A weekend six-pack

A busy Friday and Saturday with 6 games on my schedule in 4 different places.  Here are the sights and sounds of a 6 pack of Pepsi to get thru the schedule.

Friday: #8AA Maranatha 72 #11AA Spectrum 47
3 quick MCA bombs for a 9-0 lead.  Spectrum with 4 turnovers in the 1st 2 minutes leading to points.  Cole Elrod sits most of the half with 2 fouls.  Spectrum shoots it as poorly as they will all year with many good looks not going in.  The lead grows to 25 in the 1st half and its cruise control from there.  Maranatha with another big ranked game at home against #6AA St. Croix Prep on Tuesday.  I'll see that one as well.  Frosh Chase Carter 14 points off the bench as the big front line was a factor for MCA.  Justin Mason 3 1st half 3s on his way to 13 points.  Matt Kruse 15, Max Lawrence 14 for Spectrum.  Cole Elrod 10 points but was limited due to fouls.

Saturday:
St. Anthony 59 Trinity 56
This one was pretty tight the entire way.  St. Anthony would open a 50-39 lead with under 7 minutes left.  The lead is still 9 with 4:28 to play after a Joe Flett 3.  But Trinity would rally with triples from Ben Maslow and Anthony Rumpza.  Michael Ennis with a big 2nd half and he scores 3 straight hoops to tie the game at 56 with 32.6 left.  St. Anthony sets up a final play.  Its Tait Nelson driving left baseline.  Drift pass and the extra pass to the right wing finds Derek Hergenrader for 3 with 1.1 left to win it. Hergenrader 3 of his 4 3s in the 2nd half on the way to 12 points.  Tait Nelson 13, Joe Flett 12 for St. Anthony.  Anthony Rumpza and Michael Ennis with 20 each for Trinity.  Ennis with 18 of those in the 2nd half.

#2AA Minneapolis North 79 #9AA Caledonia 74 OT
Then its the rest of the day on the northside.  Ice cold 1st half for the King brothers of Caledonia but they're still within 6 at the break.  Caledonia then goes on a 14-0 run early in the 2nd half thanks to 7 points from frosh Eli King.  Noah King with a putback and a drive plus Eli King with a dunk as Caledonia expands the lead to 61-49 under 5 minutes to play.  The lead is 65-56 after 2 FTs with 2:35 left.  But Caledonia can't close it out as 2 turnovers cost points plus taking and missing an open 3 with just over 20 seconds left.  That not only allows North to tie it on a Willie Wilson layup with 17 seconds left, but they'll get a look to win it at the horn that is no good.  Eli Campbell then scores the 1st 8 points of OT (2 bombs) for North to complete the 17-0 Polars run.  North goes on to win from there.  Eli Campbell finishes with 18 points.  Davon Townley adds 16 for the Polars.  Eli King 19 points to lead Caledonia.  Noah King with 16 of his 17 points after halftime.  Really productive inside game of 15 points from Riley Gavin for the Warriors as well.

Super Showcase at Minneapolis Henry
Moorhead 67 Fridley 66
I missed most of the 1st half of this one thanks to the overtime at North.  But I arrive to a ton of foul trouble as Hassan Kamara and Isaac Burns were sitting with 2 fouls as well as Moorhead star Maleeck Harden-Hayes.  Moorhead up 38-27 at the break.  Burns would have a big 2nd half as Kamara ended up sitting with 4 fouls for a large stretch.  That would allow Fridley to take a 54-52 lead before Harden-Hayes and Kamara would return with 4 fouls with 7 minutes left.  Kamara with a 3 off the famous Tom Izzo Chips inbounds and its 62-54 Fridley with 3:45 left.  Burns fouls out and Moorhead claws their way back.  Drew Hagen floater countered by a Fridley putback to keep Fridley up 5.  Then its Hagen for 3 and Fridley misses 2 freebies with 28 seconds left.  Then Hagen with the putback and foul with 8 seconds left.  He makes the free throw to give the Spuds the win.  Hagen finishes with 25 points including the last 8.  Maleeck Harden-Hayes with 14.  Isaac Burns with 23 to lead Fridley.

#1AAAA Hopkins 92 St. Paul Central 75
Hopkins opens up a 10-0 lead thanks to 2 Kerwin Walton bombs and 2 Dane Zimmer hoops.  Central will cut that to 5 before Jalen Dearring and Andy Stafford help push the lead to 50-26 with 3 minutes left in the half.  But Central would finish the half on a 12-0 run to cut it in half.  Ronnell Porter and Luke McElroy with triples and the lead is down to 9 with under 12 left.  Central would get no closer.  Dane Zimmer steps up with Zeke Nnaji missing most of the game due to injury.  Zimmer finishes with 24 points as he dominated inside.  Kerwin Walton 4 triples and 24 points.  Andy Stafford gets the defensive stopper role but added 19 points.  Ronnell Porter terrific at the PG spot for Central with 23 points and they moved him to defend Walton later in the game.  Daveonte Davis added 18 points for the Minutemen.

Minneapolis Henry 82 Cristo Rey Jesuit 69
CRJ coach Stan Clay sitting this one out after getting the thumb on Friday night.  Close game early until Henry's pressure breaks the game open.  They finish the 1st half on a 15-0 run to open a 14 point halftime lead.  Henry would have the lead at 18 at the 7 minute mark before the Pumas cut it to 6 inside of 3.  But Henry would close it out from there.  Henry's pressure forced a ton of turnovers and sped the pace up.  Glentrell Carter leads Henry with 18 points.  PG James Sommer 29 points to lead Cristo Rey.