2021 Tartan Tourney Day 1

Prologue
To Tartan for their annual holiday tournament.  Tough luck in their schedule with Mahtomedi backing out and then a late Fridley cancellation.  That meant only 2 games today and only 2 night games on the final day.  You know its bad when the home team couldn't get themselves a game.  Split schedule of 2:45 and 6:15 means I get to take in Tartan assistant Bill Fetsch running his guys thru skill work.

Game 1: #10AAAA Park of Cottage Grove 66 Andover 56
Pharrel Payne still out for this one.  But the Wolfpack does have Jamari Walker back to man the interior.  Andover gets a bucket on their first possession but then goes 17 trips with just 1 field goal.  Park takes advantage with a 23-4 run.  Andover would cut the lead back to 9 thanks to 9 Ben Kopetzki points.  3 interior hoops for Andover plus a triple and 2 free throws from Sammy Musungu cut the lead down to 40-34 with 13:48 left.  But another Andover offensive drought sets in.  They get only 1 FG in their next 15 trips.  Evan Bearth with 3 of his 4 second half field goals in a 12-1 Park run that pushes the lead back to 52-35 with 9:32 left.  Andover scores 14 of the next 18 with a couple of Connor Foy triples included.  56-49 Park with 4:05 left  But Andover gets no closer. Jamari Walker with 14 of his 23 points in the first half as there was no answer for him inside.  Evan Bearth 14 points including the points in the run that put the game away in the 2nd half.  Sammy Musungu 14 of his 20 in the 2nd half for Andover.  Ben Kopetzki adds 16.

Game 2: #6AAA Mankato West 48 White Bear Lake 44
Jack Janicki early and often for WBL.  3 buckets for him and its 13-7 Bears at the 10:57 mark.  Mankato West turns up their defense and goes on a 9-0 run to take a 19-17 lead at the 3:38 mark.  1 point game at the half as Mankato West leads 21-20.  Louis Magers a putback and a conversion of a turnover for the Scarlets and the total run is 15-3 across halftime.  Magers another putback to keep the Scarlets lead at 31-26 with 11:22 left.  Janicki 2 hoops to keep the Bears within 35-34.  Wyatt Hawks (sleeper forward for WBL) with 2 free throws for the lead that its countered by a 3 point play plus another Magers bucket off a post set.  42-38 West with 4:20 left.

Janicki with bombs from the wing and from on top.  44-42 White Bear Lake back on top with 2:50 left.  Mekhi Collins with a strong 2 inside to tie the game with 1:42 left.  White Bear Lake misses a jumper with about a minute left.  West will be patient like most possessions in this game.  Finally its who else but Magers with 17 seconds left for the lead on the attack.  Janicki misses a challenged look from the top.  Magers seals it at the line with 0.4 left.  Magers finishes with 21 points, 14 in the 2nd half.  Janicki another nice game with 28 points as he was the only offense White Bear Lake could find.  2/3 of the Mankato West offense in the paint.  Their inside strength with Magers and Collins against #3AAA South St. Paul in the Capitol City will be very interesting to watch.  They switch everything which won't be as big a factor vs Alonzo Dodd and the DDM system of SSP but expect Dodd to see multiple bodies.

Czar Insights

For details on exactly what the value in the chart mean, click here for the full explanation of Czar Insights.  Today's theme: Paint Domination. Interior play from Park and Mankato West puts them over the top.