense.
Benilde-St. Margaret's vs Grand Rapids. I don't like this matchup at all for Grand Rapids. Their strengths are all better strengths for BSM and the Red Knights are deeper. Peter Crawford, Seth Marx and Isaiah Zierden all matchup really well with Erik Stark, Austin Pohlen and Michael Johnson. Grand Rapids has the experience of tough games this year so I think they keep it respectable but BSM wins.
1 semifinal would be a dynamite rematch between Benilde-St. Margaret's and De La Salle. A shame that those would be the day games at Target Center on Thursday. Johnson vs Winona if it happens would be another very interesting size vs speed matchup.
Final Predictions
No surprise here but I have to take Johnson in 3A and Hopkins to win 4A.
2010 Class AAAA Section Final Keys
Labels:
Joey King
Here's some thoughts on the 7 class AAAA finals to be played the next 2 nights.
Section 1: Hastings vs Owatonna (at Rochester)
Owatonna is stingy defensively giving up 50.4 points per game, 2nd in AAAA Hastings will need to get their forward due of Shane Monjeau and Nick Gmiterko (34.7 PPG) going. If 1 of those guys has an off night, Hastings could be in trouble. Based on common opponents Rochester Century and Rochester John Marshall, this one could should be close.
Section 2: Chaska vs Eden Prairie (at Chanhassen)
Perfect site right between both schools which is rare in class AAAA. With Ross Travis, EP won handily at home. Without Travis, Chaska took EP to the wire at Chaska. Strange. Strong front lines for each team. Brett Ervin has come up big for Eden Prairie in both games with 49 total points. Jake White with a pair of respectable games but no body else for Chaska has cleared 10 points. Not surprising since Eden Prairie is #4 in AAAA allowing just 51 points a game. If I'm Chaska, I take a wash from the guard play and a wash from White/Ervin. That leaves Ross Travis to come up big. Max Watts was injured for Chaska in the regular season finale 2 weeks ago, his shooting would come in handy in this one. Grant Soderburg can knock down shots for Eden Prairie so Chaska will need to find him.
Section 3: Eastview vs Lakeville South (at St. Olaf)
The only section where a 1 seed doesn't make the championship game. This matchup guarantees the Lake Conference a second team in the state tournament. Once Joey King returned, Eastview was the best team in the league going 8-1 down the stretch. Eastview won a tight one at home against South 64-61 on February 23rd. While King and Vinard Birch are difficult matchups for South, Alex Richter is a tough matchup for Eastview. South needs to take care of the ball and find a second scorer behind Richter. The battle of Riley West and Birch at the point is critical. Both are quality defenders and second scorers for their teams. That battle could go a long way in determining who wins as I see King and Richter getting their points.
Section 4: Sibley vs Cretin-Derham Hall (at East Ridge)
Hopefully we get the most intriguing matchup of the playoffs, Mike Rostampour against Seantrel Henderson. 2 beasts down low laying the lumber would be a site to see. More likely we'll see some of Jake Kreuser using his length against Henderson. Cortez Tillman likely out at the point guard spot for CDH with a sprained foot. That means Raijon Kelly moves over to play point. He did it last year but he's been a scorer this year, tough balancing act for him. For Sibley, you have to be prepared for the high/low set with Henderson and the 2-3 zone trap from CDH. Guys like Jimmy Ryan will need to make shots against that zone. For CDH, keep Jordan Jackson under control with Elliot Owusu and Taylor Montero. Henderson and Rostampour are both monsters on the offensive glass, those numbers have to be limited.
Section 5: Champlin Park vs Robbinsdale Cooper (at Rogers)
Discussion here has to begin with Calvin Godfrey of Cooper. If he goes nuts for 30+ like he did in the semis vs Mounds View, then Cooper wins easily. If he's in foul trouble and on the bench, then things even out and Cooper becomes an up and down team and the game becomes about tempo. Cooper has plenty of guys who can score in Terrance Averyheart and Darry Jones just to name 2 double figure guys. Elijah Swen and Terry Glass have also come up big at times this year for the Hawks. Defensively they matchup well with the Rebels too with athletes and bigs like Brandon Harrison to play against Kyle Zimmerman.
Section 7: Forest Lake vs Duluth East (at Elk River)
Forest Lake has a monkey on their back losing the section title game the last 2 years and lost both regular season meetings with Duluth East. The third time is for all the marbles. Duluth East won by 4 at Forest Lake and 6 in the Granite City tournament over the holidays. Dyami Starks has had a monster year and he leads a high powered offense. Soph Johnny Woodard not only can fill it up but he also gets the toughest defensive assignment and a tough one it is. Zach Riedeman has lit the Greyhounds up for 30 and 34 in the 2 games but with minimal help. Hard to figure Duluth East with 2 wins (road and neutral) over the Rangers but a really bad home loss to Bloomington Jefferson. Both teams had tough semifinal games. Duluth East's defense is the key.
Section 8: Buffalo vs St. Cloud Tech (at St. Cloud State)
A real battle here. Tech has enough offense to win this with Scott Nystrom and Alex Hanks. But besides those 2 and Thomas Korf, they got nothing in their semifinal win. Buffalo is tough as nails and won the regular season meeting. Brent Kettenacker can knock down shots and Aaron Duske is an effective inside outside threat. If Tech can get out and run that will be to their advantage. Buffalo grinds it out and really lock you down defensively.
Section 1: Hastings vs Owatonna (at Rochester)
Owatonna is stingy defensively giving up 50.4 points per game, 2nd in AAAA Hastings will need to get their forward due of Shane Monjeau and Nick Gmiterko (34.7 PPG) going. If 1 of those guys has an off night, Hastings could be in trouble. Based on common opponents Rochester Century and Rochester John Marshall, this one could should be close.
Section 2: Chaska vs Eden Prairie (at Chanhassen)
Perfect site right between both schools which is rare in class AAAA. With Ross Travis, EP won handily at home. Without Travis, Chaska took EP to the wire at Chaska. Strange. Strong front lines for each team. Brett Ervin has come up big for Eden Prairie in both games with 49 total points. Jake White with a pair of respectable games but no body else for Chaska has cleared 10 points. Not surprising since Eden Prairie is #4 in AAAA allowing just 51 points a game. If I'm Chaska, I take a wash from the guard play and a wash from White/Ervin. That leaves Ross Travis to come up big. Max Watts was injured for Chaska in the regular season finale 2 weeks ago, his shooting would come in handy in this one. Grant Soderburg can knock down shots for Eden Prairie so Chaska will need to find him.
Section 3: Eastview vs Lakeville South (at St. Olaf)
The only section where a 1 seed doesn't make the championship game. This matchup guarantees the Lake Conference a second team in the state tournament. Once Joey King returned, Eastview was the best team in the league going 8-1 down the stretch. Eastview won a tight one at home against South 64-61 on February 23rd. While King and Vinard Birch are difficult matchups for South, Alex Richter is a tough matchup for Eastview. South needs to take care of the ball and find a second scorer behind Richter. The battle of Riley West and Birch at the point is critical. Both are quality defenders and second scorers for their teams. That battle could go a long way in determining who wins as I see King and Richter getting their points.
Section 4: Sibley vs Cretin-Derham Hall (at East Ridge)
Hopefully we get the most intriguing matchup of the playoffs, Mike Rostampour against Seantrel Henderson. 2 beasts down low laying the lumber would be a site to see. More likely we'll see some of Jake Kreuser using his length against Henderson. Cortez Tillman likely out at the point guard spot for CDH with a sprained foot. That means Raijon Kelly moves over to play point. He did it last year but he's been a scorer this year, tough balancing act for him. For Sibley, you have to be prepared for the high/low set with Henderson and the 2-3 zone trap from CDH. Guys like Jimmy Ryan will need to make shots against that zone. For CDH, keep Jordan Jackson under control with Elliot Owusu and Taylor Montero. Henderson and Rostampour are both monsters on the offensive glass, those numbers have to be limited.
Section 5: Champlin Park vs Robbinsdale Cooper (at Rogers)
Discussion here has to begin with Calvin Godfrey of Cooper. If he goes nuts for 30+ like he did in the semis vs Mounds View, then Cooper wins easily. If he's in foul trouble and on the bench, then things even out and Cooper becomes an up and down team and the game becomes about tempo. Cooper has plenty of guys who can score in Terrance Averyheart and Darry Jones just to name 2 double figure guys. Elijah Swen and Terry Glass have also come up big at times this year for the Hawks. Defensively they matchup well with the Rebels too with athletes and bigs like Brandon Harrison to play against Kyle Zimmerman.
Section 7: Forest Lake vs Duluth East (at Elk River)
Forest Lake has a monkey on their back losing the section title game the last 2 years and lost both regular season meetings with Duluth East. The third time is for all the marbles. Duluth East won by 4 at Forest Lake and 6 in the Granite City tournament over the holidays. Dyami Starks has had a monster year and he leads a high powered offense. Soph Johnny Woodard not only can fill it up but he also gets the toughest defensive assignment and a tough one it is. Zach Riedeman has lit the Greyhounds up for 30 and 34 in the 2 games but with minimal help. Hard to figure Duluth East with 2 wins (road and neutral) over the Rangers but a really bad home loss to Bloomington Jefferson. Both teams had tough semifinal games. Duluth East's defense is the key.
Section 8: Buffalo vs St. Cloud Tech (at St. Cloud State)
A real battle here. Tech has enough offense to win this with Scott Nystrom and Alex Hanks. But besides those 2 and Thomas Korf, they got nothing in their semifinal win. Buffalo is tough as nails and won the regular season meeting. Brent Kettenacker can knock down shots and Aaron Duske is an effective inside outside threat. If Tech can get out and run that will be to their advantage. Buffalo grinds it out and really lock you down defensively.
2009 AAU District Championship 15U Predictions
Labels:
2009 AAU District Championships,
Joey King
Predictions for the 2009 15U AAU District Championships
5 playin games here. The 2 43 Hoops teams take on each other. The Daniels squad is a little beat up and Gameli's team took a beating from Pump N Run last weekend. Best game of the playins, give me the Daniels squad thanks to the year age difference. Pump N Run over TC Elite White, Howard Pulley White over Fury, Comets Blue over TC Elite Green and MN Heat Elite over TC Elite Black.
Quarters: I think the Suns are vulnerable in the game vs 43 Hoops. They didn't impress me last weekend despite a 3-0 record. Good matchup of guards with Darian Pittman against the slew of guards that coach Daniels has in Maleek McHenry (brother of Angelo Johnson if I recall correctly), Marcus Marshall and Tommy McDermott. I'll take the upset here.
Pump N Run vs Howard Pulley White. Intense game here that should be close. I'll take Pump N Run. Magic Elite vs Comets Elite should be a very fun game as well. Southside vs Heat shapes up to be a nice game as well. I'll take Magic and Southside to play each other in the bottom half.
Semis: 43 Hoops Daniels vs Pump N Run and Southside vs Magic. Bright and early 8:15 Sunday morning too, yuck. Note to congress, I'd prefer noon but I'd take 9 AM as law that no basketball should be played before that time. Both of those games should be outstanding. Joey King too much and Southside moves on. Pump N Run will have to deal with the size of 43 Hoops. 43 Hoops has been up and down and Pump N Run played well last weekend, I'll take PNR here with either end result not being a surprise.
Final: Southside took it to Pump N Run last weekend. No good matchup for Pump N Run against Joey King. Southside wins the title. But PNR has 2 or 3 wins over Southside, don't be surprised if they win it. (OK, it sounds like the season series may be a 1-1 split)
5 playin games here. The 2 43 Hoops teams take on each other. The Daniels squad is a little beat up and Gameli's team took a beating from Pump N Run last weekend. Best game of the playins, give me the Daniels squad thanks to the year age difference. Pump N Run over TC Elite White, Howard Pulley White over Fury, Comets Blue over TC Elite Green and MN Heat Elite over TC Elite Black.
Quarters: I think the Suns are vulnerable in the game vs 43 Hoops. They didn't impress me last weekend despite a 3-0 record. Good matchup of guards with Darian Pittman against the slew of guards that coach Daniels has in Maleek McHenry (brother of Angelo Johnson if I recall correctly), Marcus Marshall and Tommy McDermott. I'll take the upset here.
Pump N Run vs Howard Pulley White. Intense game here that should be close. I'll take Pump N Run. Magic Elite vs Comets Elite should be a very fun game as well. Southside vs Heat shapes up to be a nice game as well. I'll take Magic and Southside to play each other in the bottom half.
Semis: 43 Hoops Daniels vs Pump N Run and Southside vs Magic. Bright and early 8:15 Sunday morning too, yuck. Note to congress, I'd prefer noon but I'd take 9 AM as law that no basketball should be played before that time. Both of those games should be outstanding. Joey King too much and Southside moves on. Pump N Run will have to deal with the size of 43 Hoops. 43 Hoops has been up and down and Pump N Run played well last weekend, I'll take PNR here with either end result not being a surprise.
Final: Southside took it to Pump N Run last weekend. No good matchup for Pump N Run against Joey King. Southside wins the title. But PNR has 2 or 3 wins over Southside, don't be surprised if they win it. (OK, it sounds like the season series may be a 1-1 split)
Weekend at the 2009 AAU District Qualifier
Labels:
2009 AAU District Qualifier,
Joey King
16 sessions of games this weekend at the AAU qualifier. Let's look at results and highlights of the weekend.
17U (top 2 play D1 next weekend)
Pool A: Comets-Hanson, Triple Threat, MSB, Magic Blue (No surprises). Triple Threat won a pair of close games over MSB and Magic Blue to claim the 2 spot in that pool
Pool B: Fury Elite, Comets-Seevers, Magic Black, River City Cougars (Comets were the 3rd team in the pool, but all 3 of the top teams were worthy, not a major surprise there). On Saturday, Comets-Seevers got 12 points in the last 5 minutes from Scott Nystrom to defeat Magic Black 62-60. Those 12 points included a steal and coast to coast layup in the last 5 seconds in an amazing finish. Magic Black had a chance to potentially eliminate the Comets from the 2 spot, but lost 80-60 on Sunday to MN Fury Elite. Nice performance from Jake Wensmann in that one for the Fury Elites. I did an audio interview on the Fury Elite vs Comets Seevers game for MN Preps yesterday. Read the article and access my interview here.
Pool C: As expected, TNL, TC Elite, MN Fury Gold and Old Skool. TC Elite now without Alex Koch who has moved on to MN Select. Huge loss for them. TNL had to fight to sweep the pool. On Sunday, they went down to the wire with TC Elite. Tied at 41 with 5 minutes left, TNL goes on a 10-0 run over the next 2 minutes. But a dicey 3 by Sewer results in 2 David Rademacher FTs for TC Elite and they're within 54-52 with 40 seconds left. TC Elite doesn't foul and Devon Knopke gets called for a carry with 18 seconds left. Aaron McCrossan's attempt at the horn is no good and TNL survives that game 54-52. In Sunday's late game, TNL got another big game from Jay Sewer (big in the TC Elite game too, I had him for 24 in this game vs Fury Gold). 79-67 TNL sweeps the pool. TC Elite earned the 2 slot in the pool with a 67-62 win over Fury Gold on Friday night.
Pool D: #4 overall and top seed in the pool MN Glory go 0-3 and were blown out by 22+ in their 2 Sunday games. Pump N Run 16s win the pool with MN Heat Select finishing 2nd and Comets Blue 3rd. Pump N Run defeated Glory 67-44 in Sunday morning's opener. PNR 35-44 FTs to Glory's 16-21. Alex Richter 16 points for PNR. They opened Saturday morning with 21 points from Richter in a 62-37 win over Heat Select. Heat Select routed Glory 89-67 on Sunday afternoon (14-1 start) to take the 2nd spot in the pool.
Pool E: Redhawks def Heat Elite in the 6 vs 5 game at the top of pool E for the 1 and 2 spots. Comets North and Wear Out The Net finish 3 and 4. On Sunday, the Redhawks had a 2 point lead on the MN Heat Elite at halftime. Taylor Hanson ignited a big 3 quarter run as the Redhawks won the 3rd quarter 26-12. 71-53 Redhawks win the pool and Heat Elite finish 2nd with the loss.
16U (top 2 play D1 next weekend)
Pool A: MN Glory, Team Minnesota Elite, 43 Hoops II, WI Terror, Comets White. Glory came from 19 down to 43 Hoops to win 83-77 late Saturday afternoon. Ben Figini with a layup with 1:30 left to put Glory over the top and they make their free throws (along with a clutch 3 from Justin Pahl who had 6 in the TNL Super Regional Championship). Glory got a putback from Ben Figini with 3 seconds left to beat Team Minnesota for the pool title and keep their #1 overall seed in 16U. Team Minnesota 53-46 over 43 Hoops II on Sunday morning for the #2 spot in the pool.
Pool B: No surprises. Comets Elite, MN Heat Black, SW MN Heat and Mpls Gators. Comets shorthanded for Sunday's late game vs Heat Black for the pool title, but they still won by 15.
Pool C: MN Heat Elite defeated MSB late Sunday for the pool title. MSB moves up to take the 2 seed in the pool.
Pool D: MN Wrath defeated Magic Elite to swap the top 2 spots in the pool on Sunday. 50-41 Wrath with 1:10 to go before Trevor Morlock gets a 4 point play and after a Daron Garvis steal, he quickly nails another triple. 50-48 Wrath with 43 seconds left, game on. The Wrath miss 2 front ends and a 2nd of 2 FTs and get all of them back in the next 17 seconds. The 2 front ends were offensive rebounds and the 3rd slipped away from a Magic player. 53-48 Wrath wins. Magic Elite over TC Elite 72-63 Saturday morning to avoid a slip to #3 in the pool.
Pool E: Wear Out The Net, MN Fury Gold, Old Skool, Magic Blue (no surprises). The pool title game with WOTN and Fury Gold was a fun finish. Fury's Terez Van Pelt with a steal for 2. 58-56 Fury with 1:15 left. Anthony Lee misses 2 front ends for Fury in the last 35 seconds. After 1 miss, Max Watts makes up for it with a left corner 3 with 9 seconds left for a 1 point lead. Fury with a couple of late chances but they can't convert and WOTN wins 59-58.
15U (all 13 teams play D1 next weekend)
Pool A: MN Suns, MN Heat Elite, TC Elite Green, MN Fury. MN Suns with no big wins but they go 3-0 to keep the #1 overall seed. That included a 79-74 win over MN Heat Elite.
Pool B: MN Magic, Howard Pulley White, 43 Hoops Daniels, TC Elite Black. Howard Pulley came from behind (10 down I heard) to defeat 43 Hoops 64-58 on Sunday to take the #2 spot in the pool.
Pool C: MN Southside, MN Pump N Run, 43 Hoops Gameli, Comets Blue, TC Elite White. The Comets got Joey King in foul trouble in their Saturday morning game vs MN Southside. King had 9 in the 3rd quarter and the game was tied at 39 heading to the 4th quarter. King fouled out with 4 minutes left and Southside down 4. Comets paraded to the foul line all day for a 65-56 win. MN Southside defated Pump N Run 49-38 Saturday afternoon. Pump N Run was on all cylinders on Sunday morning vs 43 Hoops Gameli. Will Dunn with 13 points in the 1st quarter. A 19-2 across the quarter break blows the game open with Cortez Tillman being a huge factor in the run. PNR 50-21 at the half and they win 83-51. Dunn's 19 lead 5 PNR players in double figures. Shot selection for 43 Hoops was a major issue in this one.
A great sight seeing Luke Preiner of the MN Heat Elite 16s having a bandaid on his right temple that was held on with duct tape. Yes, duct tape. Note to self, The Czar needs a cell phone with a camera on it, especially all the razzing I took for it this weekend. :) Also have to give props to the pork sandwich meal deal. Hmmm good. Had to make sure to get that in on both days of the weekend.
To the bad, the scorekeeping/timing had the same issues as last season's tournament. Also, the officiating across the board was horrific in my opinion. Not just in 1 game, just about everywhere from what I saw. I only wish I could say more, but I feel the circumstances and today's lawyer happy society don't allow me to.
17U (top 2 play D1 next weekend)
Pool A: Comets-Hanson, Triple Threat, MSB, Magic Blue (No surprises). Triple Threat won a pair of close games over MSB and Magic Blue to claim the 2 spot in that pool
Pool B: Fury Elite, Comets-Seevers, Magic Black, River City Cougars (Comets were the 3rd team in the pool, but all 3 of the top teams were worthy, not a major surprise there). On Saturday, Comets-Seevers got 12 points in the last 5 minutes from Scott Nystrom to defeat Magic Black 62-60. Those 12 points included a steal and coast to coast layup in the last 5 seconds in an amazing finish. Magic Black had a chance to potentially eliminate the Comets from the 2 spot, but lost 80-60 on Sunday to MN Fury Elite. Nice performance from Jake Wensmann in that one for the Fury Elites. I did an audio interview on the Fury Elite vs Comets Seevers game for MN Preps yesterday. Read the article and access my interview here.
Pool C: As expected, TNL, TC Elite, MN Fury Gold and Old Skool. TC Elite now without Alex Koch who has moved on to MN Select. Huge loss for them. TNL had to fight to sweep the pool. On Sunday, they went down to the wire with TC Elite. Tied at 41 with 5 minutes left, TNL goes on a 10-0 run over the next 2 minutes. But a dicey 3 by Sewer results in 2 David Rademacher FTs for TC Elite and they're within 54-52 with 40 seconds left. TC Elite doesn't foul and Devon Knopke gets called for a carry with 18 seconds left. Aaron McCrossan's attempt at the horn is no good and TNL survives that game 54-52. In Sunday's late game, TNL got another big game from Jay Sewer (big in the TC Elite game too, I had him for 24 in this game vs Fury Gold). 79-67 TNL sweeps the pool. TC Elite earned the 2 slot in the pool with a 67-62 win over Fury Gold on Friday night.
Pool D: #4 overall and top seed in the pool MN Glory go 0-3 and were blown out by 22+ in their 2 Sunday games. Pump N Run 16s win the pool with MN Heat Select finishing 2nd and Comets Blue 3rd. Pump N Run defeated Glory 67-44 in Sunday morning's opener. PNR 35-44 FTs to Glory's 16-21. Alex Richter 16 points for PNR. They opened Saturday morning with 21 points from Richter in a 62-37 win over Heat Select. Heat Select routed Glory 89-67 on Sunday afternoon (14-1 start) to take the 2nd spot in the pool.
Pool E: Redhawks def Heat Elite in the 6 vs 5 game at the top of pool E for the 1 and 2 spots. Comets North and Wear Out The Net finish 3 and 4. On Sunday, the Redhawks had a 2 point lead on the MN Heat Elite at halftime. Taylor Hanson ignited a big 3 quarter run as the Redhawks won the 3rd quarter 26-12. 71-53 Redhawks win the pool and Heat Elite finish 2nd with the loss.
16U (top 2 play D1 next weekend)
Pool A: MN Glory, Team Minnesota Elite, 43 Hoops II, WI Terror, Comets White. Glory came from 19 down to 43 Hoops to win 83-77 late Saturday afternoon. Ben Figini with a layup with 1:30 left to put Glory over the top and they make their free throws (along with a clutch 3 from Justin Pahl who had 6 in the TNL Super Regional Championship). Glory got a putback from Ben Figini with 3 seconds left to beat Team Minnesota for the pool title and keep their #1 overall seed in 16U. Team Minnesota 53-46 over 43 Hoops II on Sunday morning for the #2 spot in the pool.
Pool B: No surprises. Comets Elite, MN Heat Black, SW MN Heat and Mpls Gators. Comets shorthanded for Sunday's late game vs Heat Black for the pool title, but they still won by 15.
Pool C: MN Heat Elite defeated MSB late Sunday for the pool title. MSB moves up to take the 2 seed in the pool.
Pool D: MN Wrath defeated Magic Elite to swap the top 2 spots in the pool on Sunday. 50-41 Wrath with 1:10 to go before Trevor Morlock gets a 4 point play and after a Daron Garvis steal, he quickly nails another triple. 50-48 Wrath with 43 seconds left, game on. The Wrath miss 2 front ends and a 2nd of 2 FTs and get all of them back in the next 17 seconds. The 2 front ends were offensive rebounds and the 3rd slipped away from a Magic player. 53-48 Wrath wins. Magic Elite over TC Elite 72-63 Saturday morning to avoid a slip to #3 in the pool.
Pool E: Wear Out The Net, MN Fury Gold, Old Skool, Magic Blue (no surprises). The pool title game with WOTN and Fury Gold was a fun finish. Fury's Terez Van Pelt with a steal for 2. 58-56 Fury with 1:15 left. Anthony Lee misses 2 front ends for Fury in the last 35 seconds. After 1 miss, Max Watts makes up for it with a left corner 3 with 9 seconds left for a 1 point lead. Fury with a couple of late chances but they can't convert and WOTN wins 59-58.
15U (all 13 teams play D1 next weekend)
Pool A: MN Suns, MN Heat Elite, TC Elite Green, MN Fury. MN Suns with no big wins but they go 3-0 to keep the #1 overall seed. That included a 79-74 win over MN Heat Elite.
Pool B: MN Magic, Howard Pulley White, 43 Hoops Daniels, TC Elite Black. Howard Pulley came from behind (10 down I heard) to defeat 43 Hoops 64-58 on Sunday to take the #2 spot in the pool.
Pool C: MN Southside, MN Pump N Run, 43 Hoops Gameli, Comets Blue, TC Elite White. The Comets got Joey King in foul trouble in their Saturday morning game vs MN Southside. King had 9 in the 3rd quarter and the game was tied at 39 heading to the 4th quarter. King fouled out with 4 minutes left and Southside down 4. Comets paraded to the foul line all day for a 65-56 win. MN Southside defated Pump N Run 49-38 Saturday afternoon. Pump N Run was on all cylinders on Sunday morning vs 43 Hoops Gameli. Will Dunn with 13 points in the 1st quarter. A 19-2 across the quarter break blows the game open with Cortez Tillman being a huge factor in the run. PNR 50-21 at the half and they win 83-51. Dunn's 19 lead 5 PNR players in double figures. Shot selection for 43 Hoops was a major issue in this one.
A great sight seeing Luke Preiner of the MN Heat Elite 16s having a bandaid on his right temple that was held on with duct tape. Yes, duct tape. Note to self, The Czar needs a cell phone with a camera on it, especially all the razzing I took for it this weekend. :) Also have to give props to the pork sandwich meal deal. Hmmm good. Had to make sure to get that in on both days of the weekend.
To the bad, the scorekeeping/timing had the same issues as last season's tournament. Also, the officiating across the board was horrific in my opinion. Not just in 1 game, just about everywhere from what I saw. I only wish I could say more, but I feel the circumstances and today's lawyer happy society don't allow me to.
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