First some thoughts on the Tech/Champlin Park game which I saw the last 11 minutes of. Really strange that Champlin Park got a 44-42 lead and then was in a huge hurry to throw up tough shots like they were down 10 with 30 seconds left. A game the Rebels definitely should have won.
As to the 4A semi between Hopkins and Sibley. I arrive at halftime to see an absolutely HUGE Sibley student section at 1 end of the court. Its top to bottom filling the entire corner section. Props to those students.Combined with a small Hopkins section. At the 1st TV Timeout , 5 guys with 3 fouls and Sibley nursing a 40-36 lead. Big time feel to this one. The 1st guy with 4 could make a difference if it happens quickly.
Its Rostampour (really?) with 13:25 left and coach Dasovich has to go get him. Surprised Jordan Jackson hasn't attacked Siyani Chambers and his 3 fouls more. Singleton stops Krueser, then takes him to the rim for a miss and blocks Grant. That leads to Chambers going to the line to tie the game. Kreuser not strong enough to dominate Singleton on the offensive end and now quick enough to stop him on the defense end so a very tough matchup with Rostampour down with 4 fouls. Good timeout at 12:21 by coach Dasovich as you can feel Hopkins picking up the mighty mo.
Coleman with a steal and he tips it out and runs it down for 2 off the wrong foot and Hopkins goes up 41-40. Danger time for the Warriors here. Kreuser misses 2 chances and Coleman converts 2 freebies at 10:18 . 44-40 Hopkins and that gets Rostampour back in at 10:03. How long will he last? Chambers picks up his 4th at the 9:45 mark trying to stop a pass to Kreuser. DJ Peterson taking over the full time point guard duties now. Nice luxury for coach Novak. Also gives Hopkins a bigger lineup with Zach Stahl replacing Chambers.
Hopkins getting a couple of good high post looks vs the Sibley 2-3. Coleman misses one and puts back a miss after that. Singleton converts the other. Still 50-46 Hopkins wiht 7:45 remaining as the teams continue to trade buckets. Kreuser gets his 4th at 7:11. Jake Goldberg replaces him. Coleman picks a Rostampour skip out of the post at 6:45 and goes the other way for the 2 handed hammer. Singleton vs Rostampour now. Fun matchup. Hopkins going right at Rostampour with 2 postups that Singleton scores on. 57-50 Hopkins with 5:20 left. Singleton and Rostampour go tumbling at the other end. Hopkins wants a double foul to get rid of Rostampour but they won't get it. He makes the bonus freebies with 4:39 left for a TV Timeout. Kreuser was at the table so we'll see both Sibley bigs in with 4. 59-54 Hopkins.
Singleton dribbling the spots off the ball trying to attack Kreuser and he turns it over for 2 Jackson freebies. 3:54 left Chambers returns for the Royals. 59-55 as Jackson makes 1 of 2. Kreuser tips a miss in his own basket and Rostampour puts back a miss on his end. 61-57 Hopkins 3 minutes left. Nice pullup jumper by Stahl before getting to Kreuser. Jackson fouled 93 feet away and makes 2 with 2:43 left and we have the final TV timeout. 63-59 Hopkins leads. Sibley has to figure out a way to get a stop.
And they get the turnover. Set postup for Rostampour on the right box and he goes jump hook over the left shoulder at 2:10. Standard set and a good call. Jackson picks up his fourth out high and DJ Peterson shoots 2 at the 1:57 mark. He makes 1 of 2 so Sibley is now within 1 possession. Jimmy Ryan straightaway for 3 and the Sibley section erupts. Hopkins brings the ball to the frontcourt and takes time with 1:27 left. 64 all and this REALLY gets interesting now.
Coleman drives and Kreuser takes the charge with 1:17 left. I know coach Dasovich has siad he may be better at taking charges than blocking shots. Rostampour past Stahl on a postup and he misses. The ball is tipped out and Coleman has a wideopen track Grant gets the left shoulder which is meaningless with 53.5 left as Coleman converts. He misses the free throw but Stahl grabs it and Kreuser fouls out at 51.6. What a turnaround. Stahl gets 2 freebies and misses both. Goldberg grabs the board. Coleman reaches in and tips it away. Its off Rostampour with 49 seconds left. Unbelievable. Coleman fouled with 47.2 left and he makes 1 of 2. 67-64 Hopkins. Jackson right to the rack for 2 with 35 seconds left. Timeout Sibley down 67-66. Lots of time. Coleman 6-10, Singleton 5-8 from the line to this point. Coleman drives and makes a dangerous pass that is tipped out with 25.2 left. Sibley didn't look to foul at all and Coleman would have been a good candidate. But nobody really sticks out as an outstanding foul shooter.
Sibley elects not to foul Coleman but they get DJ Peterson with 20.2 left. He comes in 37 of 60 from the line on the year. He steps up and makes both pure for a 69-66 lead. Sibley pushes and has a passed tipped away. Sibley uses their last timeout with the ball in their half and 10.6 left. With no timeouts, you almost have to play for the 3 here as Hopkins could just let the clock run out on a 2. The ball goes right looking for Jimmy Ryan running the baseline. Nothing there. The ball is reversed to Dante Grant who takes a dribble and ducks under Singleton and banks in a left wing 3 with 2.5 remaining. Absolutely crazy. Best shot I've seen all year. The clocks runs out and we have a table review (new this year by rule). Coaches are called over by the offiicals. Its a 3 and there's no time left. 69 all and we will play overtime. UNREAL! Am I actually courtside watching this??
Nice pick and roll finds Singleton and no help and that puts Hopkins up 73-69. Sibley called for a moving screen. Hopkins goes dribble weave and Grant blocks DJ Peterson from behind. Jimmy Ryan cashes it in with a 3 from the left corner. Timeout Hopkins up 73-72 with 1:35 left and the ball. Singleton catches at the high post and gets called for changing pivot feet on a basic turn. Have to see that again to see if he actually walked. But Sibley turns it over on the other end with 1:12 left. Grant fouls out at 1:04 to put Chambers on the line. He makes both without issue. 75-72 Hopkins. Jackson to the rim and spins for a call with 54.4 left. He makes 1 of 2 and Sibley almost grabs the board after a pair of tips. 75-73 Hopkins with 33.5 left when Jeremiah Tolbert gets fouled. The first is around and out after a "In Your Head" chant from the Sibley students (HA!). The chant starts again and the 2nd is short. Jackson to Ryan who's on the NBA line for 3. Hopkins rushes back the other way. Ball ends up with Coleman going strong and Rostampour fouls out with 7.2 left. Now we have a loud building but the Sibley fans are behind the shooter. 1st is around and down and the 2nd is short. Sibley rebounds and takes timeout. Its an extra long timeout as the time remaining is reviewed on the monitor. Its set to 5.7.
With Kreuser and Rostampour gone, seems awfully tough to think that a 2nd OT would favor Sibley. Jordan Jackson with buzzer beaters in the last 2 games against CDH and Eastview. It has to be all him here. Jackson splits a double team to catch but then a lob pass is turned over. Singleton heaves at the buzzer and its long. We'll play double overtime.
The parade to the foul line continues in the 2nd OT as Singleton makes 2 and Chambers makes 2. 80-76 with 3:01 left in the OT. Chambers fouls out at 2:50 for a pair of Jordan Jackson free throws to cut the lead in half. Peterson drives and finishes right handed at 2:30. Jackson spins, falls away and banks at 2:20. Crazy difficult shot that he's athletic enough to make. Jackson reaches in and he's gone with 5 at 2:07. That's the 3rd starter and 4th guy for Sibley to foul out. Sibley now with 2 freshman on the floor and a reserve who has played minimal minutes. Coleman makes 1 of 2 before a missed Sibley 3. Peterson puts it on the deck and he earnes a trip to the line. He makes 1 with 1:45 left. 84-80 Hopkins leads and Sibley takes timeout with 1:40 left.
Jimmy Ryan goes quick for 2. 90 seconds left and Hopkins by 2. Hopkins in no hurry to score. Sibley gets a trap on Peterson but a quick foul is called when it looked like they may have a steal. Peterson makes 1 of 2 with 44.1 left. Nick Goldberg gets a great look at a 3 from the right corner with 30 seconds left and its no good. Singleton grabs the board and he's fouled with 25.7 left. He makes 1 of 2 for a 4 point Hopkins lead. Hopkins gets a doubleteam and a tip away. Coleman puts on the exclamation point with a big 2 handed dunk. Hopkins goes on to win an amazing game 90-82.
Hopkins wins this one and keeps it interesting at the line. They shoot 39-58 from the charity stripe to 18-24 for Sibley. No team had a lead bigger than 9. Joe Coleman 25 and 7 for Hopkins. Marvin Singleton 22 points. Jordan Jackson 25 for Sibley. Soph Dante Grant comes up big with 20 points. Mike Rostampour 13 and 12. Czar's Note 3/24/10 The 39-58 FT shooting for Hopkins is a record for most free throws taken and attempted.
Showing posts with label Mike Rostampour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mike Rostampour. Show all posts
2010 Section 4AAAA Semifinals
Labels:
Mike Rostampour
Prologue
To the brand spanking new facility at East Ridge for the section 4AAAA semifinals. Carbone's pizza not bad, but a smidge greasy. You wear that off walking all the way across the building to get it though. Very nice crowd tonight and people hanging all over the railings. U of Mary and Concordia-St. Paul in the building tonight looking on. Great music tonight too with some Guns and Roses (Sweet Child O' Mine and Welcome to the Jungle) and Metallica's Wherever I may Roam.
Semifinal #1: Sibley vs Woodbury
Woodbury took out Stillwater for the 2nd time in 3 years in an upset in the first round. I didn't pick that but it didn't surprise me. Interesting to see Sibley since they haven't lost since I last saw them at the TWolves Shootout. Nick Quicksell with 6 in a row for Woodbury to keep them within 14-10 almost 10 minutes into the game. Sibley goes on a 18-6 run over the last 6:45 of the half and they lead by 17 at the break.
A nice side out of bounds lob set gives Joe Rizzardi a dunk despite the fact that coach Dasovich saw the play coming. That cuts the lead to 15 but Sibley isn't challenged in the second half. Mike Rostampour all over the glass in this one with putback after putback. Sibley wins easily 68-47. Rostampour finishes with 17 points and 17 rebounds on my sheet. Jake Kreuser 16 points to continue the inside domination. Jordan Jackson 18 points on 6-17 shooting. Woodbury gets 16 points from Nick Quicksell on 6-21 shooting.
Semifinal #2: Tartan vs Cretin-Derham Hall
Noteworthy injury here is CDH starting point guard Cortez Tillman. The sophomore missed the last game and will miss at least this one with a sprained foot. Lateral movement being the current issue with it. Big question here was how Tartan would deal with Seantrel Henderson. Simple answer, they couldn't. He enters the game at the 15:42 mark and promptly scores and is fouled and then puts back a miss. Raijon Kelly runs out and finishes and then spins and goes glass for 2 more. After a second Tartan timeout, Henderson finishes a screen/roll. 14-3 Raiders at 12:40. Tartan won't go away as Troy Klingsporn makes a nice cut for a layup, Manani Beavers converts a turnover into a layup and frosh Darrion Strong off the bench nails a 3 to finish a 9-0 run. Timeout CDH with a 14-12 lead and 9:26 left in the half. Strong with 2 more from the deep beyond to keep Tartan within 21-20 at 6:50. Henderson with another putback and Taylor Montero with a steal for a 3 point play that might have been continuation. Henderson rebounds and goes Wes Unseld to Elliot Owusu for a breakaway dunk. Henderson then with 2 on the block to end a 9-0 Cretin run. CDH sloppy in the last minute. The Raiders lead at the break 34-28.
CDH ready to go in the second half. A blocked shot and extra pass becomes 1 Gus Gehlen 3 and Kelly skips to him for another. CDH goes to their 2-3 trap and Tartan doesn't handle it well. Henderson on the post for 2, then a turnover for 2 Kelly free throws. Then Henderson with a catch and the high post and the big fella puts it on the deck for a 3 point play. Henderson with a putback and Kelly with 2 freebies at 9:20. 53-38 Raiders and the rout appears to be on. With Henderson resting, Tartan manages to cut the lead to 10. He comes back and converts against the Tartan pressure and another Unseld outlet leads to 2 Gehlen free throws. 59-45 Cretin-Derham Hall with 6:09 left. Tartan with no answer for Henderson so hope looks minimal here.
Then Troy Klingsporn decides to enter the phone booth and come back with the Superman jersey (with apologies to Dwight Howard). He nails back to back triples to cut the lead to 8 with 5:22. Tartan decides to go Hack-A-Henderson here if he touches it, very interesting (and smart) strategy. They miss him the first time but CDH misses 2 freebies anyway. Klingsporn replies with another bomb. Then then do get Henderson and he misses 2, but Tartan can't convert. The teams trade turnovers before 2 more CDH misses at the line with 3:31 left. Strong down the lane and he scoops for 2. 59-56 CDH with 3:17 left. CDH turns it over and Tartan can't convert. Kelly with 2 free throws at 2:59 to push the lead back to 5. After trading turnovers, Strong has a great look at a 3 that's no good at 1:55. Tartan can't get to Owusu in time and that costs them 2 Kelly free throws at 1:18. 63-56 CDH leads. Carter Ciolkosz with a 3 countered by 2 Henderson free throws.
Klingsporn again from 3 and Henderson misses a pair of freebies at 35.5 (once again Jerry Kline leaves him in the entire time down the stretch). Klingsporn makes Cretin pay with another 3 with 20 seconds to go and Tartan is all the way back. 65 all when Cretin brings the ball to the front court and takes time with 10.2 remaining. They run the same post play they've been running all night. 1-4 high, enter to the wing away from the elbow where Henderson is. Post screens away (Neumann in this case) for Henderson to come to the low box. Henderson runs over a Tartan defender (who probably acted a bit too) and there's no call. Neumann pops back to the ball per design (both defenders go to Henderson and why not). He catches in the middle of the lane and finishes as time expires. 67-65 Cretin-Derham Hall escapes with a win. Cretin got that play all night and they've gotten it all year. Tough to defend. Seantrel Henderson leads CDH with 23 points and 8 rebounds on my sheet. Raijon Kelly 8 of 8 freebies in the 2nd half for 17 points. Gus Gehlen with 10 of his 12 in the second half. Troy Klingsporn with 19 of his 25 in the second half (official has him for 27). That included 5 triples in the last 6 minutes.
To the brand spanking new facility at East Ridge for the section 4AAAA semifinals. Carbone's pizza not bad, but a smidge greasy. You wear that off walking all the way across the building to get it though. Very nice crowd tonight and people hanging all over the railings. U of Mary and Concordia-St. Paul in the building tonight looking on. Great music tonight too with some Guns and Roses (Sweet Child O' Mine and Welcome to the Jungle) and Metallica's Wherever I may Roam.
Semifinal #1: Sibley vs Woodbury
Woodbury took out Stillwater for the 2nd time in 3 years in an upset in the first round. I didn't pick that but it didn't surprise me. Interesting to see Sibley since they haven't lost since I last saw them at the TWolves Shootout. Nick Quicksell with 6 in a row for Woodbury to keep them within 14-10 almost 10 minutes into the game. Sibley goes on a 18-6 run over the last 6:45 of the half and they lead by 17 at the break.
A nice side out of bounds lob set gives Joe Rizzardi a dunk despite the fact that coach Dasovich saw the play coming. That cuts the lead to 15 but Sibley isn't challenged in the second half. Mike Rostampour all over the glass in this one with putback after putback. Sibley wins easily 68-47. Rostampour finishes with 17 points and 17 rebounds on my sheet. Jake Kreuser 16 points to continue the inside domination. Jordan Jackson 18 points on 6-17 shooting. Woodbury gets 16 points from Nick Quicksell on 6-21 shooting.
Semifinal #2: Tartan vs Cretin-Derham Hall
Noteworthy injury here is CDH starting point guard Cortez Tillman. The sophomore missed the last game and will miss at least this one with a sprained foot. Lateral movement being the current issue with it. Big question here was how Tartan would deal with Seantrel Henderson. Simple answer, they couldn't. He enters the game at the 15:42 mark and promptly scores and is fouled and then puts back a miss. Raijon Kelly runs out and finishes and then spins and goes glass for 2 more. After a second Tartan timeout, Henderson finishes a screen/roll. 14-3 Raiders at 12:40. Tartan won't go away as Troy Klingsporn makes a nice cut for a layup, Manani Beavers converts a turnover into a layup and frosh Darrion Strong off the bench nails a 3 to finish a 9-0 run. Timeout CDH with a 14-12 lead and 9:26 left in the half. Strong with 2 more from the deep beyond to keep Tartan within 21-20 at 6:50. Henderson with another putback and Taylor Montero with a steal for a 3 point play that might have been continuation. Henderson rebounds and goes Wes Unseld to Elliot Owusu for a breakaway dunk. Henderson then with 2 on the block to end a 9-0 Cretin run. CDH sloppy in the last minute. The Raiders lead at the break 34-28.
CDH ready to go in the second half. A blocked shot and extra pass becomes 1 Gus Gehlen 3 and Kelly skips to him for another. CDH goes to their 2-3 trap and Tartan doesn't handle it well. Henderson on the post for 2, then a turnover for 2 Kelly free throws. Then Henderson with a catch and the high post and the big fella puts it on the deck for a 3 point play. Henderson with a putback and Kelly with 2 freebies at 9:20. 53-38 Raiders and the rout appears to be on. With Henderson resting, Tartan manages to cut the lead to 10. He comes back and converts against the Tartan pressure and another Unseld outlet leads to 2 Gehlen free throws. 59-45 Cretin-Derham Hall with 6:09 left. Tartan with no answer for Henderson so hope looks minimal here.
Then Troy Klingsporn decides to enter the phone booth and come back with the Superman jersey (with apologies to Dwight Howard). He nails back to back triples to cut the lead to 8 with 5:22. Tartan decides to go Hack-A-Henderson here if he touches it, very interesting (and smart) strategy. They miss him the first time but CDH misses 2 freebies anyway. Klingsporn replies with another bomb. Then then do get Henderson and he misses 2, but Tartan can't convert. The teams trade turnovers before 2 more CDH misses at the line with 3:31 left. Strong down the lane and he scoops for 2. 59-56 CDH with 3:17 left. CDH turns it over and Tartan can't convert. Kelly with 2 free throws at 2:59 to push the lead back to 5. After trading turnovers, Strong has a great look at a 3 that's no good at 1:55. Tartan can't get to Owusu in time and that costs them 2 Kelly free throws at 1:18. 63-56 CDH leads. Carter Ciolkosz with a 3 countered by 2 Henderson free throws.
Klingsporn again from 3 and Henderson misses a pair of freebies at 35.5 (once again Jerry Kline leaves him in the entire time down the stretch). Klingsporn makes Cretin pay with another 3 with 20 seconds to go and Tartan is all the way back. 65 all when Cretin brings the ball to the front court and takes time with 10.2 remaining. They run the same post play they've been running all night. 1-4 high, enter to the wing away from the elbow where Henderson is. Post screens away (Neumann in this case) for Henderson to come to the low box. Henderson runs over a Tartan defender (who probably acted a bit too) and there's no call. Neumann pops back to the ball per design (both defenders go to Henderson and why not). He catches in the middle of the lane and finishes as time expires. 67-65 Cretin-Derham Hall escapes with a win. Cretin got that play all night and they've gotten it all year. Tough to defend. Seantrel Henderson leads CDH with 23 points and 8 rebounds on my sheet. Raijon Kelly 8 of 8 freebies in the 2nd half for 17 points. Gus Gehlen with 10 of his 12 in the second half. Troy Klingsporn with 19 of his 25 in the second half (official has him for 27). That included 5 triples in the last 6 minutes.
2010 Mr Basketball Final 25 named
Labels:
Cole Stefan,
Jacob Thomas,
Kevin Noreen,
Mike Rostampour
The final 25 for the 2010 Minnesota Mr Basketball award have been announced. Here they are followed by my commentary.
Peter Crawford 6-5 Benilde-SM
Chad Calcaterra 6-10 Cloquet
Jake Thomas 6-3 Columbia Heights
Calvin Godfrey 6-8 Cooper
Seantrel Henderson 6-8 Cretin-Derham Hall
Dyami Starks 6-2 Duluth East
Vinard Birch 5-10 Eastview
Brett Ervin 6-5 Eden Prairie
Trevor Gruis 6-8 Ellsworth
Zach Riedeman 6-5 Forest Lake
Mike Rostampour 6-7 Henry Sibley
Jordan Jackson 6-2 Henry Sibley
Yuriy Malashenko 6-5 Jordan
Shaun Condon 6-2 MACCRAY
Taylor Hanson 6-6 Minnehaha Academy
Cole Stefan 6-3 Minnetonka
Aaron Anderson 6-2 Osseo
Kevin Noreen 6-10 Minnesota Transitions
Jordan Hughes 5-10 Mpls. Patrick Henry
Alonzo Traylor 6-7 Mpls. South
Ben Bucholz 6-7 Perham
Marshall Bjorklund 6-6 Sibley East
Scott Nystrom 6-2 St. Cloud Tech
Taylor Filipek 6-6 Willmar
Alec Brown 6-11 Winona
Biggest surprise to me in the list was the omission of Alex Hanks of St. Cloud Tech.
My final 5 right now are Kevin Noreen, Alec Brown, Calvin Godfrey, Marshall Bjorklund and Jacob Thomas. I pick those 5 based on skill, impact on the game and their teams and team performance. The 1st 4 are from teams that have been in the top 5 in the top 2 classes and have dominated. The 5th spot was much tougher but Thomas gets the nod with 27 PPG (which includes an 8 point game in a holiday blowout so he could be averaging 28-29 a game) and the big games against Hopkins (38), BSM (47) and Staples-Motley (33). MACCRAY's Shaun Condon makes a great case with 24.5 per game for the top ranked team in Class A. Or if you're going small school do you take Ellsworth's Trevor Gruis and his 18.6 and 11.9 boards. I already have Bjorklund here from the MN River, but 21 and almost 16 a night from Yuriy Malashenko is hard to ignore.
Peter Crawford 6-5 Benilde-SM
Chad Calcaterra 6-10 Cloquet
Jake Thomas 6-3 Columbia Heights
Calvin Godfrey 6-8 Cooper
Seantrel Henderson 6-8 Cretin-Derham Hall
Dyami Starks 6-2 Duluth East
Vinard Birch 5-10 Eastview
Brett Ervin 6-5 Eden Prairie
Trevor Gruis 6-8 Ellsworth
Zach Riedeman 6-5 Forest Lake
Mike Rostampour 6-7 Henry Sibley
Jordan Jackson 6-2 Henry Sibley
Yuriy Malashenko 6-5 Jordan
Shaun Condon 6-2 MACCRAY
Taylor Hanson 6-6 Minnehaha Academy
Cole Stefan 6-3 Minnetonka
Aaron Anderson 6-2 Osseo
Kevin Noreen 6-10 Minnesota Transitions
Jordan Hughes 5-10 Mpls. Patrick Henry
Alonzo Traylor 6-7 Mpls. South
Ben Bucholz 6-7 Perham
Marshall Bjorklund 6-6 Sibley East
Scott Nystrom 6-2 St. Cloud Tech
Taylor Filipek 6-6 Willmar
Alec Brown 6-11 Winona
Biggest surprise to me in the list was the omission of Alex Hanks of St. Cloud Tech.
My final 5 right now are Kevin Noreen, Alec Brown, Calvin Godfrey, Marshall Bjorklund and Jacob Thomas. I pick those 5 based on skill, impact on the game and their teams and team performance. The 1st 4 are from teams that have been in the top 5 in the top 2 classes and have dominated. The 5th spot was much tougher but Thomas gets the nod with 27 PPG (which includes an 8 point game in a holiday blowout so he could be averaging 28-29 a game) and the big games against Hopkins (38), BSM (47) and Staples-Motley (33). MACCRAY's Shaun Condon makes a great case with 24.5 per game for the top ranked team in Class A. Or if you're going small school do you take Ellsworth's Trevor Gruis and his 18.6 and 11.9 boards. I already have Bjorklund here from the MN River, but 21 and almost 16 a night from Yuriy Malashenko is hard to ignore.
2010 TWolves Shootout Thoughts
Here are my thoughts from the 2010 TWolves Shootout
Game 1: Orono vs #6AAA Grand Rapids
Tight game at the half before a 12-2 second half Orono run puts them up by 6 with 8 minutes left. Grand Rapids right back with a 10-0 run to regain the lead. 6'8 post Kevin Rabbers with 6 points in the run, Eric Stark with the other 4 and an assist in the run. 5 point Grand Rapids lead with 1:30 to go in regulation but they can't hold it. Jordan Smith goes glass and the foul with 54.7 left and Grand Rapids can't snag the rebound. That's gets putback to cut the lead to 2. Then 2 missed free throws. Jeremy Borg (19 and 12 in a big game for him) slips a screen for an easy layup to tie the game and force OT. Orono gets the 1st 9 of OT and they win 74-65 easily. Jordan Smith 25 points on 9-21 shooting on my sheet to lead Orono. For Grand Rapids, Eric Stark 18 points but 6-21 shooting. Michael Johnson 15 points but was quiet in the 2nd half. Nice upset win for Orono and its not out of the question that we could see these teams again at state with Orono leading the power rankings in section 5 and Grand Rapids being the favorite in section 7.
Game 2: #4AA Staples-Motley vs #2A Minnesota Transitions
Staples-Motley tries to slow the pace with a 1-3-1 but their bigs still get in foul trouble vs Kevin Noreen despite double and triple teaming. Jon Bristow with 3 fouls in 7 minutes. Rodney Owens with a great start for MTS. He gets a layup and then a steal for 2 more to push MTS to a 6 point lead. Staples hangs around but Owens with another steal for a dunk and then he finds a cutting Kevin Noreen for a layup. 23-15 MTS with 7:18 left to force a Staples-Motley timeout. Out of the timeout, MTS holds the ball vs the 1-3-1. Staples has to go man and this one is over. Staples-Motley gets 1 field goal in the last 9 minutes. 33-18 MTS at the half. 2nd half, MTS picks apart the man D. Staples-Motley goes the 1st 7 minutes without a field goal in the 2nd half. So 1 field goal in 16 minutes across halftime, ouch. 58-36 easy win for MTS in a game that I thought would be very close since both teams had tight losses to Columbia Heights. Kevin Noreen with 24 points and 9 rebounds on my sheet (officially listed at 12). Jordan Riewer in and out of the lineup all day as there were issues with blood on his uniform. Only 3 points for him.
Game 3: #7AA Plainview-Elgin-Millville vs #1AA Crosby-Ironton
A possible state semifinal preview between these 2 teams. PEM was previously ranked #1, now CI on top. Interesting 2-3 matchup zone from Crosby-Ironton. PEM playing 1-3-1 most of the way though they surprisingly went man late. CI with no size and Cole Olstad was just a beast for PEM. CI had no answer for him and the Rangers couldn't get any offense besides Mark Hoge. Very close all the way to the end. Crosby with many chances late to tie that didn't convert. PEM hits late free throws for a hard fought 51-41 win. Mark Hoge 17 for CI. Cole Olstad 23 for PEM.
Game 4: Henry Sibley vs North Lawndale College Prep (IL)
Paul Bunch, big body inside for NLCP. But he sat a lot in the 1st half. When he was in, he was a factor blocking shots. 2nd half story was Jermaine Winfield of NLCP. He dominated inside on his way to 18 points, most inside in the 2nd half. 50 all with 5 minutes left when Winfield scores inside for the lead. Sibley then turns it over for 2 free throws. Rostampour misses a front end and Bunch follows up a miss with a dunk. That's a 6 point cushion but NLCP pulls the ball out too early and Sibley almost makes them pay. But 2 Winfield putbacks and a steal finally puts the one out of reacy. 62-54 North Lawndale wins. Paul Bunch 11 points 7 boards and 7 blocks. Jake Kreuser with a nice day of 15 pts and 14 boards with 3 blocks. Mike Rostampour with another interior struggle against good inside talent. He struggled against Christian Faith Academy's athletes over the holidays and was only 3-14 inside yesterday, but he did have 14 boards.
Game 5: Linn-Mar, IA vs Minnetonka
Fun game here. Marcus Paige with a floater for a 6 point LM lead early. Then sharpshooters Matt Bohannon and Cole Stefan trade deep 3s. Paige wraps the ball around and goes for a layup to get a nice oooh from the crowd. 21-13 Linn-Mar inside of 9 minutes. But Stefan with a pair of bombs in a 14-5 Tonka run over the last 3:15 of the half. 36-31 Skippers at the half. 2 Tonka turnovers equal layups and then Paige with a 3 for a 55-46 Linn-Mar lead with 11:40 to go. Stefan and Chad Howard with back to back 3s to cut the lead to 3 with 10:45 left. Paige for 3 again. Bohannon with a 3 and its 64-55 Linn-Mar with 8:30 left. Tor Anderson 2 freebies, Nick Latzke with a block for a Leonard Glass layup and a Stefan layup. 64-61 Linn-Mar with 7:33 to go. Another Stefan bomb keeps Tonka close 70-66 with 5:40 to go. Paige with an assist and Bohannon with a foul line jumper. Stefan inside 2 countered by a Paige pullup. Stefan from New York City for 3 countered by a Paige drive. Linn-Mar doesn't let Tonka get back and then make free throws for a 88-71 win. Cole Stefan with 8 triples from every metro suburb, 16-24 shooting as he goes completely nuts for 40 points. Linn-Mar is more than Paige (20 pts and 6 assists, 16 and 4 of those in 2nd half). Matt Bohannon is a nice mid to low-major shooting guard (younger brother of UW's Jason Bohannon). He finished with 26 points and 4 triples of his own. Interesting that Minnetonka took Tor Anderson off of Paige in the 2nd half and moved him over to defend Bohannon in the 2nd half.
Game 6: #1AAAA Hopkins vs #8AAAA Champlin Park
This one to me had blowout written all over it with Hopkins losing at North on Friday. But as I was doing podcast for the 1st half of this one I see Brandon Davis knock down back to back triples from Jasper Duberry to force 1 Hopkins timeout down 11. Then its 33-19 Champlin Park with 2:57 left in the first half. Duberry for 3 at the first half buzzer and Champlin Park is up 10. DJ Peterson with 3 quick fouls and sits for a large part of the half. Hopkins went deep into the bench with a couple of guys (Selmer, Martin) who normally aren't in the rotation.
2nd half Hopkins awakens with pressure defense and ice cold Champlin Park shooting. A 26-4 Hopkins run over the 1st 9:10 of the second half puts the Royals up 54-42 with 9:50 left. Joe Coleman with a 3 and 2 old-fashioned 3 point plays on not smart fouls during the run. The lead stays at 10-12 points and it looks like Hopkins will just cruise. But its not quite over. Duberry a pair of freebies at 3:16, Coleman misses 2 freebies, Brandon Davis 2 freebies, DJ Peterson misses a front end, Josh Pella with a tip. A tieup goes to Champlin Park and Pella tips in a miss and gets fouled for a 3 point play. All of a sudden its 70-67 Hopkins with 1:09 left. But Siyani Chambers makes 4 big free throws to put this one away. 74-69 Hopkins wins. Joe Coleman with 24 points and a pair of 3s during the game. Nice to see him shoot the ball better. Marvin Singleton 20 points as there wasn't a good answer for him inside. Jasper Duberry leads Champlin Park with 17 points. Jordan Reibling with 11 points off the Rebels bench as he was 1 of 5 Rebels in double figures.
Game 1: Orono vs #6AAA Grand Rapids
Tight game at the half before a 12-2 second half Orono run puts them up by 6 with 8 minutes left. Grand Rapids right back with a 10-0 run to regain the lead. 6'8 post Kevin Rabbers with 6 points in the run, Eric Stark with the other 4 and an assist in the run. 5 point Grand Rapids lead with 1:30 to go in regulation but they can't hold it. Jordan Smith goes glass and the foul with 54.7 left and Grand Rapids can't snag the rebound. That's gets putback to cut the lead to 2. Then 2 missed free throws. Jeremy Borg (19 and 12 in a big game for him) slips a screen for an easy layup to tie the game and force OT. Orono gets the 1st 9 of OT and they win 74-65 easily. Jordan Smith 25 points on 9-21 shooting on my sheet to lead Orono. For Grand Rapids, Eric Stark 18 points but 6-21 shooting. Michael Johnson 15 points but was quiet in the 2nd half. Nice upset win for Orono and its not out of the question that we could see these teams again at state with Orono leading the power rankings in section 5 and Grand Rapids being the favorite in section 7.
Game 2: #4AA Staples-Motley vs #2A Minnesota Transitions
Staples-Motley tries to slow the pace with a 1-3-1 but their bigs still get in foul trouble vs Kevin Noreen despite double and triple teaming. Jon Bristow with 3 fouls in 7 minutes. Rodney Owens with a great start for MTS. He gets a layup and then a steal for 2 more to push MTS to a 6 point lead. Staples hangs around but Owens with another steal for a dunk and then he finds a cutting Kevin Noreen for a layup. 23-15 MTS with 7:18 left to force a Staples-Motley timeout. Out of the timeout, MTS holds the ball vs the 1-3-1. Staples has to go man and this one is over. Staples-Motley gets 1 field goal in the last 9 minutes. 33-18 MTS at the half. 2nd half, MTS picks apart the man D. Staples-Motley goes the 1st 7 minutes without a field goal in the 2nd half. So 1 field goal in 16 minutes across halftime, ouch. 58-36 easy win for MTS in a game that I thought would be very close since both teams had tight losses to Columbia Heights. Kevin Noreen with 24 points and 9 rebounds on my sheet (officially listed at 12). Jordan Riewer in and out of the lineup all day as there were issues with blood on his uniform. Only 3 points for him.
Game 3: #7AA Plainview-Elgin-Millville vs #1AA Crosby-Ironton
A possible state semifinal preview between these 2 teams. PEM was previously ranked #1, now CI on top. Interesting 2-3 matchup zone from Crosby-Ironton. PEM playing 1-3-1 most of the way though they surprisingly went man late. CI with no size and Cole Olstad was just a beast for PEM. CI had no answer for him and the Rangers couldn't get any offense besides Mark Hoge. Very close all the way to the end. Crosby with many chances late to tie that didn't convert. PEM hits late free throws for a hard fought 51-41 win. Mark Hoge 17 for CI. Cole Olstad 23 for PEM.
Game 4: Henry Sibley vs North Lawndale College Prep (IL)
Paul Bunch, big body inside for NLCP. But he sat a lot in the 1st half. When he was in, he was a factor blocking shots. 2nd half story was Jermaine Winfield of NLCP. He dominated inside on his way to 18 points, most inside in the 2nd half. 50 all with 5 minutes left when Winfield scores inside for the lead. Sibley then turns it over for 2 free throws. Rostampour misses a front end and Bunch follows up a miss with a dunk. That's a 6 point cushion but NLCP pulls the ball out too early and Sibley almost makes them pay. But 2 Winfield putbacks and a steal finally puts the one out of reacy. 62-54 North Lawndale wins. Paul Bunch 11 points 7 boards and 7 blocks. Jake Kreuser with a nice day of 15 pts and 14 boards with 3 blocks. Mike Rostampour with another interior struggle against good inside talent. He struggled against Christian Faith Academy's athletes over the holidays and was only 3-14 inside yesterday, but he did have 14 boards.
Game 5: Linn-Mar, IA vs Minnetonka
Fun game here. Marcus Paige with a floater for a 6 point LM lead early. Then sharpshooters Matt Bohannon and Cole Stefan trade deep 3s. Paige wraps the ball around and goes for a layup to get a nice oooh from the crowd. 21-13 Linn-Mar inside of 9 minutes. But Stefan with a pair of bombs in a 14-5 Tonka run over the last 3:15 of the half. 36-31 Skippers at the half. 2 Tonka turnovers equal layups and then Paige with a 3 for a 55-46 Linn-Mar lead with 11:40 to go. Stefan and Chad Howard with back to back 3s to cut the lead to 3 with 10:45 left. Paige for 3 again. Bohannon with a 3 and its 64-55 Linn-Mar with 8:30 left. Tor Anderson 2 freebies, Nick Latzke with a block for a Leonard Glass layup and a Stefan layup. 64-61 Linn-Mar with 7:33 to go. Another Stefan bomb keeps Tonka close 70-66 with 5:40 to go. Paige with an assist and Bohannon with a foul line jumper. Stefan inside 2 countered by a Paige pullup. Stefan from New York City for 3 countered by a Paige drive. Linn-Mar doesn't let Tonka get back and then make free throws for a 88-71 win. Cole Stefan with 8 triples from every metro suburb, 16-24 shooting as he goes completely nuts for 40 points. Linn-Mar is more than Paige (20 pts and 6 assists, 16 and 4 of those in 2nd half). Matt Bohannon is a nice mid to low-major shooting guard (younger brother of UW's Jason Bohannon). He finished with 26 points and 4 triples of his own. Interesting that Minnetonka took Tor Anderson off of Paige in the 2nd half and moved him over to defend Bohannon in the 2nd half.
Game 6: #1AAAA Hopkins vs #8AAAA Champlin Park
This one to me had blowout written all over it with Hopkins losing at North on Friday. But as I was doing podcast for the 1st half of this one I see Brandon Davis knock down back to back triples from Jasper Duberry to force 1 Hopkins timeout down 11. Then its 33-19 Champlin Park with 2:57 left in the first half. Duberry for 3 at the first half buzzer and Champlin Park is up 10. DJ Peterson with 3 quick fouls and sits for a large part of the half. Hopkins went deep into the bench with a couple of guys (Selmer, Martin) who normally aren't in the rotation.
2nd half Hopkins awakens with pressure defense and ice cold Champlin Park shooting. A 26-4 Hopkins run over the 1st 9:10 of the second half puts the Royals up 54-42 with 9:50 left. Joe Coleman with a 3 and 2 old-fashioned 3 point plays on not smart fouls during the run. The lead stays at 10-12 points and it looks like Hopkins will just cruise. But its not quite over. Duberry a pair of freebies at 3:16, Coleman misses 2 freebies, Brandon Davis 2 freebies, DJ Peterson misses a front end, Josh Pella with a tip. A tieup goes to Champlin Park and Pella tips in a miss and gets fouled for a 3 point play. All of a sudden its 70-67 Hopkins with 1:09 left. But Siyani Chambers makes 4 big free throws to put this one away. 74-69 Hopkins wins. Joe Coleman with 24 points and a pair of 3s during the game. Nice to see him shoot the ball better. Marvin Singleton 20 points as there wasn't a good answer for him inside. Jasper Duberry leads Champlin Park with 17 points. Jordan Reibling with 11 points off the Rebels bench as he was 1 of 5 Rebels in double figures.
2009 Best Buy Holiday Classic Title Day
Prologue
We love the Davanni's pizza but 2 bucks for a 12 oz can of soda. That'll break me of my drinking habit in a hurry. Nice setup at Augsburg but the introduction takes forever to say (Ernie Anderson court at Si Melby Hall). 1st 2 games minimal attendance, but a nice crowd for the championship game.
Game 1: St. Louis Park (2-6) vs Minneapolis Roosevelt (1-5)
St. Louis Park looks like they're going to run away with this one early. Alex Koch for 3. Joe Zangel with a 3 point play and a putback for an 11-4 start. Then Koch for 3 again for an 18-8 lead. Calvin Jenkins with a pair of baskets and a James Smith hoop at 9:35 cuts the Park lead to 18-14. Koch with a putback and a pair of bombs and another hoop to blow this one open. 38-20 St. Louis Park at the break and Koch has 22. Its a 22 point game with 8:30 left before Roosevelt applies the press to the reserves and makes this one close. 65-56 St. Louis Park wins. Alex Koch with 28 in the win on 11-20 shooting on my sheet. 5 triples in that. Calvin Jenkins leads Roosevelt with 15 points.
Game 2: Chicago Julian vs Milwaukee Marshall (5th place game)
Gotta love the blue hoodies on the Marshall warmups. Even the Chicago kids appeared to have a laugh at that. Worth noting that these teams were staying at the same hotel and got to know each other a bit. Julian with a late first half run to take a 37-26 halftime lead. They close it out 72-21. Julian star Walter Lemon with 22 points. Aristede Brattchet with 17 for Marshall. Fun contest of athletic teams that was a lot like an AAU game.
Game 3: Henry Sibley (4-3) vs Christian Faith Academy, NC (3rd Place Game)
4 all early after a Jordan Jackson follow dunk. CFA applying pressure to get out to a 22-13 lead at the 8:46 mark with superstar 8th grader Andrew Wiggins scoring 7 in a row. But Sibley withstands the early heat. Jake Kreuser gets it going inside with a postup and a putback. Jordan Jackson with 6 free throws thanks to the bonus. Kreuser again inside for 2 postups to put Sibley on top. They take a 32-30 lead to the half. 19-8 run over the last 8:45.
Sibley tries to pull away but can't. 43 all at the 13:53 mark. Then 6 straight Sibley points push the lead to 7 with 8:17 left. Chris Bultena with a big 3 at the 6 minute mark for a 55-49 Sibley lead. CFA cuts into the lead but Sibley hanging on up 59-56 with 2:54 left when Kreuser fouls out. Big play when Sibley runs a postup for Rostampour that gets smashed down and converted to a pair of CFA free throws. 59 all with 1:24 left. Sibley holds for 1 shot and gets 2 looks including a decent look from Jimmy Ryan at the horn that's no good and we'll play OT.
Wiggins quiet but opens the OT with a triple for the first CFA lead since late in the first half. Then Rostampour fouls out at 3:13 of the OT. Too much to ask with both bigs gone. CFA makes enough free throws to withstand 9 late Jordan Jackson points. 78-74 CFA wins. Jordan Jackson with 30 points. Mike Rostampour with a tough night against the long and athletic CFA bigs. I had him 1-15 on my sheet with a 10 and 10 double-double. Jake Kreuser 13 points and 9 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins with 22 for CFA.
Game 4: #1AAAA Hopkins (7-0) vs #1AAA St. Paul Johnson (8-0) (Championship)
The crowd finally files in for this battle of titans. A 13-4 Johnson run over 3:20 forces a Hopkins timeout with 10:15 left in the half. 19-12 Govs lead. Marvin Singleton strong inside for 2 at 9:23 with the foul that puts Hopkins in the bonus. Zach Stahl with a nice lefty bank, a Riley Dearring layup at 8:15 and 2 Singleton freebies cut the lead to 26-24. 29 all after a Siyani Chambers nails triple at 5:57 for Hopkins. Back and forth action. 42-39 Johnson at the half.
Jeremiah Tolbert for 3 and a nice catch of a lob and reverse layup by Joe Coleman put Hopkins on top quickly in the 2nd half. Johnson counters with 2 pairs of freebies. Anthony Lee with a steal for 2, Roosevelt Scott with a big 3 and a Hopkins turnover for a Estan Tyler layup conclude another Johnson spurt. 58-49 Johnson with 12:03 left and Hopkins needs a timeout after the 8-2 run. Hopkins has to have a run in them don't they? DJ Peterson and Riley Dearring score to cut the margin to 64-63 with 8:15 left. After a pair of Siyani Chambers free throws, Hopkins is down 66-65 with 7:33 left.
Johnson has all the answers. Jordan Pluff a pair of free throws. Zach Stahl misses a front end and Donte Warlick converts a layup on the other end. Pluff with a floater countered by 2 Stahl free throws. Then a huge Marcus Marshall triple at the 5 minute mark to push the Johnson lead to 75-67. Anthony Lee drives for 2. 77-69 Govs with 3:55 left. Hopkins can't convert a pair of Tyler turnovers in the next minute. Johnson misses free throws late to keep Hopkins in it. 82-78 with 15.3 left and Hopkins forces a jump ball but it goes to Johnson. Estan Tyler seals the deal with 4 freebies. Johnson wins 86-78 to cement their status as the top team in the metro.
Estan Tyler leads all scorers with 20 points. He didn't shoot it particularly well (6-15) and did have turnovers but he did out play Siyani Chambers at the point. Another struggle for DJ Peterson as well for Hopkins. Jordan Pluff absolutely fearless tonight with 16 points. Roosevelt Scott with 12 points in limited minutes. Marvin Singleton was a beast inside with 18 points and 9 rebounds for Hopkins. Joe Coleman with 18 points and hit a jump shot tonight which was nice to see. Zach Stahl with nice bench minutes for the Royals. The Govs depth was a factor in this one as Hopkins did appear to wear down in the second half.
We love the Davanni's pizza but 2 bucks for a 12 oz can of soda. That'll break me of my drinking habit in a hurry. Nice setup at Augsburg but the introduction takes forever to say (Ernie Anderson court at Si Melby Hall). 1st 2 games minimal attendance, but a nice crowd for the championship game.
Game 1: St. Louis Park (2-6) vs Minneapolis Roosevelt (1-5)
St. Louis Park looks like they're going to run away with this one early. Alex Koch for 3. Joe Zangel with a 3 point play and a putback for an 11-4 start. Then Koch for 3 again for an 18-8 lead. Calvin Jenkins with a pair of baskets and a James Smith hoop at 9:35 cuts the Park lead to 18-14. Koch with a putback and a pair of bombs and another hoop to blow this one open. 38-20 St. Louis Park at the break and Koch has 22. Its a 22 point game with 8:30 left before Roosevelt applies the press to the reserves and makes this one close. 65-56 St. Louis Park wins. Alex Koch with 28 in the win on 11-20 shooting on my sheet. 5 triples in that. Calvin Jenkins leads Roosevelt with 15 points.
Game 2: Chicago Julian vs Milwaukee Marshall (5th place game)
Gotta love the blue hoodies on the Marshall warmups. Even the Chicago kids appeared to have a laugh at that. Worth noting that these teams were staying at the same hotel and got to know each other a bit. Julian with a late first half run to take a 37-26 halftime lead. They close it out 72-21. Julian star Walter Lemon with 22 points. Aristede Brattchet with 17 for Marshall. Fun contest of athletic teams that was a lot like an AAU game.
Game 3: Henry Sibley (4-3) vs Christian Faith Academy, NC (3rd Place Game)
4 all early after a Jordan Jackson follow dunk. CFA applying pressure to get out to a 22-13 lead at the 8:46 mark with superstar 8th grader Andrew Wiggins scoring 7 in a row. But Sibley withstands the early heat. Jake Kreuser gets it going inside with a postup and a putback. Jordan Jackson with 6 free throws thanks to the bonus. Kreuser again inside for 2 postups to put Sibley on top. They take a 32-30 lead to the half. 19-8 run over the last 8:45.
Sibley tries to pull away but can't. 43 all at the 13:53 mark. Then 6 straight Sibley points push the lead to 7 with 8:17 left. Chris Bultena with a big 3 at the 6 minute mark for a 55-49 Sibley lead. CFA cuts into the lead but Sibley hanging on up 59-56 with 2:54 left when Kreuser fouls out. Big play when Sibley runs a postup for Rostampour that gets smashed down and converted to a pair of CFA free throws. 59 all with 1:24 left. Sibley holds for 1 shot and gets 2 looks including a decent look from Jimmy Ryan at the horn that's no good and we'll play OT.
Wiggins quiet but opens the OT with a triple for the first CFA lead since late in the first half. Then Rostampour fouls out at 3:13 of the OT. Too much to ask with both bigs gone. CFA makes enough free throws to withstand 9 late Jordan Jackson points. 78-74 CFA wins. Jordan Jackson with 30 points. Mike Rostampour with a tough night against the long and athletic CFA bigs. I had him 1-15 on my sheet with a 10 and 10 double-double. Jake Kreuser 13 points and 9 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins with 22 for CFA.
Game 4: #1AAAA Hopkins (7-0) vs #1AAA St. Paul Johnson (8-0) (Championship)
The crowd finally files in for this battle of titans. A 13-4 Johnson run over 3:20 forces a Hopkins timeout with 10:15 left in the half. 19-12 Govs lead. Marvin Singleton strong inside for 2 at 9:23 with the foul that puts Hopkins in the bonus. Zach Stahl with a nice lefty bank, a Riley Dearring layup at 8:15 and 2 Singleton freebies cut the lead to 26-24. 29 all after a Siyani Chambers nails triple at 5:57 for Hopkins. Back and forth action. 42-39 Johnson at the half.
Jeremiah Tolbert for 3 and a nice catch of a lob and reverse layup by Joe Coleman put Hopkins on top quickly in the 2nd half. Johnson counters with 2 pairs of freebies. Anthony Lee with a steal for 2, Roosevelt Scott with a big 3 and a Hopkins turnover for a Estan Tyler layup conclude another Johnson spurt. 58-49 Johnson with 12:03 left and Hopkins needs a timeout after the 8-2 run. Hopkins has to have a run in them don't they? DJ Peterson and Riley Dearring score to cut the margin to 64-63 with 8:15 left. After a pair of Siyani Chambers free throws, Hopkins is down 66-65 with 7:33 left.
Johnson has all the answers. Jordan Pluff a pair of free throws. Zach Stahl misses a front end and Donte Warlick converts a layup on the other end. Pluff with a floater countered by 2 Stahl free throws. Then a huge Marcus Marshall triple at the 5 minute mark to push the Johnson lead to 75-67. Anthony Lee drives for 2. 77-69 Govs with 3:55 left. Hopkins can't convert a pair of Tyler turnovers in the next minute. Johnson misses free throws late to keep Hopkins in it. 82-78 with 15.3 left and Hopkins forces a jump ball but it goes to Johnson. Estan Tyler seals the deal with 4 freebies. Johnson wins 86-78 to cement their status as the top team in the metro.
Estan Tyler leads all scorers with 20 points. He didn't shoot it particularly well (6-15) and did have turnovers but he did out play Siyani Chambers at the point. Another struggle for DJ Peterson as well for Hopkins. Jordan Pluff absolutely fearless tonight with 16 points. Roosevelt Scott with 12 points in limited minutes. Marvin Singleton was a beast inside with 18 points and 9 rebounds for Hopkins. Joe Coleman with 18 points and hit a jump shot tonight which was nice to see. Zach Stahl with nice bench minutes for the Royals. The Govs depth was a factor in this one as Hopkins did appear to wear down in the second half.
Sibley rolls in 09-10 Opener
Labels:
Jake Kreuser,
Mike Rostampour
Prologue
Back to Minnesota to start my local season once and for all. SPA came in off a 3 point loss to Fridley last Friday while this was Sibley's opener. SPA without post Gabe Mast who decided to focus on football and baseball. Sibley with their star bigs nicked up as Mike Rostampour has a sore ankle and Jake Kreuser's knee may not be 100% all season. Not to mention, he sliced up his non-shooting hand. For food, we have the always appetizing Taco in a Bag, though everything on it didn't include sour cream which was a slight disappointment and the doritos weren't mashed enough. But enough critiques of food. To the game
Game Time
SPA star forward Evan McMillan out of the gates with a putback for the first bucket of the game. SPA point guard Santano Rosario counters a Jimmy Ryan 3 and a Rostampour FT to tie the game at 4 at the 16:20 mark. Then Sibley takes over inside. Rostampour with a putback, then 2 more. Jake Goldberg inside for 2. Then a big Rostampour block leads to a Dante Grant 3. Timeout SPA. But the bleeding isn't stopped. Rostampour for 2 in a nice high/low set and Ryan with back to back triples. 20-0 run over 8 minutes and Sibley leads 24-4 just outside of the 8 minute mark. The lead gets to 25 before SPA closes to 38-16 at the half.
In the second half, Bobby Wills off the Sibley bench. While he's known for his defense, he converts a turnover into a layup and then makes a triple. Jake Kreuser adds his only points of the night with a jumper from the left baseline. Freshman sniper Adam Huessner in the game as Sibley starts to use the rest of the bench. He nails a triple to push the lead to 32, 57-25 at the 10:50 mark. JVs take the game most of the rest of the way. Sibley wins 66-48.
For St Paul Academy, David McVeety leads the way with 4 triples for 14 points. Santano Rosario with 13 points. Evan McMillan held to 11 points and 6 boards on 4-13 shooting. He got in early foul trouble against Rostampour in the first half as SPA just didn't have other options to use inside. SPA tried man and 2-3 zone to slow down the Warriors but the size was just too much. It doesn't get any easier for the Spartans as they travel to #5A Maranatha tomorrow.
For Sibley, Mike Rostampour was dominant inside and only had 1 foul on my sheet. He finishes with 18 and 9 on 8-13 shooting. Jimmy Ryan with 12 points via 4 of Sibley's 9 makes from deep. Jake Kreuser quiet on offense with only 2 points but 7 rebounds and 4 blocks and he was a presence in the lane. Sibley getting inside looks, mainly for Rostampour with good high/low and duck-in action. Jordan Jackson was a total non-factor with 4 points on 2-5 shooting. Sibley's next game is against Cloquet in the Breakdown Tipoff Classic on Saturday at Minnetonka.
The Future
Players to watch in years to come include SPA frosh PG Spencer Egly. He's a backup now, but will take over for Rosario next year. For Sibley, they have a pair of noteworthy freshmen. Nick Goldberg (Little Goldy according to the Sibley students, he's Jake's brother). More athletic and skilled than Jake, but not as strong and needs work on his perimeter game. And we already mentioned Adam Heussner, who's a valuable zone buster right now and saw major time with the Warriors during fall play.
Back to Minnesota to start my local season once and for all. SPA came in off a 3 point loss to Fridley last Friday while this was Sibley's opener. SPA without post Gabe Mast who decided to focus on football and baseball. Sibley with their star bigs nicked up as Mike Rostampour has a sore ankle and Jake Kreuser's knee may not be 100% all season. Not to mention, he sliced up his non-shooting hand. For food, we have the always appetizing Taco in a Bag, though everything on it didn't include sour cream which was a slight disappointment and the doritos weren't mashed enough. But enough critiques of food. To the game
Game Time
SPA star forward Evan McMillan out of the gates with a putback for the first bucket of the game. SPA point guard Santano Rosario counters a Jimmy Ryan 3 and a Rostampour FT to tie the game at 4 at the 16:20 mark. Then Sibley takes over inside. Rostampour with a putback, then 2 more. Jake Goldberg inside for 2. Then a big Rostampour block leads to a Dante Grant 3. Timeout SPA. But the bleeding isn't stopped. Rostampour for 2 in a nice high/low set and Ryan with back to back triples. 20-0 run over 8 minutes and Sibley leads 24-4 just outside of the 8 minute mark. The lead gets to 25 before SPA closes to 38-16 at the half.
In the second half, Bobby Wills off the Sibley bench. While he's known for his defense, he converts a turnover into a layup and then makes a triple. Jake Kreuser adds his only points of the night with a jumper from the left baseline. Freshman sniper Adam Huessner in the game as Sibley starts to use the rest of the bench. He nails a triple to push the lead to 32, 57-25 at the 10:50 mark. JVs take the game most of the rest of the way. Sibley wins 66-48.
For St Paul Academy, David McVeety leads the way with 4 triples for 14 points. Santano Rosario with 13 points. Evan McMillan held to 11 points and 6 boards on 4-13 shooting. He got in early foul trouble against Rostampour in the first half as SPA just didn't have other options to use inside. SPA tried man and 2-3 zone to slow down the Warriors but the size was just too much. It doesn't get any easier for the Spartans as they travel to #5A Maranatha tomorrow.
For Sibley, Mike Rostampour was dominant inside and only had 1 foul on my sheet. He finishes with 18 and 9 on 8-13 shooting. Jimmy Ryan with 12 points via 4 of Sibley's 9 makes from deep. Jake Kreuser quiet on offense with only 2 points but 7 rebounds and 4 blocks and he was a presence in the lane. Sibley getting inside looks, mainly for Rostampour with good high/low and duck-in action. Jordan Jackson was a total non-factor with 4 points on 2-5 shooting. Sibley's next game is against Cloquet in the Breakdown Tipoff Classic on Saturday at Minnetonka.
The Future
Players to watch in years to come include SPA frosh PG Spencer Egly. He's a backup now, but will take over for Rosario next year. For Sibley, they have a pair of noteworthy freshmen. Nick Goldberg (Little Goldy according to the Sibley students, he's Jake's brother). More athletic and skilled than Jake, but not as strong and needs work on his perimeter game. And we already mentioned Adam Heussner, who's a valuable zone buster right now and saw major time with the Warriors during fall play.
Breakdown Summer Showcase Thoughts
Labels:
DJ Peterson,
Mike Rostampour
My thoughts from Sunday at Minnetonka for the Breakdown Summer Showcase
Blue Pool A
Big Lake wins the pool with wins over GFW and Austin. Austin without Connor Gunderson despite Glory's 1st round playoff lost in Mankato. GFW with 5 points in the 1st 25 minutes of that game vs Big Lake. 38-22 final in an ugly one. 6'8 Center Tyler Hansen for Big Lake is an interesting player. Lanky athlete and can shoot a little. He played well.
Blue Pool B
Loaded pool here. Delano with Darius Clare and Mike Yahnke held off New London-Spicer who had Jayme Moten and Erik Tengwall 57-55. NLS then had too much inside for MACCRAY in a 69-53 win. Seth Hinrichs with 11 in the 2nd half but Shaun Condon only 3 FTs and 2 FG attempts. Condon finishes with 15. Hinrichs in a tough spot having the game of a perimeter player but having to defend the top post player. MACCRAY held off Delano in the last pool game 55-51. MACCRAY up 27-24 at half behind 16 points from their star Shaun Condon. In the 2nd half, when Delano would get close, Condon would make a play. He finishes with 28 in the win. Mike Yahnke with 15 points for Delano. So that means all 3 teams finish 1-1. Delano and NLS finish with the same points allowed so despite a head-head win, we go to the coin flip which Delano thankfully wins.
Delano couldn't generate any offense in the championship game vs Big Lake and the Hornets get the surprise championship.
Red Pool A
Apollo with all 3 of their stars from the class of 2011 on hand but it didn't matter vs a loaded Hopkins squad. Hopkins wins 72-49. Zach Stahl really made a case for that 5th spot with his play in this one. Only Riley Dearring missing, but Marvin Singleton, Siyani Chambers, DJ Peterson and Joe Coleman all on hand for the Royals. Cameron Selmer was the only kid from Mankato who made the trip back.
Champlin Park shorthanded as Kyle Zimmerman and Jasper Duberry weren't available. But they gave Hopkins all they wanted. CP had a late lead thanks to a Josh Pella steal and layup but a Hopkins 3 and a Dillon Hager miss allows Hopkins to survive 44-40.
Red Pool B
Sibley rolled through Pool B despite not having Jake Kreuser and Jimmy Ryan (2 key components of next year's team). Interesting that Kreuser didn't play on Sunday in Mankato with what appears to be a bum knee.
Red Championship (Hopkins vs Sibley)
This one had some intensity to it. Interesting to hear Hopkins talk smack about Jordan Jackson transferring to Sibley. I found the irony rather humorous. Then the game was chippy at times too as there was some chirping going on. 26-20 Hopkins at the half with Mike Rostampour scoring 8 points and Jordan Jackson with 6 points on 2 circus field goals. Sibley comes out with 9 in a row to start the 2nd half before a DJ Peterson 3 breaks the run. Rostampour on the bench to end the run as he has 4 fouls. But he returns with 9:30 left in a surprise move. 33-31 Hopkins with 8:30 to play. Siyani Chambers runs out for a pair of layins to push the lead to 6 with 4:20 left. Marvin Singleton with a 3 point play and then Chambers for 3 for a 12 point lead with 2:45 left to conclude a 10-0 run. But DJ Peterson misses a front end with 32.7 seconds left and Chambers misses another front end at 20.5 and Sibley is only down 2 with a chance to tie. But they turn it over with 12.1 to go. Chambers seals the 49-45 Hopkins win with 2 FTs. Mike Rostampour with 17 and 10 as Hopkins had trouble with him inside. Jordan Jackson with 10 points but his shot selection more than once left something to be desired. Jackson is still adjusting to the new style, but coach Dasovich is going to have to determine if he's a 1 or a 2 next season. He's a scorer in a PG body but his athleticism is a major plus. DJ Peterson with 15 points, Siyani Chambers with 12. Marvin Singleton did see plenty of perimeter touches during the day, but he's the guy who's going to have to be an interior presence for them in 09-10.
Blue Pool A
Big Lake wins the pool with wins over GFW and Austin. Austin without Connor Gunderson despite Glory's 1st round playoff lost in Mankato. GFW with 5 points in the 1st 25 minutes of that game vs Big Lake. 38-22 final in an ugly one. 6'8 Center Tyler Hansen for Big Lake is an interesting player. Lanky athlete and can shoot a little. He played well.
Blue Pool B
Loaded pool here. Delano with Darius Clare and Mike Yahnke held off New London-Spicer who had Jayme Moten and Erik Tengwall 57-55. NLS then had too much inside for MACCRAY in a 69-53 win. Seth Hinrichs with 11 in the 2nd half but Shaun Condon only 3 FTs and 2 FG attempts. Condon finishes with 15. Hinrichs in a tough spot having the game of a perimeter player but having to defend the top post player. MACCRAY held off Delano in the last pool game 55-51. MACCRAY up 27-24 at half behind 16 points from their star Shaun Condon. In the 2nd half, when Delano would get close, Condon would make a play. He finishes with 28 in the win. Mike Yahnke with 15 points for Delano. So that means all 3 teams finish 1-1. Delano and NLS finish with the same points allowed so despite a head-head win, we go to the coin flip which Delano thankfully wins.
Delano couldn't generate any offense in the championship game vs Big Lake and the Hornets get the surprise championship.
Red Pool A
Apollo with all 3 of their stars from the class of 2011 on hand but it didn't matter vs a loaded Hopkins squad. Hopkins wins 72-49. Zach Stahl really made a case for that 5th spot with his play in this one. Only Riley Dearring missing, but Marvin Singleton, Siyani Chambers, DJ Peterson and Joe Coleman all on hand for the Royals. Cameron Selmer was the only kid from Mankato who made the trip back.
Champlin Park shorthanded as Kyle Zimmerman and Jasper Duberry weren't available. But they gave Hopkins all they wanted. CP had a late lead thanks to a Josh Pella steal and layup but a Hopkins 3 and a Dillon Hager miss allows Hopkins to survive 44-40.
Red Pool B
Sibley rolled through Pool B despite not having Jake Kreuser and Jimmy Ryan (2 key components of next year's team). Interesting that Kreuser didn't play on Sunday in Mankato with what appears to be a bum knee.
Red Championship (Hopkins vs Sibley)
This one had some intensity to it. Interesting to hear Hopkins talk smack about Jordan Jackson transferring to Sibley. I found the irony rather humorous. Then the game was chippy at times too as there was some chirping going on. 26-20 Hopkins at the half with Mike Rostampour scoring 8 points and Jordan Jackson with 6 points on 2 circus field goals. Sibley comes out with 9 in a row to start the 2nd half before a DJ Peterson 3 breaks the run. Rostampour on the bench to end the run as he has 4 fouls. But he returns with 9:30 left in a surprise move. 33-31 Hopkins with 8:30 to play. Siyani Chambers runs out for a pair of layins to push the lead to 6 with 4:20 left. Marvin Singleton with a 3 point play and then Chambers for 3 for a 12 point lead with 2:45 left to conclude a 10-0 run. But DJ Peterson misses a front end with 32.7 seconds left and Chambers misses another front end at 20.5 and Sibley is only down 2 with a chance to tie. But they turn it over with 12.1 to go. Chambers seals the 49-45 Hopkins win with 2 FTs. Mike Rostampour with 17 and 10 as Hopkins had trouble with him inside. Jordan Jackson with 10 points but his shot selection more than once left something to be desired. Jackson is still adjusting to the new style, but coach Dasovich is going to have to determine if he's a 1 or a 2 next season. He's a scorer in a PG body but his athleticism is a major plus. DJ Peterson with 15 points, Siyani Chambers with 12. Marvin Singleton did see plenty of perimeter touches during the day, but he's the guy who's going to have to be an interior presence for them in 09-10.
Pool Play at MN HS Hoops Classic
Labels:
Mike Rostampour
So I made my way to "The Birthplace of Intercollegiate Basketball" for the MN HS Hoops Classic. A nice field with Osseo, Forest Lake, Henry Sibley, Spring Lake Park and Minnehaha among those participating.
Osseo vs Forest Lake highlighted the 1st session. Aaron Anderson arriving at the half for Osseo after the morning's ACTs. Forest Lake uses a 9-2 run to end the 1st half for a 7 point half time lead and they win 77-64. Forest Lake's open-post motion offense in mid-season form getting them great looks. Osseo with no answers on the defensive end.
Minnehaha vs Sibley for the highlight of the 2nd session. No Taylor Hanson in this one for Minnehaha which is never a good sign when you're up against Mike Rostampour and Jake Kreuser. Jordan Jackson also getting action with his new teammates (Como Park transfer). That's a big get for Sibley especially if Jackson can reign in some of the habits he had at Como. Rostampour had to have 20 and 10 in this one. Not much from Parker Hines for Minnehaha and Sibley goes on to an easy 64-36 win.
Osseo against St. Anthony in game 3 of the day. St. Anthony bombing away from deep to keep the game tied at 14 in the 1st half. Osseo extends to 37-28 at the break. Josh Pratt with a big 3 at the 11 minute mark of the 2nd half for a 48-47 St. Anthony lead. But Osseo is too much. A 13-3 run for Osseo gives them the lead for good. Osseo goes on to a 81-68 win.
Session 4 had Sibley with another big win 66-33 over Farmington.
My last session had Spring Lake Park vs St. Louis Park. Full house rosters for each team though not having Derek Dahl for Spring Lake Park was a big loss. Alex Koch leading the way despite some forced shots. The Orioles get a 12 point lead in the 1st half and never look back. 72-61 St. Louis Park wins. Aaron Ziman is the 1 player who doesn't play 1000 miles per hour for them though he has the ability. He's key to getting them in their sets. Elijah Sabah again showing a developed perimeter game. Nice to see Sean Scott getting some time with them as well.
Mike Rostampour easily the player of the day. Absolutely dominant in the paint and he even got in a couple of passing lanes to take passes the other way in the Farmington game.
Osseo vs Forest Lake highlighted the 1st session. Aaron Anderson arriving at the half for Osseo after the morning's ACTs. Forest Lake uses a 9-2 run to end the 1st half for a 7 point half time lead and they win 77-64. Forest Lake's open-post motion offense in mid-season form getting them great looks. Osseo with no answers on the defensive end.
Minnehaha vs Sibley for the highlight of the 2nd session. No Taylor Hanson in this one for Minnehaha which is never a good sign when you're up against Mike Rostampour and Jake Kreuser. Jordan Jackson also getting action with his new teammates (Como Park transfer). That's a big get for Sibley especially if Jackson can reign in some of the habits he had at Como. Rostampour had to have 20 and 10 in this one. Not much from Parker Hines for Minnehaha and Sibley goes on to an easy 64-36 win.
Osseo against St. Anthony in game 3 of the day. St. Anthony bombing away from deep to keep the game tied at 14 in the 1st half. Osseo extends to 37-28 at the break. Josh Pratt with a big 3 at the 11 minute mark of the 2nd half for a 48-47 St. Anthony lead. But Osseo is too much. A 13-3 run for Osseo gives them the lead for good. Osseo goes on to a 81-68 win.
Session 4 had Sibley with another big win 66-33 over Farmington.
My last session had Spring Lake Park vs St. Louis Park. Full house rosters for each team though not having Derek Dahl for Spring Lake Park was a big loss. Alex Koch leading the way despite some forced shots. The Orioles get a 12 point lead in the 1st half and never look back. 72-61 St. Louis Park wins. Aaron Ziman is the 1 player who doesn't play 1000 miles per hour for them though he has the ability. He's key to getting them in their sets. Elijah Sabah again showing a developed perimeter game. Nice to see Sean Scott getting some time with them as well.
Mike Rostampour easily the player of the day. Absolutely dominant in the paint and he even got in a couple of passing lanes to take passes the other way in the Farmington game.
Minnehaha vs Sibley Thoughts
Game 2 of the opening day at Bethel gives us #5AA Minnehaha vs #2AAAA Henry Sibley. These teams met in fall league play and Sibley won huge. With no Greg Meyer for Minnehaha (out due to injury), could the Redhawks compete in this one?
Chris Halvorsen with the assignment on David Burnham in this one. Jake Kreuser off to a nice start with a couple of post buckets and an assist to Mike Bruesewitz for a triple. Taylor Hanson off to a nice start with a couple of buckets for Minnehaha. 16-12 Sibley at 11:45. Hanson then goes by Kreuser for 2, Burnham with a jumper and Taylor Sparkman knocks down a couple of 3s and Minnehaha leads 24-16 at 8:20. Its a 12-0 run over 3 minutes. Sibley chips away and gets 7 in a row of their own over 2:15 and its 26-25 Minnehaha with 5 minutes left in the half. But Burnham and Sparkman make triples in an 8-0 run to end the half and the Redhawks have a 38-29 going to halftime. Sparkman with 4 3s and 12 points in the half. Burnham and Hanson with 7 each. Bruesewitz with 13 points. Kreuser with a nice 1st half of 7 points, 6 rebounds and a block. Minnehaha 6-16 from the deep beyond in the half and staying even on the boards.
2nd half is even to start. Taylor Sparkman with a nice curl move to lose Halvorsen which he converts into a layup and Minnehaha leads 44-34 at 14:15. Mike Rostampour in now to deal with the dribble penetration of Hanson (instead of Kreuser). He gets a bucket off a scramble. Bruesewitz with 2 layups and a steal that leads to a Halvorsen dunk and we're tied at 44 with 11:15 left. Can Minnehaha get back ahead? Answer: An emphatic No. Rostampour with a post up, a drive and then a jumper for 6 straight Sibley points. He then got a steal that should have been 2 more, but he got his footwork messed up going in for the dunk. Hanson with 2 FTs and its only 50-48 Sibley with 7:51 to play. But Maurice Hernandez puts this one out of reach with a pair of triples along with a Halvorsen layin and post up for 2. 60-48 Sibley leads with 5:36 to play. All added up its a 26-4 Sibley run over 7:30. Rostampour continues to add on inside late but this one is over. 72-59 Sibley wins.
For Minnehaha, Taylor Sparkman finishes with 17 and 9 and he hit big triples in the 1st half. He was 2-7 shooting in the 2nd half to finish 6-17. Taylor Hanson with 12 points but he was able to get in the lane and was active. But he only shot 1-9 in the 2nd half with some good looks. David Burnham quiet with only 9 points (1-3 FG in the 2nd half). They shot 1-11 from 3 (7-26 overall in the half) and got outrebounded 15-7 in the 2nd half.
For Sibley, Mike Bruesewitz solid with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks. Mike Rostampour with a monster 2nd half of 14 points and 7 rebounds in 9 minutes. His ability to slow Hanson down off the dribble without Kreuser in there was big. Nice adjustment by coach Dasovich. Maurice Hernandez with 13 of his 16 points in the 2nd half including 3 of 5 shooting from deep. Sibley shot an astronomical 18-27 (66.7%) from the floor in the 2nd half to outscore Minnehaha 43-21. Overall, they shot 28-51 for the game.
Chris Halvorsen with the assignment on David Burnham in this one. Jake Kreuser off to a nice start with a couple of post buckets and an assist to Mike Bruesewitz for a triple. Taylor Hanson off to a nice start with a couple of buckets for Minnehaha. 16-12 Sibley at 11:45. Hanson then goes by Kreuser for 2, Burnham with a jumper and Taylor Sparkman knocks down a couple of 3s and Minnehaha leads 24-16 at 8:20. Its a 12-0 run over 3 minutes. Sibley chips away and gets 7 in a row of their own over 2:15 and its 26-25 Minnehaha with 5 minutes left in the half. But Burnham and Sparkman make triples in an 8-0 run to end the half and the Redhawks have a 38-29 going to halftime. Sparkman with 4 3s and 12 points in the half. Burnham and Hanson with 7 each. Bruesewitz with 13 points. Kreuser with a nice 1st half of 7 points, 6 rebounds and a block. Minnehaha 6-16 from the deep beyond in the half and staying even on the boards.
2nd half is even to start. Taylor Sparkman with a nice curl move to lose Halvorsen which he converts into a layup and Minnehaha leads 44-34 at 14:15. Mike Rostampour in now to deal with the dribble penetration of Hanson (instead of Kreuser). He gets a bucket off a scramble. Bruesewitz with 2 layups and a steal that leads to a Halvorsen dunk and we're tied at 44 with 11:15 left. Can Minnehaha get back ahead? Answer: An emphatic No. Rostampour with a post up, a drive and then a jumper for 6 straight Sibley points. He then got a steal that should have been 2 more, but he got his footwork messed up going in for the dunk. Hanson with 2 FTs and its only 50-48 Sibley with 7:51 to play. But Maurice Hernandez puts this one out of reach with a pair of triples along with a Halvorsen layin and post up for 2. 60-48 Sibley leads with 5:36 to play. All added up its a 26-4 Sibley run over 7:30. Rostampour continues to add on inside late but this one is over. 72-59 Sibley wins.
For Minnehaha, Taylor Sparkman finishes with 17 and 9 and he hit big triples in the 1st half. He was 2-7 shooting in the 2nd half to finish 6-17. Taylor Hanson with 12 points but he was able to get in the lane and was active. But he only shot 1-9 in the 2nd half with some good looks. David Burnham quiet with only 9 points (1-3 FG in the 2nd half). They shot 1-11 from 3 (7-26 overall in the half) and got outrebounded 15-7 in the 2nd half.
For Sibley, Mike Bruesewitz solid with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks. Mike Rostampour with a monster 2nd half of 14 points and 7 rebounds in 9 minutes. His ability to slow Hanson down off the dribble without Kreuser in there was big. Nice adjustment by coach Dasovich. Maurice Hernandez with 13 of his 16 points in the 2nd half including 3 of 5 shooting from deep. Sibley shot an astronomical 18-27 (66.7%) from the floor in the 2nd half to outscore Minnehaha 43-21. Overall, they shot 28-51 for the game.
Osseo at Sibley Thoughts
Labels:
Mike Bruesewitz,
Mike Rostampour,
Sam Dower
Maurice Hernandez
I'm not the biggest fan of seeing a team twice in a row, but tonight's game of #8 Osseo at #2 Sibley makes it all worthwhile. Gotta love the Taco in a Bag, $3, but worth every penny and a nice variety for the Czar's ever expanding waist line. I must confess I did have it with the works (sour cream and salsa included, yum!). Note to self, must re-measure to see if I still have more height than depth. If you're familiar with the little game called Lightning (line of players at FT line, 2 balls, you have to put your ball thru the basket before the person behind you does or you're out, last one standing wins), a great one tonight at the half. Mike Bruesewitz's dad was the emcee with students from Osseo and Sibley participating. Big cheers from the Sibley students section when someone from Osseo was eliminated. One of the female members of the Sibley section went on to win. We even had a Rene Pulley sighting as he came in for the 2nd half. To the real game at hand.Osseo's Jayvin Reynolds gets the assignment on Mike Bruesewitz and Bruesewitz gets the task of guarding Sam Dower. After Dower starts the game with a jumper, Bruesewitz with a post up for 2, Maurice Hernandez with a triple, Chris Halvorsen with 2 free throws and Hernandez gets 2 FTs for Dower's 2nd foul and to the bench he goes. 10-2 Sibley at 14:08 for a 10-o Warriors run. Dower with 3 of the 4 Osseo turnovers during the spurt and the Orioles couldn't buy a call either. Reynolds picks up his 2nd at 10:20 on a charge and back comes Dower. He gets a dunk off a Sibley turnover and the Sibley lead is cut to 12-9 at 9:47. Bru drives by Dower for 2, gets a tip in with another Hernandez 3 to push the lead right back to 10. Dower with a dunk and then he gets a rebound and runs the floor for the bucket +1 reward (always reward the big guy for running the floor). Bruesewitz again before Osseo's Aaron Anderson gets hot along with Sibley turnovers. Anderson hits back to back 3s then a floater via a steal to cut it to 23-22 Sibley. Mike Rostampour (Psycho to the Sibley students, love that), with a putback and the foul for a free throw. Technical on the Osseo bench at 5:05 gives Sibley the ball back for a Halvorsen assist to Francis Bungue. 29-22 Sibley at 4:15. Another Hernandez triple makes with 32-24 Sibley at 3:30. Osseo gets 6 of the next 7 to cut the lead to 3 but off a scramble Bungue nails a three at the 1st half buzzer and Sibley leads 36-30 at the break. On my highly unofficial stat sheet ,Dower 11 and 4, Aaron Anderson 11 for Osseo. Hernandez 3 triples and 12 points, Bruesewitz with 8 and 3 for Sibley.
Bruesewitz comes out on fire in the 2nd half. A drive for a bucket, an offensive rebound for 2, a jumper over Dower, a swat that stops a Osseo possession. Halvorsen converts a tough layin 8-1 Sibley run. Timeout Orioles at 15:12 44-31 Sibley leads. Bruesewitz again on the offensive glass for 2 and another swat. Then a handoff on an inbound to Hernandez who makes the defender look silly and knocks down a cold blooded 3 (4th triple of the night) and the lead is 48-31 Sibley. 12-1 run over the 1st 5 minutes of the 2nd half led by Bruesewitz. Unlike other games you'll see, Osseo isn't done yet. Bobby Fischer breaks the run with a 3, Anderson with 2 FTs, Dower an offensive rebound of his own for 2 free throws. Bruesewitz then called for a goal tend (close call but the right one it appears) and then a miss and Osseo's Joey Sonnenfeld makes on the other end over Halvorsen. 11-0 run for Osseo over 3 minutes, timeout Sibley at 9:40 48-42 they lead. Bruesewitz still getting it done with a tip in to break the run. DJ Phillips then misses 2 FT that would have cut it to 6. Halvorsen with 2 on the other end. Dower misses 2 FTs of his own. Rostampour dunks 2 minutes later to push the lead to 12 and Osseo doesn't threaten again. Hernandez with his final 3 of the night at 3:45 keeps the lead at 13. Bruesewitz handling the ball vs Osseo pressure too. Final Score 64-51 Sibley wins. To the highly unofficial stat sheet.
For Osseo, Aaron Anderson with 13 points. Sam Dower with 22 and 11 and at least 4 turnovers. He really didn't do much inside though from a post up point of view. His buckets were in transition or off the offensive glass. Great hands though and can really run the floor. After a hot 1st half, Anderson with only 2 free throws in the 2nd half. Kyle Mason with only 1 of 2 FTs on the night. He has to be a scoring threat for them in big games.
For Sibley, Bruesewitz 21 and 7 with 4 blks (not counting the goaltending call, all blks in the 2nd half). 5 triples and 19 points for Maurice Hernandez. He made all his open looks. Mike Rostampour with his required 4 fouls but in reserve minutes I had him for 8 pts and 10 rebounds along with a big time block late. He's such a relentless rebounder and such an effort player. Great motor.
(Czar's note 12/10/08, wow was I off, 16 rebs is being reported, I'm usually within 1 or 2, this one surprised me
12/11/08, now that I've seen a highly respected Gopher Hole reader say he had Bruesewitz for 8 rebounds, I'm calling shenanigans on the StarTrib report.)
X and O of the Day
Osseo on the inbounds in the subject of today's X and O segment. They'll have Dower set an interior screen right in the middle of the lane. His defender plays toward the baseline as that's where the ball is. As that happens, they'll throw the ball out high and Dower will turn and look for the ball posted in front of the rim with the guy on his back. Simple and effective.
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