Twin Cities Boys Hoops

Mustangs win important IMAC clash

Prologue
Its an early January IMAC clash as #9AA Breck hosts fellow league heavyweight St. Paul Academy. Very nice crowd on hand. That included a crazy adult that the entire section wanted to scream at. Its the full meal deal with a hot dog, spicy nacho doritos and a can of Sierra Mist to add to the beverage counter.

Number of Teams I've Seen: 107 (35 courts)

Beverage Consumption Counter: 808.9 ounces (51 days, 70 games, 2 scrimmages added on)

Pepsi: 472 ounces
Coke: 100 ounces
Dr. Pepper: 12 ounces
Sprite: 44 ounces
Sierra Mist: 12 ounces
Barq's Root Beer: 20 ounces
A&W Root Beer: 12 ounces
Red Powerade: 60 ounces
Red Gatorade: 60 ounces
Water: 500 ml

Hot Dog Counter: 9

Song of the Day
Cold Shot - Stevie Ray Vaughan

Game Time
SPA gets off to a great start 8 in a row from Dalante Peyton. He then caps the opening 17-4 Spartans run with his 3rd triple of the night. Will Culliton missed his first 4 shots but then heated up with 3 bombs of his own in a 14-4 Breck run. The SPA cut to 21-18 at the 7:40 mark. Kent Hanson scores the next 8 via drives from the foul line area. That opens the lead back to 11, 31-20 at 4:05. Then Mo Lawal from the volleyball line and its Culliton with another bomb. Breck goes 3-2 zone for the end of the half and its effective. Meanwhile Culliton continues his run with a turnaround in the post and a steal for 2. 35-30 St. Paul Academy at the half.

After the Spartans open the half with a hoop, its Culliton coast to coast for a pullup and 3 point plays from Henry Cousineau and Mo Lawal. Justin Bergerson goes with the running hook and Breck takes their 1st lead 40-39 4 minutes into the second half. Emerson Egly with a wrap around pass to Sam Suzuki for a layup. Hanson with a 3 point play and a steal for a dunk. 51-45 SPA with momentum at the 9:45 mark. Then Henry Cousineau fouls out of a thin Breck lineup. But SPA misses back to back front ends. Will Culliton with the 3 and the harm and all the momentum has shifted. Mo Lawal 5 in a row, Culliton and Lawal with bombs. Another missed front end from SPA and the Breck run ends up being 16-2. Breck in control 61-53 with 5:40 to go and they're back in the zone after pulling it out again with 8 minutes left.

Breck holding the ball up 4. St. Paul Academy goes to a smart strategy of trying to foul anybody not named Culliton or Lawal. That pays off as Breck misses 2 front ends and makes 1 of 2 on the 3rd one. SPA converts one of those and with a chance to tie, Hanson grabs an offensive board and appears to get pushed down but its called a travel with 1:40 left. Down 3, its an airball to a scrum for the board. The foul gets called on SPA. Player goes to the bench and untucks his jersey and the official takes it as a sign of disgust and gives him a technical. Lithgow would justify this call by the book, but as a practical matter, its a terrible call. Then the ref tries to make coach McKenzie sit for loss of bench privilege but the T wasn't on him. Totally wrong (correctly by fellow ref) but more importantly why in the world is the official worried about that with 1 minute left? Then another official gets involved for some unknown reason. Really bad situational officiating and not understanding what's going on. Culliton makes 2 of the 4 free throws and then is fouled on the possession and makes 2 more. That stretches the lead to 7 and its too much to overcome. Breck wins 71-66.

Post Game
St. Paul Academy falls to 5-6 overall and 1-1 in the IMAC. Kent Hanson lead the Spartans with 23 and Dalante Peyton with 3 triples on the way to 21. Hanson surprisingly quiet though and he was in and out the lineup in quick shifts. Peyton had the quick early spurt but was also quiet. The role guys couldn't make a shot and the zone drove them nuts. Kent Hanson got middle catches and then would kick out for wide open looks that didn't go in. This game started a brutal 5 game stretch for the Spartants. Next week its at St. Paul Central on Wednesday and home with Rochester Lourdes on Friday. Then an MLK Showdown with #1AA Caledonia at Roosevelt and then off to #10AA Minnehaha the following night.

Don't look now but Breck is now 11-3. The Mustangs also lead the IMAC at 3-0. Will Culliton goes off for 7 3s and 37 points. Most of that coming off screens and quick releases. Mo Lawal adds 4 3s and 21 points. A couple of those bombs from a different area code. SPA coach Kevin McKenzie won't be happy with letting the stars go off. SPA threw almost everybody at Culliton but interestingly enough, not Peyton as they left him on Lawal. Will be interesting to see how the chess match there plays out in the rematch. Breck did a great job of understanding scorers vs non-scorers as well. That kept them from overextending the defense, especially in the zone that was so successful. Breck hosts Minneapolis South and then fun section matchup at Annandale next Thursday. Chase Knickerbocker and Will Culliton could put on a shooting gallery in that one along with Mo Lawal.

Play of the Day
Today's play of the day is Breck's delay game. A very nice concept of a standard 1-4 high. Just leave the posts there and let the guards run off of them however they see fit. That could be Iverson action over the top, could be over/under action, go low and come high off the elbow screen, whatever the defense allows. It also clears out the lane for back cuts and you have to play those post guys as outlets. Breck used that with Culliton and Lawal which forced SPA to foul the 3rd guard. That's where the Mustangs will need to find that 3rd foul shooter.

Fouls good for Fowl

Prologue
Its a Northwest Suburban cross-division matchup with Osseo visiting Elk River. These teams slot into the middle group of teams in the league that are hovering around the .500 mark. Quality Little Caesar's pizza and extra large to appease my waistline too. 20 oz of Red Gatorade to wash it down. I must admit I felt bad for the poor gal at the concession stand who was stuck doing her calculus homework. I may be a math guy but yuck. Thankfully it was youth night and we had the high quality Elk River pep band, otherwise the crowd would have been nearly empty.

Number of Teams I've Seen: 107 (34 courts)

Beverage Consumption Counter: 796.9 ounces (48 days, 68 games, 2 scrimmages added on)

Pepsi: 472 ounces
Coke: 100 ounces
Dr. Pepper: 12 ounces
Sprite: 44 ounces
Barq's Root Beer: 20 ounces
A&W Root Beer: 12 ounces
Red Powerade: 60 ounces
Red Gatorade: 60 ounces
Water: 500 ml

Hot Dog Counter: 8

Song of the Day
Barbara Ann - The Beach Boys (courtesy of the Elk River pep band)

Game Time
Strong start for Elk River's Trent Pink inside. He scores in the post (a zipper set that was highly effective most of the night for the Elks), hits a floater and puts back his own miss. Elks jump out to a 12-7 lead at 9:35 with the pace in their favor. That putback starts an 8-2 Elks run culimating with Osseo throwing the ball tipping the ball in under their own rim for an Elk River hoop. Time Osseo trailing 18-9 at 7:50. Elliot Kane somehow left alone for a pair of triples but Elk River counters with a pair of nice cuts for layups from Zeke Delain. That pushes the lead back to 7. Then Zach Ernst with a steal for a 3 point play to end the half. 32-21 Elk River in control at the half.

Osseo comes out in the second half with their run and jump pressure to try and pick up the pace. The start is good but an Ernst putback via THE WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE and a difficult spinning lefty 2 from Jarin Haywood would give the Elks their biggest lead of the night at 36-24, 16:05 left. Its all Osseo from there though. Allen Anderson knocks down 4 triples in the next 6 minutes. The 1st 3 of those are part of an 18-3 Orioles run that also includes another bomb from Kane. The last of the 3s gives Osseo the lead for good. 46-43 Osseo with 9:50 left. The Orioles spread the floor and proceed to live the rest of the game at the foul line (very tightly called game). Osseo only makes 1 field goal the rest of the way but they shoot 13-24 from the charity stripe in the last 8:45. The game was tight all the way down the stretch but Elk River couldn't stop fouling. Pink had a pair of free throws with 1:28 left that could have tied the game at 56 but he missed both. Then another missed free throw by Elk River with 9.7 left that prevented them from being down 3 with 1 last chance. Osseo hangs on to win 61-57.

Post Game
Elk River falls to 7-6 overall and 3-4 in the NW Suburban. That puts them in a dead heat with Blaine for 4th in the North Division. Elk River shoots 12-23 from the foul line. If they find Elliot Kane in the 1st half to stop his 3s, they end up really dominating that half. Trent Pink effective inside with 15 points. They ran a zipper set where he would set the down screen and then post hard and that generated multiple quality looks. Zeke Delain with 14 and Mitchell Weege adds 12. Frosh Jack Burger seeing good minutes off the Elks bench. They make only 1 3 and with no real athletes they struggled to generate offense when Osseo stepped up their defense. Next week is absolutely brutal as the Elks host Maple Grove and travel to Armstrong in league play. Both of those are bad matchups for the Elks.

Osseo improves to 6-7 overall, 5-3 in the NW Suburban. That puts them 3rd in the West Division. Elliot Kane leads with a quiet 19 points. He hit 3 of his 4 3s in the 1st half. Allen Anderson with 4 clutch 3s in the 2nd half on his way to 16 points. Kyle Williams with all 12 of his points in the 2nd half. Most of those were from the foul line where he was 8-15. Strange instance at the end where he was pulled on offense and then put back in on a later possession and it looked like he was the guy to have the ball. Osseo wins despite 23-42 shooting from the foul line (17-31 in the 2nd half). The overall foul count in this was 31-20 in their favor on my sheet. Next week the Orioles host Coon Rapids and visit Centennial in another cross-division matchup.

2015 Timberwolves Shootout Preview

Labels: 2015 Timberwolves Shootout

The Timberwolves Shootout returns on Saturday with 4 of Minnesota's top teams taking on 4 top teams from around the midwest. Here's what I'll be watching for.

9:15 AM #2AAAA Apple Valley (11-1) vs #6A Omaha Central (NE) (7-2)
Nebraska powerhouse Omaha Central is a new visitor to the shootout. The Eagles won 7 out of 8 state titles in a run before last season. Head coach Eric Behrens moved on to a college job but the tradition remains. 6'7" Senior forward Magay Agau leads the front line charge. Their junior guard duo of Christian Harmon and K'zhan Jimerson is solid. Soph center Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler is a D1 prospect inside.

Gary Trent leads the charge for Apple Valley on the perimeter with 21.1 PPG. He's the top sophomore in the state. Junior post Brock Bertram is a mountain inside averaging a double-double of 14.8 PPG and 11.3 RBS. Star frosh Tre Jones plays the point but often goes unnoticed in the high powered Eagles offense. Cam Kirksey has had a break out season at forward with much improved offense. He averages double digits and he's a standout defender. Jordan Bolton has also broken out to the tune of almost 16 PPG.

Prediction: Kirksey and Agau should be a fun matchup as will Chandler vs Bertram. Bolton and Jones will get a stiff challenge from the Omaha Central guards. I'll take Apple Valley in a close one.

11:00 AM Cretin-Derham Hall (8-3) vs #3AAAA North Scott (IA) (6-1)
North Scott is from the Quad Cities area in Iowa. North Dakota commit Cortez Seales was outstanding on the wing with 30 points and a dominating 2nd half in their December win over De La Salle. Point guard Marlon Stewart is a Creighton commit and capable of taking a game over. Guard Grant Graham is one of the best defenders in Iowa.

We'll miss out on a great point guard matchup as Donnell Gresham has been out of the Raiders lineup. Guard Joe Rosga just went over 1000 career points, he's the glue for this group. Wing Sam Neumann is a Montana State commit. He became the school's all-time leading scorer this year. Frosh Daniel Oturu sees time off the bench and has D1 upside.

Prediction: Junior wing Jordan Ammons has become CDH's defensive guy and I expect him to see time on Seales and Stewart. Sam Neumann was great here last year with 39 and 3s from another zip code. He'll need to duplicate that for the Raiders to win. No Gresham is too big a loss for this game. North Scott too disciplined, they win by 10.

12:45 PM #1AAA De La Salle (6-2) vs Morgan Park (Chicago, IL) (10-3)
Morgan Park comes in ranked #5 this week in the Chicago Tribune top 20. Morgan Park is the 2 time defending class 3A champion in Illinois. Guard Marcus LoVett leads the way for Morgan Park. He's ranked #91 nationally by Rivals.com and has Illinois hot after him on the recruiting trail. Junior guard Charlie Moore also one to watch.

De La Salle is the 3 time defending class 3A Minnesota champion. Minnesota commit Jarvis Johnson will likely matchup with 1 of those guards during the day. The explosive guard runs the show for the Islanders. Wings Sacar Anim (mid to low D1 prospect) and Josh Collins (North Dakota commit) will see most of the duties guarding LoVett.

Prediction: Expect hard-nosed in your face man to man defense from both sides. Both teams very good in that regard. Who can make more plays off the bounce is the big question. De La Salle just doesn't have the fire power they've had in years past. They'll keep it close but I don't see how they score enough to win. Morgan Park by 6

2:30 PM #1AAAA Champlin Park (12-0) vs #8 D2 Rice Lake (WI) (6-3)
The story here is Rice Lake's Henry Ellenson. He's 17th ranked player nationally according to Rivals.com. The Marquette commit went off for 48 points and 14 rebounds in a loss to Minnetonka in early December. He very mobile and built like a tank and does everything for the Warriors from bringing the ball up to knocking down 3s to dominating in the post. The problem is that he doesn't have much help. Guard Ben Widdes is the only other notable threat.

Champlin Park has their star soph Theo John as a starting matchup for Ellenson. John has the athleticism and length but he's still foul prone so the question will be how long can he stay on the floor. JT Gibson has arguably been the player of the year in the state so far this season. He averages over 19 a game. He had outstanding performances in their wins over Hopkins (with Amir Coffey), Cretin-Derham Hall and put the icing on the cake with 38 in a win over Apple Valley. He has plenty of help too. Soph Point Guard McKinley Wright is a D1 prospect averaging 14+ per night. Wings Marty Hill and Jeremy Johnson are an athletic duo who fill their roles well and combine for almost 28 points a night.

Prediction: Henry Ellenson gets his and entertains the crowd. Champlin Park does some double teaming to force somebody else to beat them. Gibson with another solid performance. The Rebels get out and get some transition buckets. Too much firepower here for Champlin Park, give me the Rebels by 15.

Jags Cage Orioles

Prologue
Since I've seen plenty of Hopkins and will see plenty of Cretin-Derham Hall, I skip that matchup. Also thought John Warren would be out, so much for that with the injured hand as he played big. Instead I took the opportunity to do the entirely shocking. I made a point of seeing Bloomington Jefferson, yes that's right. Veteran readers will know that while I'm appreciative of the Jags style, I find somewhat like watching paint dry. Its a Metro West Conference showdown for the Jags at St. Louis Park and gives me a chance to brave the elements to see 2 new teams. Nice addition of an enclosure for concessions. And who's behind the counter, parents from my 14U AAU season. Always a pleasant surprise and a chance to talk to a former player is never a bad thing.

Number of Teams I've Seen: 105 (33 courts)

Beverage Consumption Counter: 776.9 ounces (48 days, 68 games, 2 scrimmages added on)

Pepsi: 472 ounces
Coke: 100 ounces
Dr. Pepper: 12 ounces
Sprite: 44 ounces
Barq's Root Beer: 20 ounces
A&W Root Beer: 12 ounces
Red Powerade: 60 ounces
Red Gatorade: 40 ounces
Water: 500 ml

Hot Dog Counter: 8

Song of the Day
Black Dog - Led Zeppelin

Game Time
A snail's pace early as a Ray Whilock drive for St. Louis Park ties the game at 4 at the 13:55 mark. Then the first of 2 big Jags run in the half. Soph Jack Tillotson off the bench for 2 and then buries a 3. Tommy Gathje fades off a downscreen for a 3 to end the 13-0 run. 15-4 Jefferson at 10:40. 5 in a row from St. Louis Park, Nick Kjos with 4 of those. Then 12 in a row from the Jags thanks to 3s from Tillotson, Doug Scherber and Tyler Wanzek. 27-9 Jags look to run away but 5 straight from Whitlock and an Orioles 3 after 2 Jefferson missed free throws cut the Jefferson lead to 27-17 at the half.

Second half is all Jefferson. Zach Ubben for 3, Gathje with the old fashioned 3 point play. Wanzek off the BLOB for another 3 and the lead is quickly 17. Eric Rasmussen for 3 for the Jags. Then a technical on Orioles coach Dave Breitenbucher for emphatically questioning a foul call on a rebound (difficult call it was with a taller player behind coming down on his guy). Wanzek makes the technicals and the Jags get a layup on the possession's SLOB. 43-23 and Jefferson coasts from there. The benches empty and a 3 point play with 0.1 left makes the final look far more respectable. Jefferson wins 60-47.

Post Game
St. Louis Park falls to 5-8 with the loss. Those 5 wins are over Irondale, Blake, Mound-Westonka, Richfield and Southwest so not gangbusters. But it is progress from last year. The Orioles still play plenty of young guys and have a couple freshman poised to be in the rotation next year if not by end of the year. Metro West play continues for the Orioles at Kennedy on Friday.

Bloomington Jefferson still runs their same old White and Black Set stuff. No surprise that they continue to be very disciplined and patient in those sets. With Gathje and Tillotson (and Riemersma in the future) they'll get high/low stuff out of it. They've also added some Euro ball screen continuity as well. Since coach Evens ran dribble drive with the youth kids, I wonder if or when he'll put that in down the road. Great balance from the Jags with Tommy Gathje leading with 11 points and I had 7 boards on my sheet. He's versatile enough that they'll use him in a wing capacity from time to time. Jefferson is now 7-3 with the win. They return to the neighborhood to take on Benilde-St. Margaret's on Friday. Then the Jags have a critical home showdown with Chanhassen next Tuesday.

January 4, 2015 CzarPI

Labels: 14-15 CzarPI

This is the 2nd CzarPI of the 2014-15 season (see CzarPI Explained here). It includes games through Saturday, January 3rd, 2015. The value in () after the CzarPI value is the team's strength of schedule ranking within their class

Class AAAA

Champlin Park - 63.61 (24)
Eden Prairie - 63.14 (30)
Apple Valley - 62.35 (10)
Eastview - 59.53 (2)
Wayzata - 59.29 (18)
East Ridge - 58.41 (49)
Shakopee - 58.26 (15)
Roseville - 58.02 (23)
Minnetonka - 57.9 (28)
Hopkins - 57 (11)
Maple Grove - 56.98 (53)
Chaska - 56.69 (16)
Mounds View - 56.63 (34)
Cretin-Derham Hall - 56.42 (35)
Robbinsdale Armstrong - 55.84 (56)
Moorhead - 55.18 (50)
Edina - 54.9 (47)
St. Michael-Albertville - 54.9 (33)
Tartan - 54.77 (64)
Rochester John Marshall - 53.97 (61)
Duluth East - 53.9 (62)
Lakeville North - 53.79 (19)
Bloomington Jefferson - 53.5 (37)
Hastings - 52.91 (58)
Owatonna - 52.87 (12)
Northfield - 51.87 (55)
Rogers - 50.95 (26)
Elk River - 50.74 (40)
White Bear Lake - 50.57 (20)
Centennial - 50.49 (36)
St. Francis - 50.26 (48)
Rochester Mayo - 50.08 (60)
Brainerd - 49.84 (46)
Forest Lake - 49.74 (21)
Stillwater Area - 49.71 (8)
Mahtomedi - 48.75 (63)
St. Cloud Tech - 48.14 (45)
Blaine - 48.05 (42)
Burnsville - 47.52 (22)
Bloomington Kennedy - 47.36 (14)
Andover - 47.17 (32)
Chanhassen - 45.91 (1)
Buffalo - 45.01 (29)
Lakeville South - 44.86 (6)
Osseo - 43.25 (39)
Rosemount - 42.51 (13)
Prior Lake - 41.86 (7)
St. Louis Park - 40.49 (27)
Minneapolis South - 39.59 (54)
Farmington - 39.25 (9)
Woodbury - 38.92 (17)
Eagan - 37.97 (3)
Cambridge-Isanti - 35.85 (59)
Robbinsdale Cooper - 34.41 (5)
Park of Cottage Grove - 33.77 (25)
North St. Paul - 33.26 (31)
Irondale - 31.61 (57)
Rochester Century - 30.82 (41)
Anoka - 29.9 (38)
Coon Rapids - 29.85 (52)
Bemidji - 29.28 (4)
Park Center - 27.98 (44)
Minneapolis Southwest - 26.58 (51)
Henry Sibley - 0 (43)

Class AAA

Marshall - 62.64 (13)
Detroit Lakes - 57.58 (44)
DeLaSalle - 56.71 (2)
Hermantown - 56.69 (47)
Red Wing - 56.3 (53)
St. Paul Johnson - 55.9 (15)
Albany - 55.86 (51)
Orono - 55.27 (34)
Fergus Falls - 53.88 (16)
St. Thomas Academy - 53.51 (10)
Hill-Murray - 52.96 (40)
Rocori - 52.64 (33)
Minneapolis Washburn - 51.53 (23)
Chisago Lakes Area - 51.27 (50)
Monticello - 51.14 (26)
Simley - 50.91 (24)
Mankato East - 50.27 (17)
Little Falls - 50.07 (58)
Waconia - 50.04 (3)
Alexandria - 49.97 (27)
Hutchinson - 49.81 (49)
St. Paul Central - 49.63 (1)
Delano - 49.58 (56)
Thief River Falls - 49.29 (36)
Cloquet - 49.12 (59)
Mankato West - 48.43 (35)
Austin - 48.29 (7)
New Prague - 47.94 (25)
St. Cloud Apollo - 47.7 (28)
Sauk Rapids-Rice - 47.1 (12)
Mound Westonka - 45.57 (45)
Hibbing - 45.19 (29)
Faribault - 45.01 (46)
Minneapolis Henry - 44.96 (21)
Dassel-Cokato - 44.89 (57)
Grand Rapids - 44.74 (22)
Holy Family Catholic - 44 (20)
Columbia Heights - 43.38 (52)
St. Anthony Village - 43.21 (42)
Sartell-St. Stephen - 42.91 (37)
Benilde-St. Margaret's - 42.21 (9)
Becker - 42.15 (38)
Fridley - 40.8 (64)
Winona - 40.72 (8)
South St. Paul - 40.3 (41)
Zimmerman - 39.46 (32)
Duluth Denfeld - 39.19 (5)
Princeton - 38.32 (63)
St. Paul Harding - 38.21 (60)
Stewartville - 37.87 (48)
Kasson-Mantorville - 37.21 (62)
Willmar - 36.6 (31)
Spring Lake Park - 35.56 (39)
Richfield - 32.37 (61)
Holy Angels - 31.27 (55)
Totino-Grace - 28.35 (19)
New Ulm - 26.74 (43)
North Branch - 21.38 (54)
St. Paul Como Park - 0 (4)
Albert Lea - 0 (6)
Worthington - 0 (11)
Big Lake - 0 (14)
St. Paul Highland Park - 0 (18)
Blake - 0 (30)

Class AA

St. Croix Lutheran - 60.86 (16)
Melrose - 60.16 (55)
Eden Valley-Watkins - 58.85 (78)
Brooklyn Center - 58.14 (50)
Barnum - 57.77 (94)
Maple River - 57.61 (35)
Hawley - 57.19 (11)
New Richland-H-E-G - 56.82 (26)
Redwood Valley - 56.15 (8)
Braham - 56.01 (95)
Esko - 55.98 (10)
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton - 55.79 (34)
Breck - 55.08 (28)
Breckenridge - 55.05 (40)
Minneapolis Roosevelt - 54.89 (21)
Crookston - 54.88 (119)
Lake City - 54.85 (120)
St. Cloud Cathedral - 54.09 (80)
Caledonia - 53.86 (124)
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown - 53.81 (36)
St. Charles - 53.75 (118)
Maple Lake - 53.63 (84)
Jackson County Central - 53.3 (7)
Sauk Centre - 53.27 (30)
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton - 52.98 (52)
Rockford - 52.8 (53)
Jordan - 52.72 (65)
Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop - 52.19 (108)
Waseca - 51.47 (115)
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle - 51.25 (121)
Pierz - 50.22 (2)
Watertown-Mayer - 49.94 (48)
International Falls - 49.91 (96)
Windom Area - 49.89 (17)
Rochester Lourdes - 49.85 (58)
Byron - 49.64 (88)
Litchfield - 49.3 (4)
Concordia Academy-Roseville - 49.25 (72)
Minnehaha Academy - 49.11 (46)
Pine Island - 48.86 (42)
Tri-City United - 48.73 (69)
Crosby-Ironton - 48.71 (43)
Dover-Eyota - 48.69 (85)
Pequot Lakes - 48.56 (101)
New Life Academy - 48.27 (93)
Montevideo - 48.16 (3)
Glencoe-Silver Lake - 48.06 (102)
Proctor - 47.79 (20)
Pipestone Area - 47.67 (29)
Park Rapids Area - 47.56 (19)
Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial - 47.5 (97)
Minnewaska Area - 47.5 (68)
Staples-Motley - 47.17 (33)
Annandale - 47.03 (49)
Plainview-Elgin-Millville - 46.91 (89)
Frazee - 46.81 (15)
FAIR School - 46.39 (114)
Trinity School - 46.34 (111)
Fairmont - 46.22 (27)
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta - 46.2 (25)
St. Croix Prep - 46.14 (71)
Barnesville - 45.96 (76)
Martin County West - 45.81 (64)
New London-Spicer - 45.71 (14)
Pillager - 45.63 (56)
Moose Lake-Willow River - 45.08 (70)
BOLD - 45.04 (83)
Pine City - 44.58 (117)
Hayfield - 44.15 (73)
St. Paul Academy - 44.09 (18)
St. Paul Washington - 44.08 (126)
Providence Academy - 44.02 (60)
Great River - 43.92 (99)
St. Paul Humboldt - 43.91 (109)
Virginia - 43.7 (74)
Paynesville Area - 43.66 (45)
LeSueur-Henderson - 43.57 (90)
St. John's Prep - 42.87 (6)
Luverne - 42.81 (92)
St. Agnes - 42.78 (106)
Blue Earth Area - 42.75 (63)
Eveleth-Gilbert - 42.65 (127)
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted - 42.5 (51)
Hinckley-Finlayson - 42.29 (61)
Triton - 41.75 (112)
Perham - 41.57 (5)
Chatfield - 41.51 (66)
La Crescent - 41.08 (38)
Rush City - 40.53 (103)
Benson - 39.78 (100)
Deer River - 39.74 (122)
Roseau - 39.69 (110)
Cannon Falls - 39.45 (41)
Minneota - 39.13 (77)
Kenyon-Wanamingo - 39.04 (125)
St. Peter - 38.33 (44)
Medford - 38.28 (59)
Norwood-Young America - 37.95 (47)
Milaca - 37.34 (81)
Lewiston-Altura - 37.2 (98)
Lac qui Parle Valley - 37.18 (79)
Yellow Medicine East - 36.74 (39)
Sibley East - 36.4 (54)
Spectrum - 35.92 (128)
East Grand Forks - 35.8 (105)
Bagley - 35.78 (12)
Badger/Greenbush-Middle River - 35.74 (75)
Mounds Park Academy - 35.44 (104)
Two Harbors - 34.36 (116)
Holdingford - 34.25 (86)
Prairie Seeds Academy - 34.18 (107)
St. James Area - 33.04 (62)
Aitkin - 32.76 (67)
Mora - 32.39 (91)
Belle Plaine - 31.62 (22)
Foley - 30.38 (13)
Mayer Lutheran - 30.38 (32)
Winona Cotter - 28.87 (57)
Duluth Marshall - 28.51 (37)
Warroad - 27.61 (24)
Zumbrota-Mazeppa - 26.23 (82)
Pelican Rapids - 26.12 (87)
Greenway - 23.03 (123)
St. Paul Prep - 0 (130)
Mesabi East - 0 (113)
Osakis - 0 (1)
Wadena-Deer Creek - 0 (9)
International School of MN - 0 (23)
Minneapolis Edison - 0 (31)
Hmong Academy - 0 (129)

Class A

Parkers Prairie - 59.17 (11)
Floodwood - 58.35 (67)
Nevis - 58.08 (74)
Cass Lake-Bena - 57.97 (13)
Canby - 57.65 (84)
United South Central - 56.38 (63)
Park Christian - 55.88 (65)
Maranatha Christian - 55.38 (89)
Randolph - 55.24 (79)
Rushford-Peterson - 55.17 (132)
Southwest Christian - 54.67 (105)
Kittson County Central - 54.37 (39)
Central MN Christian - 54.17 (139)
Dawson-Boyd - 53.9 (71)
Pine River-Backus - 53.18 (26)
Browerville - 53.17 (16)
Win-E-Mac - 53.04 (4)
West Central Area - 52.8 (147)
Battle Lake - 52.74 (108)
Bertha-Hewitt - 52.4 (27)
Minneapolis North - 52.12 (45)
Mountain Iron-Buhl - 52.03 (126)
Springfield - 51.76 (69)
Nova Classical Academy - 51.7 (130)
Spring Grove - 51.34 (134)
Red Lake - 51.19 (58)
Lyle/Austin Pacelli - 51.17 (80)
Ortonville - 51.11 (17)
Grand Meadow - 51.02 (85)
Waubun - 50.99 (129)
CHOF - 50.65 (49)
Kimball Area - 50.59 (135)
Brandon/Evansville - 50.21 (2)
Ellsworth - 49.78 (29)
St. Clair - 49.72 (30)
North Woods - 49.6 (66)
Hills-Beaver Creek - 49.42 (100)
Fosston - 49.41 (93)
Fertile-Beltrami - 49.4 (12)
Minnesota Transitions Charter - 49.37 (111)
Adrian - 49.34 (86)
Mountain Lake Area - 49.23 (87)
Blooming Prairie - 49.2 (33)
Lakeview Christian - 48.99 (94)
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy - 48.49 (138)
Murray County Central - 47.92 (90)
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo - 47.63 (101)
Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton - 47.6 (55)
Stephen-Argyle - 47.44 (119)
Northern Freeze - 47.08 (7)
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City - 46.96 (140)
Mahnomen - 46.63 (20)
New York Mills - 46.43 (23)
Goodhue - 46.23 (97)
Menahga - 46.15 (64)
Upsala - 46.09 (34)
Verndale - 46.07 (41)
PACT Charter - 46.06 (61)
Lakeview - 45.96 (52)
Fond du Lac Ojibwe - 45.76 (9)
Cristo Rey Jesuit - 45.38 (114)
Westbrook-Walnut Grove - 45.14 (104)
Cromwell - 45.1 (5)
Lake Park-Audubon - 44.36 (31)
Mankato Loyola - 44.18 (91)
Southwest MN Christian - 43.36 (35)
Wrenshall - 43.28 (143)
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa - 43.09 (59)
East Central - 42.89 (128)
Legacy Christian - 42.77 (10)
Hope Academy - 42.61 (154)
Bethlehem Academy - 42.59 (81)
Alden-Conger - 42.36 (118)
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley - 42.34 (110)
Heritage Christian - 41.89 (19)
Ely - 41.19 (109)
Northome/Kelliher - 40.9 (113)
Kingsland - 40.64 (51)
Nashwauk-Keewatin - 40.52 (95)
Swanville - 40.36 (112)
Red Lake County - 40.02 (152)
MACCRAY - 39.91 (42)
NCE/U-H - 39.85 (102)
Cherry - 39.85 (155)
Bigfork - 39.76 (18)
Southland - 39.64 (68)
Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity - 39.48 (125)
T/ML/GHEC - 39.42 (82)
Madelia - 39.36 (62)
Houston - 39.32 (146)
Sebeka - 39.22 (83)
Underwood - 38.45 (54)
Ada-Borup - 38.44 (14)
Russell-Tyler-Ruthton - 38.09 (38)
Fillmore Central - 38 (47)
Ogilvie - 37.65 (28)
Christian Life School - 37.02 (144)
Heron Lake-Okabena - 36.74 (32)
Henning - 36.61 (70)
Blackduck - 35.82 (123)
Littlefork-Big Falls - 35.54 (142)
New Ulm Cathedral - 35.53 (150)
Carlton - 35.51 (148)
Learning for Leadership - 35.37 (145)
Minnesota Valley Lutheran - 35.32 (137)
Isle - 34.89 (149)
Chisholm - 34.01 (107)
West Lutheran - 33.89 (48)
Wabasha-Kellogg - 33.73 (36)
McGregor - 33.54 (117)
Sleepy Eye Saint Mary's - 33.47 (92)
Mabel-Canton - 32.99 (106)
Royalton - 31.97 (3)
Cedar Mountain/Comfrey - 31.75 (76)
Community of Peace Academy - 31.34 (116)
Edgerton - 31.32 (73)
Hancock - 31.02 (21)
Red Rock Central - 30.35 (133)
Onamia - 30.32 (98)
Silver Bay - 30.12 (124)
Northland - 29.9 (53)
Laporte - 29.88 (115)
Bethany Academy - 29.4 (99)
Fulda - 29.25 (57)
Glenville-Emmons - 28.44 (77)
Climax/Fisher - 28.06 (22)
Sacred Heart - 28.06 (43)
Renville County West - 27.08 (131)
Cleveland - 26.89 (121)
Hill City - 26.57 (136)
Cook County - 26.33 (88)
Mesabi Academy - 24.5 (141)
Goodridge/Grygla - 23.66 (75)
Lanesboro - 22.29 (6)
Norman County West - 19.15 (156)
Clearbrook-Gonvick - 16.1 (44)
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross - 0 (37)
Calvin Christian - 0 (153)
Schaeffer Academy - 0 (46)
South Ridge - 0 (56)
Wabasso - 0 (72)
Sleepy Eye - 0 (96)
Nicollet - 0 (103)
MN Academy for the Deaf - 0 (122)
Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig - 0 (157)
Rothsay - 0 (1)
Ashby - 0 (8)
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg - 0 (15)
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley - 0 (24)
Hope Lutheran - 0 (25)
LeRoy-Ostrander - 0 (40)
North Lakes Academy - 0 (50)
Northeast Range - 0 (60)
Liberty Classical Academy - 0 (78)
Academy for Sciences & Ag - 0 (120)
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart - 0 (127)
Lake of the Woods - 0 (151)

Triple the games, quadruple the sets

Prologue
On the road in the metro for 3. From the Target Center to Hope Academy to Spring Lake Park for a PM trifecta. Full house at Hope Academy was a major surprise. Food on the run before and between games and I supplied my own beverages but we'll keep the counter ticking. The next couple of cans will put me at the 6 gallon mark for the season.

Number of Teams I've Seen: 102 (31 courts)

Beverage Consumption Counter: 744.9 ounces (45 days, 66 games, 2 scrimmages added on)
Pepsi: 472 ounces
Coke: 100 ounces
Dr. Pepper: 12 ounces
Sprite: 32 ounces
Barq's Root Beer: 20 ounces
A&W Root Beer: 12 ounces
Red Powerade: 60 ounces
Red Gatorade: 20 ounces
Water: 500 ml

Hot Dog Counter: 7

Song of the Day
Galvanize - The Chemical Brothers

Game 1: Mounds View vs Baldwin-Woodville
Baldwin-Woodville used hot first half shooting with 7 3s to stay close. But the Mustangs went on a 9-0 run to end the half to build a 13 point lead at the half. Then Mounds View decided to pound the ball inside with their triangle set (1-4 high back screens). 3 straight possessions of that and a couple of putbacks and the rout it on. They also defend the 3 point arc much better. The Mustangs hold Baldwin-Woodville star Logan Weyer to 4-18 and 12 points (6 boards, 5 assists with those) with Ryan Kaczynski doing much of the work. Mounds View's 1-3-1 was also effective. Kaczynski leads the way with 20 points for Mounds View. Nate Albers with 15, Max van de Werken with 14.

Game 2: Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg at Hope Academy
Deep in the heart of Minneapolis for the mid-afternoon session. I caught the boys portion of this varsity doubleheader. Both teams very young with KMS starting 2 freshmen and Hope starting an 8th grader with 2 sophomores. Hope Academy going with very quick 5 in and 5 out shifts with their 10 man rotation. They apply lots of pressure but will also give up layups. KMS couldn't handle that and this wasn't much of a contest. 23 point margin at the half expands to running time as Hope wins 89-53. Lefty soph Johnny Erickson leads all scorers with 25 for Hope. He showed off a nice lane floater. Junior PF Tobias Griffin with 17 with 5 3s.. Center Preston Mahlum was the top scorer for KMS with 18 points, mostly layups vs the press.

Game 3: St. Michael-Albertville at Spring Lake Park
STMA would have to slog their way through this one. They score the final 7 of the 1st half to finally take some sort of control with a 28-24 halftime lead. Junior forward Isaiah Weston started the JV game with a nasty turn and go for a dunk and then had a lob dunk just before half of the varsity game that helped to change momentum. An 11-4 STMA spurt after Corey Byrd left with a right ankle injury would give the Knights the needed margin. STMA would run for a couple of layups and get a transition post up during that run. Jake LeVahn had 1st half foul trouble but his post play forced STMA to double him midway through the 2nd half. Spring Lake Park was stubborn as usual. After the dreaded never save it under your own hoop turned into a 3 point play for Zach Ojile, STMA's lead was down to 46-41 with 6:22 to play. STMA would put it out of reach with a nice slice for 2 by Trevor Rothstein (Minot St commit) and the 2nd edition of a pretty backdoor set for a Jackson Greenwaldt layup (opened the game with it too). STMA makes their free throws and wins 63-51. Trevor Rothstein leads the way with 22 points. Jackson Greenwaldt adds 16. Jake LeVahn topped Spring Lake Park with 18 points.

Really fun game to watch for X and Os as there were no fewer than 4 STMA sets that had me scribbling play diagrams. The backdoor set is really slick because its a decoy pick and roll that looks much like the ball screen stuff they usually run (a very subtle and important point) but then turns into a blind pig backdoor. They ran it to perfection twice. The dunk for Weston comes out of a very European concept of high posts cross-screening for each other to get a high wing catch. Then a pair of 1-4 high sets (90 and 99) where the ball is entered to the high post and the other high post goes over the top of him to set a screen for the strong side wing (the only time I've ever seen that done in a high school game). In 99, its real. In 90 its fake and turns into an elbow iso.

AA Stars explode

St. Croix Prep Coach Matt McCollister

Prologue
Plenty of big school action over the last week so let's switch to some small school ball. There are 5 local AA teams that are ranked and I'm at the one that isn't ranked but is plenty talented to be in that discussion. Its St. Paul Academy hosting St. Croix Prep in a section 4AA clash. A very good crowd makes it hard to find a seat but nothing wrong with a cozy atmosphere. Halftime sees a bunch of 3U kids taking over the court for some impressive sprinting. St. Croix Prep PG Michael Gutierrez coming in averaging 32.4 PPG. St. Croix Prep coach Matt McCollister always one of the more dapper head coaches on the circuit but thanks to a little twitter banter from me before the game and some serious harassment from his players, we get the outstanding white suit coat with purple bow tie and matching pocket square. 20 oz of Coke washes down the condiment free hot dog.

Number of Teams I've Seen: 97 (28 courts)

Beverage Consumption Counter: 704.9 ounces (44 days, 63 games, 2 scrimmages added on)
Pepsi: 432 ounces
Coke: 100 ounces
Dr. Pepper: 12 ounces
Sprite: 32 ounces
Barq's Root Beer: 20 ounces
A&W Root Beer: 12 ounces
Red Powerade: 60 ounces
Red Gatorade: 20 ounces
Water: 500 ml

Hot Dog Counter: 7

Song of the Day
Deep in the Heart of Texas

Game Time
A solid start for St. Paul Academy with Abdul Osman scoring 6 quick points. That included a nice spin and jumping a pass and taking it the distance. That was with regular starters Dalante Peyton and Emerson Egly coming off the bench to start the game. Kent Hanson buries a 3 and its 13-5 SPA at 11:33. SCPA would claw their way back behind their star PG Michael Gutierrez. A pair of bombs from him ties the game and then gives the Lions a 22-20 lead at the 5:20 mark. Fouls mounting for SPA with Hanson and Osman sitting with 2, Egly would also get his 2nd and Peyton would end up with 3. But the Spartans finish the half on a 10-3 run for a 34-28 halftime lead. Guterriez with 15 on 4 triples. Peyton and Osman with 8, Hanson with 5 for SPA.

The stars were big and bright in the 2nd half. Hanson spins for 2 and converts a turnover for 2 more. That's a 16-4 SPA run across halftime. Gutierrez counters with a 3 point play on a Spartans turnover. Hanson 2 free throws and another bucket as he's doing whatever he wants. Gutierrez drives for a pair of free throws and turns a steal into an NBA 3. Those sandwich Hanson running for a reverse layup. 48-43 SPA with 11:20 left and the Lions charging. Hanson for 3 and runs for another layup as the lead grows to 10. A kickout for 3 and off a Lions miss Peyton runs out for a breakaway 2 handed smash. The Spartans run is 11-3 and now the Lions are reeling. 59-46 SPA with 8:06 left. Peyton adds a right corner 3 to push the lead to 62-48 with 7 minutes left. Gutierrez with a 3 off the SLOB. Hanson trailing the break for 3 and a reverse layup for a 67-52 SPA lead with 5:27 left. Now Gutierrez really gets going. Same SLOB and he steps back in the left corner for 3. Peyton counters again from the right corner. Gutierrez from deep again. Hanson with a tip dunk before Gutierrez takes a turnover for 2. Hanson slices to the hoop for 2. SPA now trying to faceguard Gutierrez but who cares. He drives for 2 free throws before Peyton drills another 3, this time from the left corner. SPA by 12 with 2:17 left. Gutierrez would add 3 more bombs to the delight of the crowd and a bucket as the game got down to 4 late but the outcome wasn't in any danger. SPA wins 86-80.

Post Game
Michael Gutierrez goes absolutely bonkers for St. Croix Prep. He knocks down 11 triples and finishes with 47 points on my sheet (45 from The Red Star surprises me). 7 of those triples and 32 of those points in the 2nd half. With the full ~~Mclaster~~ Macalaster staff and Hamline head coach Jim Hayes looking on, they were marveling at the outburst. Jared Shea adds 16 for the Lions. Guards Quinn Fisher and Jayton Metcalf were out of the Lions lineup. St. Croix Prep falls to 6-6 overall. 4 of those losses are high quality losses (Maranatha, SPA, Brooklyn Center and Roosevelt). They host Spectrum next Thursday before visiting St. Paul Harding next Saturday afternoon. That's a rematch of a double OT classic at the Trinity holiday tourney that the Lions won 92-88 with Gutierrez going off for 53.

St. Paul Academy improves to 4-5 with the win. This game ended a stretch of only 1 game in 3 weeks for the Spartans (finals and no holiday tourney). Kent Hanson was in 1st half foul trouble but exploded for 26 of his 31 points in the 2nd half. He rebounded, hit shots, ran the floor, scored inside and added the tip dunk which came out of nowhere. Dalante Peyton buries 3 big triples in the 2nd half on his way to 21 points. Good job by the Spartans of getting the ball moving and taking advantage of the low man in the 2-3 zone coming out to guard the wing. 1 more to the corner and that 3 was available all night. Center Abdul Osman chips in with 13 points. The Spartans jump into IMAC play next week by hosting Providence on Tuesday and then a critical trip to Breck on Friday.

2014 Tartan and Augsburg Finals

Prologue
Back to back long championships days at Tartan and Augsburg mean plenty of Pepsi to stay awake. But there's no finer way to ring in the new year. Sights and sounds from all 8 games can be found below.

Number of Teams I've Seen: 96 (27 courts)

Beverage Consumption Counter: 684.9 ounces (42 days, 62 games, 2 scrimmages added on)

Pepsi: 432 ounces
Coke: 80 ounces
Dr. Pepper: 12 ounces
Sprite: 32 ounces
Barq's Root Beer: 20 ounces
A&W Root Beer: 12 ounces
Red Powerade: 60 ounces
Red Gatorade: 20 ounces
Water: 500 ml

Hot Dog Counter: 6

Song of the Day
Auld Lang Syne

The Blowouts
Glencoe-Silver Lake blew out Prairie Seeds Academy 87-50 in the Tartan 7th place game. Center Garrett Ober 23 points in the loss Mason Goettl adds 21. Prairie Seeds throws in a enough 3s to avoid running time until 3 minutes left. Ober with a nice game knocking down numerous jumpers. He had Hamline and UW-River Falls watching him.

Henry Sibley hung with Andover for most of the 1st half. But a 16-4 Huskies run to end the 1st half put the game out of reach. Nick Eliason with a back breaking 3 at the halftime buzzer to end that run. Andover would add the 1st 7 of the 2nd half to stretch the lead to 50-26. Andover cruises from there 86-55 to win the Augsburg 7th place game. Sibley with only 1 senior on the roster so they're building for next year. Junior Corbin Johnson 19 points off the Andover bench.

Then another surprising blowout loss for Minneapolis North as they lost 69-37 to Wayzata in the Augsburg 5th place game. The proverbial not enough basketballs to go around problem is really hitting North hard right now. The individual offense leads to lazy defense both in the full court and the half court. North went the last 8:25 of the 1st half without a field goal and Wayzata closed the 1st half on a 17-1 run to open a 16 point halftime lead. A late 10-0 run would complete the blowout and clear the benches. Tyler Johnson 11 points to lead north. Jamil Jackson continues to struggle as he had another off night of 6 points with ice cold shooting. Wayzata gets 5 in double figures with Jack Sowada's 13 leading. Wayzata with 3 sophomores contributing to a roster of all juniors.

The other close games before titles
#9AAA Chisago Lakes held off Spring Lake Park 57-52 in the Tartan 5th place game. Spring Lake Park would be within 6 with 7:41 left before a 7-0 Chisago Lakes run put the game out of reach. A couple of late 3s cut the final margin. Lots of high/low action from Chisago Lakes. That helped Dylan Wood lead all scorers with 18 points. Zach Ojile 13 points to lead Spring Lake Park. But I liked junior post Carter Duncan and junior point guard Ethan Hickcox for Chisago Lakes. They combined for 17 points. Duncan is mobile and solid inside. Hickcox is a sound PG who is big at 6'3".

Forest Lake defeated Columbia Heights 56-51 in the Tartan 3rd place game. Connor Knutson fairly quiet for Forest Lake but he held Heights star Jarrett Baptiste without a field goal. He also switched over onto Montroy Scott after Scott took over in the 2nd half and held him down. Ernest Dixon with a 3 off of 2 extra passes for a 49-39 Heights lead with 7:20 left. But Heights would not score another field goal. Forest Lake ends the game on a 17-2 spurt to win. Heights tried to play keep away down the stretch and lost their aggressiveness. Forest Lake made clutch shots and clutch free throws to steal the victory. Montroy Scott finishes with 22 points to lead all scorers. Noah Alm 5 points in the final run to finish with 15 to lead Forest Lake. Connor Knutson and Brent Kinder with 12 each.

#2AAA St. Paul Johnson defeated Chanhassen 86-75 in the Augsburg 3rd place game. Johnson looked like they would put the game away but a foul for free throws and a technical on top of it would allow Chanhassen to draw within 70-69 with 4:39 to play. Johnson would score the next 7 points thanks in part to a pair of putbacks. Joey Witthus would bury back to back 3s to cut the lead to 2 with 2 minutes left. But the last 9 points of the game go to Johnson. Jalen Mobley with a clutch 3 point play followed by a pair of layups would put it out of reach. Joey Witthus with 7 3s and 29 points to lead all scorers. Jalen Mobley 23 points, 16 after half, to lead 5 Govs in double figures. Justus Murphy 14 points off the Govs bench. Lake Region in the house to watch the Govs play.

The Championship Games
In the Tartan championship game, Tartan defeated Centennial 68-63 in a very entertaining game. Tyler Peterson worked a ton in the post and also outside for Centennial. Tartan struggled containing him inside for a large part of the game. Combine that with early Jordan Horn foul trouble and Centennial would have a 5 point lead before a Horn 3 beat the halftime buzzer. Horn would then completely control the 2nd half and coach Klingsporn ran lots of iso and double high ball screen action for him. Horn would start with a pair of assists for Jake Lyle 3s to put Tartan back on top, then Horn for 3 on the iso for a 5 point Tartan lead early in the 2nd half. Soph Alex Facon with some very good minutes for Centennial off the bench as well. Peterson would foul out on a dicey charge call with Tartan up 1 and 1:19 left. Tyler Peterson 22 points on 9-23 shooting with 7 rebounds and 5 assists on my sheet. Alex Facon with 16 points for the Cougars. Have to like the potenial of the lanky lefty. Jordan Horn 21 points and a bunch of created offense for others. Joevon Walker added 18 points. Big effort from DaNario Jackson of Tartan fighting Peterson inside most of the night.

In the Augsburg Championship game, #10AAAA Hopkins def Eastview 70-55. Eastview had a hot shooting first half with 8 3s, 4 from Drew Guebert to take a 33-22 lead to halftime. The second half saw Hopkins turn up the defensive pressure and John Warren come to life. Eastview ran their stuff easily in the first half but the pressure turned them over in the 2nd half. Warren asserted himself on offense for 23 of his 31 points. Hopkins holds Eastview to 6 field goals in the half. They win the 2nd half 48-22. Guebert's last 2 3s would lead a 8-0 run to put Eastview on top 45-44 with 9:18 left but all Hopkins after that. John Warren leads all scorers with 31. Ishmael El-Amin adds 12 and Vinnie Shahid 14 for Hopkins. Drew Guebert with 6 3s and 18 points for Eastview. But he never got a post touch. Keegan Dickson adds 13. He had Hamline looking at him today.

Tartan All-Tournament Team
Keaton Anderson - Glencoe-Silver Lake
Ethan Hickcox - Chisago Lakes
Zach Ojile - Spring Lake Park
Montroy Scott - Columbia Heights
Noah Alm - Forest Lake
Connor Knutson - Forest Lake
Tyler Peterson - Centennial
Theo Johnson - Centennial
Alex Facon - Centennial
Joevon Walker - Tartan
Jake Lyle - Tartan
Jordan Horn - Tartan

Augsburg All- Tournament Team
Johnny Beeninga - Wayzata
Joey Witthus - Chanhassen
Jalen Mobley - Johnson
Drew Guebert - Eastview
Xavier Johnson - Hopkins
John Warren (MVP) - Hopkins

The start of the holiday swing

Prologue
The Czar is back in the metro after a week on the road seeing 12 games in 4 non-metro locations over Christmas week. The Crown Prince and The Emperor even got into the holiday hoops spirit with me. I picked a good one for The Emperor as we saw Mankato recruit Bailey Williams go for 35 in a win despite giving up 41 to Bangor (WI)'s Canon O'Heron who dominated inside. Then it was off to Winona and St. Cloud for holiday tourneys. What a classic between Champlin Park and Apple Valley with Champlin Park laying claim to the top spot in the poll now. Remember folks, they won at Hopkins with Amir Coffey going for 36. JT Gibson once again amazing for the Rebels as he went off for 25 of his 38 in the second half. The Mr. Basketball criteria are always somewhat annoyingly vague but I'd be hard pressed to say anyone has a better case at this moment in time than Gibson. He was amazing in the wins over Hopkins, CDH and Apple Valley.

Number of Teams I've Seen: 88 (25 courts)

Beverage Consumption Counter: 564.9 ounces (40 days, 54 games, 2 scrimmages added on)

Pepsi: 312 ounces
Coke: 80 ounces
Dr. Pepper: 12 ounces
Sprite: 32 ounces
Barq's Root Beer: 20 ounces
A&W Root Beer: 12 ounces
Red Powerade: 60 ounces
Red Gatorade: 20 ounces
Water: 500 ml

Hot Dog Counter: 5

Song of the Day
Billy Don't Lose My Number - Phil Collins

Game 1: Rosemount vs #5AAA St. Thomas Academy
Now back to the metro, its the final day of the U of St. Thomas tournament (formerly the Catholic Spirit). In the 3rd place game, #5AAA St. Thomas Academy jumped on Rosemount 13-2 behind a 3 point play and a 3 pointer from Kai Endahl. But Rosemount would control the rest of the half. St. Thomas took a bunch of quick and ill-advised shots and never got any rhythm. The Cadets would go on a 7 minute drought while Rosemount went on a 15-0 run, all without a timeout. A late gamble leads to a Kyle Kaupa 3 and Jared Hanson beats the buzzer for another Irish 3. 32-25 Rosemount at the break.

A 13-3 run would open the game up for Rosemount. Hanson with the hoop and harm cutting off the high post and Kaupa with a nice backcut for a layup. 49-31 Irish with 10 minutes left. St. Thomas quickly responds with bombs from Joe Harvey, Kai Endahl and Andrew Mayleben. Ryan Jacobsen puts back a miss to end the 11-0 run. Timeout Rosemount as the lead is down to 49-42 with 8:09 to play. The officiating bothered St. Thomas all night and out of the timeout, we get a bump for a no call and that's enough of that from the Cadets. Whack! St. Thomas can't get closer than that 7 point mark. Finally with 1:32 left its a foul and a T that result in Logan Halvorsen making 4 free throws. Rosemount wins 65-57. Ryan Jacobsen leads all scorers with 21 for St. Thomas Academy. Rosemount with 5 in double figures led by Jared Hanson's 17 and 14 from Logan Halvorson. St. Thomas Academy has to be disappointed with the tourney as they had 2 games they could have won and they leave 0-2.

Game 1: Cretin-Derham Hall vs #4AAA Hill-Murray
Marshawn Wilson carrying the Hill-Murray offense early. Off the ball screen for 3, then fouled on a 3 for 2-3 free throws and again for a chance at a 4 point play but he missed the free throw. 10 quick points and an assist for 3 more. 17-16 CDH at the 9:56 mark. Jordan Ammons around the ball for CDH. He converts a turnover, knocks down a jumper off an offensive board and he'll finish another turnover for a 3 point play. Joe Rosga adds a late 3 after a Pioneers turnover to send CDH to half up 41-34. Ammons with 13 in the half to match the 13 from Wilson.

Inside out and its the extra pass for a Simeon Davis 3 to pull Hill-Murray within 45-41 early in the second half. But CDH would pull away from there. Rosga flaring for 3 off a high-low set (secondary option), Neumann in transition for an NBA 3. Rosga with 2 free throws and a nice cut for a layup. Timeout Hill-Murray. Neumann finds frosh Daniel Oturu for a layup to push the lead to 59-42 at the 9:40 mark (14-1 run). Hill-Murray with a quick 7 point spurt thanks to 5 from Wilson. CDH slams the door. Rosga with a 3 point play, Neumann both ends of the bonus and another assist to Oturu. Then Oturu misses a dunk, gets it back, calmly pivots once then again and smashes it home with 2 hands. Rosga adds 2 free throws to push the lead back to 19. That run is 11-2 to finally put it out of reach for good. Oturu adds a bunch of easy ones late to pad his stat line. Cretin-Derham Hall wins the championship game 87-71. Marshawn Wilson leads all scorers with 27 points. I also had him for 10 rebounds before fouling out late. Joe Rosga leads Cretin-Derham Hall with 25. Sam Neumann with a double-double of 15 points and 13 boards to go with 4 assists on my sheet. Frosh Daniel Oturu with 18 easy points.

All Tournament Team
Ryan Jacobsen - St. Thomas Academy
Jared Hanson - Rosemount
Sam Westby - Hill-Murray
Jordan Ammons - Cretin-Derham Hall
Sam Neumann - Cretin-Derham Hall

December 28, 2014 CzarPI

Labels: 14-15 CzarPI

This is the 1st CzarPI of the 2014-15 season (see CzarPI Explained here). It includes games through Saturday, December 27th, 2014. The value in () after the CzarPI value is the team's strength of schedule ranking within their class

Class AAAA

Champlin Park - 63.06 (25)
Eden Prairie - 62.23 (34)
Apple Valley - 60.67 (17)
Eastview - 60.49 (15)
Hopkins - 57.3 (2)
Wayzata - 57.03 (53)
Robbinsdale Armstrong - 57.02 (48)
St. Michael-Albertville - 56.98 (19)
Maple Grove - 56.71 (52)
Shakopee - 56.54 (38)
Minnetonka - 56.53 (23)
Roseville - 56.2 (29)
Chaska - 56.19 (24)
Moorhead - 55.92 (55)
Duluth East - 55.77 (56)
Bloomington Jefferson - 55.32 (44)
East Ridge - 54.93 (58)
Mounds View - 54.85 (31)
Hastings - 53.98 (45)
Edina - 53.93 (33)
Centennial - 53.73 (35)
Cretin-Derham Hall - 53.45 (43)
Tartan - 53.09 (63)
St. Cloud Tech - 52.85 (51)
Rochester John Marshall - 52.49 (64)
Forest Lake - 51.63 (14)
Northfield - 51.32 (61)
Andover - 51.16 (22)
Lakeville North - 50.81 (7)
Blaine - 50.15 (47)
Rogers - 49.8 (20)
White Bear Lake - 49.64 (27)
St. Francis - 49.57 (49)
Rochester Mayo - 48.17 (57)
Elk River - 47.74 (30)
Burnsville - 47.31 (36)
Brainerd - 47.07 (46)
Osseo - 45.89 (39)
Stillwater Area - 45.59 (12)
Buffalo - 45.03 (21)
Chanhassen - 44.67 (18)
Mahtomedi - 44.66 (62)
Owatonna - 43.28 (28)
Bloomington Kennedy - 43.22 (5)
Eagan - 40.61 (1)
St. Louis Park - 40.06 (42)
Minneapolis South - 39.53 (54)
Prior Lake - 39.48 (11)
Cambridge-Isanti - 37.78 (60)
Rosemount - 37.76 (10)
Robbinsdale Cooper - 36.89 (3)
North St. Paul - 36 (40)
Farmington - 35.79 (6)
Park of Cottage Grove - 35.22 (13)
Lakeville South - 33.56 (9)
Coon Rapids - 32.31 (37)
Woodbury - 31.91 (16)
Anoka - 31.7 (26)
Irondale - 31.22 (59)
Park Center - 28.27 (32)
Bemidji - 22.72 (4)
Minneapolis Southwest - 0 (8)
Rochester Century - 0 (41)
Henry Sibley - 0 (50)

Class AAA

Marshall - 61.34 (30)
Detroit Lakes - 57.41 (46)
DeLaSalle - 57.08 (2)
Albany - 55.49 (48)
Red Wing - 54.74 (59)
Hill-Murray - 54.57 (54)
Hermantown - 54.4 (52)
St. Thomas Academy - 53.61 (5)
Waconia - 53.6 (23)
St. Paul Johnson - 53.34 (44)
Orono - 53.28 (33)
Rocori - 52.78 (22)
Austin - 52.46 (17)
Delano - 50.77 (60)
Chisago Lakes Area - 50.71 (43)
Fergus Falls - 50.7 (13)
Monticello - 50.37 (28)
Mankato East - 50.36 (9)
Hutchinson - 50.18 (58)
Simley - 50.08 (18)
Cloquet - 49.89 (49)
Minneapolis Washburn - 49.38 (20)
Alexandria - 49.36 (34)
New Prague - 48.04 (16)
Sauk Rapids-Rice - 47.72 (15)
St. Cloud Apollo - 47.39 (14)
Columbia Heights - 46.15 (61)
St. Anthony Village - 46.01 (47)
Little Falls - 45.68 (62)
Thief River Falls - 44.7 (40)
Becker - 44.68 (42)
Grand Rapids - 44.54 (12)
Mankato West - 44.28 (25)
Mound Westonka - 43.93 (29)
Sartell-St. Stephen - 43.73 (38)
Dassel-Cokato - 43.45 (55)
Holy Family Catholic - 43.16 (26)
Minneapolis Henry - 42.55 (24)
Benilde-St. Margaret's - 42.11 (19)
Fridley - 41.08 (57)
Zimmerman - 40.41 (45)
Stewartville - 40.1 (56)
South St. Paul - 38.77 (37)
St. Paul Harding - 37.87 (50)
Kasson-Mantorville - 37.76 (63)
Faribault - 37.57 (51)
Princeton - 37.38 (64)
Willmar - 37.23 (31)
Winona - 36.92 (10)
Hibbing - 36.81 (21)
Duluth Denfeld - 36.73 (7)
Spring Lake Park - 34.87 (39)
Richfield - 32.5 (53)
New Ulm - 32.25 (32)
Totino-Grace - 29.87 (11)
Holy Angels - 0 (36)
St. Paul Central - 0 (1)
St. Paul Como Park - 0 (3)
Worthington - 0 (4)
Albert Lea - 0 (6)
St. Paul Highland Park - 0 (8)
Big Lake - 0 (27)
North Branch - 0 (35)
Blake - 0 (41)

Class AA

Maple River - 59.49 (48)
St. Croix Lutheran - 58.55 (51)
Eden Valley-Watkins - 58.37 (83)
Melrose - 58.34 (84)
Barnum - 57.63 (92)
Brooklyn Center - 57.59 (65)
Esko - 56.67 (10)
Lake City - 56.44 (108)
New Richland-H-E-G - 56.08 (20)
Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop - 55.91 (114)
Hawley - 55.81 (47)
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown - 55.73 (18)
Crookston - 55.59 (117)
St. Cloud Cathedral - 55.4 (88)
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton - 54.97 (58)
Breck - 54.87 (52)
Redwood Valley - 54.7 (5)
St. Charles - 54.64 (106)
Minnehaha Academy - 54.54 (33)
Rochester Lourdes - 54.42 (42)
Breckenridge - 54.07 (61)
Waseca - 53.79 (107)
Sauk Centre - 53.73 (36)
Caledonia - 53.46 (121)
Minneapolis Roosevelt - 53.37 (34)
Braham - 53.36 (122)
Jordan - 52.81 (50)
Maple Lake - 52.69 (91)
Dover-Eyota - 52.32 (55)
Watertown-Mayer - 51.58 (79)
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton - 51.32 (60)
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle - 50.78 (119)
Trinity School - 50.38 (116)
Byron - 50.04 (86)
Jackson County Central - 49.93 (9)
Pipestone Area - 49.78 (37)
Plainview-Elgin-Millville - 49.47 (68)
Pequot Lakes - 49.44 (110)
Tri-City United - 49.37 (63)
Park Rapids Area - 49.22 (22)
Concordia Academy-Roseville - 49.02 (115)
Litchfield - 48.98 (11)
Moose Lake-Willow River - 48.78 (72)
Windom Area - 48.58 (53)
Montevideo - 48.58 (3)
Minnewaska Area - 48.48 (54)
New Life Academy - 48.29 (73)
Glencoe-Silver Lake - 47.72 (112)
Pillager - 47.43 (45)
Rockford - 46.88 (90)
Staples-Motley - 46.86 (41)
Pine Island - 46.66 (69)
International Falls - 46.54 (103)
Proctor - 46.41 (6)
Crosby-Ironton - 46.29 (8)
Pine City - 46.08 (75)
Frazee - 45.9 (19)
Virginia - 45.69 (99)
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta - 45.38 (35)
New London-Spicer - 45.1 (13)
Chatfield - 44.84 (30)
Fairmont - 44.76 (38)
Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial - 44.51 (101)
St. Croix Prep - 44.47 (56)
Providence Academy - 44.18 (62)
Luverne - 43.9 (111)
Great River - 43.86 (104)
Annandale - 43.83 (17)
St. Agnes - 43.77 (98)
LeSueur-Henderson - 43.7 (95)
Martin County West - 43.43 (82)
Perham - 43.29 (1)
FAIR School - 43.08 (125)
Paynesville Area - 43.03 (66)
La Crescent - 42.74 (21)
St. Paul Washington - 42.62 (120)
Hinckley-Finlayson - 42.56 (59)
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted - 42.26 (70)
St. Paul Academy - 41.69 (7)
Eveleth-Gilbert - 41.45 (127)
Deer River - 40.98 (109)
Roseau - 40.85 (96)
St. Peter - 40.4 (40)
St. John's Prep - 40.23 (4)
Pierz - 40.08 (14)
Triton - 39.93 (71)
BOLD - 39.77 (85)
Rush City - 39.53 (94)
Barnesville - 39.45 (123)
St. Paul Humboldt - 39.18 (129)
Lac qui Parle Valley - 39.15 (87)
Blue Earth Area - 39.14 (49)
Sibley East - 38.39 (24)
Prairie Seeds Academy - 38.35 (105)
Benson - 38.32 (81)
Medford - 38 (67)
Cannon Falls - 37.74 (27)
Yellow Medicine East - 37.53 (64)
Mounds Park Academy - 37.35 (76)
Two Harbors - 36.84 (124)
Hayfield - 36.76 (100)
St. James Area - 36.09 (118)
Lewiston-Altura - 36.08 (93)
Badger/Greenbush-Middle River - 35.95 (80)
Milaca - 35.81 (74)
Holdingford - 34.42 (78)
Minneota - 33.85 (15)
Kenyon-Wanamingo - 33.78 (126)
Bagley - 33.26 (57)
Aitkin - 32.89 (44)
Foley - 31.97 (28)
Mayer Lutheran - 31.14 (31)
East Grand Forks - 31.11 (77)
Warroad - 30.28 (46)
Winona Cotter - 29.95 (25)
Belle Plaine - 29.8 (16)
Spectrum - 27.1 (128)
Duluth Marshall - 26.76 (43)
Greenway - 25.21 (113)
Mora - 22.92 (26)
Norwood-Young America - 22.16 (23)
Pelican Rapids - 20.65 (102)
St. Paul Prep - 0 (130)
Mesabi East - 0 (97)
Osakis - 0 (2)
Wadena-Deer Creek - 0 (12)
International School of MN - 0 (29)
Zumbrota-Mazeppa - 0 (32)
Minneapolis Edison - 0 (39)
Hmong Academy - 0 (89)

Class A

Canby - 59.44 (56)
Cass Lake-Bena - 59.06 (3)
Parkers Prairie - 59.02 (15)
United South Central - 58.77 (65)
Nevis - 57.81 (88)
Park Christian - 56.62 (63)
Floodwood - 56.19 (109)
Randolph - 55.69 (79)
Southwest Christian - 55.16 (101)
Springfield - 54.52 (60)
Kittson County Central - 54.5 (74)
Battle Lake - 54.11 (132)
Mountain Iron-Buhl - 54.03 (134)
Minneapolis North - 54 (96)
Rushford-Peterson - 53.97 (135)
Central MN Christian - 53.76 (137)
Red Lake - 53.71 (97)
Nova Classical Academy - 53.65 (139)
Browerville - 53.6 (19)
West Central Area - 53.54 (141)
North Woods - 52.81 (72)
Mountain Lake Area - 52.78 (110)
Win-E-Mac - 52.56 (13)
Pine River-Backus - 52.52 (59)
Maranatha Christian - 51.84 (147)
Northern Freeze - 51.57 (36)
Ortonville - 51.46 (20)
Waubun - 50.81 (123)
Lakeview Christian - 50.75 (82)
Adrian - 50.69 (70)
Lakeview - 50.6 (67)
Kimball Area - 50.35 (127)
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo - 50.25 (95)
Hills-Beaver Creek - 50.07 (64)
Minnesota Transitions Charter - 50.07 (115)
Brandon/Evansville - 50.03 (2)
CHOF - 49.99 (45)
Lyle/Austin Pacelli - 49.97 (100)
Dawson-Boyd - 49.88 (89)
Bertha-Hewitt - 49.81 (44)
Fertile-Beltrami - 49.3 (14)
Spring Grove - 48.76 (143)
Fosston - 48.58 (112)
Grand Meadow - 48.56 (136)
Murray County Central - 48.51 (87)
Goodhue - 48.31 (83)
Blooming Prairie - 48.1 (32)
New York Mills - 48.08 (55)
Upsala - 47.78 (49)
Ellsworth - 47.72 (31)
St. Clair - 47.64 (37)
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City - 47.53 (142)
Westbrook-Walnut Grove - 46.63 (53)
Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton - 46.54 (58)
Stephen-Argyle - 46.47 (124)
Mahnomen - 46.37 (29)
Cromwell - 46.18 (9)
Mankato Loyola - 46 (105)
Kingsland - 45.38 (10)
PACT Charter - 45.3 (130)
Lake Park-Audubon - 45 (34)
Fond du Lac Ojibwe - 44.94 (6)
Menahga - 44.68 (85)
Wrenshall - 44.37 (131)
Southwest MN Christian - 44.28 (43)
Alden-Conger - 43.89 (114)
Verndale - 43.57 (21)
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley - 43.56 (104)
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy - 43.2 (149)
Bethlehem Academy - 43.04 (66)
Cristo Rey Jesuit - 42.7 (144)
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa - 42.39 (68)
Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity - 42.27 (129)
East Central - 42.22 (107)
Heritage Christian - 42.12 (5)
Ely - 42 (93)
Nashwauk-Keewatin - 41.69 (140)
Legacy Christian - 41.62 (4)
NCE/U-H - 41.55 (118)
Southland - 41.16 (81)
Northome/Kelliher - 40.86 (99)
MACCRAY - 40.84 (78)
Houston - 40.79 (106)
Bigfork - 40.46 (12)
Red Lake County - 40.33 (150)
Swanville - 40.32 (111)
Learning for Leadership - 39.76 (152)
Fillmore Central - 38.79 (23)
Heron Lake-Okabena - 38.79 (51)
Russell-Tyler-Ruthton - 38.32 (28)
Underwood - 38.31 (61)
Sebeka - 38 (90)
Ogilvie - 37.8 (39)
Christian Life School - 37.61 (133)
Henning - 37.34 (84)
T/ML/GHEC - 36.95 (122)
Littlefork-Big Falls - 36.86 (151)
Blackduck - 36.57 (126)
Minnesota Valley Lutheran - 36.48 (125)
Ada-Borup - 36.31 (11)
Chisholm - 35.83 (94)
Sleepy Eye Saint Mary's - 35.6 (54)
Carlton - 35.45 (138)
Isle - 35.05 (145)
Cherry - 34.96 (153)
West Lutheran - 34.81 (35)
New Ulm Cathedral - 34.59 (102)
Wabasha-Kellogg - 34.13 (27)
Royalton - 32.89 (8)
McGregor - 32.72 (108)
Cedar Mountain/Comfrey - 32.55 (91)
Northland - 32.24 (52)
Madelia - 31.92 (62)
Edgerton - 31.53 (73)
Glenville-Emmons - 31.39 (76)
Hancock - 31.37 (22)
Community of Peace Academy - 31.21 (113)
Red Rock Central - 30.71 (121)
Laporte - 30.35 (92)
Cleveland - 30.23 (77)
Silver Bay - 30.16 (117)
Fulda - 29.76 (30)
Climax/Fisher - 29.32 (40)
Bethany Academy - 29.18 (119)
Sacred Heart - 28.5 (42)
Onamia - 27.95 (98)
Mesabi Academy - 27.47 (148)
Renville County West - 27.34 (116)
Hill City - 26.91 (128)
Cook County - 26.24 (50)
Goodridge/Grygla - 23.76 (69)
Norman County West - 19.28 (156)
Clearbrook-Gonvick - 16.21 (47)
Mabel-Canton - 0 (103)
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross - 0 (24)
Lanesboro - 0 (26)
Calvin Christian - 0 (155)
South Ridge - 0 (41)
Wabasso - 0 (71)
Sleepy Eye - 0 (75)
MN Academy for the Deaf - 0 (120)
Hope Academy - 0 (154)
Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig - 0 (157)
Rothsay - 0 (1)
Ashby - 0 (7)
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg - 0 (16)
Hope Lutheran - 0 (17)
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley - 0 (18)
Schaeffer Academy - 0 (25)
North Lakes Academy - 0 (33)
Academy for Sciences & Ag - 0 (38)
LeRoy-Ostrander - 0 (46)
Nicollet - 0 (48)
Liberty Classical Academy - 0 (57)
Northeast Range - 0 (80)
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart - 0 (86)
Lake of the Woods - 0 (146)

Crimson clip the Falcons

Prologue
Its a showdown to take early control of the West division of the Northwest Suburban as #3AAAA Armstrong visits #5AAAA Maple Grove. Its whiteout night and we get an appearance from the Maple Grove pep band. AAU guys all over place for this one with no fewer than 5 programs represented. Chanticlear Pizza (sausage) on the menu with a 20 oz bottle of Pepsi.

Number of Teams I've Seen: 67

Beverage Consumption Counter: 470 ounces (30 days, 40 games, 2 scrimmages added on)

Pepsi: 224 ounces
Coke: 80 ounces
Dr. Pepper: 12 ounces
Sprite: 32 ounces
Barq's Root Beer: 20 ounces
A&W Root Beer: 12 ounces
Red Powerade: 60 ounces
Red Gatorade: 20 ounces

Hot Dog Counter: 5

Song of the Day
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond (Pep Band)

Game Time
Brad Davison off to a hot start with an assist for 3, coast to coast for 2, a 3 of his own and a tough right baseline step back fade away. Then a pretty cut for a pair of free throws to finish the 12-0 spurt. 12-2 Maple Grove at 12:35. Sean Burns out on the run with Reed Nikko chasing him down. Its a big challenge at the rim and its Nikko's 2nd foul at the 11:40 mark and he'll sit the rest of the half. Armstrong goes to an extended 1-2-2 and Davison flashes middle for a jumper and dives down the lane for 2 more. 16-5 Crimson at 8:55. But the zone does take some of the starch out of the Crimson. Burns scores in the post and a hustle play nets Jerome Dixon his 2nd 3 of the half. The last 2 hoops go to Maple Grove. Crimson lead at the half 33-19. Armstrong 3-12 FTs in the half. Besides Dixon's 2 bombs, only 3 other outside field goals as Armstrong couldn't buy a shot.

Reed Nikko back in to start the 2nd half and he nets a couple of quick putbacks. Soph guard Tywhon Pickford with another putback and a nice back cut for Maple Grove gives the Crimson a 19 point lead. Davison 3 of 4 FTs then its Nikko tipping home a lob, scoring in the post and another bucket. 50-24 Maple Grove running away and hiding. Burns fouls out with over 9 minutes remaining but it didn't matter on this night. Maple Grove wins 66-52 and it wasn't that close.

Post Game
Armstrong falls to 8-1 with the loss, 5-1 in the NW Suburban. Evan Nolan 9 points, Jerome Dixon and Sean Burns 6 each. No one in double figures for the Falcons. They start the game 4-19 from the charity stripe. The outside shooting numbers had to be dismal. Overall, a performance the Falcons will want to forget. They have a non-conference game at St. Louis Park before a couple winnable conference games in January. Then the big single game showdown with #2AAAA Champlin Park on January 13th.

Maple Grove is now 8-0 and they lead the NW Suburban West at 6-0. Brad Davison with 20 points and 4 assists for 10 more points. Most of his damage was in the 1st 9 minutes. Reed Nikko was saddled with 1st half foul trouble. He has a major contribution in the 2nd half with all 14 of his points. His post offense is very hesitant right now for a developing big guy. But when that switch turns on (and you have to believe it will), the sky is the limit. Next up is a huge game against #1AAAA Apple Valley on Friday at the Granite City Classic. Nikko and Bertram, Tre Jones and Brad Davison. Yes Please! But the thought of Cam Kirksey guarding Brad Davison is one that I would really like to see. Then they play Rogers on Saturday also in St. Cloud. Then they open the new year at rival Osseo on January 6th.

The battle of 7th St

Prologue
Earlier in the week it was the battle for Dale Street. Now let's move south for the battle of West 7th Street as CHOF makes the short trip down West 7th to section 4A rival Nova Classical Academy. They host the EMAC championship at the end of the season and rightfully so. Its a very nice small school facility. It also checks off one of the few metro schools that I haven't seen a game at. 12 oz of Dr. Pepper on tonight's drink cart but a light concession stand means I go beverage only.

Number of Teams I've Seen: 66

Beverage Consumption Counter: 450 ounces (29 days, 39 games, 2 scrimmages added on)

Pepsi: 204 ounces
Coke: 80 ounces
Dr. Pepper: 12 ounces
Sprite: 32 ounces
Barq's Root Beer: 20 ounces
A&W Root Beer: 12 ounces
Red Powerade: 60 ounces
Red Gatorade: 20 ounces

Hot Dog Counter: 5

Song of the Day
Mickey - Toni Basil

Game Time
Its all Nova to start. Frosh guard Cole Bothun for 3, puts back a miss, then another bomb. Bakari Jackson and Nicolas LaFrombois also bury 3s. 18-4 Nova at the 10:13 mark as CHOF has to take their 2nd timeout to try and stop the bleeding. CHOF goes 1-3-1 which turns Nova over. Bothun sitting with 2 fouls as well. Kit Piepkorn also gets hot for CHOF. He goes for back to back 3 point plays as the lead drops to 10. He adds 2 free throws and converts a turnover as the lead gets cut to 4. 39-36 Nova at the half.

Piepkorn with another bomb as CHOF quickly gains their 1st lead of the game since the 1st minute. Jackson counters with a pair of free throws and a putback for a 3 point play. Piepkorn for 3 but Bothun replies with a 3 point play and Piepkorn pulls up for 2 more. 49 all with 12 minutes left. The pressure mounting from CHOF as they go on a 12-2 run with a pair of Dillon Alleman hoops and it finishes with another Piepkorn hoop. 61-51 CHOF with 7:46 left. That's a 24 point swing from being down 14 in the 1st half.

Nova not going away as Bothun with another bomb and Jackson with a theft for 2 to end a 7-0 spurt. Piepkorn and Alleman with bombs and the CHOF lead is 7 with 4 minutes left. Nova misses 3 of 4 free throws and can't convert a blocked shot into points. But CHOF can't take care of the ball down the stretch. After a Jeremiah Rogers jumper with 2:25 left, CHOF turns it over and the extra pass inside out leads to another Bothun 3. 68-66 CHOF with 2 minutes left. Piepkorn off the bounce and the nice assist for a layup with 1:35 left. After a Nova turnover, Piepkorn makes 1 of 2 for a 5 point lead with 52.2 left.

Rogers with 2 free throws with 51.6 left . CHOF immediately turns it over. Dominic Bumgarner put back a miss with 23 seconds left and Nova is within 1. CHOF turns it over again and Bumgarner is fouled with 15 ticks left. 0-3 for the night to that point at the charity stripe and he misses both. But Rogers cleans up the mess and Nova is back on top by 1. CHOF gets the ball to half court and almost turns it over again before getting their last timeout with 7 seconds left. The inbounds is clean but on the drive the pass is errant and CHOF turns it over again with 3.3 left (3 turnovers in the last 42.5 seconds). Nova ball on the baseline. The inbounds is a long pass to half court in front of the scorers table, its tipped away. Tim Rohlf comes up with it for CHOF. 1 dribble, 2 dribbles. Top of the key 3 is up, off the front iron and down it goes! But wait, the official immediately and emphatically waves it off. It did seem like a long 3.3 so I'd understand if that was the call, but to the fans, I think there's no doubt it was released in plenty of time. Nova Classical Academy def CHOF 72-71

Post Game
CHOF falls to 4-2 overall with the loss. The Lions are off until after the new year when the start a 3 game road swing. Kit Piepkorn with 32 points, 16 in each half, to carry the Lions offense. He took the offense into his own hands when they needed buckets. 4 turnovers , a missed free throw and giving up an offensive board on a free throw all in the last 2:18 is a killer. This was a game that was in hand that they didn't finish in the last 2:30. Jacob Bluhm chips in with 13 for the Lions.

Nova Classical Academy improves to 4-0 overall. They already are 2-0 in EMAC play as well. Freshman guard Cole Bothun leads the way scoring 20 points with 5 3s. Senior Bakari Jackson scores 16 points to continue his run toward 1000 career points for the Knights. The Knights will be tough in EMAC play with those 2 and the towering duo of the Tritabaugh's inside. Anytime you can alternate a pair of 6'6" guys to fill the 36 minutes at the 5 spot, that's a good thing. Both are very raw offensively but 6'6" is still a factor in the EMAC. The Knights resume play vs Math and Science Academy in the Nova holiday tournament on December 29th

Beacons zone blinds the Cougars

Prologue
Off to St. Paul Como Park to see their non-conference game against Concordia. Former St. Bernard's star Jordair Jett in the house before he ventures off to Europe to play. The Como Park gym very fitting for this time of year with red, green, blue, white and black lines on the court. An early dinner means I manage with only a beverage. Its a bottle of Pepsi to keep the beverage counter moving.

Number of Teams I've Seen: 62

Beverage Consumption Counter: 438 ounces (26 days, 37 games, 2 scrimmages added on)

Pepsi: 204 ounces
Coke: 80 ounces
Sprite: 32 ounces
Barq's Root Beer: 20 ounces
A&W Root Beer: 12 ounces
Red Powerade: 60 ounces
Red Gatorade: 20 ounces

Hot Dog Counter: 5

Song of the Day
Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant

Game Time
Sam Root with a layup and a steal for another hoop as Concordia jumps out to an 8-2 lead. Lefty wing Demetric Peterson very active for Como Park. He scores 8 points in a Cougars spurt that ties the game at 16 at the 10:43 mark. Root with a layup from PG Roger Moore and Moore takes a turnover for a layup at 9:30. 22-16 Concordia leading. Como Park goes on a 12-0 run in the next 4 minutes thanks to Markel Peterson off the bench. A spin move and a drive off an offensive rebound bound net him 3-4 free throws. Then he buries a 3 and then pulls out the McHale up and under for the old fashioned 3 point play. 35-33 Como Park at the half. Concordia with a sloppy half of turnovers and not rebounding.

Root with a couple of easy post buckets off Fist, Concordia's High/Low action. But that's all negated by Carlos Rucker who gave Como Park great bench minutes in the 2nd half. Rucker's 2 putback and conversion of a turnover into an easy bucket. 47-41 Como Park inside of 15 minutes left. Then Concordia goes 3-2 zone with Isaiah Maddox on top and that changes everything. Concordia scores 6 in a row to tie. Rucker with yet another putback to keep Como Park up 5. Maddox with a putback, Ben Vallin runs for a layup and then its Moore to Mark Stage for back to back transition 3s. Its a 10-0 run for a 57-52 Concordia lead with 10:17 left. Falk runs for a layup to extend the run. Back to the High/Low set for another Root bucket. Falk from Moore for another bunny and the lead is 8. Peterson counters with a 3 point play for Como Park and they go 2-3 zone to stop the post action. 63-58 Concordia with 7:38 left. Falk from the high post and then off a zone post set for another easy one to negate a Cougars 3. Maddox coast to coast as Concordia is flying out off of Cougars misses. Moore to Falk again and Moore on the run for 2 of his own. Maddox with a tip and an assist to Falk. Moore with back to back buckets and the lead is up to 18 after an 18-5 run. Concordia wins 83-68

Post Game
Como Park falls to 0-6 with the loss. Demetric Mitchell finishes with 19 points as he was very active inside. Carlos Rucker with all 10 of his points off the bench in the 2nd half. Markel Peterson adds 12. They got destroyed in transition, particularly in the 2nd half when they didn't make shots. They host #3A Maranatha on Friday before a trip to Minneapolis South on Saturday.

Concordia improves to 5-2 overall. Jacob Falk with 21 off the bench. Roger Moore with 20 and a handful of assists. Sam Root also adds 14 inside. In the 2nd half, everything was easy. Layups on post sets or running out for easy buckets. The zone was the difference maker as the entire game changed at that point. The Beacons do get beat on the glass though so there is soemthing to work on. They host section rival St. Paul Academy on Friday and Heritage next Monday. Then they'll be in the St. Cloud Cathedral tourney.

Mustangs run wild

Prologue
After seeing top ranked Minneapolis North on Saturday, its only fitting that I see their top foe in section 4A. That means a trip to #3A Maranatha to see the Mustangs take on Minneapolis Southwest. Plenty of teams scouting with Chaska, Minneapolis North, Minneapolis South and New Life Academy all on hand to watch. The concession stand at MCA is one of the best around and while the variety wasn't there tonight as I've seen in the past, no complaints. The corner sausage slice of Jet's pizza was outstanding. 20 oz of Red Powerade makes it go down smoothly.

Number of Teams I've Seen: 60

Beverage Consumption Counter: 418 ounces (25 days, 36 games, 2 scrimmages added on)

Pepsi: 184 ounces
Coke: 80 ounces
Sprite: 32 ounces
Barq's Root Beer: 20 ounces
A&W Root Beer: 12 ounces
Red Powerade: 60 ounces
Red Gatorade: 20 ounces

Hot Dog Counter: 5

Song of the Day
Horse with no name - America

Game Time
Jeremiah Hanson off to a quick start with a spin for 2 inside, a nice cut for 2 and a drive. Damario Armstrong with a pair of 3s as well. 14-6 Maranatha at 12:55. The pace remains frenetic. Lanick Knight 5 in a row to keep SW within 3. Armstrong with his 3rd bomb of the half in addition to his pushing the pace. 33-20 MCA at the 8 minute mark as the Mustangs are galloping up and down the court. That lead grows to 17 at the half. 55-38 MCA with Armstrong and Hanson combining for 39 of those.

Hanson for 3 and a left baseline floater to start the 2nd half. SW falls asleep on a dead ball full court inbounds and a long pass finds Armstrong who converts it into a 3 point play. Hanson slips a Spurs elevator set for a layup. Jake Meyen 2 freebies, Armstrong with a steal for 2 and Meyen runs for a layup. Hanson adds another bomb and Cam Monson runs for a layup. Then its Armstrong on the break, behind the back with the perfect bounce pass in stride to Hanson for a layup. It ends a 20-6 run that puts this one way out of reach. 84-53 MCA with 12 minutes left is the biggest lead of the night. SW crashes the glass the rest of the way to make the score look far more respectable. Maranatha wins 101-87.

Post Game
Minneapolis Southwest falls to 1-5 with the loss. They host Minneapolis South on Thursday before trips to Chaska and St. Louis Park before Christmas. The Lakers do end up with 4 players having at least 16 points. Keion Alexander with 3 triples on his way to 19. Lanick Knight with 17, AJ Ray and Arthur Frazier 16 each. Frazier very active on the glass. AJ Ray with a nasty tip dunk attempt that missed in the first half. Besides soph Brennan Hawkins, the Lakers don't see anything from their bench.

Maranatha improves to 6-0 with the win. This was their closest final of the year but not nearly as close as the final appears. Jeremiah Hanson goes for 33 with 5 3s, Damario Armstrong hits 3 1st half triples before going cold. He still ends up with 31. The other 3 starters also reach double figures. The running game was very impressive. The players get out and run the floor and they willingly throw that long pass ahead. They'll still use the euro ball screen offense in the half court, but besides Hanson I wonder who makes a play for them out of it. The discipline to run their stuff and ability to run does make the game vs a fairly undisciplined Minneapolis North team pretty compelling.

2014 Tipoff Classic lives up to the hype

Prologue
Its the 2014 Breakdown Tip Off Classic once again held at Minnetonka. Lots of high expectations with all 4 #1 teams participating and matchup of #2 vs #3 in class AAAA. Great crowds for the later games and great energy for those games. Close games all over the place made for a very entertaining day. I didn't borrow a Christmas sweater for the coldness of the gym early in the day but it was hot by the end of the day. Plenty of Pepsi to keep hydrated and Dominos pizza to keep me fed.

Number of Teams I've Seen: 58

Beverage Consumption Counter: 388 ounces (24 days, 35 games, 2 scrimmages added on)

Pepsi: 184 ounces
Coke: 80 ounces
Sprite: 32 ounces
Barq's Root Beer: 20 ounces
A&W Root Beer: 12 ounces
Red Powerade: 40 ounces
Red Gatorade: 20 ounces

Hot Dog Counter: 5

Song of the Day
Star Wars Theme - John Williams

Game #1: #3AAA Hill-Murray vs Minneapolis Henry
Hill-Murray star Marshawn Wilson sat out with the flu. Henry's Jermal Davis with quality bench minutes in the 1st half, a big 2nd half from Demetrius Edwards-Brown and a big game from Jacarius Ford had the Patriots primed for an upset. Jack Fahey's hot shooting and clutch play from Simeon Davis kept the Pioneers in this one. Fahey would shockingly miss 2 late free throws and Henry goes 4-4 in the last minute of regulation and appears to be ready to win. But Davis knocks down a straight away 3 at the buzzer to force overtime. Hill-Murray has a chance to tie with 15.3 left in OT but they miss 2 of 3 free throws. Henry turns it over and Davis buries a left wing 3 with 5 seconds left in OT to win it 83-82. Jack Fahey 27, Simeon Davis 26 (19 after halftime) for Hill-Murray. Demetrius Edwards-Brown 18 of his 25 after halftime, Jacarius Ford 22 for Henry

Game #2: #8AAA Orono vs Eagan
Forward Sam Sustacek still out for Orono and SG Chase Seiberlich also out for Eagan with a concussion. The game starts slowly with a 4-4 tie at the 14:58 mark. Orono then goes on a 26-4 over the next 9:30 holding Eagan to 1 FG. Cole Hennings 9 points in that run. 30-8 Orono at the 5 minute mark. Blowout city? Not so fast. Eagan comes back with a 14-4 run to close the half and only be down 12. Alexander Kill made 2 3s in the 1st half run and he adds to 2 more in the 2nd half to keep Orono up 10 with 10:45 left. Junior Sam Schuberg with 5 points in a 12-2 Eagan run. 49 all with 4 minutes left. Hennings with a reverse layup and a pair of free throws to end a 6-0 Orono run to counter that spurt. That's enough for Orono to hang on 59-53. Cole Hennings 22 for Orono. Sam Schuberg 16 for Eagan.

Game #3: Lakeville North vs #1A Minneapolis North
No Patrick Dembley or Randy Mathews for Minneapolis North. Minneapolis North jumps out to a 10-2 lead, but Lakeville North climbs back in it with quality play from Marquise Walker off the bench. Issac Johnson knocks down 4 3s in the half. Minneapolis North by 1 at the break. Carter Brooks continues a stretch of good play and his back to back hoops put Lakeville North up 10 with 10 left. Minneapolis North gets a big 2nd half from Tyler Johnson and he is a big part of a 10-2 run to cut the lead to 2. Carter Brooks with a pair of tip ins to preserve the lead and Cal Pesola with a big transition 3 with 3:20 left to put Lakeville North up 5. The rest is free throws. Lakeville North wins 83-76. Tyler Johnson 21 of his 23 after the half for Minneapolis North. Isaac Johnson adds 20 on 5 3s. Jamil Jackson 2 points. Carter Brooks 20 points in a coming out party for Lakeville North. Lakeville North with 5 in double figures. Also keep an eye on sophomore forward Nathan Reuvers. Minneapolis North with bad body language and bad team defense. They played a game based on individual talent rather than team chemistry.

Game #4: #6AAAA Maple Grove vs #10AAAA Hopkins
This was the Brad Davison show. He was finding Reed Nikko for lob dunks or driving to find Jack Hutchinson for corner 3s. Then he's scoring on top of that. A 13-2 run late in the 1st half by Maple Grove sends the Crimson to halftime up 16. The lead expands to 22 on a Hutchinson 3 with 14:22 left. John Warren starts a big Hopkins run as he scores the 1st 13 Hopkins points of the half. Then its 14 in a row from Vinnie Shahid. The Hopkins run is 27-6 to cut the lead to 62-61 with 5:12 left. Davison with an assist for a layup, a 3 point play off the bounce and he closes it with free throws. Maple Grove wins 75-69. Brad Davison with 25 points and I had him for 11 assists that turned into 27 more points. John Warren 21 of his 23 in the 2nd half, 5 triples. Vinnie Shahid 16 of his 22 points in the 2nd half. Only 2 points from anybody else in the 2nd half for Hopkins. I thought the Maple Grove size and strength inside would be a factor and it was totally not there. Nikko scored his points on dump offs and lobs and only 1 hoop from Kayode Awosika.

Game #5: #7AAAA Eden Prairie vs Stillwater
This looked like a quick blowout too as Eden Prairie jumped out to a 15-4 lead. Connor Gamble's hot hand kept the Ponies close. Grantham Gillard matched that hot hand for Eden Prairie. Eden Prairie holds Gamble down to 1 late 3. Stillwater holds the pace down in the 2nd half with 3 man X offense and a couple of quick and effective Randy Jordan timeouts. But its not quite enough as Eden Prairie wins 71-65. Grantham Gillard with 6 of his 8 3s in the 1st half on his way to 32 points. Connor Gamble 20 of his 24 in the 1ts half for Stillwater. Eden Prairie more open with their offense this year as they have lots of guys who will shoot it from 3.

Game #6: #2AAAA Cretin-Derham Hall vs #3AAAA Champlin Park
Joe Rosga goes off for 17 points and 3 assists early to carry CDH. Like he did against Hopkins earlier this year, JT Gibson picking up his game to keep the Rebels close. McKinley Wright adds a late 3 point play and bucket to propel Champlin Park to a 32-28 halftime lead. Jeremy Johnson up high to throw down a lob and that causes the full house to explode. Rebels by 6 and a CDH timeout. CDH with a 12-0 after that. Johnson for 3 and then Gibson with a 4 point play. Sam Neumann with his 3rd bomb of the half. Gibson counters with a block, steals the rebound and goes for 2. Gibson with a stepback and runs for 2 more. Marty Hill for 3 to end the 11-2 Rebels run. 54-48 Champlin Park 6:18 left. Rosga with a 3 for his only bucket of the 2nd half, Donnell Gresham back in with 4 fouls and takes a steal for a 3 point play before fouling out. 59-57 Champlin Park 3:08 left. They make 6-6 free throws down the stretch and survive 1 last CDH chance. Champlin Park wins 65-62. Joe Rosga 20 points, Sam Neumann 19. JT Gibson 23, McKinley Wright 17. Wright also very active on the glass on both ends.

Game #7: Chanhassen at #5AAAA Minnetonka
Chanhassen without their star wing Joey Witthus for this one. Center Evan Altenburg out of the Minnetonka lineup. The early story is turnovers for Chanhassen as they fall behind 13-2. Chanhassen scores the next 7 before Cedric Boone converts 2 more turnovers into 5 points to stretch the lead to 27-14. Chad Mapes hot shooting is most of the Chanhassen offense. He buries 2 3s to keep Chanhassen within 8 at half. Amar Miller with a pair of early 3s and he runs for a layup and the lead is back to 14. It oscillates between 10 and 20 the rest of the way with the outcome never in doubt. Minnetonka wins 79-67. Chad Mapes 6 3s on his way to 22 points for Chanhassen. Amar Miller 25 points with 3 3s. Justin Moes 4 3s for 19, Cedric Boone with 19 off the bench. Seth Coatta 2 points.

Game #8: #1AAAA Apple Valley vs #1AAA De La Salle
Early on, Gary Trent on fire. He buries a knocks down a jumper, Jarvis Johnson dunks on the other end, Trent for 3 and the hush sign and Jarvis scores and gets fouled on the other end, Trent then buries another bomb. Players making plays, great atmosphere, high level teams, this is fun. 25-15 Apple Valley at the midpoint of the 1st half. Trent goes cold and won't score the rest of the half. Sacar Anim goes on a 7-0 run and after a Brock Bertram bucket, takes a steal for a dunk. Cam Kirksey's offense has gone up a level this season. He makes 2 free throws, drives for 2 and spins for 2 more to ignite a 10-0 run. 44-33 Apple Valley at the half. Jeffrey Daubanton with a nice lefty 2 in the lane and Anim off the high ball screen to take the hit and finish. 61-53 Apple Valley lead with 8:11 to go. Bertram tips in a miss, Kirksey runs out for a dunk and Trent hit on a 3 and makes all 3 free throws before making a 3. That 3 ends a 12-4 spurt to push the lead to 16. De La Salle makes 1 late push with Anim for 2, a Josh Collins reverse, Jarvis Johnson for 3 and a 3 point play from Anim. Islanders within 6 with 1:33 left but they won't get closer. Apple Valley wins 83-69. They pound De La Salle 52-19 on the glass per Eagles stats. Sacar Anim goes for 35, Jarvis Johnson adds 21. Gary Trent 31 points, Brock Bertram with 17 points and double digit boards for Apple Valley. Apple Valley with 5 in double figures. Outside of Johnson/Anim, the rest of the Islanders combine for only 13 points. Jordan Bolton and Cam Kirksey giving Apple Valley great secondary contributions this season. I still don't like the fact that they don't run like they used to (find the PG and kick it up the sideline in half a millisecond) and I think their offense is too isolation oriented.

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