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
Red Wing steamrolls Simley
Prologue
Its my 1st ever boys game and night game at Simley. Its a non-conference game against 7-4 Red Wing. Simley on a streak of losing 5 out of 6 with a 4-5 record. Gotta love the free chips as part of the meal deal. But at least there are people. Last time I was at Simley it was a 10 AM girls holiday tournament during the week and you could hear a pin drop. Since we have Wingers and a blowout, this seems to be a logical choice for ...
Song of the Day
Winger - Headed for a Heartbreak
Game Time
Simley starting 4 non-seniors with leader Shinoby Yang. Red Wing on the other hand has plenty of experience returning. 6'8" Center Isaac Sevlie with a putback and then a 3 point play at 13:56. 10-0 Red Wing out of the gate. The big man with another 3 point play and then a steal and he rumbles for a pair of free throws. Then he grabs another of his own misses and is fouled for 1 FT. 24-10 Red Wing at the 6:03 mark. They've extended their man pressure and really forced Simley away from the basket in the halfcourt. Red Wing nails a 3 a the buzzer for a 35-21 halftime lead. Then Red Wing blows it open to start the 2nd half. Coleman Kelly with a jumper, Pat Kelly for 3, Sevlie with a pair of free throws, Pat Kelly with a steal for a -layup. Willy Ahern with a drive from the high post as the 2nd high post guy vs the 2-3 zone and the foul. Add on 4 more points for a 16-0 run to start the half. 51-21 Red Wing with 13:15 left and that's all I can stand to watch.
Post Game
Simley tried 2-3 zone most of the night but Red Wing did a nice job of moving the ball against it. Shinoby Yang 2-11 in the minutes I saw. 8th grader Sam Stensgard off the bench with a pair of 3s and then started the 2nd half. Simley will have 6 of their top 8 back next season but the leading Yang is gone. Red Wing has soph Ryan Boldt waiting in the wings. Isaac Sevlie with 13 points and 5 rebounds in the limited action I saw. Simley now 4-7 but those 4 wins are against New Life, Park, Waseca and International School. Besides Yang, scoring is a real problem as demonstrated by scoring only 18 points against Sibley last week. They have a pair of Classic Suburban road games next week against South St. Paul and St. Thomas Academy. Red Wing started 1-3 but improves to 8-4 with the win. That includes a quality blowout win at Minnewaska over the holidays. Looks like they could end up fighting Albert Lea for the 3rd seed in section 1AAA. Albert Lea with a worse record but a strong schedule (#3 schedule in the CzarPI this week) unlike Red Wing (#57 schedule out of 60 in this week's CzarPI) and Albert Lea won at Red Wing. A head to head win over Waseca should keep Simley out of the #8 seed.
Its my 1st ever boys game and night game at Simley. Its a non-conference game against 7-4 Red Wing. Simley on a streak of losing 5 out of 6 with a 4-5 record. Gotta love the free chips as part of the meal deal. But at least there are people. Last time I was at Simley it was a 10 AM girls holiday tournament during the week and you could hear a pin drop. Since we have Wingers and a blowout, this seems to be a logical choice for ...
Song of the Day
Winger - Headed for a Heartbreak
Game Time
Simley starting 4 non-seniors with leader Shinoby Yang. Red Wing on the other hand has plenty of experience returning. 6'8" Center Isaac Sevlie with a putback and then a 3 point play at 13:56. 10-0 Red Wing out of the gate. The big man with another 3 point play and then a steal and he rumbles for a pair of free throws. Then he grabs another of his own misses and is fouled for 1 FT. 24-10 Red Wing at the 6:03 mark. They've extended their man pressure and really forced Simley away from the basket in the halfcourt. Red Wing nails a 3 a the buzzer for a 35-21 halftime lead. Then Red Wing blows it open to start the 2nd half. Coleman Kelly with a jumper, Pat Kelly for 3, Sevlie with a pair of free throws, Pat Kelly with a steal for a -layup. Willy Ahern with a drive from the high post as the 2nd high post guy vs the 2-3 zone and the foul. Add on 4 more points for a 16-0 run to start the half. 51-21 Red Wing with 13:15 left and that's all I can stand to watch.
Post Game
Simley tried 2-3 zone most of the night but Red Wing did a nice job of moving the ball against it. Shinoby Yang 2-11 in the minutes I saw. 8th grader Sam Stensgard off the bench with a pair of 3s and then started the 2nd half. Simley will have 6 of their top 8 back next season but the leading Yang is gone. Red Wing has soph Ryan Boldt waiting in the wings. Isaac Sevlie with 13 points and 5 rebounds in the limited action I saw. Simley now 4-7 but those 4 wins are against New Life, Park, Waseca and International School. Besides Yang, scoring is a real problem as demonstrated by scoring only 18 points against Sibley last week. They have a pair of Classic Suburban road games next week against South St. Paul and St. Thomas Academy. Red Wing started 1-3 but improves to 8-4 with the win. That includes a quality blowout win at Minnewaska over the holidays. Looks like they could end up fighting Albert Lea for the 3rd seed in section 1AAA. Albert Lea with a worse record but a strong schedule (#3 schedule in the CzarPI this week) unlike Red Wing (#57 schedule out of 60 in this week's CzarPI) and Albert Lea won at Red Wing. A head to head win over Waseca should keep Simley out of the #8 seed.
Trojans stop Spartans
Prologue
Its literally the only game in town (and the state) tonight as #7AAA Orono (8-1) visits Wayzata (8-2). I walk in right as the national anthem is playing so its pure panic mode but I manage to keep up. So no concessions either, boo hoo. Its not until after the game that I realize that the Mr. Basketball committee is watching but they're not front row center court.
Game Time
Jeremy Borg with a pair of freebies for a 9-4 Orono lead at the 13:35 mark. Then Wayzata takes off. Eric Robertson for 3 to start a run and then another 3 at 9:34, followed by Orono timeout and a Wayzata layup. 16-0 run gives Wayzata at 20-9 lead with 9:03 left in the half. Eric Robertson with a jumper and a nice assist to Chris Burt for a layup followed by a dunk. 27-12 Wayzata leads and its a 23-3 spurt. Robertson back to back 3s for a 16 point lead. A nice 2nd pass gets Jordan Smith a 3 and then Smith finds Jeremy Borg for a layup. 33-24 Orono at the break.
Tanner Helgren to the rim for a dunk and Robertson strong to the rim for a big 2 handed dunk. 41-30 Wayzata with 14:55 left. Orono has a run in them. Erik Peterson with 3 layups off the same inbounds play within a stretch of 4 scores. Jeremy Borg with a putback and Smith for 3 off THE WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE. The 11-2 Orono run cuts the lead to 43-41 with 11:38 left. Robertson with his 5th bomb of the night. Jack Vettel with a jumper and a 3 and Aaron Roth with 2 steals for And 1s. Robertson finishes the run with 2 free throws. 61-44 Wayzata with 7:08 left after the 18-3 run over 4:30. Orono never threatens again. Wayzata wins 77-56.
Post Game
For Orono, Jordan Smith leads the way with 20 points on 6-14 FG. Brady Wohler and Jeremy Borg with 12 points each. I was surprised Orono didn't run more dribble drive stuff. Erik Peterson with 8 points all in the second half on layups off the same inbound play. Jordan Smith was drawing that much attention.The Spartans fall to 8-2 and resume Wright County play with 3 games in the next week before playing St. Thomas Academy in the rescheduled tipoff classic.
For Wayzata, Eric Robertson shows up big again with 32 points and 5 3s on 8-21 FGs. He also had 4 rebounds and 3 blocks on my sheet. Aaron Roth 10 of his 13 in the second half as he was a part of the big spurt that put the game away. Forward Chris Burt with 10 points as well. Wayzata quietly impressive with a record of 9-2. That includes wins over Cretin-Derham Hall, Blaine, Anoka, Cooper and White Bear Lake in addition to tonight. They visit Coon Rapids on Saturday before hosting St. Cloud Tech and at Washburn next week.
Its literally the only game in town (and the state) tonight as #7AAA Orono (8-1) visits Wayzata (8-2). I walk in right as the national anthem is playing so its pure panic mode but I manage to keep up. So no concessions either, boo hoo. Its not until after the game that I realize that the Mr. Basketball committee is watching but they're not front row center court.
Game Time
Jeremy Borg with a pair of freebies for a 9-4 Orono lead at the 13:35 mark. Then Wayzata takes off. Eric Robertson for 3 to start a run and then another 3 at 9:34, followed by Orono timeout and a Wayzata layup. 16-0 run gives Wayzata at 20-9 lead with 9:03 left in the half. Eric Robertson with a jumper and a nice assist to Chris Burt for a layup followed by a dunk. 27-12 Wayzata leads and its a 23-3 spurt. Robertson back to back 3s for a 16 point lead. A nice 2nd pass gets Jordan Smith a 3 and then Smith finds Jeremy Borg for a layup. 33-24 Orono at the break.
Tanner Helgren to the rim for a dunk and Robertson strong to the rim for a big 2 handed dunk. 41-30 Wayzata with 14:55 left. Orono has a run in them. Erik Peterson with 3 layups off the same inbounds play within a stretch of 4 scores. Jeremy Borg with a putback and Smith for 3 off THE WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE. The 11-2 Orono run cuts the lead to 43-41 with 11:38 left. Robertson with his 5th bomb of the night. Jack Vettel with a jumper and a 3 and Aaron Roth with 2 steals for And 1s. Robertson finishes the run with 2 free throws. 61-44 Wayzata with 7:08 left after the 18-3 run over 4:30. Orono never threatens again. Wayzata wins 77-56.
Post Game
For Orono, Jordan Smith leads the way with 20 points on 6-14 FG. Brady Wohler and Jeremy Borg with 12 points each. I was surprised Orono didn't run more dribble drive stuff. Erik Peterson with 8 points all in the second half on layups off the same inbound play. Jordan Smith was drawing that much attention.The Spartans fall to 8-2 and resume Wright County play with 3 games in the next week before playing St. Thomas Academy in the rescheduled tipoff classic.
For Wayzata, Eric Robertson shows up big again with 32 points and 5 3s on 8-21 FGs. He also had 4 rebounds and 3 blocks on my sheet. Aaron Roth 10 of his 13 in the second half as he was a part of the big spurt that put the game away. Forward Chris Burt with 10 points as well. Wayzata quietly impressive with a record of 9-2. That includes wins over Cretin-Derham Hall, Blaine, Anoka, Cooper and White Bear Lake in addition to tonight. They visit Coon Rapids on Saturday before hosting St. Cloud Tech and at Washburn next week.
Hornets sting New Prague
Prologue
With MTS at Prairie Seeds being called off some unknown reason, I decide on a very under the radar alternative. 9-1 New Prague at 8-3 Edina. New Prague has fallen out of the AAA poll but is still a dangerous team out of the Missota. I'm too early for the pizza at the concession stand which is unfortunate but the hot dog was well worth it. And a modicum of beverage discipline as I cut back to the 12 oz Sprite. 1 highlight of the night was having 1 of the 6 Shoot for Loot kids have a chance at $100 on a halfcourt shot. No good, but exciting. Hilarious watching New Prague head coach Tim Dittberner with the defensive stance and slides on the sideline. Great 80s music piped through the gym during timeouts tonight which gives us ...
Song of the Day
Whip it - Devo
Game Time
New Prague with some long possessions in their dribble drive offense and getting nothing. I think we have some where else where we can't find the baskets. Flip Deberg grabs a tip of his own inbounds pass and goes to the reverse at 13:55. 4-0 Edina. A real shame that they don't run the Buzz or the Swarm on defense, just for the humor value. Jed Kreuser finally gets New Prague on the board at the 10:55 mark with a 3. Thankfully the snooze button finally turns off. Sergio Najera with a pair of 3 point plays inside. Those sandwich another Kreuser 3. Its a 12-2 New Prague run. 12-6 Trojans at the 6:52 mark. New Prague now out of the DDM and getting inside play. New Prague ends the half with a pair of bombs including Kreuser's 3rd on a play we'll draw up later. 25-18 New Prague at the break.
Same play to start the 2nd half gets another Kreuser 3. Then Kreuser with a layup to break the Edina press. Meyer inside with a nice dropstep from the left block for a layup. Then Cale Girten high low to Meyer on the right block for the catch and finish in the air. 36-22 New Prague with 14:08 left and Edina needs a timeout. A post entry and the kick to the top and the extra pass finds Girten in the corner for 3. 42-29 Trojans with 10:50 left. Edina continues to chip away. Soph Mark Handberg with his 2nd putback and 1 of the half then a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 6. Girten misses 2 free throws off our special play and Graham Woodward drives for a layup. 42-39 New Prague with 7:50 left and they need a timeout. 17-6 Edina spurt over the last 6:18. Foul difference big in Edina's favor at this point as they're already in the bonus and New Prague isn't close. Kreuser with another bomb and then a great look straight away off a shuffle set that doesn't go. Woodward for 3. Girten double teamed in the post but it gets kicked out to Kreuser for his 6th bomb of the night. 48-42 New Prague with 5:50 left as Kreuser is keeping them ahead. Cavonte Johnson comes up large for Edina. 2 free throws, then he strips Girten on the special play for a free throw and posts up to make 2 more freebies. 48-47 New Prague 4:24 left. 4:05 left and who else, its Kreuser for his 7th 3, dare I say extremely flammable. Deberg cuts and scores and probably walked, no call at 3:25. Woodward with a steal for 2 at 2:35 and he probably walked too for no call. Then a block turns into a Deberg bucket on the other end. 53-51 Edina has their 1st lead since 6-3 (9:55 1st half). A pair of New Prague free throws with 1:55 left ties the game at 53 before their wheels fall off. Brendan Canova with a putback and the foul at 1:22, then he steals the inbounds and finds Deberg for a layup. Then he gets another steal and feeds Woodward for a layup with 50 seconds left. 60-53 Edina has the lead. Kreuser with 1 more bomb to cut the lead to 4 but its not enough. Edina comes from 14 down in the second half to win 64-58.
Post Game
For New Prague, Jed Kreuser 8 triples and a layup for 26 points. Kickouts on drives, set plays or inside out, he got them in a bunch of ways. Cale Girten 9 points on 3 triples to go with 5 rebounds. Quiet first half, but he was productive in the 2nd half. Sergio Najera all 8 of his points in the first half in productive post minutes off the bench. After about 5 minutes, New Prague totally got out of the dribble drive stuff and decided to pound the ball inside. That included some high low action and they will run classic side screen roll action as well. The Trojans fall to 9-2 and have a brutal start to Missota play with Chaska at home on Friday and a trip to Shakopee next Tuesday. A split in those games is critical to stay in the conference race.
For Edina, they improve to 9-3 with the win which is arguably their best of the year. Worth noting that the 3 losses are to Armstrong, Chaska and Shakopee by a total of 8 points with the last 2 on the road. Flip Deberg leads the way with 20 points. A pair of sophs came up big in the 2nd half. Graham Woodward wiht all 11 points in the 2nd half. Soph post Mark Handberg 8 of his 10 in the 2nd half including those 2 critical offense rebounds for 3 point plays. Brendan Canova only 4 points but in a 30 second stretch (1:20 to 50 seconds left) he took over the game with a 3 point play on a offensive rebound and 2 steals that he gave up for layups. They made big plays where New Prague didn't. Edina visits Blake on Thursday night and then hosts Rosemount in a makeup game on Saturday afternoon before a 1 game in 9 days break in their schedule.
Play of the Day
Really simple but smart set from New Prague is the play we talked about above. 1-4 high set with Cale Girten on the left elbow and Jed Kreuser on the right wing. Point guard enters to Girten and clears to the left corner. Other post on right elbow makes a hard diagonal cut to the left block looking for a post up. If that's not open, Girten has the floor cleared to his right hand. Kreuser is the only player on the right side but he's a shooter. The 1st 2 times I saw this, Kreuser got 3s on kick outs from Girten. Then Girten was fouled for 2 free throws (both missed), another non-shooting foul and a turnover. So 5 times run for 6 actual points (could have been 8). Its a bread and butter play for the Trojans and with 1.2 points per possession it would be for me too. And its a logical play that fits right with their dribble drive concepts.
With MTS at Prairie Seeds being called off some unknown reason, I decide on a very under the radar alternative. 9-1 New Prague at 8-3 Edina. New Prague has fallen out of the AAA poll but is still a dangerous team out of the Missota. I'm too early for the pizza at the concession stand which is unfortunate but the hot dog was well worth it. And a modicum of beverage discipline as I cut back to the 12 oz Sprite. 1 highlight of the night was having 1 of the 6 Shoot for Loot kids have a chance at $100 on a halfcourt shot. No good, but exciting. Hilarious watching New Prague head coach Tim Dittberner with the defensive stance and slides on the sideline. Great 80s music piped through the gym during timeouts tonight which gives us ...
Song of the Day
Whip it - Devo
Game Time
New Prague with some long possessions in their dribble drive offense and getting nothing. I think we have some where else where we can't find the baskets. Flip Deberg grabs a tip of his own inbounds pass and goes to the reverse at 13:55. 4-0 Edina. A real shame that they don't run the Buzz or the Swarm on defense, just for the humor value. Jed Kreuser finally gets New Prague on the board at the 10:55 mark with a 3. Thankfully the snooze button finally turns off. Sergio Najera with a pair of 3 point plays inside. Those sandwich another Kreuser 3. Its a 12-2 New Prague run. 12-6 Trojans at the 6:52 mark. New Prague now out of the DDM and getting inside play. New Prague ends the half with a pair of bombs including Kreuser's 3rd on a play we'll draw up later. 25-18 New Prague at the break.
Same play to start the 2nd half gets another Kreuser 3. Then Kreuser with a layup to break the Edina press. Meyer inside with a nice dropstep from the left block for a layup. Then Cale Girten high low to Meyer on the right block for the catch and finish in the air. 36-22 New Prague with 14:08 left and Edina needs a timeout. A post entry and the kick to the top and the extra pass finds Girten in the corner for 3. 42-29 Trojans with 10:50 left. Edina continues to chip away. Soph Mark Handberg with his 2nd putback and 1 of the half then a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 6. Girten misses 2 free throws off our special play and Graham Woodward drives for a layup. 42-39 New Prague with 7:50 left and they need a timeout. 17-6 Edina spurt over the last 6:18. Foul difference big in Edina's favor at this point as they're already in the bonus and New Prague isn't close. Kreuser with another bomb and then a great look straight away off a shuffle set that doesn't go. Woodward for 3. Girten double teamed in the post but it gets kicked out to Kreuser for his 6th bomb of the night. 48-42 New Prague with 5:50 left as Kreuser is keeping them ahead. Cavonte Johnson comes up large for Edina. 2 free throws, then he strips Girten on the special play for a free throw and posts up to make 2 more freebies. 48-47 New Prague 4:24 left. 4:05 left and who else, its Kreuser for his 7th 3, dare I say extremely flammable. Deberg cuts and scores and probably walked, no call at 3:25. Woodward with a steal for 2 at 2:35 and he probably walked too for no call. Then a block turns into a Deberg bucket on the other end. 53-51 Edina has their 1st lead since 6-3 (9:55 1st half). A pair of New Prague free throws with 1:55 left ties the game at 53 before their wheels fall off. Brendan Canova with a putback and the foul at 1:22, then he steals the inbounds and finds Deberg for a layup. Then he gets another steal and feeds Woodward for a layup with 50 seconds left. 60-53 Edina has the lead. Kreuser with 1 more bomb to cut the lead to 4 but its not enough. Edina comes from 14 down in the second half to win 64-58.
Post Game
For New Prague, Jed Kreuser 8 triples and a layup for 26 points. Kickouts on drives, set plays or inside out, he got them in a bunch of ways. Cale Girten 9 points on 3 triples to go with 5 rebounds. Quiet first half, but he was productive in the 2nd half. Sergio Najera all 8 of his points in the first half in productive post minutes off the bench. After about 5 minutes, New Prague totally got out of the dribble drive stuff and decided to pound the ball inside. That included some high low action and they will run classic side screen roll action as well. The Trojans fall to 9-2 and have a brutal start to Missota play with Chaska at home on Friday and a trip to Shakopee next Tuesday. A split in those games is critical to stay in the conference race.
For Edina, they improve to 9-3 with the win which is arguably their best of the year. Worth noting that the 3 losses are to Armstrong, Chaska and Shakopee by a total of 8 points with the last 2 on the road. Flip Deberg leads the way with 20 points. A pair of sophs came up big in the 2nd half. Graham Woodward wiht all 11 points in the 2nd half. Soph post Mark Handberg 8 of his 10 in the 2nd half including those 2 critical offense rebounds for 3 point plays. Brendan Canova only 4 points but in a 30 second stretch (1:20 to 50 seconds left) he took over the game with a 3 point play on a offensive rebound and 2 steals that he gave up for layups. They made big plays where New Prague didn't. Edina visits Blake on Thursday night and then hosts Rosemount in a makeup game on Saturday afternoon before a 1 game in 9 days break in their schedule.
Play of the Day
Really simple but smart set from New Prague is the play we talked about above. 1-4 high set with Cale Girten on the left elbow and Jed Kreuser on the right wing. Point guard enters to Girten and clears to the left corner. Other post on right elbow makes a hard diagonal cut to the left block looking for a post up. If that's not open, Girten has the floor cleared to his right hand. Kreuser is the only player on the right side but he's a shooter. The 1st 2 times I saw this, Kreuser got 3s on kick outs from Girten. Then Girten was fouled for 2 free throws (both missed), another non-shooting foul and a turnover. So 5 times run for 6 actual points (could have been 8). Its a bread and butter play for the Trojans and with 1.2 points per possession it would be for me too. And its a logical play that fits right with their dribble drive concepts.
Roosevelt survives late comeback
Prologue
A night of snow takes me to Roosevelt to see them in their longtime non-conference game against Rockford. Takes me back to the days of Rockford star Nick Haugen who's now at North Dakota. No programs, standard city hot dog (blah) and 1 official who's time doing varsity games has seriously passed him by. There was one play where he got run over and thankfully didn't get hurt and he had enough problems getting up and down the floor. Glad he's done the time, but now its time to move on.
Song of the Day
Time Passes By - Kathy Mattea
Game Time
Rockford goes 3-2 zone for most of the game until they're behind late. No lead greater than 4 in the 1st half. Damion Williams 3 triples against the zone for 11 points in the half. Calvin Jenkins 3-15 for 6 points in the half. Roosevelt 27-25 at the half. Nick Monssen effective inside against the small Teddies frontline. He has a double-double in the half. Monssen spins back to the ball off an inbounds, gets blocked and puts it back. 34-33 Roosevelt at the 11:55 mark. Then Abdullahi Omar with back to back triples against the zone and a steal for a layup. 42-33 Roosevelt with 10:25 left. Rockford decides to stay in the zone and Roosevelt slows the pace to a crawl by extending the offense. Long possessions and they can't get our overwhelmed ref to perform a 5 count when they come out to contest. Calvin Jenkins with 1 free throw at the 4:09 mark and Roosevelt leads 47-37. Rockford takes time after that free throw make and goes man. Rockford takes advantage of 1-4 Roosevelt free throws with a 3, a foul line jumper and Monssen with a putback for the 3 point play. Roosevelt turns it over and Alec Raabe with a jumper to cut the lead to 48-47. Timeout Roosevelt with exactly 2 minutes left after the 10-1 run. Roosevelt turns it over again at the 1:30 mark. Monssen catches in the post and gets mugged but its a jump ball. Rockford has the possession arrow but they turn it over with 1:10 left. Williams nails a huge 3 on the other end to push the lead to 4. Rockford misses a front end of their own with 53 seconds left and then doesn't foul until 28 seconds left. Coach Tauber not at all pleased with that. Roosevelt then goes 4-4 at the stripe to seal a 55-50 win.
Post Game
For Rockford, Nick Monsson finishes with 19 points and 17 rebounds on my sheet. 8-19 shooting. Tons of points off the glass and a few post touches from the power motion offense that Rockford uses. But at 6'3, he'll need to move out to the wing at the next level. Soph Chad Robertson 3 3s for 11 points as the other double figure scorer. The Rockets fall to 2-9 but have only 1 senior on the roster and had 3 sophomores and a freshman play tonight. I love their box set where they throw to the elbow and have that guy look at the post who takes 2 steps out and goes back door for a layup.
For Roosevelt, Damion Williams with 4 big triples in the game and the final 2 free throws to seal it. 16 total points for him. Calvin Jenkins 4-17 and a total of 12 points. Coach Stockmo did a nice job of controlling tempo with the lead in the last 10 minutes pulling his guys. Good to win with the off night from Jenkins. Roosevelt is now 3-7 and they finish the week with Minneapolis City games at Southwest tomorrow and home against Washburn on Friday.
A night of snow takes me to Roosevelt to see them in their longtime non-conference game against Rockford. Takes me back to the days of Rockford star Nick Haugen who's now at North Dakota. No programs, standard city hot dog (blah) and 1 official who's time doing varsity games has seriously passed him by. There was one play where he got run over and thankfully didn't get hurt and he had enough problems getting up and down the floor. Glad he's done the time, but now its time to move on.
Song of the Day
Time Passes By - Kathy Mattea
Game Time
Rockford goes 3-2 zone for most of the game until they're behind late. No lead greater than 4 in the 1st half. Damion Williams 3 triples against the zone for 11 points in the half. Calvin Jenkins 3-15 for 6 points in the half. Roosevelt 27-25 at the half. Nick Monssen effective inside against the small Teddies frontline. He has a double-double in the half. Monssen spins back to the ball off an inbounds, gets blocked and puts it back. 34-33 Roosevelt at the 11:55 mark. Then Abdullahi Omar with back to back triples against the zone and a steal for a layup. 42-33 Roosevelt with 10:25 left. Rockford decides to stay in the zone and Roosevelt slows the pace to a crawl by extending the offense. Long possessions and they can't get our overwhelmed ref to perform a 5 count when they come out to contest. Calvin Jenkins with 1 free throw at the 4:09 mark and Roosevelt leads 47-37. Rockford takes time after that free throw make and goes man. Rockford takes advantage of 1-4 Roosevelt free throws with a 3, a foul line jumper and Monssen with a putback for the 3 point play. Roosevelt turns it over and Alec Raabe with a jumper to cut the lead to 48-47. Timeout Roosevelt with exactly 2 minutes left after the 10-1 run. Roosevelt turns it over again at the 1:30 mark. Monssen catches in the post and gets mugged but its a jump ball. Rockford has the possession arrow but they turn it over with 1:10 left. Williams nails a huge 3 on the other end to push the lead to 4. Rockford misses a front end of their own with 53 seconds left and then doesn't foul until 28 seconds left. Coach Tauber not at all pleased with that. Roosevelt then goes 4-4 at the stripe to seal a 55-50 win.
Post Game
For Rockford, Nick Monsson finishes with 19 points and 17 rebounds on my sheet. 8-19 shooting. Tons of points off the glass and a few post touches from the power motion offense that Rockford uses. But at 6'3, he'll need to move out to the wing at the next level. Soph Chad Robertson 3 3s for 11 points as the other double figure scorer. The Rockets fall to 2-9 but have only 1 senior on the roster and had 3 sophomores and a freshman play tonight. I love their box set where they throw to the elbow and have that guy look at the post who takes 2 steps out and goes back door for a layup.
For Roosevelt, Damion Williams with 4 big triples in the game and the final 2 free throws to seal it. 16 total points for him. Calvin Jenkins 4-17 and a total of 12 points. Coach Stockmo did a nice job of controlling tempo with the lead in the last 10 minutes pulling his guys. Good to win with the off night from Jenkins. Roosevelt is now 3-7 and they finish the week with Minneapolis City games at Southwest tomorrow and home against Washburn on Friday.
2011 Timberwolves Shootout Thoughts
Labels:
2011 Timberwolves Shootout,
Jake White,
Ross Travis
My thoughts from the 2011 Timberwolves Shootout.
Have to feel bad that Tom Schalk rolls an ankle late Thursday on a freak play and then has to miss his chance to play in the Shootout. The Tyus Jones injury just killed the turnout and any coaching interest in the game. Nice touch to announce the Marcus Paige verbal to North Carolina during the game. Except for the last game, nice to see 3 close games. 2nd game was hard to watch because of the officiating. 4 cheese pizza was disappointing and that's not just because it was $7. I was also surprised at how little we saw of Kyle Washington in the BSM game. To the games
Game 1: Roseville vs Viborg/Hurley, SD
I got this one exactly right by saying the game would be closer than people thought. 4 Viborg starters with 2 fouls in the first half, including 2 on star Cory Jacobsen in 3 minutes and Stephen Lee (the main guy defending Lucas Brown) got his second 20 seconds later. But that forced the Cougars to play 2-3 zone and Roseville had no answers for it. Viborg goes on a 15-6 run over the last 8:25 of the half thanks to 13 first half points from Dennis DeNeui off the bench. 40-29 Viborg at half. Roseville falls behind by 59-43 with 9:08 left as the drought continues and Cory Jacobsen's 9 points in the half. Roseville chips away and the lead is 62-51 with 6:10 left. Then the run kicks in. Sam Peterson 2 FTs, David Stanley with a layup and a 3 and Mack Johnson from the NBA line for 3 at 3:40 to cut the lead to 2. Then a Viborg turnover but Lucas Brown misses the breakaway dunk to tie it. Roseville had no answer for 6'9 center Zach Kraning all day and he scores on the other end. 65-61 with 2:52 left and the missed dunk looks to be a huge factor. But Mack Johnson from the NBA line again and Lucas Brown with a drive at 1:55 and Roseville is all the way back to lead 66-65. After a Viborg free throw ties it, Lucas Brown with a great drive but Peterson misses the layup with 1:15 left but he blocks a Kraning jump hook on the other end. Viborg gets it out of bounds with 43 seconds left and tries to go to Kraning again but Lucas Brown jumps around and takes it away. Out of a timeout, Lucas Brown gets it. He goes to the rim late, no good but Peterson tips it in at the buzzer for the 68-66 Roseville win in the best game of the day. Kraning leads Viborg with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Cory Jacobsen all 13 in the 2nd half. I liked soph Trevor Jacobsen and his 12 points as well. Mack Johnson 4 triples including the 2 long bombs late to lead Roseville with 16 points. Lucas Brown 8 points on 2-15 shooting but he showed up big late with 3 clutch steals, a drive and pass that was a missed layup and the final drive that was tapped in at the buzzer.
Game 2: Benilde-St. Margaret's vs Onalaska, WI
This one is close for most of the first half until Onalaska uses a Matt Thomas pull up and triple to push the lead to 21-14 at the 4:35 mark and force a BSM timeout. The Red Knights finish the half on a 10-1 spurt to end the half thanks to 6 Isaiah Zierden points, a Will Dunn hoop and a spinning drive from Sanjay Lumpkin who once again showed extra aggressiveness in this game. A Zierden drive gets him 2 free throws and more importantly is the 4th foul on Matt Thomas with 11:20 left. 35-34 Red Knights. The Hilltoppers counter with a 8-0 run with Thomas on the bench thanks to a Nick Arenz short J sandwiched between a pair of Clint Rihn 3s. 42-35 Onalaska with 9:06 left. 53-44 Onalaska with 4:44 to go and Matt Thomas back in the lineup. But BSM isn't quite done. Zierden with 2 free throws and a steal for 2, Isaiah Gray to the hoop and Lumpkin with 2 freebies. The 8-0 BSM run in only 51 seconds cuts the lead to 53-52 with 3:53 left. Lumpkin with a steal and assist to Dunn and BSM has a 56-55 lead with 1:57 left. Tony Thomas counters with a layup on the other end against the effective BSM pressure that got them back in it. Zierden with 2 misses and Tony Thomas gets another layup on a runout with 33 seconds left. The teams trade free throws and Isaiah Gray misses a 3 with 5 seconds left. Tony Thomas seals the deal with 2 freebies. 62-57 Onalaska wins. Isaiah Zierden 19 points on 5-15 shooting with only 1 triple. Will Dunn 11 points, Isaiah Gray 10 points. 4 of Onalaska's 5 scorers in double figures. Clint Rihn 4 triples for 16 points. Star Nick Arenz 12 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks on my sheet. Not dominant but effective.
Game 3: Chaska vs Cedar Rapids Washington
Big shock for me during the day was finding out that Minnetonka beat Washington (Iowa's 9th ranked team) at their place Friday night. So I expected Chaska to roll. 10-9 Washington at 10:05 after a Jake White bucket inside. Then Washington goes on a 18-4 run over the next 7 minutes thanks to a Josh Oglesby 3 point play and a pair of triples. 35-20 Washington at half in a major surprise. After a surprising low number of inside touches in the first half, Jake White gets going in the second half. He has 2 putbacks, a free throw and a nice reverse layup from Ross Travis along with 2 Max Watts triples and a long Adam Happ 3 to cut the lead to 45-40 on an 18-6 run. Wes Washpun keeps Washington afloat by scoring 3 straight hoops for them and he's challenging White and Travis at the rim. Then White with back to back hoops to cut the lead to 51-50, 4:50 left. Washpun 2 FTs help push the lead back to 5. White with the lefty layin, Washpun misses a front end and White again on the post with 1:30 left. 55-54 Washington. Oglesby 2 FTs with 1:09 left. Chaska patient on the possession down 3 and they find Ross Travis inside with 33.3 left. He makes 1 of the 2 free throws. Oglesby makes a mistake by giving the ball up and Washpun misses 2 free throws with 21.4 left. Washpun under 50% at the line on the season, not the guy Washington wanted there. Chaska misses a layup on the other end with 12 seconds left and Oglesby makes 2 free throws to seal it. 59-55 Washington wins. Josh Oglesby 14 of his 20 points in the 1st half. 5-14 FGs and 7 turnovers with Ross Travis hounding him for a part of the night when Chaska wasn't playing 1-3-1. Wes Washpun leads the way with 23 points and I didn't recall the lefty having those kinds of hops. Ross Travis 13 points, 7 boards, 3 blocks on 4-10 shooting. Jake White 18 of his 26 points in the second half along with 8 rebounds.
Game 4: Linn-Mar (Marion, IA) vs Apple Valley
No Schalk or Jones for this one and we got the expected blowout. Apple Valley keeps this close at 30-21 with 2:35 left in the half, but a 13-0 run by Linn-Mar to end the half puts it away. Matt Bohannon 14 of his 19 in the first half. Marcus Paige outstanding as expected with 16 points. Shane Benton with a nice second half before the starters were pulled to finish with 17 points. 81-35 Linn-Mar wins. Should be fun to see Linn-Mar again next weekend vs Madison Memorial at the Midwest Players Classic. Jordan Crockett with 7 points to lead Apple Valley.
The Czar's All-Shootout Team
Marcus Paige- Linn-Mar (MVP)
Matt Bohannon - Linn-Mar
Matt Thomas - Onalaska
Josh Oglesby - Cedar Rapids Washington
Jake White - Chaska
Have to feel bad that Tom Schalk rolls an ankle late Thursday on a freak play and then has to miss his chance to play in the Shootout. The Tyus Jones injury just killed the turnout and any coaching interest in the game. Nice touch to announce the Marcus Paige verbal to North Carolina during the game. Except for the last game, nice to see 3 close games. 2nd game was hard to watch because of the officiating. 4 cheese pizza was disappointing and that's not just because it was $7. I was also surprised at how little we saw of Kyle Washington in the BSM game. To the games
Game 1: Roseville vs Viborg/Hurley, SD
I got this one exactly right by saying the game would be closer than people thought. 4 Viborg starters with 2 fouls in the first half, including 2 on star Cory Jacobsen in 3 minutes and Stephen Lee (the main guy defending Lucas Brown) got his second 20 seconds later. But that forced the Cougars to play 2-3 zone and Roseville had no answers for it. Viborg goes on a 15-6 run over the last 8:25 of the half thanks to 13 first half points from Dennis DeNeui off the bench. 40-29 Viborg at half. Roseville falls behind by 59-43 with 9:08 left as the drought continues and Cory Jacobsen's 9 points in the half. Roseville chips away and the lead is 62-51 with 6:10 left. Then the run kicks in. Sam Peterson 2 FTs, David Stanley with a layup and a 3 and Mack Johnson from the NBA line for 3 at 3:40 to cut the lead to 2. Then a Viborg turnover but Lucas Brown misses the breakaway dunk to tie it. Roseville had no answer for 6'9 center Zach Kraning all day and he scores on the other end. 65-61 with 2:52 left and the missed dunk looks to be a huge factor. But Mack Johnson from the NBA line again and Lucas Brown with a drive at 1:55 and Roseville is all the way back to lead 66-65. After a Viborg free throw ties it, Lucas Brown with a great drive but Peterson misses the layup with 1:15 left but he blocks a Kraning jump hook on the other end. Viborg gets it out of bounds with 43 seconds left and tries to go to Kraning again but Lucas Brown jumps around and takes it away. Out of a timeout, Lucas Brown gets it. He goes to the rim late, no good but Peterson tips it in at the buzzer for the 68-66 Roseville win in the best game of the day. Kraning leads Viborg with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Cory Jacobsen all 13 in the 2nd half. I liked soph Trevor Jacobsen and his 12 points as well. Mack Johnson 4 triples including the 2 long bombs late to lead Roseville with 16 points. Lucas Brown 8 points on 2-15 shooting but he showed up big late with 3 clutch steals, a drive and pass that was a missed layup and the final drive that was tapped in at the buzzer.
Game 2: Benilde-St. Margaret's vs Onalaska, WI
This one is close for most of the first half until Onalaska uses a Matt Thomas pull up and triple to push the lead to 21-14 at the 4:35 mark and force a BSM timeout. The Red Knights finish the half on a 10-1 spurt to end the half thanks to 6 Isaiah Zierden points, a Will Dunn hoop and a spinning drive from Sanjay Lumpkin who once again showed extra aggressiveness in this game. A Zierden drive gets him 2 free throws and more importantly is the 4th foul on Matt Thomas with 11:20 left. 35-34 Red Knights. The Hilltoppers counter with a 8-0 run with Thomas on the bench thanks to a Nick Arenz short J sandwiched between a pair of Clint Rihn 3s. 42-35 Onalaska with 9:06 left. 53-44 Onalaska with 4:44 to go and Matt Thomas back in the lineup. But BSM isn't quite done. Zierden with 2 free throws and a steal for 2, Isaiah Gray to the hoop and Lumpkin with 2 freebies. The 8-0 BSM run in only 51 seconds cuts the lead to 53-52 with 3:53 left. Lumpkin with a steal and assist to Dunn and BSM has a 56-55 lead with 1:57 left. Tony Thomas counters with a layup on the other end against the effective BSM pressure that got them back in it. Zierden with 2 misses and Tony Thomas gets another layup on a runout with 33 seconds left. The teams trade free throws and Isaiah Gray misses a 3 with 5 seconds left. Tony Thomas seals the deal with 2 freebies. 62-57 Onalaska wins. Isaiah Zierden 19 points on 5-15 shooting with only 1 triple. Will Dunn 11 points, Isaiah Gray 10 points. 4 of Onalaska's 5 scorers in double figures. Clint Rihn 4 triples for 16 points. Star Nick Arenz 12 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks on my sheet. Not dominant but effective.
Game 3: Chaska vs Cedar Rapids Washington
Big shock for me during the day was finding out that Minnetonka beat Washington (Iowa's 9th ranked team) at their place Friday night. So I expected Chaska to roll. 10-9 Washington at 10:05 after a Jake White bucket inside. Then Washington goes on a 18-4 run over the next 7 minutes thanks to a Josh Oglesby 3 point play and a pair of triples. 35-20 Washington at half in a major surprise. After a surprising low number of inside touches in the first half, Jake White gets going in the second half. He has 2 putbacks, a free throw and a nice reverse layup from Ross Travis along with 2 Max Watts triples and a long Adam Happ 3 to cut the lead to 45-40 on an 18-6 run. Wes Washpun keeps Washington afloat by scoring 3 straight hoops for them and he's challenging White and Travis at the rim. Then White with back to back hoops to cut the lead to 51-50, 4:50 left. Washpun 2 FTs help push the lead back to 5. White with the lefty layin, Washpun misses a front end and White again on the post with 1:30 left. 55-54 Washington. Oglesby 2 FTs with 1:09 left. Chaska patient on the possession down 3 and they find Ross Travis inside with 33.3 left. He makes 1 of the 2 free throws. Oglesby makes a mistake by giving the ball up and Washpun misses 2 free throws with 21.4 left. Washpun under 50% at the line on the season, not the guy Washington wanted there. Chaska misses a layup on the other end with 12 seconds left and Oglesby makes 2 free throws to seal it. 59-55 Washington wins. Josh Oglesby 14 of his 20 points in the 1st half. 5-14 FGs and 7 turnovers with Ross Travis hounding him for a part of the night when Chaska wasn't playing 1-3-1. Wes Washpun leads the way with 23 points and I didn't recall the lefty having those kinds of hops. Ross Travis 13 points, 7 boards, 3 blocks on 4-10 shooting. Jake White 18 of his 26 points in the second half along with 8 rebounds.
Game 4: Linn-Mar (Marion, IA) vs Apple Valley
No Schalk or Jones for this one and we got the expected blowout. Apple Valley keeps this close at 30-21 with 2:35 left in the half, but a 13-0 run by Linn-Mar to end the half puts it away. Matt Bohannon 14 of his 19 in the first half. Marcus Paige outstanding as expected with 16 points. Shane Benton with a nice second half before the starters were pulled to finish with 17 points. 81-35 Linn-Mar wins. Should be fun to see Linn-Mar again next weekend vs Madison Memorial at the Midwest Players Classic. Jordan Crockett with 7 points to lead Apple Valley.
The Czar's All-Shootout Team
Marcus Paige- Linn-Mar (MVP)
Matt Bohannon - Linn-Mar
Matt Thomas - Onalaska
Josh Oglesby - Cedar Rapids Washington
Jake White - Chaska
2010-11 CzarPI, January 9, 2011
Labels:
10-11 CzarPI
Here is the 4th edition of the CzarPI for the 2010-2011 season (see CzarPI Explained here). It includes games through January 8th, 2011. The value in () after the CzarPI value is the team's strength of schedule ranking within their class
Class AAAA
Class AAAA
- Moorhead - 60.97 (38)
- Hopkins - 59.76 (46)
- Osseo - 59.11 (39)
- Eden Prairie - 58.97 (32)
- Wayzata - 58.77 (31)
- Robbinsdale Armstrong - 58.06 (37)
- Champlin Park - 56.72 (43)
- Roseville - 56.69 (13)
- Eastview - 55.88 (52)
- Chaska - 55.78 (33)
- Maple Grove - 55.71 (34)
- Burnsville - 55.52 (23)
- Owatonna - 55.27 (55)
- Cretin-Derham Hall - 54.17 (36)
- Spring Lake Park - 53.88 (11)
- Tartan - 53.78 (60)
- Lakeville South - 53.69 (26)
- Forest Lake - 53.59 (53)
- Duluth East - 52.6 (19)
- White Bear Lake - 51.98 (18)
- Irondale - 51.57 (54)
- Blaine - 51.47 (30)
- Shakopee - 51.25 (14)
- Duluth Central - 50.74 (50)
- Stillwater Area - 50.67 (40)
- Cambridge-Isanti - 50.17 (29)
- Robbinsdale Cooper - 49.94 (35)
- Edina - 49.88 (56)
- St. Michael-Albertville - 49.69 (20)
- St. Louis Park - 49.67 (4)
- East Ridge - 49.49 (64)
- Anoka - 48.68 (27)
- Rochester Century - 47.19 (57)
- Eagan - 46.29 (63)
- Apple Valley - 46.16 (21)
- Alexandria - 44.75 (42)
- Buffalo - 43.98 (58)
- Lakeville North - 43.77 (5)
- Bloomington Kennedy - 43.68 (44)
- Prior Lake - 43.64 (9)
- Minneapolis North - 43.55 (25)
- Bloomington Jefferson - 42.83 (17)
- Mounds View - 42.78 (15)
- Chanhassen - 41.94 (28)
- North St. Paul - 41.84 (16)
- St. Cloud Tech - 41.44 (41)
- Andover - 41.05 (6)
- Rosemount - 40.43 (59)
- Minnetonka - 40.34 (3)
- Henry Sibley - 40.08 (8)
- St. Francis - 39.22 (45)
- Elk River - 39.01 (49)
- Minneapolis South - 38.63 (7)
- Centennial - 38.38 (24)
- Rochester Mayo - 37.62 (22)
- Woodbury - 36.89 (65)
- Minneapolis Southwest - 32.64 (51)
- Rochester John Marshall - 32.07 (48)
- Brainerd - 30.12 (12)
- Park Center - 29.18 (1)
- Farmington - 28.97 (61)
- Park of Cottage Grove - 22.05 (62)
- Northfield - 0 (2)
- Coon Rapids - 0 (10)
- Hastings - 0 (47)
- St. Paul Johnson - 59.57 (28)
- Delano - 58.21 (36)
- Orono - 56.87 (34)
- St. Cloud Apollo - 56.31 (11)
- Minneapolis Washburn - 56.11 (18)
- Marshall - 55.82 (1)
- Detroit Lakes - 55.26 (25)
- New Prague - 55.03 (46)
- Hutchinson - 54.7 (5)
- Rogers - 54.47 (32)
- Totino-Grace - 54.2 (7)
- Bemidji - 54.08 (41)
- Annandale - 53.69 (4)
- Hill-Murray - 53.52 (19)
- Columbia Heights - 53.31 (45)
- Waconia - 53.18 (13)
- Benilde-St. Margaret's - 52.93 (12)
- Little Falls - 52.56 (15)
- Richfield - 52.22 (54)
- Holy Family Catholic - 52.16 (29)
- Willmar - 52.06 (27)
- Winona - 51.85 (37)
- DeLaSalle - 51.83 (51)
- St. Thomas Academy - 51.02 (43)
- St. Anthony Village - 50.69 (56)
- Mound-Westonka - 50.16 (53)
- Rocori - 49.83 (47)
- St. Paul Como Park - 49.38 (31)
- Worthington - 49.36 (42)
- Grand Rapids - 49.1 (39)
- Big Lake - 48.61 (44)
- Mahtomedi - 48.25 (24)
- Red Wing - 46.94 (57)
- Chisago Lakes Area - 45.62 (20)
- Hermantown - 44.91 (59)
- St. Paul Highland Park - 44.83 (50)
- Holy Angels - 44.47 (6)
- Monticello - 43.87 (2)
- St. Paul Central - 43.85 (9)
- St. Paul Harding - 43.06 (58)
- Hibbing - 42.59 (49)
- Albert Lea - 41.5 (3)
- Austin - 39.99 (33)
- Fridley - 39.87 (26)
- Minneapolis Henry - 39.61 (35)
- Fergus Falls - 39.14 (17)
- Sartell-St. Stephen - 38.14 (30)
- Faribault - 36.48 (48)
- Waseca - 35.13 (14)
- Simley - 32.73 (52)
- Cloquet - 32.54 (21)
- Mankato East - 30.84 (23)
- Mankato West - 30.09 (16)
- Princeton - 30.07 (60)
- Becker - 27.23 (40)
- Dassel-Cokato - 25.47 (22)
- North Branch - 24.44 (38)
- South St. Paul - 22.86 (55)
- New Ulm - 0 (8)
- Sauk Rapids-Rice - 0 (10)
- Perham - 60.22 (53)
- Waterville-Elysian-Morristown - 59.02 (69)
- Windom Area - 58.67 (34)
- Long Prairie-Grey Eagle - 58.29 (32)
- Moose Lake-Willow River - 58.15 (14)
- Esko - 58.02 (88)
- Tracy-Milroy-Balaton - 57.65 (93)
- Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial - 56.44 (107)
- Montevideo - 55.91 (110)
- Bagley - 55.81 (70)
- Hawley - 55.39 (25)
- Minnewaska Area - 54.98 (96)
- Redwood Valley - 54.18 (29)
- Thief River Falls - 54.15 (11)
- Caledonia - 53.93 (119)
- Zimmerman - 53.46 (56)
- Zumbrota-Mazeppa - 52.48 (91)
- Plainview-Elgin-Millville - 52.45 (108)
- Kasson-Mantorville - 52.35 (125)
- International Falls - 52.16 (104)
- United South Central - 51.67 (55)
- Byron - 51.5 (89)
- Glencoe-Silver Lake - 51.44 (24)
- Rochester Lourdes - 51.24 (52)
- Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted - 51.24 (80)
- Maple River - 50.99 (115)
- Deer River - 50.89 (97)
- Jackson County Central - 50.56 (22)
- Hayfield - 50.54 (113)
- Braham - 50.48 (120)
- Murray County Central - 50.4 (50)
- La Crescent - 50.33 (77)
- Kimball Area - 50.09 (73)
- Virginia - 50.04 (102)
- Pelican Rapids - 49.83 (48)
- Pequot Lakes - 49.74 (43)
- Mayer Lutheran - 49.65 (84)
- Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta - 49.49 (81)
- Concordia Academy-Roseville - 49.28 (85)
- Pierz - 49.22 (28)
- Stewartville - 49.15 (95)
- Watertown-Mayer - 48.62 (33)
- East Grand Forks - 48.33 (58)
- St. Charles - 47.98 (78)
- St. Croix Lutheran - 47.14 (66)
- Crookston - 47.13 (4)
- Lake City - 47.1 (7)
- New London-Spicer - 47.02 (31)
- Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton - 47.02 (15)
- Maple Lake - 47.01 (87)
- Wadena-Deer Creek - 46.59 (60)
- St. Cloud Cathedral - 46.48 (65)
- Litchfield - 46.11 (57)
- Blake - 45.98 (105)
- Jordan - 45.71 (126)
- Minnehaha Academy - 45.7 (51)
- Fairmont - 45.53 (3)
- Sauk Centre - 44.66 (109)
- Rush City - 44.63 (121)
- Crosby-Ironton - 44.48 (37)
- West Central Area - 44.43 (38)
- St. Peter - 44.28 (61)
- Trinity School - 44.12 (106)
- Sibley East - 44.1 (68)
- Kingsland - 44.1 (27)
- Albany - 43.14 (123)
- Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop - 42.79 (35)
- Southland - 42.79 (54)
- Lac qui Parle Valley - 42.39 (74)
- Belle Plaine - 42.26 (90)
- Kenyon-Wanamingo - 42.13 (86)
- Martin County West - 41.69 (117)
- Providence Academy - 41.63 (122)
- Montgomery-Lonsdale - 40.73 (72)
- Melrose - 40.46 (45)
- Pine Island - 40.35 (46)
- Warroad - 40.25 (103)
- Norwood-Young America - 39.95 (8)
- Mora - 39.28 (59)
- Lewiston-Altura - 39 (64)
- Pipestone Area - 38.88 (6)
- Triton - 38.81 (112)
- Red Lake - 38.32 (82)
- Benson - 38.02 (12)
- Rockford - 38 (21)
- Yellow Medicine East - 37.77 (75)
- Breck - 37.27 (83)
- New Richland-H-E-G - 37.19 (10)
- St. John's Prep - 37 (100)
- BOLD - 36.83 (71)
- Dover-Eyota - 36.34 (17)
- Winona Cotter - 36.27 (118)
- Great River - 36.22 (114)
- Eden Valley-Watkins - 35.48 (79)
- Pine City - 35.33 (42)
- LeSueur-Henderson - 35.32 (23)
- Holdingford - 35.3 (111)
- Aitkin - 35.28 (40)
- Foley - 34.51 (98)
- Cannon Falls - 33.54 (20)
- Duluth Marshall - 33.13 (36)
- Breckenridge - 33.09 (18)
- Minneapolis Roosevelt - 32.51 (67)
- St. James - 32.36 (19)
- Proctor - 32.14 (92)
- Osakis - 31.71 (26)
- St. Paul Academy - 30.24 (101)
- Legacy Christian - 29.34 (94)
- Blue Earth Area - 27.12 (49)
- Staples-Motley - 26.41 (47)
- Hinckley-Finlayson - 26.29 (76)
- Luverne - 26.14 (63)
- Frazee - 25.7 (41)
- Brooklyn Center - 25.5 (39)
- Chatfield - 25.27 (9)
- Roseau - 24.75 (124)
- Mounds Park Academy - 24.32 (44)
- Park Rapids Area - 23.53 (30)
- Greenway - 21.31 (5)
- Minneapolis Edison - 19.12 (127)
- Two Harbors - 0 (2)
- Eveleth-Gilbert - 0 (99)
- International School of MN - 0 (116)
- Paynesville Area - 0 (1)
- Milaca - 0 (16)
- Minnesota Valley Lutheran - 0 (13)
- Walker-Hackensack-Akeley - 0 (62)
- Sebeka - 59.95 (49)
- Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa - 57.21 (92)
- Orr - 57.21 (25)
- Maranatha Christian - 56.28 (113)
- Cedar Mountain/Comfrey - 55.51 (55)
- Upsala - 55.29 (40)
- Southwest MN Christian - 55.21 (123)
- Springfield - 54.95 (129)
- Ellsworth - 54.54 (47)
- Hills-Beaver Creek - 54.51 (39)
- Barnesville - 53.83 (19)
- Battle Lake - 53.23 (144)
- Ely - 53.11 (145)
- MACCRAY - 53.09 (103)
- Ulen-Hitterdal - 52.9 (69)
- Rushford-Peterson - 52.89 (120)
- Warren-Alvarado-Oslo - 52.87 (128)
- Ada-Borup - 52.72 (111)
- Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity - 51.2 (14)
- Cass Lake-Bena - 51.12 (106)
- Brandon-Evansville - 50.83 (134)
- Lakeview Christian - 50.68 (157)
- Prairie Seeds Academy - 50.53 (93)
- Nevis - 50.48 (53)
- McGregor - 50.38 (140)
- Eagle Valley - 50.34 (78)
- FAIR Downtown - 50.2 (126)
- Sleepy Eye - 49.95 (68)
- Minnesota Transitions Charter - 49.86 (36)
- Floodwood - 49.84 (18)
- Northern Freeze - 49.06 (66)
- Houston - 48.87 (159)
- Stephen-Argyle - 48.85 (139)
- Heritage Christian - 48.54 (76)
- Glenville-Emmons - 48.48 (161)
- Bigfork - 48.45 (124)
- Browerville - 47.88 (121)
- Blackduck - 47.73 (115)
- Bertha-Hewitt - 47.69 (60)
- Goodhue - 47.64 (147)
- Barnum - 47.63 (158)
- Fosston - 47.47 (133)
- Pine River-Backus - 47.23 (56)
- Southwest Star Concept - 47.06 (81)
- Truman - 46.66 (94)
- East Central - 46.62 (110)
- Cook County - 46.61 (79)
- Isle - 46.58 (52)
- Bethlehem Academy - 46.49 (71)
- Norman County East - 46.39 (88)
- Chisholm - 46.36 (143)
- Minneota - 46.26 (122)
- Clearbrook-Gonvick - 46.13 (64)
- Mt. Lake/Butterfield-Odin - 45.79 (75)
- Kittson County Central - 45.45 (34)
- Cherry - 45.07 (98)
- New Ulm Cathedral - 44.55 (77)
- Mankato Loyola - 44.51 (83)
- Fulda - 44.5 (6)
- Sleepy Eye Saint Mary's - 44.41 (54)
- Russell-Tyler-Ruthton - 43.9 (27)
- St. Paul Humboldt - 43.63 (109)
- Badger/Greenbush-Middle River - 43.48 (96)
- Bethany Academy - 43.16 (33)
- St. Agnes - 43.11 (38)
- Spring Grove - 43.03 (84)
- Dawson-Boyd - 43.02 (70)
- New York Mills - 42.81 (42)
- West Lutheran - 42.73 (156)
- Hill City - 42.48 (4)
- Nicollet - 42.36 (74)
- Littlefork-Big Falls - 42.23 (15)
- Goodridge-Grygla - 42.16 (100)
- Edgerton - 41.9 (11)
- Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City - 41.59 (10)
- St. Clair - 41.52 (43)
- Lanesboro - 40.71 (155)
- Henning - 40.61 (114)
- Red Lake County - 40.45 (152)
- AlBrook/Cotton - 40.27 (151)
- Granada-Huntley-East Chain - 40.01 (50)
- Tower-Soudan - 39.83 (30)
- Lincoln HI - 39.74 (32)
- Silver Bay - 39.69 (24)
- Southwest Christian - 39.3 (46)
- Mahnomen - 39.08 (117)
- Fond du Lac Ojibwe - 38.23 (48)
- Fillmore Central - 37.53 (26)
- Blooming Prairie - 37.44 (89)
- Nashwauk-Keewatin - 37.08 (82)
- Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton - 36.9 (105)
- Randolph - 36.73 (116)
- Menahga - 36.72 (101)
- Win-E-Mac - 36.71 (59)
- Hillcrest Lutheran Academy - 36.7 (154)
- New Life Academy - 36.47 (13)
- Le Center - 36.42 (61)
- Hope Lutheran - 35.59 (85)
- Cromwell - 35.51 (65)
- LeRoy-Ostrander - 35.07 (125)
- Canby - 34.74 (118)
- Royalton - 34.22 (91)
- Fertile-Beltrami - 33.89 (23)
- Parkers Prairie - 33.74 (90)
- Academy for Sciences & Ag - 33.37 (165)
- Medford - 33.27 (108)
- Kelliher/Northome - 33.16 (148)
- Carlton - 33.03 (8)
- Westbrook-Walnut Grove - 32.72 (51)
- Mesabi East - 32.62 (150)
- Central MN Christian - 32.36 (80)
- Alden-Conger - 31.37 (160)
- Madelia - 31.31 (137)
- Ashby - 31.02 (104)
- Wabasha-Kellogg - 30.3 (136)
- Onamia - 30.29 (57)
- Cook - 30.19 (22)
- Calvin Christian - 29.67 (167)
- Cannon Valley Lutheran - 29.67 (146)
- Grand Meadow - 29.19 (102)
- Sacred Heart - 29.02 (35)
- Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart - 28.65 (29)
- Four Directions Charter - 28.46 (153)
- Lake Park-Audubon - 28.45 (44)
- Verndale - 28.32 (37)
- Lake of the Woods - 28.1 (119)
- Round Lake-Brewster - 27.85 (16)
- Adrian - 25.54 (9)
- Cleveland - 25.36 (141)
- Park Christian - 25.23 (131)
- CHOF - 25.15 (5)
- Ortonville - 24.74 (107)
- Lakeview - 23.93 (135)
- Babbitt-Embarrass - 21.95 (62)
- PACT Charter - 19.87 (45)
- Red Rock Central - 0 (12)
- Renville County West - 0 (67)
- Spectrum - 0 (73)
- Swanville - 0 (87)
- Mabel-Canton - 0 (130)
- Norman County West - 0 (138)
- St. Paul Prep - 0 (142)
- Northland - 0 (149)
- Liberty Classical Academy - 0 (162)
- Underwood - 0 (163)
- MN Academy for the Deaf - 0 (164)
- Wheaton/Herman-Norcross - 0 (168)
- Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig - 0 (1)
- Mesabi Academy - 0 (2)
- Wrenshall - 0 (3)
- Pillager - 0 (7)
- Martin Luther - 0 (17)
- Lyle/Austin Pacelli - 0 (20)
- Ogilvie - 0 (21)
- Waubun - 0 (28)
- Climax/Fisher - 0 (31)
- Hancock - 0 (41)
- Schaeffer Academy - 0 (58)
- Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg - 0 (63)
- North Lakes Academy - 0 (72)
- Hmong Academy - 0 (86)
- Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley - 0 (95)
- Mountain Iron-Buhl - 0 (97)
- E.C.H.O. Charter - 0 (99)
- Rothsay - 0 (112)
- Wabasso - 0 (127)
- Metro Deaf School - 0 (132)
- Learning for Leadership - 0 (166)
- Community of Peace Academy - 0 (169)
- Math & Science Academy - 0 (170)
Rebels cage the Cougars
Prologue
A last minute change in my schedule takes me to Centennial for their NW Suburban showdown with Champlin Park. Its my first ever trip so I end up in the ice arena before the game. Did that at North St. Paul too many moons ago. Getting to a new building is easy, finding the right entrance, now that's another story. No hot dogs at all at the tiny concession stand but thankfully cheese pizza (though mediocre). The Mr Basketball committee was represented tonight and no surprise where they were sitting (see this for an explanation). Its a special night too as friend of blog and sometime commenter 80's Music Rulez was able to join me for this one. So with that in mind, I thought it was only appropriate to allow him to pick our song of the day, but it had to be from the 80s (of course). So based on the results of this game and putting up with me for the evening, he made an outstanding choice.
Song of the Day
What have I done to deserve this? - Pet Shop Boys
Game Time
Centennial opens the game getting the 3 cuts to the basket for scores out of the 5 out look. 6-5 Cougars at the 15:20 mark. Then it falls apart. A turnover for a layup, Anthony Hill with a drive and a floater, TJ Okafor on the offensive glass for 2 and then a dive to the rim for score and the foul. That 3 point play concludes a 16-0 Champlin Park run over 5:27. 21-6 Rebels at the 9:53 mark. McDaniel Doe off the Rebels bench with a drive and a nice dive vs the 2-3 zone in picture perfect short corner execution for a layup. 27-8 (22-2 run) at the 6:45 mark. The backdoor cuts have gone away. 36-17 Champlin Park at the break. 2nd half isn't any better for Centennial. 49-28 with 7:23 left and that's all we can handle.
Post Game
I had TJ Okafor for a double-double of 13 points, 11 boards and 3-5 blocks (hard to see from the crow's nest) at that point. Okafor with very few post touches vs the 2-3 or 1-3-1 zones Centennial played. Anthony Hill 11 of his 16 in the first half. Mitchell Kuck scoring for Centennial (11 on my sheet) but not getting any help as the Cougars couldn't generate any offense. Centennial falls to 2-7, 1-5 in the conference. The next 2 weeks are brutal with 5 tough road games (Maple Grove, Roseville, Irondale, Osseo and a makeup with Spring Lake Park) and Armstrong at home. Champlin Park stays 1/2 game behind the mess on top of the league at 4-1, 7-1 overall. They have a big home game with Osseo on Tuesday and just knocked off Armstrong earlier in the week. So much for my preseason prediction, looks like they'll easily surpass that.
A last minute change in my schedule takes me to Centennial for their NW Suburban showdown with Champlin Park. Its my first ever trip so I end up in the ice arena before the game. Did that at North St. Paul too many moons ago. Getting to a new building is easy, finding the right entrance, now that's another story. No hot dogs at all at the tiny concession stand but thankfully cheese pizza (though mediocre). The Mr Basketball committee was represented tonight and no surprise where they were sitting (see this for an explanation). Its a special night too as friend of blog and sometime commenter 80's Music Rulez was able to join me for this one. So with that in mind, I thought it was only appropriate to allow him to pick our song of the day, but it had to be from the 80s (of course). So based on the results of this game and putting up with me for the evening, he made an outstanding choice.
Song of the Day
What have I done to deserve this? - Pet Shop Boys
Game Time
Centennial opens the game getting the 3 cuts to the basket for scores out of the 5 out look. 6-5 Cougars at the 15:20 mark. Then it falls apart. A turnover for a layup, Anthony Hill with a drive and a floater, TJ Okafor on the offensive glass for 2 and then a dive to the rim for score and the foul. That 3 point play concludes a 16-0 Champlin Park run over 5:27. 21-6 Rebels at the 9:53 mark. McDaniel Doe off the Rebels bench with a drive and a nice dive vs the 2-3 zone in picture perfect short corner execution for a layup. 27-8 (22-2 run) at the 6:45 mark. The backdoor cuts have gone away. 36-17 Champlin Park at the break. 2nd half isn't any better for Centennial. 49-28 with 7:23 left and that's all we can handle.
Post Game
I had TJ Okafor for a double-double of 13 points, 11 boards and 3-5 blocks (hard to see from the crow's nest) at that point. Okafor with very few post touches vs the 2-3 or 1-3-1 zones Centennial played. Anthony Hill 11 of his 16 in the first half. Mitchell Kuck scoring for Centennial (11 on my sheet) but not getting any help as the Cougars couldn't generate any offense. Centennial falls to 2-7, 1-5 in the conference. The next 2 weeks are brutal with 5 tough road games (Maple Grove, Roseville, Irondale, Osseo and a makeup with Spring Lake Park) and Armstrong at home. Champlin Park stays 1/2 game behind the mess on top of the league at 4-1, 7-1 overall. They have a big home game with Osseo on Tuesday and just knocked off Armstrong earlier in the week. So much for my preseason prediction, looks like they'll easily surpass that.
Red Knights take North Suburban Clash
Prologue
Once again its a trip to Benilde-St. Margaret's. The 3rd ranked hosts take on #8 Columbia Heights in a big North Suburban showdown. Quality hot dog and Mug Root Beer as expected on the concessions menu tonight. Dakota County looking on along with the Mr. Basketball committee. Am I the only guy who finds irony in the refusal to reveal their identities but yet they always sit front row center court where they have maximum visibility? We also have the BSM pep band so as usual our song of the day comes from their set list and its one of my all time pep band favorites. And unfortunately we have a bad officiating crew assigned by the North Suburban. Whoever assigned this missed the boat entirely. The best refs need to work the top games.
Song of the Day
Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple.
Game Time
Its a great start on the road for Heights. Keanu Glover for 3, Zach Lofton with an assist for a dunk and he's attacking the rim on every touch. Ben Glover coast to coast and Keanu with another triple followed by Lofton for 3. 15-5 Columbia Heights at the 13:57 mark and John Moore takes time. Another Lofton 3 pushes the lead to 11 and Lofton is feeling it. BSM won't have it though. For the last 30+ minutes, Benilde runs a second guy at him on every touch. BSM then fights their way back. Zierden back to back bombs and a jumper off an offensive board. Then another 3, this one from the NBA line at least ends a 15-4 run for BSM's 1st lead of the night. 23-22 Red Knights just inside 8 minutes left in the 1st half. Heights not phased as they go 10-2 over the next 4:40. Keanu give and go on a sideline inbounds, 3 free throws and a putback at 4:15 for a 32-25 Heights lead. Then Lofton picks up his 2nd foul on the next possession and will sit the rest of the half. Benilde helps out by missing a pair of front ends to start the half 1-8 from the charity stripe. The last 1:32 sees BSM go on a 12-2 run. They make 6 straight free throws, then Zierden to the hoop with the harm. Off the free throw Heights turns it over and it ends up with Zierden in transition with the long 3 with 19 seconds left in the half. Zierden with 8 in the run. 37-35 BSM at the half.
Zierden with a pair of jumpers to push the lead to 49-42 with 13 minutes left. Heights sticks around with Ben Glover spinning for 1 layup and then converting another. Lofton then scores his only hoop of the half. 51-49 BSM with 10:25 left. Ben Glover with 2 more layups including a nice lefty finish. 56-53 BSM with the lead when they take time with 7:40 left. After having Sanjay Lumpkin faceguard Lofton, the Red Knights choose to go 1-3-1. Lumpkin then goes off on the offensive end. He nails a 3 from Zierden, a putback and the foul, a layup, another triple for a 68-56 lead (11 of 12 points). Heights still not going away. Sami Hadzajlic with a layup and a 3 in a 9-2 run that cuts the lead to 70-65. Another Lumpkin jumper out of a BSM timeout ends a run of 15 out of 16 BSM points for him. 72-65 BSM with 3 minutes left. Lofton's struggles continue as he misses a pair of open layups on the other end. That seals the Hylanders fate. BSM makes free throws and wins 78-67.
Post Game
For Columbia Heights, Zach Lofton started 3 of 4 for 8 points in the 1st 5 minutes. After BSM started running 2 defenders at him, he finished 2-16 for 5-20 overall and 12 points. He came in averaging 31.7 PPG. Keanu Glover all 13 of his points in the 1st half. Ben Glover leads the Hylanders with 17 points. Heights never punished the Lofton traps with layups or ball reversal. I recall only a couple of middle touches out of those traps. Heights now a surprising 0-2 and dead last in North Suburban play after being upset at home by St. Louis Park on Tuesday. They fall to 6-2 and likely out of the state AAA poll. They visit Como Park tomorrow in a game that should be very up and down. Then Irondale and trips to Minneapolis Henry and Robbinsdale Cooper in the next 4 isn't a cakewalk.
For Benilde-St. Margaret's, Isaiah Zierden with 21 of his 29 in the 1st half and he was the centerpiece of both 1st half runs that kept the Red Knights close. I had him 9-18 from the floor with 4 triples (all in the 1st half). Sanjay Lumpkin 21 total points with the 15 of 16 run in the 2nd half. Easily the best game he's played all season and all because he had an aggressive mindset after being very passive on offense in previous games. Kyle Washington 6 points with 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. Coach Moore again experimenting with lineups tonight as Lumpkin and Washington both came off the bench with Isaiah Gray and Myles Barnes getting the starts. BSM now 1-0 in North Suburban play with 5 other teams. BSM now 5-2 with Onalaska, WI in the TWolves Shootout on Satruday. Then a home game with Cooper and a trip to Irondale to continue North Suburban play next week.
Once again its a trip to Benilde-St. Margaret's. The 3rd ranked hosts take on #8 Columbia Heights in a big North Suburban showdown. Quality hot dog and Mug Root Beer as expected on the concessions menu tonight. Dakota County looking on along with the Mr. Basketball committee. Am I the only guy who finds irony in the refusal to reveal their identities but yet they always sit front row center court where they have maximum visibility? We also have the BSM pep band so as usual our song of the day comes from their set list and its one of my all time pep band favorites. And unfortunately we have a bad officiating crew assigned by the North Suburban. Whoever assigned this missed the boat entirely. The best refs need to work the top games.
Song of the Day
Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple.
Game Time
Its a great start on the road for Heights. Keanu Glover for 3, Zach Lofton with an assist for a dunk and he's attacking the rim on every touch. Ben Glover coast to coast and Keanu with another triple followed by Lofton for 3. 15-5 Columbia Heights at the 13:57 mark and John Moore takes time. Another Lofton 3 pushes the lead to 11 and Lofton is feeling it. BSM won't have it though. For the last 30+ minutes, Benilde runs a second guy at him on every touch. BSM then fights their way back. Zierden back to back bombs and a jumper off an offensive board. Then another 3, this one from the NBA line at least ends a 15-4 run for BSM's 1st lead of the night. 23-22 Red Knights just inside 8 minutes left in the 1st half. Heights not phased as they go 10-2 over the next 4:40. Keanu give and go on a sideline inbounds, 3 free throws and a putback at 4:15 for a 32-25 Heights lead. Then Lofton picks up his 2nd foul on the next possession and will sit the rest of the half. Benilde helps out by missing a pair of front ends to start the half 1-8 from the charity stripe. The last 1:32 sees BSM go on a 12-2 run. They make 6 straight free throws, then Zierden to the hoop with the harm. Off the free throw Heights turns it over and it ends up with Zierden in transition with the long 3 with 19 seconds left in the half. Zierden with 8 in the run. 37-35 BSM at the half.
Zierden with a pair of jumpers to push the lead to 49-42 with 13 minutes left. Heights sticks around with Ben Glover spinning for 1 layup and then converting another. Lofton then scores his only hoop of the half. 51-49 BSM with 10:25 left. Ben Glover with 2 more layups including a nice lefty finish. 56-53 BSM with the lead when they take time with 7:40 left. After having Sanjay Lumpkin faceguard Lofton, the Red Knights choose to go 1-3-1. Lumpkin then goes off on the offensive end. He nails a 3 from Zierden, a putback and the foul, a layup, another triple for a 68-56 lead (11 of 12 points). Heights still not going away. Sami Hadzajlic with a layup and a 3 in a 9-2 run that cuts the lead to 70-65. Another Lumpkin jumper out of a BSM timeout ends a run of 15 out of 16 BSM points for him. 72-65 BSM with 3 minutes left. Lofton's struggles continue as he misses a pair of open layups on the other end. That seals the Hylanders fate. BSM makes free throws and wins 78-67.
Post Game
For Columbia Heights, Zach Lofton started 3 of 4 for 8 points in the 1st 5 minutes. After BSM started running 2 defenders at him, he finished 2-16 for 5-20 overall and 12 points. He came in averaging 31.7 PPG. Keanu Glover all 13 of his points in the 1st half. Ben Glover leads the Hylanders with 17 points. Heights never punished the Lofton traps with layups or ball reversal. I recall only a couple of middle touches out of those traps. Heights now a surprising 0-2 and dead last in North Suburban play after being upset at home by St. Louis Park on Tuesday. They fall to 6-2 and likely out of the state AAA poll. They visit Como Park tomorrow in a game that should be very up and down. Then Irondale and trips to Minneapolis Henry and Robbinsdale Cooper in the next 4 isn't a cakewalk.
For Benilde-St. Margaret's, Isaiah Zierden with 21 of his 29 in the 1st half and he was the centerpiece of both 1st half runs that kept the Red Knights close. I had him 9-18 from the floor with 4 triples (all in the 1st half). Sanjay Lumpkin 21 total points with the 15 of 16 run in the 2nd half. Easily the best game he's played all season and all because he had an aggressive mindset after being very passive on offense in previous games. Kyle Washington 6 points with 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. Coach Moore again experimenting with lineups tonight as Lumpkin and Washington both came off the bench with Isaiah Gray and Myles Barnes getting the starts. BSM now 1-0 in North Suburban play with 5 other teams. BSM now 5-2 with Onalaska, WI in the TWolves Shootout on Satruday. Then a home game with Cooper and a trip to Irondale to continue North Suburban play next week.
2011 Timberwolves Shootout Preview
Labels:
2011 Timberwolves Shootout,
Jake White,
Ross Travis
A light schedule at the 2011 Timberwolves Shootout and it may be the worst shootout in recent memory, but it's not all bad. Here's what I'm looking for. Next year let's all campaign for Shootout director Jeff Munneke to get Eleate Sports star Jeremy Lieberman in from California to take on Tyus Jones and bring back the old days of the shootout when it was a must see event. Those stars do bring in extra fans contrary to popular belief.
1 PM: Viborg/Hurley, SD vs Roseville
The Cougars make the trip from South Dakota with a record of 5-0 and are ranked #2 in the South Dakota Class A poll. These were separate schools before forming a combined program this season. Their star is 6'1" G Cory Jacobsen. He has over 1700 career points and is averaging 19.4 PPG this season. He also helped lead the Cougars to a state runner-up finish in football.. There are 5 players who were members of the Dakota Schoolers this summer and have appeared locally. 6'9" senior center Zach Kraning is their man in the middle. 5'8" Soph Trevor Jacobsen is having a nice year at the point guard spot. He was one of the members of the very good Schoolers 15s.
Roseville features Wofford signee Lucas Brown on the wing. He's averaging 16.7 points a night. Point guard David Stanley leads the way at 18 PPG. Don't be surprised to see Emeche Wells get the assignment guarding Cory Jacobsen. Wells and Soph Mack Johnson each average 11 PPG. Johnson is one of the top shooters in the sophomore class and has range from anywhere in the building. 8th grader Kobe Critchley may also see time as a reserve guard.
Czar's Pick: Roseville but something tells me this game might be better than expected.
3 PM: Onalaska, WI vs Benilde-St. Margaret's
Onalaska is 8-0 and currently ranked #1 in Wisconsin's Division 2 poll. Coach Craig Kowal returns to the Target Center after leading neighboring La Crescent to the state tournament in 2008. The Hilltoppers star is 6'8" Jr forward Nick Arenz. He's averaging 15.9 PPG and has a handful of D1 mid-major offers already. He was MVP at last week's 3 day WBY Shootout, Wisconsin's top event of the year. 6'1 soph shooting guard Matt Thomas is one of the top shooters in Wisconsin's sophomore class. He's averaging 12.1 PPG. Older brother Tony is a 6'6" senior and does the dirty work up front for the Hilltoppers.
Benilde-St. Margaret's has one of the most loaded classes I've seen in my time. Their juniors lead the way. PG Isaiah Zierden leads the way at 16.2 PPG. 6'8" Kyle Washington has blown up in the last 6 months. He averages 10.4 PPG and is a major presence inside blocking shots with his length. 6'6" Sanjay Lumpkin is used as the defensive stopper on the wing but is capable of going off for 30. These are 3 of the top 2012 prospects in Minnesota. 6'3" Will Dunn averages 11.2 on the wing and is a very good shooter but has been successfully attacking the basket when teams run out at him.
Czar's Pick: Benilde-St. Margaret's in the best game of the day. Washington vs Arenz and Lumpkin guarding Matt Thomas are matchups I'm watching. I think the Benilde depth puts them over the top. Worth noting that both teams have big conference games on Thursday night so hopefully there are no big game hangovers.
5 PM: Cedar Rapids, IA Washington vs Chaska
Washington comes into the shootout with a record of 5-2 and ranked #9 in Iowa's Class 4A. They feature a pair of Iowa Barnstormers that have played locally. 6'6" senior SG Josh Oglesby has signed with Iowa. He's ranked #118 in the nation by Rivals.com. This season he's averaging 21.6 PPG and shooting 29-55 (52.7%) from the 3 point line. That includes 8-10 in a 56-51 to Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Wisconsin signee Jarrod Uthoff. Point guard Wes Washpun is averaging 18.3 PPG but only shooting 16-38 from the foul line (42.1%). He nailed a buzzer beater on Tuesday to beat Iowa City West (video in this article). In a bit of irony, they host Minnetonka on Friday night before making the trip on Saturday.
Chaska features 6'8 Power Forward Jake White inside. He's signed with Wichita State and is having a huge year. He's averaging 27.3 PPG this season and was averaging 12.7 Rebounds through the 1st 7 games. 6'7" Penn State signee Ross Travis is a catalyst on the perimeter. He's averaging 18.1 PPG and has 27 or more points in 3 of his last 4 games, all against quality competition. Shooter Max Watts is averaging 13.3 PPG.
Czar's Pick: Chaska. Jake White is the difference inside and Travis can take over at anytime. But they'll have to keep Oglesby in check.
7 PM: Linn-Mar (Marion, IA) vs Apple Valley
Linn-Mar returns to the shootout (for the 4th time in my memory) at 7-0 and ranked #1 in Iowa's class 4A. They're also #6 in the Midlands region according to PrepNation.com (Hopkins is #1, Johnson is #9 for comparison). 6'1" lefty point guard Marcus Paige is ranked #37 in the nation by Rivals.com. He has numerous high major D1 offers including Kansas and Minnesota. Gopher fans would love for him to fill a desperate point guard need. He put on a show vs Minnetonka last year with his passing and scoring and I expect no less this year. He's averaging 19 PPG this season. But he's not the whole show.
6'4" shooter Matt Bohannon impressed last year. He's averaging 14.7 PPG this season and will attend Northern Iowa next year. 6'3 Shane Benton has only played 3 games this year and is averaging 8.7 PPG. He'll attend North Dakota. 6'6 multi-sport athlete Josh Montague mans the interior. He's averaging 11 PPG and has interest in both football and basketball. A group that is well coached and runs great stuff, a pleasure to watch.
Apple Valley will play the game without star freshman Tyus Jones at the point. His kidney injury suffered on opening night will keep him out until February according to published reports this week. That takes away the star attraction of the entire event. But 6'7" William and Mary signee Thomas Schalk is having a monster year filling in the gap. He's averaging 28.7 points a game this season. He can play inside or out with his 3 point shooting range. Soph shooter Dustin Fronk is averaging 9.3 PPG. Gavin Bronson and Josh Johnson have picked up their game as well.
Czar's Pick: Linn-Mar. Too deep, too talented, too good vs a depleted Apple Valley squad.
1 PM: Viborg/Hurley, SD vs Roseville
The Cougars make the trip from South Dakota with a record of 5-0 and are ranked #2 in the South Dakota Class A poll. These were separate schools before forming a combined program this season. Their star is 6'1" G Cory Jacobsen. He has over 1700 career points and is averaging 19.4 PPG this season. He also helped lead the Cougars to a state runner-up finish in football.. There are 5 players who were members of the Dakota Schoolers this summer and have appeared locally. 6'9" senior center Zach Kraning is their man in the middle. 5'8" Soph Trevor Jacobsen is having a nice year at the point guard spot. He was one of the members of the very good Schoolers 15s.
Roseville features Wofford signee Lucas Brown on the wing. He's averaging 16.7 points a night. Point guard David Stanley leads the way at 18 PPG. Don't be surprised to see Emeche Wells get the assignment guarding Cory Jacobsen. Wells and Soph Mack Johnson each average 11 PPG. Johnson is one of the top shooters in the sophomore class and has range from anywhere in the building. 8th grader Kobe Critchley may also see time as a reserve guard.
Czar's Pick: Roseville but something tells me this game might be better than expected.
3 PM: Onalaska, WI vs Benilde-St. Margaret's
Onalaska is 8-0 and currently ranked #1 in Wisconsin's Division 2 poll. Coach Craig Kowal returns to the Target Center after leading neighboring La Crescent to the state tournament in 2008. The Hilltoppers star is 6'8" Jr forward Nick Arenz. He's averaging 15.9 PPG and has a handful of D1 mid-major offers already. He was MVP at last week's 3 day WBY Shootout, Wisconsin's top event of the year. 6'1 soph shooting guard Matt Thomas is one of the top shooters in Wisconsin's sophomore class. He's averaging 12.1 PPG. Older brother Tony is a 6'6" senior and does the dirty work up front for the Hilltoppers.
Benilde-St. Margaret's has one of the most loaded classes I've seen in my time. Their juniors lead the way. PG Isaiah Zierden leads the way at 16.2 PPG. 6'8" Kyle Washington has blown up in the last 6 months. He averages 10.4 PPG and is a major presence inside blocking shots with his length. 6'6" Sanjay Lumpkin is used as the defensive stopper on the wing but is capable of going off for 30. These are 3 of the top 2012 prospects in Minnesota. 6'3" Will Dunn averages 11.2 on the wing and is a very good shooter but has been successfully attacking the basket when teams run out at him.
Czar's Pick: Benilde-St. Margaret's in the best game of the day. Washington vs Arenz and Lumpkin guarding Matt Thomas are matchups I'm watching. I think the Benilde depth puts them over the top. Worth noting that both teams have big conference games on Thursday night so hopefully there are no big game hangovers.
5 PM: Cedar Rapids, IA Washington vs Chaska
Washington comes into the shootout with a record of 5-2 and ranked #9 in Iowa's Class 4A. They feature a pair of Iowa Barnstormers that have played locally. 6'6" senior SG Josh Oglesby has signed with Iowa. He's ranked #118 in the nation by Rivals.com. This season he's averaging 21.6 PPG and shooting 29-55 (52.7%) from the 3 point line. That includes 8-10 in a 56-51 to Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Wisconsin signee Jarrod Uthoff. Point guard Wes Washpun is averaging 18.3 PPG but only shooting 16-38 from the foul line (42.1%). He nailed a buzzer beater on Tuesday to beat Iowa City West (video in this article). In a bit of irony, they host Minnetonka on Friday night before making the trip on Saturday.
Chaska features 6'8 Power Forward Jake White inside. He's signed with Wichita State and is having a huge year. He's averaging 27.3 PPG this season and was averaging 12.7 Rebounds through the 1st 7 games. 6'7" Penn State signee Ross Travis is a catalyst on the perimeter. He's averaging 18.1 PPG and has 27 or more points in 3 of his last 4 games, all against quality competition. Shooter Max Watts is averaging 13.3 PPG.
Czar's Pick: Chaska. Jake White is the difference inside and Travis can take over at anytime. But they'll have to keep Oglesby in check.
7 PM: Linn-Mar (Marion, IA) vs Apple Valley
Linn-Mar returns to the shootout (for the 4th time in my memory) at 7-0 and ranked #1 in Iowa's class 4A. They're also #6 in the Midlands region according to PrepNation.com (Hopkins is #1, Johnson is #9 for comparison). 6'1" lefty point guard Marcus Paige is ranked #37 in the nation by Rivals.com. He has numerous high major D1 offers including Kansas and Minnesota. Gopher fans would love for him to fill a desperate point guard need. He put on a show vs Minnetonka last year with his passing and scoring and I expect no less this year. He's averaging 19 PPG this season. But he's not the whole show.
6'4" shooter Matt Bohannon impressed last year. He's averaging 14.7 PPG this season and will attend Northern Iowa next year. 6'3 Shane Benton has only played 3 games this year and is averaging 8.7 PPG. He'll attend North Dakota. 6'6 multi-sport athlete Josh Montague mans the interior. He's averaging 11 PPG and has interest in both football and basketball. A group that is well coached and runs great stuff, a pleasure to watch.
Apple Valley will play the game without star freshman Tyus Jones at the point. His kidney injury suffered on opening night will keep him out until February according to published reports this week. That takes away the star attraction of the entire event. But 6'7" William and Mary signee Thomas Schalk is having a monster year filling in the gap. He's averaging 28.7 points a game this season. He can play inside or out with his 3 point shooting range. Soph shooter Dustin Fronk is averaging 9.3 PPG. Gavin Bronson and Josh Johnson have picked up their game as well.
Czar's Pick: Linn-Mar. Too deep, too talented, too good vs a depleted Apple Valley squad.
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.
Month 1 2010-2011 Thoughts
Hard to believe but its already a month into the season. Here's what catching my eye.
Classic Suburban Conference
Tartan's defense has been amazing giving up only 43.3 points a night in a 6-0 start. The 46-0 run vs Brooklyn Center was a defensive display. Tradition is great but Henry Sibley is starting 5 non-seniors for a 1-4 start. Richfield running and running and running some more to a 4-1 start including a win at Grand Rapids but they really took it on the chin giving up 100 to Duluth Central. Simley 4-3 with no good wins and double-digit losses to Harding, West Lutheran and Prairie Seeds Academy.
Lake Conference
Eden Prairie got it done against the softest part of their schedule and then 2 impressive wins over ranked teams in their holiday tournament (Benilde-St. Margaret's and Chaska). That gives them 6 in a row. The schedule is a nightmare the rest of the way. Don't sleep on the rest of the league. Edina is 6-2 with close losses at Chaska and a 1 pt home loss to Armstrong. Wayzata is 6-2 with nice wins over Blaine, White Bear Lake, Cooper and a win at the Catholic Spirit over CDH. Minnetonka is 1-7 against a tough schedule but recently they've played Armstrong, Orono and Rocori tough in 3 close losses.
MCAA
West Lutheran and Bethany are still undefeated against very weak schedules. The Bethany vs undefeated Lakeview Christian game is an interesting test for Bethany. West Lutheran visits MCA on Thursday in their biggest test of the young season. Providence Academy is on pace for their best season since 2006-07.
Minneapolis City Conference
Biggest surprise is that only Washburn is above .500. Henry is at Washburn in a battle of the 2 top teams on Thursday night. I thought Henry would be better than 3-4 at this point but they do have Deonte Blakemore back so we'll see how that impacts them in league play.
Missota Conference
So much for the sirens on Chaska. After that tough loss to Burnsville, they ran off 6 wins in a row with wins over Edina, De La Salle and Waconia. Shakopee is only 2-3 with a loss to a struggling Waconia team and a home loss to Woodbury. The next 3 of 4 on the road in non-conference play do them no favors. New Prague stumbled against White Bear Lake and the schedule hasn't been great. After a visit to Albert Lea, they visit Owatonna, Edina and Shakopee with Chaska at home in the next 4. Chanhassen's start looked great and then we find out that Lakeville North and Waconia aren't quite what we thought.
North Suburban Conference
Chisago Lakes stumbled in a crazy game at Mound-Westonka but their 4 win start is quickly approaching last year's 6 win total. With only 6 teams in section 7AAA, finding a favorite is still tough. St. Louis Park is 3-5 against a tough schedule but Wayzata is their best win. A trip to Columbia Heights and a home game vs Irondale are a tough start to league play for the Orioles. A early test in the league standings comes Thursday with Heights visiting BSM.
Northwest Suburban Conference
The big story in the league is Maple Grove at 7-1. We'll really see where they stack up in league play as they visit Armstrong and Osseo in the next couple of weeks. Champlin Park is 5-1 with respectable wins over Cooper and Rosemount at the Bethel tourney. They host Armstrong and Osseo in the next week. Anoka has lost to Armstrong and Osseo but won their other 4 games without star guard Marcus Tyus and he'll return to the lineup soon.
South Suburban Conference
Eagan is 6-1 against a fairly weak schedule but missed free throws cost them a chance to beat Columbia Heights down in Winona last week. So I say add Eagan to the list of league contenders. They'll find out quickly with the league opener at Eastview Tuesday. Lakeville South with a pair of tough home losses to Hopkins and Johnson (5 pts total) so they can play with anybody. They visit Apple Valley Friday. The Eagles are 2-3 against a tough schedule without Tyus Jones and made a nice run to the Granite City title game last week. Thomas Schalk stepping up big there. Lakeville North is a surprise at 1-6 because of how well they played against Hopkins. But with 5 juniors starting and the return of senior Al Erickson at point guard, they'll only get better.
St. Paul City Conference
Biggest surprise in the St. Paul City is Johnson losing to Chicago Hyde Park last week. Central at 3-4 with a loss to Hill-Murray after beating them earlier in the season is a disappointment. Team is too talented to be under .500. Highland Park off with 1 OK win over Mahtomedi to jump to a 5-3 start.
Suburban East Conference
East Ridge is 6-2 but 3 of those wins were at the weak Trinity holiday tournament. Woodbury is 2-3 with 2 of those losses by 1 point on the road. They have home games with Stillwater and CDH coming up in the next week. White Bear Lake with a nice win over New Prague in Winona last week for a 4-1 start. They visit CDH Tuesday in a good test. Forest Lake lost a ton from last year but they're 5-2 with a pair of 8 point losses. They visit Stillwater and host CDH this week.
Tri-Metro Conference
St. Anthony is at 7-1 after losing a nice group of seniors. Didn't see that coming. Not the greatest schedule but they did win at Concordia (who just beat Braham over the holidays) and have a neutral site win over Minneapolis South. Add in a home win over St. Croix Lutheran and they're in the early drivers seat in the east division. St. Agnes is only 1-2 in the division but those losses are understandable at St Croix and home to Concordia.
Others
Waconia is my biggest disappointment at 2-4. They host Orono on Tuesday and visit Delano next week in a very difficult start to Wright County play. Zimmerman with a nice 7-1 start with good wins at Rocori and Maple Lake. Rogers could be 6-1 with the tough lane violation loss at Totino-Grace. They have difficult games at Zimmerman and Anoka and host Buffalo in the next week. Speaking of Buffalo, now that they're done playing the NW Suburban, will they make another big run through the league schedule? They have an important section game at St. Cloud Tech on Saturday before next week's trip to Rogers.
Classic Suburban Conference
Tartan's defense has been amazing giving up only 43.3 points a night in a 6-0 start. The 46-0 run vs Brooklyn Center was a defensive display. Tradition is great but Henry Sibley is starting 5 non-seniors for a 1-4 start. Richfield running and running and running some more to a 4-1 start including a win at Grand Rapids but they really took it on the chin giving up 100 to Duluth Central. Simley 4-3 with no good wins and double-digit losses to Harding, West Lutheran and Prairie Seeds Academy.
Lake Conference
Eden Prairie got it done against the softest part of their schedule and then 2 impressive wins over ranked teams in their holiday tournament (Benilde-St. Margaret's and Chaska). That gives them 6 in a row. The schedule is a nightmare the rest of the way. Don't sleep on the rest of the league. Edina is 6-2 with close losses at Chaska and a 1 pt home loss to Armstrong. Wayzata is 6-2 with nice wins over Blaine, White Bear Lake, Cooper and a win at the Catholic Spirit over CDH. Minnetonka is 1-7 against a tough schedule but recently they've played Armstrong, Orono and Rocori tough in 3 close losses.
MCAA
West Lutheran and Bethany are still undefeated against very weak schedules. The Bethany vs undefeated Lakeview Christian game is an interesting test for Bethany. West Lutheran visits MCA on Thursday in their biggest test of the young season. Providence Academy is on pace for their best season since 2006-07.
Minneapolis City Conference
Biggest surprise is that only Washburn is above .500. Henry is at Washburn in a battle of the 2 top teams on Thursday night. I thought Henry would be better than 3-4 at this point but they do have Deonte Blakemore back so we'll see how that impacts them in league play.
Missota Conference
So much for the sirens on Chaska. After that tough loss to Burnsville, they ran off 6 wins in a row with wins over Edina, De La Salle and Waconia. Shakopee is only 2-3 with a loss to a struggling Waconia team and a home loss to Woodbury. The next 3 of 4 on the road in non-conference play do them no favors. New Prague stumbled against White Bear Lake and the schedule hasn't been great. After a visit to Albert Lea, they visit Owatonna, Edina and Shakopee with Chaska at home in the next 4. Chanhassen's start looked great and then we find out that Lakeville North and Waconia aren't quite what we thought.
North Suburban Conference
Chisago Lakes stumbled in a crazy game at Mound-Westonka but their 4 win start is quickly approaching last year's 6 win total. With only 6 teams in section 7AAA, finding a favorite is still tough. St. Louis Park is 3-5 against a tough schedule but Wayzata is their best win. A trip to Columbia Heights and a home game vs Irondale are a tough start to league play for the Orioles. A early test in the league standings comes Thursday with Heights visiting BSM.
Northwest Suburban Conference
The big story in the league is Maple Grove at 7-1. We'll really see where they stack up in league play as they visit Armstrong and Osseo in the next couple of weeks. Champlin Park is 5-1 with respectable wins over Cooper and Rosemount at the Bethel tourney. They host Armstrong and Osseo in the next week. Anoka has lost to Armstrong and Osseo but won their other 4 games without star guard Marcus Tyus and he'll return to the lineup soon.
South Suburban Conference
Eagan is 6-1 against a fairly weak schedule but missed free throws cost them a chance to beat Columbia Heights down in Winona last week. So I say add Eagan to the list of league contenders. They'll find out quickly with the league opener at Eastview Tuesday. Lakeville South with a pair of tough home losses to Hopkins and Johnson (5 pts total) so they can play with anybody. They visit Apple Valley Friday. The Eagles are 2-3 against a tough schedule without Tyus Jones and made a nice run to the Granite City title game last week. Thomas Schalk stepping up big there. Lakeville North is a surprise at 1-6 because of how well they played against Hopkins. But with 5 juniors starting and the return of senior Al Erickson at point guard, they'll only get better.
St. Paul City Conference
Biggest surprise in the St. Paul City is Johnson losing to Chicago Hyde Park last week. Central at 3-4 with a loss to Hill-Murray after beating them earlier in the season is a disappointment. Team is too talented to be under .500. Highland Park off with 1 OK win over Mahtomedi to jump to a 5-3 start.
Suburban East Conference
East Ridge is 6-2 but 3 of those wins were at the weak Trinity holiday tournament. Woodbury is 2-3 with 2 of those losses by 1 point on the road. They have home games with Stillwater and CDH coming up in the next week. White Bear Lake with a nice win over New Prague in Winona last week for a 4-1 start. They visit CDH Tuesday in a good test. Forest Lake lost a ton from last year but they're 5-2 with a pair of 8 point losses. They visit Stillwater and host CDH this week.
Tri-Metro Conference
St. Anthony is at 7-1 after losing a nice group of seniors. Didn't see that coming. Not the greatest schedule but they did win at Concordia (who just beat Braham over the holidays) and have a neutral site win over Minneapolis South. Add in a home win over St. Croix Lutheran and they're in the early drivers seat in the east division. St. Agnes is only 1-2 in the division but those losses are understandable at St Croix and home to Concordia.
Others
Waconia is my biggest disappointment at 2-4. They host Orono on Tuesday and visit Delano next week in a very difficult start to Wright County play. Zimmerman with a nice 7-1 start with good wins at Rocori and Maple Lake. Rogers could be 6-1 with the tough lane violation loss at Totino-Grace. They have difficult games at Zimmerman and Anoka and host Buffalo in the next week. Speaking of Buffalo, now that they're done playing the NW Suburban, will they make another big run through the league schedule? They have an important section game at St. Cloud Tech on Saturday before next week's trip to Rogers.
2010-11 CzarPI, January 2, 2011
Labels:
10-11 CzarPI
Here is the 3rd edition of the CzarPI for the 2010-2011 season (see CzarPI Explained here). It includes games through January 2nd, 2011. The value in () after the CzarPI value is the team's strength of schedule ranking within their class
Class AAAA
Class AAAA
- Osseo - 61.33 (25)
- Eden Prairie - 59.8 (26)
- Moorhead - 59.74 (47)
- Wayzata - 59.02 (30)
- Hopkins - 58.94 (51)
- Robbinsdale Armstrong - 56.79 (58)
- Tartan - 56.5 (60)
- Chaska - 56.37 (29)
- White Bear Lake - 56.1 (35)
- Maple Grove - 55.77 (55)
- Owatonna - 55.53 (61)
- Eastview - 55.48 (62)
- Cretin-Derham Hall - 53.42 (53)
- Blaine - 53.39 (14)
- Duluth Central - 53.38 (43)
- Roseville - 53.16 (19)
- Forest Lake - 52.62 (48)
- Stillwater Area - 52.48 (32)
- Champlin Park - 52.44 (52)
- Burnsville - 52.09 (33)
- Spring Lake Park - 51.8 (11)
- Robbinsdale Cooper - 50.84 (31)
- Duluth East - 50.72 (22)
- East Ridge - 50.71 (65)
- Cambridge-Isanti - 50.6 (49)
- Irondale - 50.2 (45)
- Lakeville South - 50.13 (18)
- Rochester Century - 49.91 (56)
- Edina - 49.78 (44)
- Apple Valley - 47.5 (12)
- St. Louis Park - 47.41 (5)
- Andover - 47.26 (2)
- Mounds View - 46.92 (10)
- Anoka - 46.77 (37)
- North St. Paul - 46.22 (34)
- St. Cloud Tech - 46.08 (40)
- Minneapolis North - 46.03 (8)
- Prior Lake - 45.97 (6)
- St. Michael-Albertville - 45.81 (16)
- Bloomington Kennedy - 45.76 (50)
- Eagan - 43.58 (64)
- Shakopee - 43.37 (59)
- Centennial - 42.08 (27)
- Rochester Mayo - 42.03 (15)
- Woodbury - 41.23 (46)
- Alexandria - 41.1 (36)
- Bloomington Jefferson - 40.31 (21)
- Chanhassen - 40.24 (41)
- St. Francis - 40.2 (23)
- Elk River - 39.31 (54)
- Rosemount - 37.02 (57)
- Lakeville North - 35.36 (7)
- Brainerd - 34.09 (20)
- Minnetonka - 32.75 (3)
- Minneapolis Southwest - 31.89 (38)
- Henry Sibley - 31.22 (13)
- Minneapolis South - 30.79 (17)
- Buffalo - 28.12 (42)
- Farmington - 28.06 (39)
- Rochester John Marshall - 27.71 (28)
- Park of Cottage Grove - 24.33 (63)
- Park Center - 0 (1)
- Northfield - 0 (4)
- Coon Rapids - 0 (9)
- Hastings - 0 (24)
- Marshall - 61.9 (1)
- St. Paul Johnson - 58.36 (39)
- Bemidji - 57.43 (43)
- Orono - 57.11 (45)
- Delano - 56.66 (42)
- Willmar - 55.76 (23)
- Rogers - 55.64 (27)
- Little Falls - 55.31 (31)
- Detroit Lakes - 54.7 (17)
- Totino-Grace - 54.25 (3)
- Hutchinson - 54.1 (4)
- Columbia Heights - 54.08 (54)
- St. Cloud Apollo - 53.25 (11)
- St. Thomas Academy - 53.23 (37)
- Mound-Westonka - 53.05 (50)
- Annandale - 53.02 (16)
- Minneapolis Washburn - 52.21 (25)
- Holy Family Catholic - 52.21 (18)
- DeLaSalle - 51.45 (38)
- New Prague - 51.45 (46)
- Chisago Lakes Area - 50.39 (19)
- Richfield - 50.22 (53)
- Hill-Murray - 50.12 (24)
- St. Anthony Village - 49.89 (59)
- Big Lake - 49.8 (41)
- Benilde-St. Margaret's - 48.6 (12)
- Winona - 48.32 (29)
- Worthington - 48.27 (33)
- Rocori - 46.96 (44)
- Monticello - 46.47 (2)
- Grand Rapids - 46.46 (30)
- St. Paul Highland Park - 46.29 (26)
- St. Paul Central - 45.85 (9)
- St. Paul Como Park - 45.81 (58)
- Holy Angels - 45.46 (7)
- Albert Lea - 44.94 (14)
- Waconia - 44.91 (15)
- Red Wing - 44.17 (57)
- Hermantown - 43.94 (52)
- Mahtomedi - 43.57 (47)
- Hibbing - 43.03 (34)
- Fridley - 40.54 (10)
- St. Paul Harding - 39.78 (49)
- Sartell-St. Stephen - 39.12 (48)
- Simley - 37.78 (56)
- Mankato West - 37.2 (35)
- Cloquet - 36.66 (8)
- Fergus Falls - 36.36 (28)
- Minneapolis Henry - 36.27 (55)
- Waseca - 35.09 (6)
- Mankato East - 30.3 (13)
- Faribault - 29.99 (32)
- North Branch - 29.25 (21)
- Austin - 29 (40)
- South St. Paul - 26.26 (60)
- Dassel-Cokato - 23.75 (22)
- Princeton - 0 (51)
- Becker - 0 (36)
- Sauk Rapids-Rice - 0 (5)
- New Ulm - 0 (20)
- Esko - 59.62 (61)
- Perham - 58.71 (73)
- Tracy-Milroy-Balaton - 58.39 (79)
- Waterville-Elysian-Morristown - 57.54 (87)
- Long Prairie-Grey Eagle - 57 (47)
- Zimmerman - 56.58 (83)
- Montevideo - 56.14 (102)
- Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial - 55.57 (105)
- Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted - 54.81 (38)
- Thief River Falls - 54.79 (44)
- Moose Lake-Willow River - 54.79 (48)
- International Falls - 54.72 (112)
- Redwood Valley - 54.11 (29)
- Kasson-Mantorville - 53.56 (114)
- Zumbrota-Mazeppa - 53.5 (84)
- Windom Area - 53.4 (82)
- Murray County Central - 52.85 (90)
- Rochester Lourdes - 52.68 (52)
- Maple River - 52.12 (115)
- Minnewaska Area - 51.94 (108)
- Deer River - 51.86 (62)
- Glencoe-Silver Lake - 51.74 (65)
- Caledonia - 51.66 (124)
- Byron - 51.47 (95)
- Watertown-Mayer - 51.12 (60)
- Jackson County Central - 51.08 (56)
- Plainview-Elgin-Millville - 50.95 (109)
- Stewartville - 50.33 (69)
- Bagley - 50.13 (97)
- Hawley - 50 (35)
- Pequot Lakes - 49.68 (71)
- Crookston - 49.61 (19)
- Maple Lake - 49.14 (99)
- Rush City - 48.82 (70)
- Kimball Area - 48.76 (51)
- St. Croix Lutheran - 48.69 (45)
- Mayer Lutheran - 48.26 (68)
- East Grand Forks - 48.24 (39)
- Pelican Rapids - 48.04 (42)
- Hayfield - 47.68 (118)
- Concordia Academy-Roseville - 47.53 (66)
- Virginia - 47.37 (93)
- United South Central - 47.28 (11)
- Litchfield - 46.88 (21)
- Braham - 46.86 (125)
- Sauk Centre - 46.8 (78)
- Crosby-Ironton - 46.55 (50)
- St. Cloud Cathedral - 46.22 (89)
- Jordan - 46.16 (127)
- Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton - 45.98 (26)
- Minnehaha Academy - 45.82 (64)
- Albany - 45.72 (120)
- St. Peter - 45.6 (67)
- Blake - 45.42 (86)
- St. Charles - 44.94 (94)
- Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop - 44.37 (41)
- Belle Plaine - 44.34 (111)
- New London-Spicer - 44.33 (59)
- Fairmont - 44.16 (2)
- Southland - 43.83 (32)
- Wadena-Deer Creek - 43.13 (43)
- Providence Academy - 42.96 (117)
- Norwood-Young America - 42.92 (5)
- Pipestone Area - 42.03 (20)
- Pierz - 41.79 (25)
- Eden Valley-Watkins - 41.54 (72)
- Great River - 41.36 (101)
- Pine Island - 41.29 (31)
- BOLD - 41.24 (88)
- Sibley East - 41.22 (36)
- Martin County West - 41.11 (119)
- Red Lake - 40.87 (80)
- Kenyon-Wanamingo - 40.82 (17)
- Holdingford - 40.62 (96)
- Trinity School - 40.6 (77)
- Lewiston-Altura - 40.57 (123)
- Winona Cotter - 40.08 (121)
- Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta - 40.02 (100)
- Mora - 39.99 (24)
- Lake City - 39.15 (23)
- Kingsland - 39.11 (18)
- La Crescent - 38.79 (103)
- New Richland-H-E-G - 38.39 (49)
- Triton - 38.25 (110)
- Pine City - 38.21 (104)
- Yellow Medicine East - 38.07 (106)
- LeSueur-Henderson - 37.79 (7)
- Benson - 37.78 (30)
- St. John's Prep - 37.56 (74)
- Melrose - 37.01 (57)
- Dover-Eyota - 36.9 (3)
- Cannon Falls - 36.89 (8)
- Breck - 36.59 (91)
- Rockford - 36.53 (9)
- West Central Area - 36.33 (63)
- Aitkin - 36.24 (27)
- Montgomery-Lonsdale - 35.97 (81)
- Warroad - 35.89 (58)
- St. James - 35.52 (37)
- Legacy Christian - 34.95 (55)
- Osakis - 34.91 (22)
- Proctor - 33.1 (116)
- Minneapolis Roosevelt - 32.18 (85)
- Blue Earth Area - 30.98 (13)
- Hinckley-Finlayson - 29.85 (107)
- Staples-Motley - 29.65 (40)
- Chatfield - 28.93 (10)
- Luverne - 27.78 (14)
- Foley - 26.6 (46)
- Frazee - 25.89 (28)
- Park Rapids Area - 24.63 (75)
- Brooklyn Center - 24.3 (16)
- Greenway - 23.15 (12)
- Duluth Marshall - 23.15 (53)
- St. Paul Academy - 22.88 (76)
- Lac qui Parle Valley - 0 (92)
- Roseau - 0 (113)
- Two Harbors - 0 (15)
- Mounds Park Academy - 0 (34)
- Eveleth-Gilbert - 0 (98)
- International School of MN - 0 (122)
- Paynesville Area - 0 (1)
- Milaca - 0 (4)
- Breckenridge - 0 (6)
- Minnesota Valley Lutheran - 0 (33)
- Walker-Hackensack-Akeley - 0 (54)
- Minneapolis Edison - 0 (126)
- Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa - 58.57 (74)
- Browerville - 58.48 (76)
- Sebeka - 57.12 (99)
- Cedar Mountain/Comfrey - 56.72 (50)
- Ulen-Hitterdal - 56.13 (68)
- Orr - 55.44 (42)
- Barnesville - 55.26 (60)
- Springfield - 54.66 (119)
- Southwest MN Christian - 54.19 (126)
- Upsala - 54.12 (34)
- Ellsworth - 53.65 (64)
- Ely - 52.61 (137)
- Sleepy Eye - 52.6 (28)
- Brandon-Evansville - 52.55 (138)
- Warren-Alvarado-Oslo - 52.51 (107)
- Maranatha Christian - 51.72 (141)
- Battle Lake - 51.71 (142)
- Rushford-Peterson - 51.27 (146)
- Ada-Borup - 51.13 (88)
- Cook County - 51.05 (80)
- Stephen-Argyle - 50.87 (147)
- Southwest Star Concept - 50.81 (102)
- Hills-Beaver Creek - 50.72 (62)
- Nevis - 50.61 (103)
- Bethany Academy - 50.6 (149)
- Fosston - 50.55 (150)
- Eagle Valley - 50.29 (39)
- Barnum - 49.84 (152)
- McGregor - 49.57 (153)
- MACCRAY - 49.5 (112)
- Bigfork - 49.5 (94)
- Cass Lake-Bena - 49.01 (106)
- Mt. Lake/Butterfield-Odin - 49 (66)
- Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity - 48.9 (25)
- Minnesota Transitions Charter - 48.47 (33)
- Prairie Seeds Academy - 48.34 (92)
- Pine River-Backus - 48.18 (78)
- Minneota - 48.08 (114)
- Isle - 48.03 (35)
- West Lutheran - 47.51 (156)
- Lakeview Christian - 47.03 (157)
- Goodhue - 47.03 (145)
- FAIR Downtown - 46.89 (134)
- Bethlehem Academy - 46.62 (43)
- New Ulm Cathedral - 46.23 (132)
- Heritage Christian - 46.19 (67)
- Badger/Greenbush-Middle River - 45.83 (89)
- Norman County East - 45.43 (117)
- Blackduck - 45.39 (100)
- Clearbrook-Gonvick - 45.24 (44)
- Fulda - 45.08 (7)
- Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton - 44.96 (120)
- Glenville-Emmons - 44.7 (159)
- East Central - 44.4 (105)
- Northern Freeze - 44.21 (97)
- Cherry - 44.17 (101)
- Southwest Christian - 44.09 (30)
- Truman - 43.9 (73)
- Edgerton - 43.7 (18)
- St. Agnes - 43.33 (86)
- Chisholm - 43.15 (127)
- Nicollet - 42.89 (85)
- Mankato Loyola - 42.78 (72)
- Bertha-Hewitt - 42.54 (55)
- Tower-Soudan - 42.49 (83)
- Kittson County Central - 42.01 (47)
- New York Mills - 41.82 (5)
- Lanesboro - 41.41 (154)
- Dawson-Boyd - 41.16 (139)
- Floodwood - 40.94 (36)
- Russell-Tyler-Ruthton - 40.82 (49)
- Granada-Huntley-East Chain - 40.56 (57)
- Red Lake County - 40.46 (140)
- Lincoln HI - 40.43 (37)
- Mahnomen - 40.32 (95)
- Fond du Lac Ojibwe - 40.12 (51)
- Silver Bay - 40.07 (31)
- Randolph - 40.03 (125)
- Blooming Prairie - 39.35 (128)
- AlBrook/Cotton - 39.15 (131)
- New Life Academy - 39.09 (59)
- St. Paul Humboldt - 38.93 (81)
- Menahga - 38.66 (69)
- Le Center - 38.62 (13)
- Spectrum - 38.37 (129)
- Hill City - 38.37 (11)
- Goodridge-Grygla - 38.27 (65)
- Littlefork-Big Falls - 38.17 (22)
- Henning - 37.89 (115)
- Hope Lutheran - 37.78 (87)
- Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City - 37.49 (23)
- Nashwauk-Keewatin - 37.41 (70)
- St. Clair - 36.54 (38)
- Win-E-Mac - 36.1 (52)
- Central MN Christian - 35.52 (41)
- Cromwell - 35.06 (63)
- Ashby - 34.39 (45)
- LeRoy-Ostrander - 34.34 (118)
- Medford - 34.29 (98)
- Sleepy Eye Saint Mary's - 34.28 (90)
- Canby - 34.21 (144)
- Royalton - 34.17 (108)
- Hillcrest Lutheran Academy - 33.77 (164)
- Round Lake-Brewster - 33.29 (48)
- Calvin Christian - 33.06 (165)
- Alden-Conger - 32.7 (161)
- Westbrook-Walnut Grove - 32.66 (77)
- Sacred Heart - 32.22 (27)
- Madelia - 31.68 (116)
- Houston - 31.27 (163)
- Cannon Valley Lutheran - 30.76 (124)
- Spring Grove - 30.66 (82)
- Mesabi East - 30.65 (135)
- Lake Park-Audubon - 29.98 (46)
- Kelliher/Northome - 29.88 (151)
- Verndale - 29.72 (17)
- Fillmore Central - 29.07 (9)
- Onamia - 28.93 (84)
- Cook - 28.89 (40)
- Lakeview - 28.62 (143)
- Cleveland - 28.11 (123)
- Four Directions Charter - 27.84 (162)
- Grand Meadow - 27.83 (104)
- Park Christian - 25.25 (133)
- Wabasha-Kellogg - 24.88 (130)
- Fertile-Beltrami - 24.45 (14)
- PACT Charter - 24.2 (8)
- Babbitt-Embarrass - 23.93 (79)
- Academy for Sciences & Ag - 0 (166)
- Northland - 0 (136)
- Norman County West - 0 (148)
- Red Rock Central - 0 (12)
- CHOF - 0 (15)
- Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart - 0 (19)
- Parkers Prairie - 0 (58)
- Swanville - 0 (96)
- Renville County West - 0 (111)
- St. Paul Prep - 0 (155)
- Underwood - 0 (158)
- MN Academy for the Deaf - 0 (160)
- Wheaton/Herman-Norcross - 0 (167)
- Liberty Classical Academy - 0 (169)
- Schaeffer Academy - 0 (1)
- Adrian - 0 (2)
- Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig - 0 (3)
- Carlton - 0 (4)
- Mesabi Academy - 0 (6)
- Pillager - 0 (10)
- Martin Luther - 0 (20)
- Lyle/Austin Pacelli - 0 (16)
- Climax/Fisher - 0 (21)
- Wrenshall - 0 (24)
- Hancock - 0 (26)
- Ogilvie - 0 (29)
- Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley - 0 (32)
- Waubun - 0 (53)
- Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg - 0 (54)
- E.C.H.O. Charter - 0 (56)
- Ortonville - 0 (61)
- Hmong Academy - 0 (71)
- North Lakes Academy - 0 (75)
- Metro Deaf School - 0 (91)
- Mabel-Canton - 0 (93)
- Learning for Leadership - 0 (109)
- Wabasso - 0 (110)
- Mountain Iron-Buhl - 0 (113)
- Lake of the Woods - 0 (121)
- Rothsay - 0 (122)
- Community of Peace Academy - 0 (168)
- Math & Science Academy - 0 (169)
Ditching Islanders and future rodents
Labels:
Jonah Travis
Prologue
Its an early New Year's Eve day (4:30 AM start on no sleep) trip to The World's Only Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD for day 2 of the inaugural Mike Miller Classic. Thanks to blizzard warnings in Mitchell, the schedule is cut to 2 games , DLS vs Red Cloud and Memphis White Station, TN vs Mitchell, SD. The warnings look bogus until the South Dakota border as the last hour from Sioux Falls to Mitchell was treacherous in near white out conditions. But we arrive an hour before game time so I get a chance to blow a layup and then make the putback to say I got in some shooting on the court. Really neat venue with corn murals outside and inside the arena. 3 sides with murals. Tight squeeze radio booths perched in the upper corners with the American Flag draped from one of those. For Mitchell games, the 16 championship banners and Mike Miller's retired number banner are lowered. Miller won state titles in 96 and 97 but not as a senior in 98. Worth noting that former Badger Joe Krabbenhoft never won one at Sioux Falls Roosevelt either. After game 1, I did sample the local food for you the loyal reader. My taco in a bag was a major surprise as it was doritos and hamburger slathered with cheese. The Sloppy Joe probably would have been a better choice. As to the song of the day, the artist is a no-brainer choice and the video for this is highly regarded so our easy choice is ...
Song of the Day
Freak on a Leash (clean version) - Korn
Game Time 1: De La Salle vs Red Cloud, SD
South Dakota normally plays 8 minute quarters but we have 2 16 minute halves with a 35 second shot clock for the games. Only 2 or 3 times all day that the shot clock comes into play despite zone defenses from Red Cloud and Mitchell. DLS off to a good start as Jonah Travis dunks and Riley Dearring nails a pullup. Then Bretson McNeal with back to back 3s and a skip to Lamonte Hall for another 3 against the 2-3 zone. 18-6 Islanders with 7:25 left in the half. Thanks to offensive rebounding despite being undersized, Red Cloud hangs around and is only down 24-16 with 3:45 left in the half. DLS finishes strong with Bretson McNeal off a regular Islander inbound set for 3, Travis with 2 and a dunk from the post and McNeal with his 4th 3s of the half to beat the halftime buzzer. 34-18 DLS at the half. Then the counter inbound play is a lob dunk to Travis, Travis to Dearring for 3, Melvin Collins from McNeal for 3, Travis with another dunk, McNeal goes glass and Collins from Travis on the nice bounce pass leading the fast break. Its a 14-3 Islanders run over the first 3:40 of the second half . 48-21 with 12:20 left. DLS expands the lead to 35+ and they go on to win 71-43. Bretson McNeal 16 points on 4 3s. Riley Dearring 13 points. Jonah Travis 13 points 4 boards and 4 assists. Melvin Collins also in double figures with 11 points.
Game Time 2: White Station (Memphis, TN) at Mitchell, SD
The second game featured Rodent recruit Andre Hollins against the hosts. White Station also has a pair of bigs that appeared at the Best Buy Summer Classic in July. Nino Johnson is a SE Missouri St signee. Marvin Williams will attend Lipscomb. Super frosh Leron Black didn't make the trip due to illness. Mitchell was ranked #2 in SoDak coming into this tourney. Head coach Gary Munsen has a career record of 629-267 in 37 years at Mitchell with 9 state titles. He rarely plays zone but he played 2-3 almost all night in this one. But it was no match for Hollins. He was in the lane at will. Mitchell hung around in the first half and was only down 6 at the half despite 8 late points from Hollins. White Station had a 17 point 2nd half lead and won 62-50. Hollins 34 points on 9-17 shooting (1-7 from 3) and 15-19 at the charity stripe. Nothing special from either big guy which was disappointing. Junior Brady Maxwell off the Kernels bench with 19 points. Look for him in the NSIC down the road. South Dakota teams 0-7 in the 2 day event
The Great Adventure
Now the fun begins. People were wondering if anyone would get out before Sunday. Out the side door and its crystal clear. Onto the highway and 1 lane is clear with drifts in lane 2. So its surprisingly good time to Sioux Falls for a dinner break with the NSIC's best shooting assistant coach. Signs show that I90 is closed from Sioux Falls to Rapid City and I29 is closed from Sioux Falls to the North Dakota line. Figuring that the weather is north, I90 seems like a good idea to Albert Lea rather than coming back via Mankato. After a break in Fairmont, then the fun begins. 2 instances of blowing snow causing white out conditions almost most bring the trip to an immediate halt. But the 3rd time is a charm and its off the right edge and into the ditch 20 miles west of Albert Lea. No injuries and the authorities are on site quickly to help out. Doesn't look bad, but the car is going nowhere. The 2nd officer has the all important shovel to dig out of the hard packed snow. A couple rounds of digging and pushing and the 3rd time pushes the car out. In the process of pushing, I end up in line with a spinning wheel clearing out snow and mud so I'm a complete mess of snow and mud from head to toe. No tow truck needed and we're back on the road. Only 1 more stretch of bad road and I finally arrive home at midnight.
Its an early New Year's Eve day (4:30 AM start on no sleep) trip to The World's Only Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD for day 2 of the inaugural Mike Miller Classic. Thanks to blizzard warnings in Mitchell, the schedule is cut to 2 games , DLS vs Red Cloud and Memphis White Station, TN vs Mitchell, SD. The warnings look bogus until the South Dakota border as the last hour from Sioux Falls to Mitchell was treacherous in near white out conditions. But we arrive an hour before game time so I get a chance to blow a layup and then make the putback to say I got in some shooting on the court. Really neat venue with corn murals outside and inside the arena. 3 sides with murals. Tight squeeze radio booths perched in the upper corners with the American Flag draped from one of those. For Mitchell games, the 16 championship banners and Mike Miller's retired number banner are lowered. Miller won state titles in 96 and 97 but not as a senior in 98. Worth noting that former Badger Joe Krabbenhoft never won one at Sioux Falls Roosevelt either. After game 1, I did sample the local food for you the loyal reader. My taco in a bag was a major surprise as it was doritos and hamburger slathered with cheese. The Sloppy Joe probably would have been a better choice. As to the song of the day, the artist is a no-brainer choice and the video for this is highly regarded so our easy choice is ...
Song of the Day
Freak on a Leash (clean version) - Korn
Game Time 1: De La Salle vs Red Cloud, SD
South Dakota normally plays 8 minute quarters but we have 2 16 minute halves with a 35 second shot clock for the games. Only 2 or 3 times all day that the shot clock comes into play despite zone defenses from Red Cloud and Mitchell. DLS off to a good start as Jonah Travis dunks and Riley Dearring nails a pullup. Then Bretson McNeal with back to back 3s and a skip to Lamonte Hall for another 3 against the 2-3 zone. 18-6 Islanders with 7:25 left in the half. Thanks to offensive rebounding despite being undersized, Red Cloud hangs around and is only down 24-16 with 3:45 left in the half. DLS finishes strong with Bretson McNeal off a regular Islander inbound set for 3, Travis with 2 and a dunk from the post and McNeal with his 4th 3s of the half to beat the halftime buzzer. 34-18 DLS at the half. Then the counter inbound play is a lob dunk to Travis, Travis to Dearring for 3, Melvin Collins from McNeal for 3, Travis with another dunk, McNeal goes glass and Collins from Travis on the nice bounce pass leading the fast break. Its a 14-3 Islanders run over the first 3:40 of the second half . 48-21 with 12:20 left. DLS expands the lead to 35+ and they go on to win 71-43. Bretson McNeal 16 points on 4 3s. Riley Dearring 13 points. Jonah Travis 13 points 4 boards and 4 assists. Melvin Collins also in double figures with 11 points.
Game Time 2: White Station (Memphis, TN) at Mitchell, SD
The second game featured Rodent recruit Andre Hollins against the hosts. White Station also has a pair of bigs that appeared at the Best Buy Summer Classic in July. Nino Johnson is a SE Missouri St signee. Marvin Williams will attend Lipscomb. Super frosh Leron Black didn't make the trip due to illness. Mitchell was ranked #2 in SoDak coming into this tourney. Head coach Gary Munsen has a career record of 629-267 in 37 years at Mitchell with 9 state titles. He rarely plays zone but he played 2-3 almost all night in this one. But it was no match for Hollins. He was in the lane at will. Mitchell hung around in the first half and was only down 6 at the half despite 8 late points from Hollins. White Station had a 17 point 2nd half lead and won 62-50. Hollins 34 points on 9-17 shooting (1-7 from 3) and 15-19 at the charity stripe. Nothing special from either big guy which was disappointing. Junior Brady Maxwell off the Kernels bench with 19 points. Look for him in the NSIC down the road. South Dakota teams 0-7 in the 2 day event
The Great Adventure
Now the fun begins. People were wondering if anyone would get out before Sunday. Out the side door and its crystal clear. Onto the highway and 1 lane is clear with drifts in lane 2. So its surprisingly good time to Sioux Falls for a dinner break with the NSIC's best shooting assistant coach. Signs show that I90 is closed from Sioux Falls to Rapid City and I29 is closed from Sioux Falls to the North Dakota line. Figuring that the weather is north, I90 seems like a good idea to Albert Lea rather than coming back via Mankato. After a break in Fairmont, then the fun begins. 2 instances of blowing snow causing white out conditions almost most bring the trip to an immediate halt. But the 3rd time is a charm and its off the right edge and into the ditch 20 miles west of Albert Lea. No injuries and the authorities are on site quickly to help out. Doesn't look bad, but the car is going nowhere. The 2nd officer has the all important shovel to dig out of the hard packed snow. A couple rounds of digging and pushing and the 3rd time pushes the car out. In the process of pushing, I end up in line with a spinning wheel clearing out snow and mud so I'm a complete mess of snow and mud from head to toe. No tow truck needed and we're back on the road. Only 1 more stretch of bad road and I finally arrive home at midnight.
2010 Best Buy Holiday Classic Championships
Labels:
Estan Tyler,
Joe Coleman
My 2010 Most Excellent Holiday Adventure continues with a trip to Augsburg for championship day at the Best Buy Holiday Classic. Barbeque at a game is never a bad thing and on the quality advice of Mrs Krosschell I decide to have the brisket. Anytime you look at a sandwich and think "Where do I even begin to tackle this thing?", that's a very good sign. So props to Tom Krosschell for having Baldy's Barbeque as part of the concessions fare this year (and no $2 12 oz cans of soda either). $5 is usually steep for concessions, but not true in this case. Baldy himself was in the building serving up that very good barbeque. Though my spies tell me that his basketball game needs work. Big laundry type carts full of Pepsi too, can't go wrong with that. Now I need a song, since we get very few rain references in and its not November...
Song of the Day
I Wish It Would Rain Down - Phil Collins
Webcast America had the online broadcast of 1 consolation semifinal and the championship bracket semifinal games on Wednesday along with the 3rd place and championship games today. I did the color commentary for the 3rd place and championships. You can check out the broadcast of any of those 5 games here.
7th Place Game: Henry Sibley vs Minneapolis Patrick Henry
Full names required here to eliminate confusion. Sibley bringing their 3 main seniors off the bench and starting 5 non-seniors. Glad to see Deonte Blakemore back in the Henry lineup to resurrect my Minneapolis City MVP hopes. Sibley's Alex Stafford has come out of nowhere (football kid I think) to be a useful post player. All 13 of his points in the 1st half led Sibley on the night. Second half is all soph Darius Hill for Henry. He nails 4 straight triples (3 from left corner) on his way to 18 points in the half. Sibley battles back from 6 down in the last 5 minutes to tie the game, but Hill comes up big with a steal for 2 and an offensive rebound for 2 free throws. Sibley has a couple of late chances but Henry hangs on for 7th place 62-60. Hill 20 points, Latrell Love 19 and 11 for the Patriots.
5th Place Game: Burnsville vs Chanhassen
A matchup of 1 year Lake Conference foes and natural disasters for 5th. Chanhassen jumps out to a 12-5 start 5 minutes in but falls behind 17-16 at the 7:30 mark. After a Chanhassen timeout at the 6:46 mark, the Storm finish the half strong on an 11-2 run. 27-19 Storm at half. Chance Panning hot in both runs with 15 points and 3 3s. Burnsville comes right back with an 11-2 run to take a 30-29 lead just 1:33 into the half. The Blaze extend the the lead to 50-44 with 6:20 left. Chanhassen gets 6 in a row to tie and we go right to the end. Cam Jones in the post to put Burnsville up 54-52 with 32 seconds left and then a Chanhassen turnover. Burnsville misses a front end and takes a foul with 8.8 left (only 4 team fouls at that point). Time Burnsville. On the inbounds Burnsville waits and takes their 6th foul with 3 seconds left. Timeout Chanhassen. CJ Smith then bear hugs Panning before the ball ever gets inbounds. That's the bonus but Panning misses the 2nd one just long. Burnsville hangs on 54-53 as Storm does not put out Blaze. Cam Jones missed a late 1 and 1 but his post bucket was the clincher. He leads the Blaze with 13 points (I'm not buying the 17 in the official box). CJ Smith 10 for Burnsville. Chance Panning 15 of his 18 in the first half to lead Chanhassen. Kevin Jensen 11 points.
3rd Place: St. Paul Johnson vs Minnesota Transitions (broadcast here)
Still not a bad 3rd place game with #1AAA Johnson taking on #1A MTS. The teams will meet again at Johnson in late Feburary too. MTS uses their 3-2 zone to keep Johnson at bay and they jump out to an 18-11 lead at the 11:25 mark on a Kyle Noreen 3. 42-39 MTS at the break. Johnson getting baseline penetration against the zone though. Rodney Owens with a 3 point play with 13:17 left and MTS leads 55-48 but Johnson quickly cuts the lead to 2 on a nice cut for an And 1 from Roosevelt Scott. A Marcus Marshall 3 ties it at 58 with 8:30 left. Then a Estan Tyler 3 with 7:50 left for a 63-60 lead. Then a Tyler tip in + 1 for a 68-64 lead. Owens coast to coast to cut the lead to 2 but Johnson has the ball with the lead and they'll hold against the MTS zone so MTS extends it. Owens ties the game on a putback with 4:15 left, 68 all. Marshall for 3, Tyler with a steal for 2 and a second straight Oh No, Great shot 3 by Marshall inside of 3 minutes finishes an 8-0 run. 76-68 Govs. MTS has to extend and foul and Johnson adds on from there for a 93-77 win. Estan Tyler 26 on my sheet (25 officially) to lead Johnson. I had Marcus Marshall 1-7 from 3 before making the last 2 that put the game away. 14 of his 20 in the 2nd half, 3 triples. Kyle Noreen a quiet 19 points guarded by Estan Tyler most of the night. 4 rebounds and 5 assists on my sheet. Matt Lanier 13 of his 15 in the first half. Rodney Owens with 25 for the Wolves (I had 27 on my sheet) and 7 rebounds.
Championship: Hopkins vs Chicago Hyde Park (broadcast here)
Hyde Park with a nice screen and roll for 2 and a Marcellis Davis triple to take a 7-2 lead at the 15:25 mark. Then its all Hopkins. Joe Coleman with a drive for 2, a steal for a dunk, another turnover leads to him going glass and a reverse layup off a nice feed from Siyani Chambers. That's all part of a 16-2 Hopkins run over the next 5 minutes. Coleman with another layup then 1 assist to Nick Jorgensen and another pretty assist on a 3 on 1 break to Demetrius Martin. Marvin Singleton with 1 layup and he grabs a rebound and goes coast to coast for another layup. 52-29 at the half, they get a hoop to clear the century mark for a 101-53 win. Joe Coleman leads Hopkins with 31 points and 8 rebounds (sat last 10:17). Only 1 outside shot so that's 3-11 in 3 games I've witnessed this season. Siyani Chambers 8 points and 6 assists on my sheet. 5 total players in double figures for the Royals. Kyle Davis 14 points to lead Hyde Park. Leading scorer PG Treyshawn Jones was held scoreless. Hyde Park too small for the Hopkins guards and they had no matchup for Coleman.
All-Tournament Team
Kyle Noreen - MTS
Estan Tyler - Johnson
Marcellis Davis - Hyde Park
Siyani Chambers, Marvin Singleton - Hopkins
MVP : Joe Coleman - Hopkins
Song of the Day
I Wish It Would Rain Down - Phil Collins
Webcast America had the online broadcast of 1 consolation semifinal and the championship bracket semifinal games on Wednesday along with the 3rd place and championship games today. I did the color commentary for the 3rd place and championships. You can check out the broadcast of any of those 5 games here.
7th Place Game: Henry Sibley vs Minneapolis Patrick Henry
Full names required here to eliminate confusion. Sibley bringing their 3 main seniors off the bench and starting 5 non-seniors. Glad to see Deonte Blakemore back in the Henry lineup to resurrect my Minneapolis City MVP hopes. Sibley's Alex Stafford has come out of nowhere (football kid I think) to be a useful post player. All 13 of his points in the 1st half led Sibley on the night. Second half is all soph Darius Hill for Henry. He nails 4 straight triples (3 from left corner) on his way to 18 points in the half. Sibley battles back from 6 down in the last 5 minutes to tie the game, but Hill comes up big with a steal for 2 and an offensive rebound for 2 free throws. Sibley has a couple of late chances but Henry hangs on for 7th place 62-60. Hill 20 points, Latrell Love 19 and 11 for the Patriots.
5th Place Game: Burnsville vs Chanhassen
A matchup of 1 year Lake Conference foes and natural disasters for 5th. Chanhassen jumps out to a 12-5 start 5 minutes in but falls behind 17-16 at the 7:30 mark. After a Chanhassen timeout at the 6:46 mark, the Storm finish the half strong on an 11-2 run. 27-19 Storm at half. Chance Panning hot in both runs with 15 points and 3 3s. Burnsville comes right back with an 11-2 run to take a 30-29 lead just 1:33 into the half. The Blaze extend the the lead to 50-44 with 6:20 left. Chanhassen gets 6 in a row to tie and we go right to the end. Cam Jones in the post to put Burnsville up 54-52 with 32 seconds left and then a Chanhassen turnover. Burnsville misses a front end and takes a foul with 8.8 left (only 4 team fouls at that point). Time Burnsville. On the inbounds Burnsville waits and takes their 6th foul with 3 seconds left. Timeout Chanhassen. CJ Smith then bear hugs Panning before the ball ever gets inbounds. That's the bonus but Panning misses the 2nd one just long. Burnsville hangs on 54-53 as Storm does not put out Blaze. Cam Jones missed a late 1 and 1 but his post bucket was the clincher. He leads the Blaze with 13 points (I'm not buying the 17 in the official box). CJ Smith 10 for Burnsville. Chance Panning 15 of his 18 in the first half to lead Chanhassen. Kevin Jensen 11 points.
3rd Place: St. Paul Johnson vs Minnesota Transitions (broadcast here)
Still not a bad 3rd place game with #1AAA Johnson taking on #1A MTS. The teams will meet again at Johnson in late Feburary too. MTS uses their 3-2 zone to keep Johnson at bay and they jump out to an 18-11 lead at the 11:25 mark on a Kyle Noreen 3. 42-39 MTS at the break. Johnson getting baseline penetration against the zone though. Rodney Owens with a 3 point play with 13:17 left and MTS leads 55-48 but Johnson quickly cuts the lead to 2 on a nice cut for an And 1 from Roosevelt Scott. A Marcus Marshall 3 ties it at 58 with 8:30 left. Then a Estan Tyler 3 with 7:50 left for a 63-60 lead. Then a Tyler tip in + 1 for a 68-64 lead. Owens coast to coast to cut the lead to 2 but Johnson has the ball with the lead and they'll hold against the MTS zone so MTS extends it. Owens ties the game on a putback with 4:15 left, 68 all. Marshall for 3, Tyler with a steal for 2 and a second straight Oh No, Great shot 3 by Marshall inside of 3 minutes finishes an 8-0 run. 76-68 Govs. MTS has to extend and foul and Johnson adds on from there for a 93-77 win. Estan Tyler 26 on my sheet (25 officially) to lead Johnson. I had Marcus Marshall 1-7 from 3 before making the last 2 that put the game away. 14 of his 20 in the 2nd half, 3 triples. Kyle Noreen a quiet 19 points guarded by Estan Tyler most of the night. 4 rebounds and 5 assists on my sheet. Matt Lanier 13 of his 15 in the first half. Rodney Owens with 25 for the Wolves (I had 27 on my sheet) and 7 rebounds.
Championship: Hopkins vs Chicago Hyde Park (broadcast here)
Hyde Park with a nice screen and roll for 2 and a Marcellis Davis triple to take a 7-2 lead at the 15:25 mark. Then its all Hopkins. Joe Coleman with a drive for 2, a steal for a dunk, another turnover leads to him going glass and a reverse layup off a nice feed from Siyani Chambers. That's all part of a 16-2 Hopkins run over the next 5 minutes. Coleman with another layup then 1 assist to Nick Jorgensen and another pretty assist on a 3 on 1 break to Demetrius Martin. Marvin Singleton with 1 layup and he grabs a rebound and goes coast to coast for another layup. 52-29 at the half, they get a hoop to clear the century mark for a 101-53 win. Joe Coleman leads Hopkins with 31 points and 8 rebounds (sat last 10:17). Only 1 outside shot so that's 3-11 in 3 games I've witnessed this season. Siyani Chambers 8 points and 6 assists on my sheet. 5 total players in double figures for the Royals. Kyle Davis 14 points to lead Hyde Park. Leading scorer PG Treyshawn Jones was held scoreless. Hyde Park too small for the Hopkins guards and they had no matchup for Coleman.
All-Tournament Team
Kyle Noreen - MTS
Estan Tyler - Johnson
Marcellis Davis - Hyde Park
Siyani Chambers, Marvin Singleton - Hopkins
MVP : Joe Coleman - Hopkins
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)