Scout.com releases final class of 2009 rankings

Scout.com has released their final 2009 top 100 (read it here). Here are players that caught my attention.

Minnesota
Royce White (#32, down from #30)
Rodney Williams Jr (#34, up from #32)
Trent Lockett (#97, down from #94)

Wisconsin
Jamil Wilson (#30, up from #35)
Jeronne Maymon (#84, down from #75)

Others who appeared locally
DeMarcus Cousins (#3, up from #6)
DJ Richardson (#46, down from #66)
Darius Smith (re-enters at #83)
Naji Hibbert (enters at #99)

Rivals releases final 2009 rankings

Rivals.com released their final class of 2009 rankings today. Read the entire rankings here. Here are the changes to Minnesota players (and others of note) from the last period (August 19, 2008).

Minnesota Players

• Royce White #19, Minnesota (no change)
  
• Trent Lockett #80, Arizona State (down from #73)
  
• Rodney Williams Jr #100, Minnesota (down from #95)
• Sam Dower #116, Gonzaga (up from #119)
• Mike Bruesewitz #118, Wisconsin (up from #124)

Wisconsin Players

• Jeronne Maymon #47, Marquette (down from #46)
• Jamil Wilson #94, Oregon (down from #93)
• Johnny Lacy #143, Providence (down from #110)
  

Other players who have appeared locally

• DeMarcus Cousins #2, Kentucky (no change)
  
• DJ Richardson #38, Illinois (up from #57)
• Darius Smith #71, Connecticut (up from #113)
• Naji Hibbert #97, Texas A&M (down from #88)
• Joseph Bertrand #128, Illinois (down from #116)
• Diamond Taylor #129, Wisconsin (down from #118)
• Michael Dixon #136, Missouri (down from #130)

Hopkins finishes the deal with the 09 AAAA Championship

Cowles right off the opening tip. Broghammer on Dower as expected. John Rowland for 3 and Osseo leads 3-2. No goofy game plan for Osseo. Royce thru Dower and tips in his own miss. Rowland again, this time with the turnaround at 16:40. 5-4 Orioles. Bobby Fischer for 3 and a Hopkins turnover. Dower inside and fouled for a pair of FTs at 16:10. He makes 1 of 2 for a 9-6 Osseo lead. White for a layup from Marcus Williams and he'll shoot 1. No good but Broghammer tips it in. Can't have that. Another Osseo turnover but White with another forced shot. Rowland around and out as he gets another look. Hopkins not converting the turnovers. DJ Phillips with a carry for the 4th Osseo turnover. TV timeout at 13:49, 10-9 Hopkins leads.

Bobby Fischer for 3 at 13:10 to put Osseo back on top 12-10. Moses Sundufu in the game and he crashes the glass for FTs at 12:49. Can Phillips and Fischer can keep Hopkins off the offensive glass? Osseo being very patient on offense with no gimmicks. Hopkins not as patient. Aaron Anderson drives and has a nice dropoff to Jayvin Reynolds for a layup. 14-11 Osseo leads as we go to the TV timeout at 10:55. Royce White with 6 points already. Bobby Fischer and John Rowland with 11 of the 14 Osseo points.

Lockett with another Hopkins offensive board for 2. Reynolds back on the other end. Offense coming from the unlikely sources for Osseo. Lockett rebounds, a nice low crossover and spin for freebies at 9:47. 1 of 2 for Lockett. 16-14 Osseo leads. A feed to Dower results in a turnover. Lockett and Broghammer with misses but white draws the 3rd quick foul on Reynolds at the 9:26 mark. White airballs a step back jumper and then reaches around as he didn't get out to Rowland. DJ Phillips spins, avoid a steal and throws in a short shot. 18-15 Osseo. Cowles banks home a 3 at 7:45 to tie it. Lockett grabs another offensive board but turns and goes thru the d for his 2nd foul outside of 7 minutes. Singleton with a bucket and an Osseo turnover. That takes us to the 6:24 TV timeout. 20-18 Hopkins. They already have 8 offensive rebounds which makes up for 8-23 shooting. Osseo 7-16 but 8 turnovers.

Cowles with another Hopkins offensive board at 5:35. That gives him 2 FTs and gives Hopkins a 22-20 lead. Broghammer pushing Dower out but he fouls Dower for his 2nd with 5:22 left. The bonus freebies tie the game at 22. Cowles for 2, Williams for 2 on a turnover. Dower inside and dunks to stop some bleeding. Cowles gets a great look after the 10th offensive board of the half but its up and over with 4:22 left. Phillips great feed to Djerf backdoor, Dower with a block but Phillips can't finish. 26 all at the 3:46 TV timeout.

Hopkins can't convert 2 more offensive rebounds as Osseo is just tipping the ball, not grabbing it. DJ Peterson does convert an Osseo turnover at 3:05 for 2. Dower inside misses a short jump hook over Royce. Dower smacks a Marcus Williams layup off the board for a nice block. Peterson drives on Rowland and Dower doesn't help and Hopkins gets the layup. John Rowland with another 3 and Osseo is within 1, 30-29 at 1:20. Osseo takes time and holds for 1 shot but Phillips turns it over for a Royce dunk. Djerf misses a triple, White with the long outlet to Williams who finds Singleton who'd fouled at the horn. He makes 1 of 2. 33-29 Hopkins at the break. Bad last minute for Osseo. Hopkins 13-39 shooting but they have 12 offensive rebounds (25-18 total advantage on the glass) and have forced 12 turnovers (4 by Osseo PG DJ Phillips). Royce started hot but he's only 4-11. Cowles and Royce have 9 points each to each Hopkins. John Rowland leads Osseo with 8 points. Sam Dower 1-5 with 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and a total of 5 points. Osseo's 4-7 shooting from 3 helping to keep them close. Oustanding performance by the Alexandria Aces at the half with their hoops tricks. Great way to end the season with the best halftime entertainment of the year.

My Class AAAA All-Tournament Ballot
Ellis Libby and Moses Alipate - Jefferson
Mike Bruesewitz - Sibley
Nate Wolters - St. Cloud Tech
John Rowland, Aaron Anderson and Sam Dower - Osseo
Royce White, Ray Cowles and Mike Broghammer - Hopkins

To the last half of the season we go. Osseo looks for another backdoor Djerf and a post up for Dower but they turn it over. Broghammer with great position on Dower and can't convert. He then blows the dunk on a follow-up. Royce bumps Dower to gain space and banks it home. Osseo misses and a kickout to Royce equals 3. Timeout Osseo at 16:25 with Hopkins leading 38-29. Lockett poaches a passing lane and finger rolls for an 11 point lead. The pressure adding up now. Rowland with a big 3 at the 15 minute mark to keep Osseo within 8. Then he strips Lockett and Dower converts for an And 1 on the other end. 14:34 left with Hopkins leading 40-34 after the missed FT. Reynolds gets posted by Royce and has to mug him to save an easy hoop. That's his 4th with 14:15 left but White misses both. Djerf drives and pulls up at 13:50 to cut the lead to 4. Broghammer steals a pair of offensive boards for FTs. Another reason why Reynolds is sorely missed as he's a top rebounder. Broghammer's 2 FTs extend the lead to 6. Royce helping on Dower and Rowland buries another triple at 12:25. 42-39 Hopkins.

Broghammer posts Dower and scores over him lefty at 12:11. Dower guarding Royce now and he immediately gets posted and picks up another foul. Royce gets lost on an inbounds for an easy dunk at 11:10 and the lead is 7. Danger zone here. TV Timeout at 10:30 with Hopkins leading 46-39.

Djerf with another Osseo 3 at 10:10 and they continue to hang around. Lockett posts DJ Phillips and converts a jump hook. Phillips misses a floater and Williams pulls up for a medium range jumper. DJ Peterson with another Hopkins offensive board at 8:58 for 2. Reynolds will come back in for the Orioles. That's the 19th offensive rebound for Hopkins. Dower scores at the 8 minute mark and Peterson puts back another miss. Rowland with another triple and Osseo takes time with 7:44 left. 54-49 Hopkins leads. Hopkins still cold as they're 9-22 shooting this half.

Broghammer misses a bunny but comes back with a tip away from Dower and then a 17 footer from the high post. 56-49 Hopkins leads. Another entry pass where Dower gets mugged and no call and Hopkins gets possession. Royce guarding Dower now with Broghammer on the bench. Reynolds up high for a tip in at 5:45. Marvin Singleton with a tough finish over Dower who stayed straight up. Dower over Broghammer and gets a putback. Royce over Dower on the other end with a floater. Phillips with a turnover and marcus Williams smartly pulls the ball back. Timeout Hopkins wiht 3:26 left and a 60-53 lead. Osseo with 4 turnovers since the last TV timeout.

Lockett to the basket and Dower gets that one. Dower grabs an offensive rebound at 2:45 and fades for 2. Osseo still within 5. Royce strong and converts at 2:30. With Osseo's big lineup (Reynolds and Rowland together), Cowles guards Rowland so no free looks from 3 against Royce. Broghammer with 1 FT at 2:07. Now Reynolds and Rowland alternate offense for defense. Cowles fouled at 1:06 and he makes 2 freebies and the lead is double-digits, 65-55. Hopkins makes their free throws for a 69-59 win.

Hopkins is the third undefeated team today to come in and leave with a title. Royce White finishes with 20 points, 7 rebounds for the game and no meltdowns for the season. Mike Broghammer with 11 points and 13 rebounds. John Rowland with 17 points including 5 triples. Hopkins with 21 offensive rebounds and they forced 21 turnovers. That offsets 37.7% shooting. Sam Dower finishes his career with 15 points and 16 rebounds.

The Class AAAA All-Tournament Team
Nate Wolters, Alex Hanks - St. Cloud Tech
Royce White, Mike Broghammer, Trent Lockett - Hopkins
Moses Alipate, Ellis Libby - Jefferson
Sam Dower, Aaron Anderson, Nick Djerf - Osseo (no Rowland is a mistake by the voters)

Less than 65,000 people attended the tournament compared to 90,000 in Wisconsin. A simple way to address budget issues, fix the schedule so more fans can attend by having the big schools play the primetime games.

Hopkins goes triple figures on Cooper

Mike Broghammer

Welcome to the mass of humanity that is the Hopkins/Cooper showdown. Cooper side very full and we haven't even begun JV yet. Why? The Sophomore game went double OT with Hopkins winning 91-90 after Cooper game from 11 down with 3 minutes left in regulation and hit 2 triples in the last 20 seconds to send the game to OT. Terrell Clay (hope I've got that name right) with 39 for Cooper in the loss. Star 8th grader Riley Dearing (or Carpenter depending on what you believe) missed a chance to win it at the end of the 1st OT. Not only do we get the standard big players (John Millea, Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press in a rare appearance), but we even get the one and only Sid Hartman. But forget press row and those stars, as always I'm right in the middle of the crowd at the front of a bunch of students and sitting behind Robbinsdale mayor Mike Holtz.

Trent Lockett gets the assignment on Rodney as we start. 10-2 Hopkins out to the lead in the 1st 5 minutes. Royce White starts it with a dunk and then finds Mike Broghammer for a dunk to end the run. Great sequence too where Rodney Williams Jr got a block for a Cooper runout that Broghammer ran down and rejected in even better fashion on the other end. Quincy Bethea with a pair of bombs for Cooper. 15-13 Hopkins at 10:35. Kenquane Brown showing he can take Broghammer off the bounce but he's gone to the bench with 2 fouls. Broghammer and Raymond Cowles then go the bench with 2 fouls each. 20-18 Hopkins at 8:39. White with a lob dunk off an inbounds play, a steal that gives him a free throw and an offensive rebound and 2 over Rodney. That rebound was right after Rodney almost posterized Moses Sundufu on the post with a monster 2 handed slam. Sundufu fortunately put him on the line and didn't give up the dunk. After Brown drives and scores and Freddie Burton hits a pullup J, Royce gets another offensive board for a free throw and then another dunk. 30-24 Hopkins with 6:05 left in the half. Rodney picks up #2 trying to get an offensive board at 5:48 at sits for the moment. Marcus Williams then gets his 2nd at 5:02 and he sits (3 Hopkins starters down with 2 fouls at this point). Hopkins 32-30 at that point. Brown then has a 3 go in and out for the best chance of the night to get the lead for Cooper. Royce with 2 more buckets and 2 DJ Peterson FTs make it 38-33 at 2:33 and Rodney comes back in. He goes by Royce for 2 and then Royce counters on the other by going thru him for 2 more. In the last 20 seconds, Moses Sundufu with a triple and then Joe Coleman with a block and a bucket for 5 Hopkins points that give them a 49-40 halftime lead. Royce 7-11 shooting for 16 points with 7 rebounds on my sheet. Quincy Bethea with 7 and Joe Bright with 11 and 5 for Cooper. With all of Hopkins' foul issues, Cooper didn't take advantage of a great opportunity.

Rodney with a lob dunk and Bright puts back a Rodney brick to pull Cooper within 5 2 minutes into the half. Royce then scores and Cowles nails a 3 against a 2-3 zone. Lockett with a layin and just as quick as Cooper was close, the lead is back to 12, 56-44. Rodney with a double clutch 15 footer against Lockett cuts it to 8 with 13:05 left. Lockett with a 3 point play and Rodney counters with a long triple. 59-51 Hopkins outside of 12 minutes left. Hopkins then goes on a 10-2 with 6 Broghammer points and 2 buckets from Lockett. 69-53 with 10:45 left, timeout Cooper and this one is basically over. Rodney comes out of the timeout with a dunk from Bright but Lockett immediately gets a dunk of his own on the other end and the crowd can't get into it. Cooper gets as close as 13 but Cowles nails a 3 with 6:30 remaining that pops the balloon of hope. The crowd starts to file out. Hopkins tacks on an unnecessary layup from Marvin Singleton with 10 seconds left for a 100-78 win.

For Cooper, Rodney Williams with 19 points on my sheet (the scorebook may have him for 21 via 2 I gave to Bethea), 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. He shot around 50% but that's deceptive considering 3 dunks. Besides the dunks he took 1 maybe 2 good shots out of about 10. Very poor shot selection as he tried to do too much. Joe Bright was a beast for them with 17 and 11. Surprising that Cooper showed success with Bright or Brown taking Broghammer off the dribble but never really attacked that weakness. Interesting too that Freddie Burton spent a ton of time in this game off the ball with Bethea handling. Probably to avoid the pressure of Marcus Williams. Despite the loss, it will be criminal if the pollsters drop Cooper down in the polls for this loss. The only exception I might be willing to listen to is if Osseo moves up to #3 and Cooper falls to #4.

For Hopkins, Royce White very quiet in the 2nd half, but he showed up big in the 1st half. Overall I had him for 20 points on solid shooting 9-14. But he's their guy you want to put on the line as he was 2-6 tonight and has struggled there all year. Trent Lockett with a big 2nd half to finish with 23 points and 7 rebounds. Mike Broghammer with 12 points, half during the run that sealed the game, along with 8 rebounds and a pair of blocks by my counts. I was surprised that Cooper didn't try to apply any pressure, especially when Marcus Williams left the game and DJ Peterson was running the point. In-state, they've proven themselves. Will a win in New York City next Friday be a major national poll eye opener?

Mike Broghammer picture courtesy of MNPhotoNet.net

#1 Hopkins holds off #2 Henry Sibley

Chris Halvorsen

Ah the big affair that was #1 Hopkins making the trek to #2 Sibley. A full house at Sibley (what a nightmare parking was). Blake Hoffarber, Ben Biewen and Edina, Greg Meyer and Minnehaha and Jonah Travis from DLS. All the usual AAU suspects in attendance too with Rene Pulley (cha ching), Al Harris (43 Hoops) and Tom Krosschel (MN Pump N Run) all watching for talent. And of course, the famous Taco In A Bag! Huge Sibley student crowd tonight and they are amped up as they're chanting even before warmups start (but surprisingly docile during the JV game).

Hopkins with the 1st 6 of the night in 2:41 as Sibley is very sloppy against the Hopkins pressure D. Sibley trying to play some 1-2-2 zone to hold the Royals down. Very interesting considering Hopkins hit 13 triples last night. But that zone does allow you to get to shooters (in theory). Sibley claws back to 16-11 as Maurice Hernandez gets a bucket off the flex (aaaah, electric shock). Hopkins goes on a 13-4 run over the next 3:45. Coach Novak really hot at the 1 of the young officals during the run and gets a Technical (that official had a really bad night with at least half a dozen whistles that were way late or dreadfully wrong). Mike Bruesewitz with 1 of the 2 free throws but Sibley couldn't make anything of the possession. After the run, the other young official (who I actually think does a good job) calls an absolutely horrendous T on Trent Lockett for slapping the backboard trying to block a shot. You don't make that call in this type of game, period. Bruesewitz with 1 of 2 again and then converts a bucket on the possession. Jimmy Ryan with late Sibley points in the half for a spark and Sibley survives down 43-33 at the break. Cowles 4 triples for 12, Trent Lockett 8, Royce 7. Rostampour and Bruesewitz with 6 each. Sibley couldn't get into any offense and they didn't use Francis Bungue all that much to handle. Sibley 4-11 FTs in the half to 11-14 for Hopkins (3-6 Royce after 1-8 yesterday).

Royce starts the half with an isolation from the right elbow for 2. Nice set to take advantage of Royce's skills and stay within the system (it comes out of their base motion set). Broghammer with 2 inside for a 50-37 lead at 15:25. But Hopkins is taking quick 3s in transition and they're not going. Coach Novak not pleased and he wants time out. 2 FTs from Marcus Williams gives Hopkins a 56-44 lead with 12:43 to go. But every good team has a run in them and Sibley's starts now. Bruesewitz with 2 free throws, Jake Kreuser with a bucket, Royce with a quick miss and then Halvorsen goes around him for 2. Hopkins turns it over and Kreuser scores again on an offensive rebound. 56-52 Hopkins after an 8-0 Sibley run and the crowd is back in it. Timeout Royals at 10:17.

Broghammer with 2 FTs and then Royce with a dunk off a Sibley turnover. 60-52 Hopkins with 7:39 left. Then a bad Sibley sequence. Broghammer ends up on Maurice Hernandez but they never get him the ball with the opportunity to exploit the mismatch. Kelvin Minnig ends up missing a bad shot instead. Hernandez does get a 3 after Royce misses on another iso. 60-55 Hopkins with 6 minutes left. Lockett with a layin and then Broghammer puts it down from the foul line for 2+1 at 5:14 and the lead is 65-55 and it looks like Hopkins has survived the run. But on the next possession at 5:01, Royce fouls Bruesewitz hard going to the rim and then proceeds to make a demonstration with some comments which earns him a technical. Let's just say that my other obligations unfortunately force me to keep my feelings on this issue to myself. Bruesewitz only makes 2 of the 4 free throws, they get nothing on the possession as Hernandez misses a triple. Kreuser misses the front end of the bonus at 4:44. 66-57 Hopkins and this one is basically over. Hopkins makes enough free throws to win it 77-66.

For Sibley, a tough loss but credit to them for fighting back to within 4 and only being down 10 at the half despite playing very poorly. Mike Bruesewitz leads the way with 15 points (only 3 FGs and 9-13 FTs). Chris Halvorsen and Maurice Hernandez with 12 each. I was surprised that Sibley didn't try to take more advantage of Bruesewitz on the outside when Broghammer was guarding him late (after Royce went to the bench with the T and 4 fouls). Unfortunately in the zone they didn't find Cowles and didn't rebound well so they had to play more man defense than they may have initially wanted to. They did settle down and take better care of the ball in the 2nd half. They're now 8-2 and the rest of their schedule is in the Classic Suburban except for the Border Battle game vs Kaukauna, WI on January 24th.

For Hopkins, Mike Broghammer with a nice night of 17 points to lead Hopkins (9-11 FTs). Ray Cowles with 5 more triples for 15 points. Trent Lockett slashed his way to 15 points also. Royce White quiet with 11 points and had a disappointing night. He made some nice plays but he seemed kind of out of it tonight. Next major challenge for the Royals may be against Milwaukee Vincent at the East Metro Showcase on January 23rd.

Chris Halvorsen picture courtesy of MNPhotoNet.net

Hopkins blows out Minnetonka

Ray Cowles

Ah, the thrill, the pagentry, the game that is Hopkins vs Minnetonka. My first time seeing these 2 teams in their rivalry. Disappointing student section from Minnetonka as very few of their kids showed up. The Hopkins students out in force of course and a nice crowd of adults in the stands. Armstrong and Sibley looking on along with Northern Illinois. Rodney Williams and Cooper's longtime assistant also on hand for this one.

Early we have free throws for a 7-1 Hopkins lead. Nick Latzke with a triple for the 1st Tonka FG of the night at 15:10. Lockett with a 3 at 14:35 and its 12-5 Hopkins in a furious pace. Latzke again with a 3 at 11:10 to cut the Hopkins lead to 22-18. After Royce White misses 2 free throws, Cole Stefan with a triple at 9:41 and Minnetonka is within 26-21. Blake Nelson with a 3 point play for Tonka at 8:10, 31-24 Hopkins. Then the roof caves in for Tonka. Royce White nails a triple, Cowles with a 3, Lockett from deep again, Broghammer with a dunk off a Tonka turnover, Cowles with another 3, Lockett again for 3 and Cowles beats the halftime horn with a triple. 60-30 Hopkins at the break. Tonka with 2 field goals in the last 7 minutes of the half as Hopkins ends it with a 34-9 run. 9 triples for Hopkins. Lockett with 5 of them for 15 points, Cowles with 3 more for 17 points and 6 rebounds. Marvin Singleton with 9 and 5 off the bench. Royce with 5 points but 0-6 FTs. Nick Latzke with 3 triples for 11 points. Cole Stefan with 5 on 2-10 shooting.

Royce comes out on fire in the 2nd half. A bucket to start the half, an assist to Lockett, 2 more then an assist to Broghammer that Royce probably should have scored himself. He gets a triple and then concludes his night with a dunk in a 2-1 that I was surprised he didn't give up (being he was looking for assists per the Star Trib article from last week). The top 10 sit the last 8:45 as Hopkins uses a 12-0 run over 2 minutes to put us over the top of the mercy rule. Hopkins wins 106-62.

For Minnetonka, Cole Stefan with 15 on 5-16 shooting by my sheet (3-9 on 3s). He tried to force some shots with Lockett guarding him, but nothing would have mattered on this night. Nick Latzke looks to be a better shooter than his brother Andrew who had a very nice career for the Skippers. 5 more triples for 21 points tonight. The Skippers fall to 6-4 and 0-1 in the Classic Lake. They go on the road for 3 with trips to Kennedy, Apple Valley and Columbia Heights in the next 9 days before getting 6 of 7 at home (exception is the Jan 24th trip to Cooper). Tor Anderson lit up the JV game with 5 triples and 21 points on 7-21 FGs. Joe Coleman played the 1st half of the JV game and had a handful (4-5) dunks slashing thru the Tonka D.

For Hopkins, Ray Cowles with his 17 and 6 in the 1st half. Royce White finishes with 15 but 1-8 from the foul line. He had 2 or 3 silly turnovers trying to get assists. Trent Lockett with 17. Marvin Singleton with a nice night off the bench inside. Hopkins made everything and hit the boards hard. 13 total 3s for the Royals. If they shoot it that well, forget about it. They easily could have put up 125-140 in this one as they had 94 before the mercy rule could even go into effect. They didn't hit 100 until 4:45 left. Joe Coleman played the 1st half of the JV game and had a handful (4-5) dunks slashing thru the Tonka D. Hopkins 9-0 going into the monster game at Sibley.

Mike Broghammer had some comments on the team and news on a trip to Notre Dame if you missed that scroll earlier today. Read that here.

Raymond Cowles picture courtesy of MNPhotoNet.net

Steve Froemming from Steven's Sports Report also attended the game. Read his article here.

2009 Timberwolves Shootout Thoughts

Here's what I saw at the 2009 Timberwolves Shootout. This is the 5th consecutive shootout I've attended. In terms of competitve games, this was the worst one I've been to with 4 blowouts and 1 other game that got back to 4 points, but wasn't in doubt for much of the game. At least the Sibley/Memorial game lived up to the hype. That and a couple of Rodney Williams dunks were the main highlights.

Game 1: Cloquet vs Pelican Rapids
I got the not close part of the prediction correct as Pelican Rapids made 7 1st half 3s and got 29 total points from their stars Tydan Storrusten and Eric Shulstad. Nothing like triples to bust zones. Very strange that Chad Calcaterra played very limited 1st half minutes. Only 6 and 4 in the 1st half for him. He finished with 21 and 10 and 2 blocks (and 4 dunks, more on that later). Beyond Chad, Cloquet has almost nothing. Their inability to deal with the Pelican Rapids halfcourt trap was really painful to watch. They may have most of their roster returning for next season but that won't be enough. Pelican Rapids with all seniors except for 1 sophomore. Very impressive to watch. Storrusten with 29, Shulstad with 27 in the 87-56 win.

Game 2: Osseo vs Sioux Falls Roosevelt
Sam Dower with only 1 1st half point and 2 fouls that forced him to sit the last 13:15 of the 1st half. Osseo still had a 30-20 halftime lead as Aaron Anderson stepped up with 8 points. Osseo cranked up the 2nd half defense and Dower dominated inside in the 2nd half. 82-43 Osseo in another rout. Dower with 22. He hit jump hook after jump hook inside with no Roosevelt answer. Cody Larson with 14 for the Roughriders but didn't do anything of note. I did almost get their point total right. Nice job by Osseo with their full court scramble to generate some points from their defense.

Game 3: Henry Sibley vs Madison Memorial
Final Score 67-64 Memorial, I predicted 65-64 Memorial in my preview. Better to be lucky than good. Jeronne Maymon was an absolute stud in this one and clearly the MVP of the day. Totally unguardable. He scored the 9 of the 1st 11 Memorial points in the 2nd half and then got a couple of assists not long after that. Late in the game, Chris Halvorsen stripped him clean for a reverse dunk that brought Sibley back to a 56-55 lead after being down 55-50. But then he made a jumper and hit Vander Blue for a triple. Sibley with 3 straight turnovers vs the Memorial 1-3-1 in a 1 minute span with 3 minutes left that just killed them. Memorial missed a couple of late free throws that gave Maurice Hernandez a good look from the NBA line that would have tied it but no good and Memorial wins a thriller 67-64. Maymon with 26, Vander Blue with 16 all in the 2nd half including 9 in a row and he didn't start. Frosh Junior Lomomba didn't start either and finished with 6 points. He made a clutch shot late to push the lead to 5. Mike Bruesewitz with 20 and 10 for Sibley, but he was overmatched against Maymon.

Game 4: Hopkins vs Lake Geneva Badger
50-15 at the half as Hopkins used a 28-2 run over 8:30 to blow this game wide open. Royce White still put on a show with 13 and 6 in the 1st half as he showed all his skills. Trent Lockett with a couple of nice dunks during the half too. 79-41 Hopkins rolls as the clock runs the last 8 minutes (not 9 thanks to the scorer's table).

This game was totally pointless for both teams and shouldn't have been played. But the fans turned out in force for it so they got the financial part right. This game was a huge black eye to the Shootout. Badger is well coached, but they had no business being here. Not a single player in the rankings of any class in Wisconsin. It would have been one thing if this had happened in the Border Battle or East Metro Showcase. But this is the Minnesota showcase event, put on by our professional team with maybe the best Minnesota high school team ever. This cannot happen again. I know they tried to get teams like Chicago Whitney Young and other very good teams to come in and couldn't get anybody. I'm not criticizing the effort, but I have a hard time buying the idea that there were no teams in the midwest with a noteworthy player that would have come here for this instead of Badger.

Game 5: Eden Prairie vs Cooper
Rodney Williams with a double-clutch jumper and then a floater to beat the 1st half buzzer on a steal for a 28-18 Cooper lead at the half. Williams had 8 points with 3 blocks (2 of the volleyball spike variety) in the half. Ethan Wragge 5 points but cold shooting. Cooper stretches the lead to 16 in the 2nd half before Cooper goes back to their 1 on 1 offense and allows EP to come back within 4. Rodney gets a 360 dunk and then a half-court lob for a reverse dunk that puts the icing on the cake. He gets another lob but misses the dunk to make Chad Calcaterra the happiest guy in the building as both finish with 4 dunks on the day. 57-50 Cooper wins. Rodney with 16 points on 4 dunks and 4 blocks. Again, not a shooter. Brett Ervin with a big 2nd half as he finishes with 17 points. Ethan Wragge with 9 points but he couldn't buy a shot (he was something like 3-15). But his misses were all good looks (except 1 or maybe 2) against Rodney so I'm not buying the Rodney shut him down argument.

Game 6: St. Cloud Tech vs Manitowoc Roncalli
The building empties out which is a shame because they should have stayed for Nate Wolters of Tech. He had 9 first half points. Roncalli star soph Ben Stelzer 11 for a 35-34 Tech lead at the half. But Wolters gets 17 in the 2nd half with 3 steals for layups. They don't need him to guard Stelzer as Roncalli couldn't buy a shot in the 2nd half. 78-49 Tech rolls. Alex Hanks with 15. Stelzer finishes with 18. Nate Wolters with 28 points and a half dozen steals. Whatever school ends up with him is going to be very happy as I think they're getting a steal.

All Shootout Teams
1st Team
Jeronne Maymon - Madison Memorial (MVP)
Royce White - Hopkins
Sam Dower - Osseo
Vander Blue - Madison Memorial
Nate Wolters - St. Cloud Tech

2nd Team
Eric Shulstad - Pelican Rapids
Mike Bruesewitz - Sibley
Chad Calcaterra - Cloquet
Rodney Williams Jr - Cooper
Tydan Storrusten - Pelican Rapids

The Basketblogger talks Washburn vs Hopkins

I was with the Basketblogger last night for the Washburn vs Hopkins game. Here's an alternate perspective on what happened at the game from his perspective.

An all-star cast was in attendance at tonight's matchup between the #1 AAAA Hopkins Royals and the #1 AAA Washburn Millers. Former Hopkins center Anthony DiLoreto joined the coaching staff on the Hopkins bench. Usual suspects Rene Pulley and John Millea of the Star Tribune preps were present. Hoops stars such as Sam Dower, Jordair Jett, former Royal Aaron Anderson, and Megan Nipe also spent their Friday watching the clash of the titans. It was apparent that Holy Angels, Osseo, St. Bernard's, Centennial, Richfield, Wayzata, Roosevelt, and DeLaSalle all had representatives. A Hopkins boys basketball game ranks somewhere up there with the Minnesota State Fair and a Twins World Series. An official who resembles Al Sharpton and is known for phantom calls led the zebras.

For the Basketblogger, it was my first time attending a game guarded by a metal detector and a warning sign against pot smoking. It was also my first live event this season. In my 15 years of watching high school hoops, I first witnessed someone botch the national anthem. Maurice Cheeks wasn't there to rescue her, but the instrumental version was available as a backup. Every school ought to have one on hand for situations like these. The P.A. system also malfunctioned after Dylan Hale's introduction, which stifled the crowd's adrenaline. The only pre-game festivity that did not disappoint was the all-beef hot dog.

Even without DiLoreto, Hopkins held the height advantage and won the tipoff. As the Czar predicted, the Royals ran their characteristic backdoor pass to Trent Lockett on the opening possession. The Millers saw this, broke up the pass, but failed to capitalize on the opportunity on its end. They still drew first blood en route to a 6-2 lead. Hopkins' first basket was a Royce White dunk. Dylan Hale, former Central Minuteman and Texas State-bound , responded with a thunderous jam of his own. The crowd was electrified on both ends. Mike Broghammer (Formula 44) stuffed one in to give Hopkins its first lead. Washburn immediately responded with a trifecta to retake the lead, but it was the last lead they enjoyed. Gopher football recruit and Miller center Ra'Shede Hageman dunked the last ball of the half, but racked up his third foul at the 6:18 mark. Tubby Smith and Tim Brewster should have also been in the building for their future Gophers. At the break, the score was 48-39 in favor of Hopkins.

The Millers closed the first half with an 11-5 run and opened the second half with an 8-0 run. It was a 3-point game at one point and Royce White missed four straight free throws in that stretch. Hopkins stretched the lead to 17, but Washburn again closed the gap to single digits with the help of Trent Lockett's first technical foul (for hanging on the rim after the fifth dunk of the game). Hopkins still held on. Washburn coach Reggie Perkins conceded close to the one minute mark, but the drama kept unfolding. Ra'Shede Hageman CAUGHT a Trent Lockett layup as Lockett hit the deck with no call. On the next possession, Al Sharpton T'd up Lockett for who knows what, and he was ejected by virtue of his second technical and fifth personal foul. David Stead and the MSHSL will take action by suspending Lockett for the next matchup against Bernard's, and I don't expect him to catch the same break as the Williams Wall did. The Royals could probably rest two starters next game and still win by double figures against the Bulldogs. The technical foul free throws and subsequent possession kept the final score close at 91-82 Hopkins. Washburn had MANY looks from beyond the arc but only hit six threes. Despite not having the size against the Royals, they crashed the offensive boards and disrupted the passing lanes. But the foul trouble, turnovers and too many missed dunks and three-point shots cost them the game.

Raymond Cowels III (RC-III), though scoring late in the first half, led all scorers with 22 points. Royce White followed with 21. Trent Lockett had 14 points and three blocks. Broghammer had a solid post game with 11 points and two blocks. DJ Peterson was the fifth Royal to score in double figures with a ten point performance off the bench. Cedric Martin of the Millers got to the line a lot, making eight free throws and leading the Millers with 18 points. Ra'Shede Hageman scored 16 with two blocks and Dylan Hale added 15.

Hopkins will next face Class AA St. Bernard's and Jordair Jett while Washburn meets St. Paul Johnson.

The Czar's thoughts on the game can be found here.

For more thoughts from the Basketblogger, you can read his hoops blog here.

Hopkins at Washburn thoughts

Trent Lockett

A fun full house tonight at Washburn. Not as many people for the sophomore (or JV if you wish but this was battle of mostly sophs) game as you might have thought. They missed a heck of a sophomore game and the Washburn crowd especially got into it like it was David vs Goliath. A sign of the night had Washburn taking a bad shot that resulted in a Hopkins 3 and then knocking down a prayer for 2 at the halftime buzzer to take a 32-29 lead. The Washburn JVs extended it to 37-29 before Hopkins went on an 18-0 run for a 10 point lead but Washburn came all the way back to win a really entertaining sophomore game 64-57. Of note, Siyani Chambers started but only played the 1st half so he could be available for varsity.

Why should you care? You can name a star in every grade for the Royals. Seniors, there are bunch (Royce obviously). DJ Peterson as a junior. Marvin Singleton as a sophomore and Siyani Chambers as a freshman. Add Riley Carpenter to that list in 8th grade. 6'4", long and athletic, good looking shot. Remember the name, in the Hopkins system, he should become a really good player that you'll hear about again.

Some points that I noted during the game.

• Strange to see 2 techs on Trent Lockett. After the 1st about midway thru the 2nd half, he sat and I thought he'd stay out but he came back in with about 2 minutes left and picked up the 2nd one with 16 seconds left in the game.
• The play that finished with the 1st technical was terrific. Lockett taps a pass away, chases it down jumps in the air going out of bounds and finds Marcus Williams. Williams gets right back to Lockett who finished with a dunk. Don't know if Lockett called for hanging on the rim or saying something but T seemed questionable.
  
• Interesting that Hopkins only played 7 guys. You could tell Coach Novak thought this was a big game as soph Joe Coleman and frosh Chambers didn't see any meaningful minutes (1 minute for Coleman to end the 1st half with Peterson in foul trouble). Chambers 1 minute at the end of the game after outcome was clear. DJ Peterson got the backup point guard duties for the brief rest that Williams got in the 1st half.
  
• I'd be interested to see what Washburn shot from behind the arc as they were ice cold. If Noah Sheppard would have been hot, it could have gotten interesting. But Washburn settled for too many 3s. With talent of their guards, I would have liked to see them attack the basket far more than they did.
  
• Bad 1st half rebounding for Hopkins as Washburn really outhustled them for way too many offensive rebounds.
• Interesting that with Royce and Broghammer in the game, they play lots of 3 out-2 in offense. Otherwise they're playing 4 out-1 in on offense.
• Last year Hopkins early in the year tried to trap at half court after free throws then they got away from it as they didn't do it well. Once again this year they're trying some of that.
• Neat sequence late in the game. Washburn with a small lineup in the game (No Hageman). Noah Sheppard fronting Mike Broghammer. Royce White with a great job flashing to the high post and going over the top to Broghammer. But Sheppard blocked the shot attempt.
• Fun to see some of the possessions with Royce guarding Cedric Martin. Interesting choice there by Hopkins.
  
• At least 4 or 5 missed dunks by Hageman and Royce in this game. Won't see that much.
• Love the Washburn uniforms. Black with blue numbers and text and then the trim is alternating orange and blue. Sharp look.

X and O of the Day
Nice simple box set on the Baseline inbounds from Hopkins. Both ball side players cross-screen and then the low screener back-screens for the high screener looking for a backside layup. Nice variation of the screen the screener for a backside inbounds layup concept.

Trent Lockett picture courtesy of MNPhotoNet.net

Scout.com releases end of summer 2009 Top 100

Scout.com has released their end of summer 2009 top 100 (read it here). Here are players that caught my attention.

Minnesota
Royce White (#30, up from #32)
Rodney Williams Jr (#32, up from #57)
Trent Lockett (#94, down from #89)

Wisconsin
Jamil Wilson (#35, down from #16)
Jeronne Maymon (#75, down from #66)
Johnny Lacy (drops out after being #96)

Others who appeared locally
DeMarcus Cousins (#6, unchanged)
DJ Richardson (#66, down from #46)
Darius Smith (dropped out after being #90)
Michael Dixon (dropped out after being #94)

Scout obviously didn't think Rodney Williams performance at the Nike Global Challenge was an issue (unlike Rivals) as they moved him up 25 spots to number 32 (#5 small forward prospect). I'll agree more with Rivals evaluation right now. #5 SF in the nation for a guy who needs to work on his ballhandling and shooting seems rather high right now. Granted, with his athleticism, Scout could easily turn out to be right down the road. Its bad for Rodney's development for the next level that he plays center for Cooper during the high school season as that doesn't allow him to work on or showcase his perimeter skills. Great for Cooper though as their starting 5 will be close to Hopkins for most athletic in the state. Tough spot for a coach when you have a star like that who is better for the team at a different position than he'll play at the next level.

Rivals releases end of summer top 150

Rivals.com released their end of the summer recruiting period updates today. Read the entire rankings here. Here are the changes to Minnesota players (and others of note) from the last period (July 1, 2008).

Minnesota Players

• Royce White #19, Minnesota (down from #18)
• Trent Lockett #73, Arizona State (down from #53)
  
• Rodney Williams Jr #95 (down from #28)
• Sam Dower #119 (up from #130)
• Mike Bruesewitz #124, Wisconsin (up from #125)

Wisconsin Players

• Jeronne Maymon #46, Marquette (down from #42)
• Jamil Wilson #93 (down from #60)
• Johnny Lacy #110, Prep School (down from #97)
  

Other players who appeared locally this year

• DeMarcus Cousins #2, UAB
  
• DJ Richardson #57, Illinois (up from #74)
• Naji Hibbert #88, Texas A&M (up from #142)
• Darius Smith #113 (down from #80)
• Joseph Bertrand #116, Illinois (down from #81)
• Diamond Taylor #118, Wisconsin (down from #86)
• Michael Dixon #130, Missouri (down from #100)

U of M targets Eric Bledsoe and Matt Vogrich come in at #67 and #131 respectively.

The drop of Rodney Williams is totally shocking (read why here). Sam Dower was the only Wisconsin or Minnesota player to make a noteworthy move upward.

Twin Cities Summer Classic Semifinals

Much to my dismay, I have this annoying thing called a day job that prevents me from doing useful things such as covering the quarterfinals or the championship games. But that doesn't mean I can't get to the 3 evening sessions of semifinal action. Overall this weekend it's been fun seeing college coaches but also good to see high school coaches out following their kids. Tom Dasovich, Greg Miller, Mark Klingsporn and Tim Theisen were ones that I saw.

15U Semifinals

• The MN Heat Elite had only 6 guys available for their quarterfinal game vs MN Heat Black thanks to the Concordia team camp, but they did manage to advance to face the Madison Spartans. Alex Richter back for the Heat and he was a force inside early. 13 first half points for him. He's got a great motor and is very aggressive. The Heat went Box and 1 on Miles Chamberlain to start the game which I found amusing as I love junk defenses. The teams trade 1st half runs to stay even and its 43-43 Spartans with 7 minutes left before Jaron Schaffner gets 7 straight Spartans points which the Heat never recover from. The final straw was Richter getting stripped by Chamberlain in a scramble that led to a Spartans layup that gave the Spartans a 54-50 edge with a minute to play. Big 4 point swing there. A couple of Heat misses later its over with the Madison Spartans moving on 56-53. Alex Richter with 18 points for the Heat, but a quiet 2nd half.
  
  
• 43 Hoops Carr taking on East Metro Elite (St. Paul Johnson Freshman) in the other semifinal. Close 1st half with 43 Hoops looking to break it open early with a 9-0 run, but East Metro counters that with a 10-0 run of their own. 32-31 43 Hoops at the break. They extend the lead out to 10 and Freddie Young gets a couple buckets in the 2nd half to keep it there. 43 Hoops Carr moves on 66-55. Jordan Smith shows great poise for a freshman point guard. Not to mention he's a solid shooter. Thomas Shalk looks like he'll be a good inside presence with the good guards (Varmah Sonie, Mitch Bires, maybe DJ Peterson too) at Apple Valley this season.

16U Semifinals

• 43 Hoops Harris vs 43 Hoops Gameli. Brett Irvin playing well for Gameli with a couple inside buckets and a couple of 3s. This game goes back and forth with no team getting out to a huge lead. With 6 minutes left, 43 Hoops Harris goes to a 1-2-2 zone down 38-36. Max Rosenbloom puts back 2 offensive rebounds to give 43-Harris the lead. Tim Lubke puts in the big bucket as he knocks down a clutch tiebreaking 3 with 1:40 left for a 43-40 lead for Harris. Leonard Glass gets a bucket and 1 while 43-Gameli is trying to foul for a 46-41 43-Harris lead with 33 seconds left. 43-Gameli gets a triple to cut it to 2 with 18 seconds left but they only have 2 team fouls. It takes them until 3.7 left to get to the bonus. Tony Gerding knocks down the final 2 to seal a 48-44 win for 43 Hoops Harris.
  
  
• In the game of the night, Mpls Redhawks vs MN Comets Elite. The Redhawks use a 12-3 run to get out to a 25-15 lead but the Comets don't go away. The Comets claw back in the 2nd half and get an offensive rebound and putback to finally tie it at 53 with 1:20 to play. The Redhawks hold for the last shot and don't get it. Taylor Filipek has a chance at the horn, but no good and we've got OT.
  
  In the OT, Taylor Hanson gets a layin with 1:20 left to give the Redhawks a 57-56 lead. Zach Noreen puts back a rebound for a 58-57 Comets lead with 20 seconds left. Parker Hines gets fouled with 8.7 left and buries both FTs for a 59-58 Redhawks lead. The Comets come back out of a timeout and push the ball upcourt, with a right wing drive to the bucket, the ball gets kicked cross-court to Scott Willenbring who knocks down the triple at the horn to send the Comets onto the title game with a 61-59 win.

17U Semifinals

• 43 Hoops Chatman vs Big Game Sports. Of note, Jamie Donnelly did not play for Team Missouri in the quarterfinal game vs BGS as he was out with the flu. Mike Bruesewitz gets a dunk off the opening tap and shortly after Chris Halvorsen gets 2 dunks during a 13-0 run that gets 43 Hoops out to a 21-6 lead. They coast from there to a 66-44 win.
  
• Net Gain Sports vs Illinois Warriors. Trent Lockett gets the last 9 of the 1st half for Net Gain as they lead 35-26 at the break. A dry spell for both teams in the 2nd half as Net Gain went scoreless for 4 minutes. The Warriors also go scoreless during that time and its 51-36 with 6:30 to play. But the Warriors turn up the defense and get as close as 57-53 with 1:30 left. But Sam Dower gets a bucket and Trent Lockett puts back his own missed bonus front end. Net Gain wins 67-55. Trent Lockett terrific in this game with 17 points. Sam Dower also played well with 16 points. Andy Burns went the whole way without a break and while he did crack a little at the end with a couple of costly turnovers, definitely a solid performance from him. Diamond Taylor for the Wolves was a major disappointment. I counted 6 times where he went to the basket and got blocked (often by Dower). For a player of his skill that surprised me.
  

Scout.com releases updated 2009 Top 100 for July 2008

Scout.com has made another tweak to their 2009 top 100 (101 actually) before the July recruiting period (read it here). Here are players that caught my attention.

Minnesota
Royce White (#32, up from #38)
Rodney Williams Jr (#57, down from #45)
Trent Lockett (#89, previously unranked)

Wisconsin
Jamil Wilson (#16, no change)
Jeronne Maymon (#66, down from #58)
Johnny Lacy (#96, down from #62)

Others who appeared locally
DeMarcus Cousins (#6, up from #7)
DJ Richardson (#46, up from #60)
Darius Smith (#90)
Michael Dixon (#94, down from #66)

Rivals releases updates to 2009 rankings

Rivals.com has made another tweak to their 2009 top 150 before the July recruiting period (read it here). Here are players that caught my attention.

Minnesota
Royce White (#18, no change)
Rodney Williams Jr (#28, no change)
Trent Lockett (#53, big jump from #98)
Mike Bruesewitz (#125, up from #144)
Sam Dower (#130, up from #130)

Wisconsin
Jeronne Maymon (#42, moves up from #60)
Jamil Wilson (#60, drops from #58)
Johnny Lacy (#97, up from #99)

Others who appeared locally or will be playing at the Twin Cities Summer Classic
DJ Richardson (#74)
Darius Smith (#80)
Joseph Bertrand (#81)
Diamond Taylor (#86)
Michael Dixon (#100)
Nik Garcia (#109)
Jack Cooley (#147)

MN and WI stars move up in new Rivals 150

Rivals.com released their new top 150 today. I wrote previously that Royce White dropped out of the Scout.com top 100, but not the case with Rivals. Royce White moves up to #18, Rodney Williams to #28, Trent Lockett stays at #98, Sam Dower moves in at #139, Mike Bruesewitz in at #144. Some Wisconsin names of note. Jeronne Maymon continues to move up with a big spring as he comes in at #60 only 2 spots behind Jamil Wilson. Johnny Lacy is the other Wisconsin player in the list at #99. Players from last weekend Sabes Invititational are included as follows. DJ Richardson who played for the champion Illinois Warriors last weekend came in at #57 and teammate Darius Smith is #62. Michael Dixon of KC Pump N Run is #75.

The only Scout.com ranked player in MN is Rodney Williams Jr at #87. Wilson (#9), Maymon(#72) and Lacy (#91) are the Wisconsin ranked players. Richardson and Smith are unranked. Dixon came in at #47.

Royce White falls out of Scout.com rankings

Scout.com came out with their updated top 100 for 2009. Some notables from outstate kids I saw this year. Jeronne Maymon of Madison Memorial (had a big game vs DLS in January before a monster rebounding performance in the TWolves shootout) is #72, Naji Hibbert of DeMatha (played vs Hopkins in the TWolves shootout) is #100. Wisconsin's top prospect Jamil Wilson is #9. DeMarcus Cousins of Mobile Le Flore committed to UAB on 2/29/08 and is #5. He played vs Princeton in the TWolves shootout.

Rodney Williams is #87 and Royce White falls out of the list.

Rivals.com hasn't updated their list since November, but for comparison sake here's what they have.

Cousins #5
Wilson #32
White #33
Williams #43
Hibbert #54
Trent Lockett #97
Maymon unranked (but don't be surprised if moves into the next round of rankings since he was huge in the Wisconsin state tournament)

TWolves Shootout Review

From my vantage point at the shootout here's what caught my eye.

Game 1 Central vs Long Beach Poly (Girls): Poly is loaded, Jasmine Dixon is nice player but forced too many shots. April Cook was big on defense and Monique Oliver is a dominating post player. Losing Theairra Taylor to foul trouble in the first half was a big loss for Central. But once it was shown the Kyana Johnson wasn't going to be able to handle Poly's pressure, Willie Taylor needed to make the adjustment to Kiana Buford much sooner than he did. 66-51 Poly wins and it wasn't that close.

Game 2 Princeton vs Mobile, AL LeFlore. Wow, did I get this one wrong. This turned out to be the best game of the day. Nick Williams was about the only player who showed up for LeFlore as Demarcus Cousins looked really disinterested. But all credit goes to Princeton who played a terrific game. Berggren had his hands full with Cousins and more than held his own. Nice job with a box and 1 on Cousins late to get back in it, but I would have gone diamond and 1 with Berggren in the back so that Cousins wouldn't have gotten the 2 big offensive rebounds late. Cousins was really frustrated by it which I also saw last week against Vincent, front him and he gets mad. He'll need to work on that as that's not a good sign. Nice show of a triangle and 2 for 1 possession too, I thought they'd try it more at that point. Princeton gets to within 4 but then a 20-4 run by LeFlore late puts it away. Nice adjustment by coach Hughley to get Nick Williams at the high post where he hit 2 critical jumpers during the run to seal the game. The problem is that this was there all day and he didn't come back to it until that late. It'd be really funny if Princeton actually ran the Princeton offense since they have the mascot and colors to match.

Game 3: Cass Lake-Bena vs Memphis, TN White Station. Joe Jackson was well worth it with his 29 pts. Quick, athletic, big hops, a true stud. CLB got nothing out of their defense. White Station ended up with a balanced attack. CLB was just outclassed in this game 99-68.

Game 4: Hopkins vs Dematha. Raymond Cowles was flammable early (26 total) and Trent Lockett played well with 16. Dematha had some success with their 2-3 trap and it took Hopkins a while to move their back line post player to the high post to break it. Hopkins showed on Thursday vs Kennedy that they like to keep both posts low against zone so it made some sense that Novak took time to adjust. Naji Hibbert showed he's a player for Dematha with his 29 pts. Josh Selby took tough shots but his 20 pts were also worth watching. The big story here though is that Hopkins was up 12 late and tried everything possible to give the game away. Very surprising from a Ken Novak team to see quick, bad shots in those situations. With the score only being 4 pts and a minute left, Broghammer tips a missed FT to Lockett who gets a 3 pt play out of it and that finally sealed the deal for the 73-66 Hopkins win.

Game 5: Minnetonka vs Campbell Hall. Close 1st half though a late Campbell Hall run took a 2 pt game to 7 at halftime. Only 7 pts at the 13:42 TV timeout and then Jrue Holiday put on a show. He finishes with 30 and totally dominated the run in the 2nd half. Hedstrom tried Udo and McBounds on him amongst others and it didn't matter. For those who think Kyle Risinger would have made a difference, forget it as Holiday was just that good. One of the best performances in the history of the shootout. CJ Erickson was impressive for the Skippers. He surprises you with his athleticism, especially in the area of blocking shots. One area that Tonka could have gone to more I thought was Sedrick McBounds on the post against James Johnson. Couple of strange things from this game. A 10 second FT violation which I've never seen before and a cheerleader in full uniform with a full neck brace. Fortunately she wasn't doing any of the routines. Yes girls, cheerleading can be dangerous. Dallas Rutherford (1st 10 pts for the Vikings) and Keegan Hornbuckle also played very well for the Vikings with 23 and 14 pts respectively.

Game 6: Benilde St. Margaret's vs Madison Memorial. Some awards to give out. 1) Most creative student section goes to BSM. 2) Most anemic offense from a team that has enough talent to score goes to Memorial. 3) Biggest disappointment of the shootout, Memorial

Memorial's offense was unbelievably awful. Devonte Maymon took bad shot after bad shot and didn't make them and still kept taking them. Shot them right out of the game. Vander Blue was impressive with 23 and will develop nicely in that program. Jeronne Maymon's stats were deceptive, yes he had 20 rbs and 19 pts, but most of those 19 were on the offensive glass in the 2nd half. He's really bulked up since they played here 2 years ago vs Jefferson and will be a nice player for someone down the road. His problem is that he plays post for them and he'll be a wing at the next level. In the 1st half he was awful missing bunny after bunny. All around this was an awful performance by Memorial. Strange that they tried an inverted triangle and 2 on Battle and Taylor to start both halves. I got it totally wrong on the sophomore guards, they didn't guard Taylor. Matt Thomas and Spencer Bata put an end to the junk D with 7 3s between them. This should have been a great matchup for Memorial (no Stu Neville, ankle injury) with 4 guards vs 4 guards and Maymon vs Battle so I thought they could have been successful with straight man. Fun highlight of the night comes in the last 20 seconds when you had mask vs mask. 2 broken nose masks for Matt Laubmeier (Memorial) and Max Carlson (BSM). Laubmeier takes the ball and scores against Carlson with 10 seconds left but Carlson comes back and gets 2 just before the horn. Mask vs Mask is a draw. BSM rolls 71-56, Taylor and Battle both with 15, but Taylor didn't control the halfcourt game which didn't surprise me.

My All-Shootout Team
Jrue Holiday - Campbell Hall (MVP)
Joe Jackson - White Station
Nick Williams - LeFlore
Dallas Rutherford - Campbell Hall
Jared Berggren - Princeton