Twin Cities Boys Hoops

Ponies go on an overtime ride

The Governor (nice hat!)

Prologue
Its a week of many back to backs. 1st Osseo and Park Center, now Johnson in back to back games and Maranatha twice yet to come this week. Stillwater making their annual trip into the east side to take on the Govs. Another quality Walking Taco on the menu with 20 ounces of beverage. Quiet crowd on hand to see UFC Commish Dana White work as one of the officials tonight.

Game Time
Andrew Duxbury 5 early points but Johnson up 10-9 at the 11:15 mark. Then 6 in row from the Ponies countered by 6 out of 7 from Johnson. 16 all at the 7:50 mark. Duxbury with 5 in a row late in the half. A 3 point play out of a scrum and 2 more free throws. 29-24 Stillwater leading at the half.

Stillwater's offense disappears in the 2nd half and Johnson takes advantage. A steal for 2 and an offensive rebound for 2 free throws. Jalen Mobley scoring from Quashingm Smith-Pugh. 32 all with 11:45 left. Stillwater in the bonus but misses a front end and Peirre Conwell scores inside to give Johnson the lead. Stillwater timeout with 9:21 left and now trailing 34-32. Then a behind the back dribble in traffic leads to a Johnson steal and chance at a 3 point play with the crowd in it. Joe Quinn with a swat at one end leads to a Matt Anderson bucket to tie the game at 36 with 8:10 left. A nice cut by Chad Schlosser gives him a chance at a 3 point play with 5:35 left. The free throw is not good. 42-40 Stillwater leading despite that only being their 3rd field goal of the half. Mobley with a triple and a pair of free throws. Then Smith-Pugh with an offensive board for a free throw. Then 2 chances at a miss for Smith-Pugh and he converts that with 2:45 left. 48-44 Johnson. Stillwater continuing to get their offense at the charity stripe. Duxbury with a pair of free throws and a kick to Sam Lagus for a 3 with 2:05 left. That puts Stillwater back up 49-48. After a Johnson free throw to tie it, Stillwater goes to the delay game. Smith-Pugh strips Duxbury and goes the other way for a layup with 40 seconds left. Stillwater gets a timeout with 18.7 left. Out of that, its Duxbury on the bounce and he's tripped. He makes both with 13.2 left. Smith-Pugh misses a long contested 3 at the buzzer. We'll play free basketball tied at 51.

Lagus opens the scoring in the overtime getting the kind shooters bounce on a 3. Smith-Pugh on the post for the reverse layup before he fouls out with 2:26 left in the OT. 56-53 Stillwater after Quinn makes 1 of the 2 free throws. Johnson misses 2 free throws, but gets a turnover for a 3 point play and we're all tied at 56 with 2:01 to play. Stillwater turns it over again versus the press and its another Johnson bucket. Schlosser off a long pass against the press for a layup with 1:25 left. 58 all and now Johnson will hold the ball. Conwell puts back a miss with 35 seconds left. 60-58 Johnson. Out of timeout its Duxbury coming off the double low screen and getting the handoff. He'll drive and kick to Aaron Romportl in the right corner. His 3 is pure with 20 seconds left. Johnson will come back with no timeout. Mobley with a late drive and Quinn swats that away for his 10th block of the night. Johnson takes a timeout with 2.4 seconds left to set up the final baseline out of bounds. Its a simple box set and diagonal screen for Mobley. He gets an open catch at 12 feet but turns down the great look. A dribble or 2 and its a contested look inside that had no chance. 61-60 Stillwater wins.

Post Game
Johnson falls to 10-7 with the loss. Jalen Mobley leads the Govs with 16 points. Quashingm Smith-Pugh adds 14. Peirre Conwell adds 11. I was surprised Johnson didn't do more full court pressure but that was the case on Monday vs Highland Park as well. The big home rematch with Central is next Thursday.

Stillwater improves to 13-5 with the win. Andrew Duxbury 21 points and a pair of critical late game situation assists for 3s (1 with 2 left in regulation and the final bucket in OT). Forward Joe Quinn with 10 blocks to keep the Govs away from the rim inside. The Ponies survive only scoring 4 field goals in the 2nd half. Free throw differential big in this one. Johnson 10-18. Stillwater doubles that at 21-30. At least 40 fouls in the game. They host Woodbury on Friday. Big game for Woodbury who's trying to stay 1 game behind Roseville. Stillwater pounded the Royals 88-71 in the 1st meeting.

Orioles get their revenge

Prologue
Its a rematch of one of the big games of the season as #1 Park Center goes on the road to #4 Osseo. Osseo needing a win to force a tie on top of NW Suburban and Section 5AAAA standings. 20 oz of Sprite and the always quality Osseo pizza on the schedule. The adult section eventually fills in but a disappointing crowd on the student side. The Mr. Basketball committee out in full force to see this one.

Game Time
Osseo with an early 9-1 run thanks to a tough bucket from Wheeler Baker and an assist from Bridge Tusler to Ian Theisen. Tusler ends the run with a steal for 2. The Big 3 give Osseo a 11-5 lead at the 12:55 mark. Quinton Hooker left all alone on a screen and roll and he promptly buries the 3 at the 6:20 mark. 18-17 Osseo hanging on to the lead. Treyton Daniels with a left wing drive and strong 2 handed flush finish as Park Center stays within 25-21. 8 of the last 11 to Osseo mostly with Theisen on the bench with 2 fouls. 33-24 Osseo at the half. Bridge Tusler with 11 points, Quinton Hooker with 9 to lead their teams.

Ian Theisen with his 2nd bucket of the half at the 14:49 mark for a 40-30 lead. Then Hooker steps up with an assist for a Treyton Daniels reverse layup. Hooker then with his own layup. Hooker steals a post entry pass, goes behind his back and to the other end for a 3 point play. Big spurt for the Pirates and Osseo needs a timeout. 40-37 Orioles leading with 12:34 remaining. Then a tough offensive foul call against Wheeler Baker sends him to the bench with 4 fouls at the 12:18 mark. Tusler keeps the Osseo offense going with 4 free throws and another assist to Theisen inside. Daniels driving for 2 for the Pirates and then flying in on the offensive glass for a putback with 8:15 left. 46-44 Osseo clinging to the lead.

Tusler making both ends of the bonus. Then he misses a drive and Theisen cleans it up for a 3 point play. Tusler snares a rebound and the full court pass to Matt Miedtke for a layup with 6:30 remaining. Theisen inside and fouled for 2 free throws. 56-47 Orioles as they try to pull away. Now Park Center needs a timeout with 5:58 left. Soph Arione Farrar with a 3 and then takes advantage of having a bigger slower defender on him. That drive with 2:35 left cuts the Osseo lead to 58-55. Tusler with 3 of 4 free throws. Then Hooker misses a contested 3 with 1:45. Tusler then with a inbounds layup with 1:25 for a 7 point lead. Osseo goes on to win 66-56.

Post Game
Park Center gets 19 points from Treyton Daniels to lead them in scoring. Quinton Hooker held to 15 points and except for the 1 spurt early in the 2nd half, was largely a non-factor. Not having Devin Buckley on the court took a major threat off the floor and he was huge in the 1st meeting. But their defensive pressure on the Osseo ballhandlers was very effective. Expect to see teams go to more of that against the Orioles. Park Center now 17-2 and tied with Osseo at 13-1 in the Northwest Suburban. Park Center finishes the week a Friday home tilt against Coon Rapids.

Osseo has an identical record. Bridge Tusler was outplayed thoroughly by Hooker in the 1st meeting and returned the favor tonight. 22 points to lead all scorers with a handful of rebounds and some great outlet passes. More importantly he hounded Hooker all over the court and did a great defensive job denying the ball and keeping Hooker in check. Ian Theisen stepped up with an effective first half and big 2nd half. He finishes with 21 points and 13 rebounds on my sheet. That's the kind of game he needs against a team like Park Center. A tough stretch of the schedule continues for Osseo with trips to Champlin Park, Armstrong a home date with Maple Grove and a trip to Wayzata in the next 4 games.

As to the #1 seed in section 5AAAA, I think Park Center is still the strong favorite for it. Not sure when the seeding is done in 5AAAA but the season finale on March 1st at Minnetonka could be the difference maker. The Park Center case is simple. They beat Apple Valley with Tyus, Osseo lost to Apple Valley without Tyus. Even a loss to Minnetonka may not be enough for the Orioles to jump up. If either wins the Northwest Suburban outright, then its a no-brainer.

Govs jump back in City race

Prologue
Its another trip to the goofiest layout of a gym that I see come across in my travels. The top spot in the St. Paul City on the line as Johnson visits Highland Park. Another outstanding walking taco on the menu with another 12 ounces of beverage. A reunion of sorts as DeLaSalle and St. Thomas Academy were looking on at the game.

Game Time
Johnson right out of the gate on a 14-2 run with Pierre Conwell going for 6 in a row. Highland Park without a field goal until 6 minutes into the game. Johnson bigger and stronger at basically every position against a very small Scots lineup. Highland Park would come back with 7 in a row to cut the lead to 5 at the 10:50 mark. Johnson gradually expands that as the half goes on and leads 42-26 at the half.

Another Scots 3 cuts the lead to down to 13 with 14:15 to play. Its all Governors from there. A 3 point play and 3 in a row from Quashingm Smith-Pugh and the lead is back to 17. Then a Dion Bradley bucket for Highland Park countered by 8 in a row (4 from Conwell) from Johnson. 65-42 Johnson pulling away with 10:20 to play. A Smith-Pugh 3 point play pushes the lead to 27 with 7 minutes left. Bradley scores 18 points the rest of the way to keep it halfways respectable but no danger to the Govs. Johnson never trails as they roll 86-67.

Post Game
Highland Park had won 5 of 6 coming into the game. That was after losing 5 of 6 which was after winning 5 of 6. Got all that? They fall to 11-7 overall and 5-1 in the St. Paul City. Dion Bradley gets his as he finishes with 35. Half of those after Johnson pushed the lead to 27 though. Sloppy play and not physically able to handle the Govs. After seeing Mike Koenig play so well against Columbia Heights previously, he only got a few minutes in the 1st half tonight off the bench. Always fun to see a small team play 2-3 zone. The Scots end the week with Como Park on Friday and a trip to River Falls, WI on Saturday.

Johnson gets 28 points from Pierre Conwell and most of them easy ones inside. Quashingm Smith-Push adds 18 and Jalen Mobley chips in 12. Defense getting it done again for Johnson but in the halfcourt as opposed to full court. Johnson has now won 9 out of 12 so they're starting to put it together. 10-6 overall and also 5-1 in the St. Paul City. That's tied with Highland Park and 1 win ahead of Central for the league lead. The Govs have Highland Park and Central at home in the 2nd rotation of league play so you still have to consider them the favorite. I'll see them in a tough non-conference game on Wednesday when they host Stillwater.

2013 Border Battle Review

Labels: Reid Travis, Tyus Jones

A great day of pizza , Pepsi and blowouts if you're a Minnesota supporter at the 2013 Border Battle. Prior Lake (the finest resort town in the Kingdom) was a quality host for the event. The 2 slices of pizza always quality and an event like this runs up the beverage tally with 48 more ounces. Good early crowds on hand and a smaller than expected crowd for the big finale. Tubby Smith making an appearance for most of the day. My thoughts on the 7-0 sweep.

Gane 1: Mahtomedi vs Eau Claire Regis
Good to finally see Mahtomedi this season after I underestimated them in my season preview. After a losing by 13 at Tartan on Friday night in a big Classic Suburban game, you know the Zephyrs had to be anxious to get that taste out of their mouth. Turnovers would ultimately be the downfall of a young Ramblers team. They would hang within 6 at half and about 10 until 10 minutes left. 7 in a row from Nuni Omot and Mahtomedi blows open a 14 point game from there. 77-49 Mahtomedi wins. Omot with 26 on my sheet in a very productive performance for the lanky forward. Zach Lindquist another double double of 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Game 2: Eden Prairie vs Manitowoc Roncalli
Without Jack Cottrell, Grant Shaeffer and Zach Hovey, the Eagles were shorthanded enough to give a sophomore and freshman time. The story here was Eden Prairie's physical play and switching all of the screens in the great Roncalli offense. That bothered the Jets and when they did have looks, they didn't make shots. An 11-2 run in the 2nd half with 3 triples (2 triples and a bucket from Nate Lassila) would get the Jets as close as 44-39 with 8 minutes left but they would only score 5 more points. Eden Prairie wins 59-44. Lassila finishes with 23 and 4 triples. Roncalli with 9 3s and 8 2s. Andre Wallace with a quick spurt to start the 2nd half and a pair of 3 point plays late to extend the margin. He leads Eden Prairie with 18.

Game 3: Hopkins vs DePere
Hopkins would open a 14 point lead in the 1st half against the Redbirds before a 48-39 lead at half. Kamali Chambers with 8 early 2nd half points to push that lead out to 20, 69-49 with 11 minutes left. A 10-0 from DePere would cut that lead in half as soph scorer Brevin Pritzl had 6 of those. The lead would stay at 10 when Pritzl saw a 3 go in an out. He would score again to cut the lead to 8 with 3 minutes left but Hopkins would hang on from there for a 85-70 win. Pritzl leads all scorers with 27, 4 triples but I'd like to see him focus on better shot selection. Hopkins gets 6 in double figures led by Jamal Davis and his 18 points. The Hopkins pressure defense just too much for DePere as it really kept the Redbirds out of getting good looks in the halfcourt.

Game 4: DeLaSalle vs Appleton West
This one was all DeLaSalle from the start. Reid Travis with a bucket in a 2 on 1 and then a post spin for a bucket and foul. Jarvis Johnson with a 2 handed throw down and Travis facing up inside and knocking it down. 26-9 Islanders late in the 1st half. West does get 7 in a row before DeLaSalle opens the lead back up to 34-20 at half. Troy Mielke with with 4 points and a lob layup for E Illinois signee Jake Verhagen. West within 46-37 with 8 minutes left. Then Travis 2 chances at a putback and scores. Another bucket on the break. James Lawson for 2 on a turnover. Jarvis Johnson takes another turnover for 2 more and the lead is back to 17. Mielke with 2 buckets to keep it at 54-41 at 5:15. Islanders outscore the Terrors 11-2 the rest of the way as Luke Scott hits a 3, Travis with bonus free throws and an emphatic dunk on a 3 on 0 break. DeLaSalle wins 65-43. Reid Travis 26 points for DeLaSalle.

Game 5: Osseo vs Hudson
Osseo just too talented here. 15 all game inside of 8 minutes left in the 1st half after an Alex Herink 3 for Hudson. Then Osseo closes the half on a 19-5 run for a 34-20 halftime lead. A Herink bucket and a Hudson 3 would cut the lead to 46-33 with 11 minute left but the Raiders would get no closer. Osseo rolls from there to a 76-45 win. Bridge Tusler 22 points 5 assists and 6 steals on my sheet as he was all over the place making plays. Ian Theisen 12 of his 14 in the 2nd half as he got some great post looks. Alex Herink 16 points to lead Hudson.

Game 6: Prior Lake vs Rice Lake
No Carson Shanks for Prior Lake in this one due to an injury. Prior Lake up 18-17 at the 7 minute mark before Henry Ellenson gets it going. He scores 8 points in a 14-4 run. That leads Rice Lake to a 31-24 halftime lead. Jon Sobaski with a nice sequence to start the 2nd half for Prior Lake. He swats away a layup after a Lakers turnover, finds Nick Hart for a layup, screen and roll for 3, pass to Jeff Probert for a big throwdown and an inbounds triple at the 13:45 mark. Prior Lake right back in it as that ties the game at 34. Ellenson keeping his offensive up in the 2nd half as well. A 3, post for 2, a lob inbounds for a free throw and a putback. 49-45 Rice Lake with 7:43 left. But the Warriors wouldn't score again for almost 6 minutes. Jason Faul with a 3 point play for the lead and Taylor Heidecker with a back breaking 3 in a 17-0 run for Prior Lake. Prior Lake goes on to win 66-53. Henry Ellenson 27 points and 18 boards on my sheet. Jon Sobaski 21 points and he came up big in the 2nd half after struggling to end the 1st half.

Game 7: Apple Valley vs Madison Memorial
Madison Memorial came in after a tough Big 8 loss to Sun Prairie the night before so you had to wonder where they'd be mentally. Somehow I don't think it would have mattered. Tyus Jones absolutely ridiculous in this one. Tied at 9 just over 4 minutes in. Tyus with a long 2 and a steal for 2. Then an assist to Robert Tobroxen for 3. Harry Sonie for 3 and a 2nd pass for a Brock Bertram layup. 21-12 Eagles at the 10:50 mark. Memorial is within 27-21 before a 17-2 Eagles run. Tyus with a steal for a 3 point play and a coast to coast bucket in that run. That gives Apple Valley a 47-28 halftime lead. 7 assists in the half for Tyus along with a team leading 11 points.

Reggie Roemer would lead Memorial back as he had his way getting to the rim on 4 straight possessions. That would allow Memorial to cut a 22 point lead down to 58-48 just inside 8 minutes to play. But Tyus would have none of that. He knocks down a 3 then pulls up in transition for 3 more. He then takes a turnover for a bucket and drives for a 3 point play. Its an 11-1 Tyus run over 2:26 for a 69-49 lead. Apple Valley goes on to win 81-60. Tyus Jones 26 points and 9 assists to go with at least 4 steals. Brock Bertram 16 points inside for the Eagles. Reggie Roemer 17 for Memorial. Interesting strategy from Memorial as they started the game man to man on Sonie, Fronk, and Jones with a top/bottom zone from the other 2 defenders. A couple easy layups out of that and with Memorial quickly falling behind, there wasn't much of a chance for coach Steve Collins to go into the bag of tricks.

All Border Battle Team
Tyus Jones - Apple Valley (MVP)
Jon Sobaski - Prior Lake
Bridge Tusler - Osseo
Henry Ellenson - Rice Lake
Reid Travis - De La Salle

Hornet stars sting the Skippers

Prologue
Off to Minnetonka for a Lake Conference showdown between the Skippers and Edina. A late arrival for the varsity game only means no concessions. A very disappointing crowd on hand. The Mr. Basketball committee on hand taking it in. Gustavus also watching.

Game Time
The early story is Minnetonka's 3 point shooting. Their 1st field goals are from deep. Andrew Grosz with the 1st 3, then Luke Petterson off an nice inbounds set for the 4 point play. Then Mike Fernando off the bounce and he throws down on Reggie Lynch for an emphatic 3 point play. 21-12 Skippers at the 8:10 mark. Edina Graham Woodward getting his offense only in transition in the early going but then he gets it going. An assist for a Reggie Lynch 3 point play, a steal for 2, 2 free throws, a circus 2 and 4 more for 10 in a row. That ties the game at 25 at the 4:40 mark. Woodward pulls for 3 countered by a Petterson 3. Lynch with a putback dunk and a flare screen for a Woodward 3. 37-32 Edina at the half. Woodward with 23 of those.

Malcolm Moore with the 1st 5 for Minnetonka. Woodward upstairs to Lynch for the dunk. 41-37 Edina at the 15:22 mark. Back and forth we go. Woodward with a 3 for a 52-50 Edina lead with 9:15 left. Moore for 3 and Petterson with a steal for 2. 55-52 Minnetonka lead with 8:10 left and the Skippers bench is up as there's a momentum shift feeling. Woodward smacks that down with a bucket on the other end. Bremiah Snyder with a free throw at the 6:05 mark after a possession of THE WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE. 61-58 Minnetonka leading. Then Lynch asserting himself inside with 8 in row for the Hornets, 6 of 6 from the charity stripe. 66-63 Edina with 4:09 left. Skippers within one but a dangerous corner to top pass is picked off by Mark Handberg who draws an intentional foul. The foul is worth 1 of 2 and Woodward makes 2 freebies on the possession. 69-65 Edina leading. Lynch with a free throw and then another lob from Woodward for a dunk. 72-65 with 1:55 left. Edina makes free throws from there for a 81-73 win.

Post Game
Minnetonka gets 5 3s and 17 points from Andrew Grosz. Luke Petterson with 14 off the bench including 3 3s. The Skippers get great balance with 6 players scoring 8 or more points. But down the stretch not having a Riley Dearring as a goto guy was felt. Dearring out with a broken left hand and hopes to return in about a week. I was surprised the Skippers didn't do far more to take the ball out of Woodward's hands. More to the point, no real emphasis on making the other 3 starters beat you. Early on, Woodward was effective in transition but the Skippers did manage to quiet that down. But they gave up 20 free throws to Tyus Jones and now 15-16 to Woodward. Can't give freebies against star guards. Minnetonka falls to 15-3 overall, 1-1 in the Lake Conference. Next week they go to Wayzata and host Hopkins on Friday.

For Edina, the stars both had big games. Graham Woodward with 23 of his 41 in the 1st half. 5 of 6 free throws and a pretty drive and lob assist for a Lynch dunk in the last 2:38 to take a 2 point lead and close it out like a star should. Reggie Lynch quiet in the first half but a big 2nd half where he actually outscored Woodward 21-18. He finishes with 24 points, 11 boards and 4 blocks on my sheet. You could see from the beginning of the game that Minnetonka wanted absolutely no part of him inside and when they did come in, he had 3 1st half blocks. He added a huge block that almost destroyed the Minnetonka student section in the 2nd half. When the 2 stars get 65 points, you only need 16 from the rest of the team. Normally Minnetonka's undersized front line is still effective due to their toughness but they had no answer for Lynch down low in the last 7+ minutes. Edina 1-0 in the league and 12-6 overall. A very good road win in conference after the thrashing at Elk River on Tuesday. The Hornets are at Eden Prairie on Tuesday and at Wayzata on Friday.

Pirates tame Cougars late

Prologue
It a Northwest Suburban showdown as Centennial visits Park Center. A perfect mix for the Walking Taco tonight with the salsa, sour cream, lettuce and cheese. 20 more ounces of beverage on the tally as well. A small crowd on hand. Remember that the Pirates needed a late Quinton Hooker free throw to survive the 1st meeting.

Game Time
Centennial center Quin Peterson with 8 early points. His post bucket is the last field goal in a 7-0 Cougars run. 16-9 Centennial at the 11:03 mark. Park Center right back with a 9-1 run of their own. Quinton Hooker for 3 and then a steal and dunk to cap the run. 18-17 Park Center at the 9:05 mark. 5 in a row for Treyton Daniels as Park Center goes to halftime with a 32-31 lead.

Dan Becken to Pierre Roddy for a 3 point play as Centennial takes a 5 point lead. Roddy adds a layup at the 12:30 mark for a 42-37 Cougars lead. Then a critical sequence. Centennial turns it over and Park Center misses a layup. Centennial comes back and gets a great look from the right corner but the 3 goes off the back iron. Josh Matthews makes a 3 coming back for Park Center. A 6 point swing and Park Center is within 42-40 and a little momentum rather than down 8 with Centennial having all of the momentum. Matthews again on the drive and Hooker knocks down a shot. 44-42 Park Center back on top with 6:20 to play. Becken with a 3 but then he goes ice cold while the rest of the roster is already

Becken gets Hooker in the post and misses 2 chances. He's fouled on the 2nd and misses both free throws. He misses 2 other bunnies and Centennial misses 4 more free throws. So that's 4 bunnies and 6 straight free throws that Centennial can't convert on in the last 6 minutes of a tight game. Hooker converting one of the misses (a blocked shot) into a drive. Then Hooker with another drive to the rack for an easy 2 and an assist to Jake Tanner for 3. That closes a 20-3 Park Center run over 8:15. Park Center does give up 6 late free throws thanks to fouling a couple of 3 point shooters. Treyton Daniels closes it out for the Pirates with 5 of 6 free throws and a dunk. Park Center wins 66-54.

Post Game
This game was there for the taking for Centennial. They make only 2 field goals in the last 12:30. Center Quin Peterson with 11 of his 15 points in the first half, but didn't get many good deep touches in the 2nd half against a small Park Center lineup. Pierre Roddy leads with 19 points, 11 in the 2nd half. Dan Becken 8 points on 3-14 shooting on my sheet. When the top scorer can't get shots to fall, its tough to win. After losing 4 of 5, the Cougars had rebounded with 3 wins in a row before tonight. They fall to 8-10 overall, 5-8 in the NW Suburban. This was the start of a nasty stretch of their schedule. 5 of their next 6 games are Champlin Park, at Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Armstrong and at Osseo. They'll be fighting with Irondale for the 6 seed in 5AAAA unless they go on a big run during that stretch of games.

Park Center improves to 16-1 and 12-0 to stay on top of the NW Suburban. Quinton Hooker visibility frustrated with his off night. But if an off night is 22 points (8-19 FGs) and 6 assists, that's an awfully good bad night. Treyton Daniels with the closing points to finish with 19 on the night. Josh Matthews 10 of his 12 in the 2nd half. Devin Buckley 3 points early, but saw limited minutes in the 1st half and was at the end of the bench for the entire 2nd half. The big rematch at Osseo is on Tuesday. A win for Park Center in that game would likely seal the conference title and the top seed in section 5AAAA.

Jan 30, 2013 CzarPI

Labels: 12-13 CzarPI

Another quiet week on the schedule means its a chance to do the 3rd CzarPI of the 2012-13 season (see CzarPI Explained here). It includes games through January 29th, 2013 The value in () after the CzarPI value is the team's strength of schedule ranking within their class

Class AAAA

Apple Valley - 62.3 (6)
Park Center - 62.16 (10)
Brainerd - 59.14 (56)
Osseo - 58.07 (29)
Hopkins - 58.04 (30)
Minnetonka - 58.03 (38)
Eden Prairie - 57.89 (8)
Roseville - 56.79 (46)
Woodbury - 56.49 (42)
St. Louis Park - 56.38 (45)
Lakeville North - 55.83 (37)
Champlin Park - 55.68 (20)
Edina - 55.06 (1)
Stillwater Area - 54.93 (39)
Prior Lake - 54.08 (21)
East Ridge - 53.87 (54)
Maple Grove - 53.56 (5)
Tartan - 53.5 (61)
Moorhead - 53.36 (17)
Eagan - 53.29 (32)
Robbinsdale Cooper - 53.19 (19)
Duluth East - 53.13 (25)
Buffalo - 52.78 (12)
Wayzata - 52.69 (41)
Elk River - 52.67 (44)
Rochester John Marshall - 52.59 (57)
Robbinsdale Armstrong - 52.37 (27)
Shakopee - 52.29 (15)
Mahtomedi - 52.22 (63)
Eastview - 50.72 (3)
Owatonna - 50 (47)
Chanhassen - 49.16 (13)
Henry Sibley - 48.83 (58)
Farmington - 47.9 (55)
St. Francis - 47.78 (62)
White Bear Lake - 47.56 (31)
Mounds View - 46.59 (48)
Bloomington Jefferson - 46.1 (24)
Bloomington Kennedy - 46 (22)
Irondale - 45.74 (51)
Minneapolis South - 45.71 (60)
St. Michael-Albertville - 44.78 (49)
Centennial - 44.26 (23)
Lakeville South - 44.03 (28)
Rogers - 43.18 (34)
Minneapolis Southwest - 43.04 (59)
Rosemount - 42.86 (16)
Blaine - 41.38 (4)
Forest Lake - 41.29 (35)
Northfield - 40.8 (52)
Cretin-Derham Hall - 40.54 (33)
Rochester Century - 39.64 (40)
St. Cloud Tech - 36.93 (11)
Cambridge-Isanti - 35.97 (53)
Rochester Mayo - 33.24 (26)
Andover - 33.24 (7)
Burnsville - 30.74 (18)
Bemidji - 30.02 (2)
Anoka - 28.21 (14)
Hastings - 23.66 (36)
North St. Paul - 22.93 (43)
Park of Cottage Grove - 22.82 (50)
Coon Rapids - 0 (9)

Class AAA

DeLaSalle - 60.05 (19)
Marshall - 58.55 (21)
Austin - 58.37 (52)
Delano - 56.69 (60)
Hermantown - 56.54 (39)
Waconia - 56.28 (13)
Blake - 55.17 (10)
Little Falls - 55.02 (7)
Holy Angels - 54.61 (16)
Grand Rapids - 54.26 (45)
New Prague - 52.94 (14)
Richfield - 52.54 (47)
Fergus Falls - 52.15 (9)
Mound-Westonka - 50.97 (38)
Thief River Falls - 50.57 (48)
St. Paul Central - 49.74 (22)
Columbia Heights - 49.6 (55)
East Grand Forks - 49.6 (51)
Sartell-St. Stephen - 48.85 (3)
Spring Lake Park - 48.79 (46)
Hill-Murray - 48.45 (35)
St. Cloud Apollo - 48.3 (23)
Big Lake - 48.18 (63)
Mankato West - 48.15 (34)
St. Paul Highland Park - 48.13 (43)
Detroit Lakes - 47.96 (31)
St. Paul Johnson - 47.59 (26)
Willmar - 47.2 (37)
Red Wing - 46.77 (36)
Chaska - 46.63 (18)
Orono - 46.32 (11)
Hutchinson - 46.07 (8)
Holy Family Catholic - 45.54 (1)
Alexandria - 45.29 (12)
Minneapolis Washburn - 45.11 (54)
Albert Lea - 45.02 (61)
Chisago Lakes Area - 44.61 (56)
Rocori - 44.24 (50)
Simley - 44.18 (59)
Totino-Grace - 42.9 (15)
Winona - 42.26 (25)
Cloquet - 42.05 (62)
Minneapolis Henry - 41.82 (33)
Benilde-St. Margaret's - 41.61 (17)
Zimmerman - 41.54 (44)
Fridley - 41.33 (58)
Minneapolis Roosevelt - 41.18 (53)
St. Anthony Village - 39.99 (49)
Waseca - 39.56 (41)
Hibbing - 38.75 (57)
Becker - 38.67 (6)
St. Thomas Academy - 38.57 (2)
St. Paul Como Park - 38.16 (27)
St. Paul Harding - 37.7 (65)
Monticello - 35.93 (29)
Kasson-Mantorville - 34.84 (4)
Mankato East - 33.5 (5)
Faribault - 32.77 (24)
New Ulm - 32.05 (42)
Princeton - 30.89 (40)
North Branch - 30.33 (28)
South St. Paul - 28.22 (64)
Dassel-Cokato - 0 (20)
Sauk Rapids-Rice - 0 (30)
Duluth Denfeld - 0 (32)

Class AA

Melrose - 59.12 (36)
Hawley - 57.84 (64)
St. Cloud Cathedral - 57.53 (27)
Redwood Valley - 57.03 (16)
Perham - 56.66 (14)
Mora - 56.54 (34)
Litchfield - 56.24 (6)
Esko - 55.69 (42)
Fairmont - 55.65 (46)
Braham - 55.58 (88)
Jordan - 55.41 (91)
Byron - 55.07 (116)
Maple River - 55.03 (90)
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta - 54.95 (47)
Annandale - 54.76 (22)
International Falls - 54.5 (71)
St. Peter - 54.49 (94)
Minnehaha Academy - 54.49 (33)
Worthington - 54.19 (4)
Hayfield - 54.14 (67)
Mayer Lutheran - 53.87 (45)
Pelican Rapids - 53.02 (56)
Martin County West - 52.9 (105)
Luverne - 52.64 (66)
Crosby-Ironton - 52.63 (84)
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted - 52.42 (48)
Sauk Centre - 51.87 (18)
Jackson County Central - 51.53 (2)
Providence Academy - 51.34 (73)
Norwood-Young America - 51.29 (82)
Deer River - 51.05 (107)
Sibley East - 50.82 (38)
Lake City - 50.67 (118)
Plainview-Elgin-Millville - 50.61 (100)
Rochester Lourdes - 50.22 (80)
Hinckley-Finlayson - 50.06 (117)
Moose Lake-Willow River - 49.91 (79)
Southland - 49.76 (113)
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle - 49.64 (17)
United South Central - 49.49 (55)
Albany - 49.44 (23)
Caledonia - 49.44 (98)
New London-Spicer - 49.38 (9)
Pierz - 49 (5)
Crookston - 48.88 (43)
Belle Plaine - 48.44 (74)
Rockford - 48.38 (15)
Virginia - 48.02 (39)
Staples-Motley - 48.01 (70)
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown - 47.9 (96)
Breck - 47.46 (92)
Brooklyn Center - 47.43 (37)
Lewiston-Altura - 47.29 (75)
Warroad - 47.22 (49)
Montevideo - 47.18 (106)
Cannon Falls - 46.99 (77)
Zumbrota-Mazeppa - 46.77 (103)
St. Charles - 46.67 (86)
Stewartville - 46.12 (8)
St. Croix Lutheran - 46.05 (30)
Eveleth-Gilbert - 45.77 (111)
New Life Academy - 45.72 (57)
Concordia Academy-Roseville - 45.53 (59)
Foley - 45.17 (44)
St. John's Prep - 45.1 (58)
Glencoe-Silver Lake - 45.05 (72)
Watertown-Mayer - 44.99 (35)
St. Paul Humboldt - 44.95 (122)
Winona Cotter - 44.89 (65)
Chatfield - 44.45 (99)
Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial - 44.08 (41)
Kimball Area - 44 (109)
Blue Earth Area - 43.84 (102)
Maple Lake - 43.14 (81)
Windom Area - 42.8 (31)
International School of MN - 42.75 (124)
Roseau - 42.56 (76)
Pequot Lakes - 42.22 (19)
Milaca - 42.18 (51)
Rush City - 41.9 (78)
Medford - 41.84 (120)
Eden Valley-Watkins - 41.49 (40)
Lac qui Parle Valley - 41.45 (85)
Benson - 40.94 (26)
St. Agnes - 40.79 (93)
La Crescent - 40.73 (61)
St. Paul Academy - 40.24 (110)
Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop - 39.84 (63)
Pine Island - 39.75 (97)
Barnesville - 39.5 (108)
Kenyon-Wanamingo - 39.5 (104)
Bagley - 39.48 (24)
Holdingford - 39.12 (3)
BOLD - 38.79 (54)
Minnewaska Area - 38.7 (12)
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton - 38.31 (50)
Tri-City United - 38.09 (21)
Aitkin - 37.58 (62)
Breckenridge - 37.56 (10)
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton - 37.21 (20)
Pipestone Area - 37.14 (7)
Kingsland - 36.84 (52)
Park Rapids Area - 36.81 (89)
Cristo Rey Jesuit - 35.82 (125)
Great River - 35.56 (127)
Pine City - 34.84 (121)
Minneapolis Edison - 34.64 (115)
Frazee - 33.39 (29)
Wadena-Deer Creek - 32.75 (101)
Mounds Park Academy - 32.72 (123)
New Richland-H-E-G - 32.69 (87)
Two Harbors - 32.43 (11)
Trinity School - 31.59 (95)
St. Paul Washington - 30.71 (119)
Proctor - 30.29 (114)
Triton - 30.14 (68)
Dover-Eyota - 29.45 (60)
Greenway - 29.29 (53)
Wabasha-Kellogg - 26.49 (69)
Spectrum - 26.29 (112)
Osakis - 24.61 (1)
LeSueur-Henderson - 22.84 (25)
Paynesville Area - 19.69 (13)
Yellow Medicine East - 19.4 (83)
Hmong Academy - 18.54 (126)
St. James Area - 17.34 (28)
Duluth Marshall - 0 (32)

Class A

Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa - 60.9 (8)
Upsala - 57.71 (85)
Maranatha Christian - 56.78 (75)
Heritage Christian - 56.06 (80)
Southwest MN Christian - 55.97 (105)
Dawson-Boyd - 55.5 (11)
Rushford-Peterson - 54.99 (90)
Northern Freeze - 54.6 (77)
Russell-Tyler-Ruthton - 54.55 (110)
Ely - 54.53 (107)
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley - 54.29 (95)
Browerville - 54.09 (103)
Win-E-Mac - 53.96 (96)
Cedar Mountain/Comfrey - 53.93 (36)
Floodwood - 53.79 (100)
Bigfork - 53.49 (74)
Sleepy Eye Saint Mary's - 53.3 (92)
Barnum - 52.33 (121)
West Lutheran - 52.31 (84)
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo - 52.17 (61)
Fertile-Beltrami - 52.11 (24)
Canby - 51.53 (102)
Springfield - 51.42 (29)
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross - 51.04 (98)
Ashby - 50.82 (106)
Swanville - 50.77 (26)
Mountain Lake Area - 50.66 (142)
Ada-Borup - 50.57 (134)
Henning - 50.22 (118)
MACCRAY - 50.17 (23)
Mahnomen - 50.1 (112)
Ulen-Hitterdal - 49.93 (124)
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City - 49.84 (42)
Red Lake - 49.48 (28)
Nevis - 49.25 (69)
Pillager - 49.19 (78)
Battle Lake - 48.69 (122)
West Central Area - 48.08 (17)
Spring Grove - 47.89 (143)
Lakeview Christian - 47.37 (30)
Northome/Kelliher - 47.24 (125)
Red Rock Central - 47.21 (71)
Minneota - 47.02 (114)
Bethlehem Academy - 46.96 (136)
Fosston - 46.92 (60)
Lanesboro - 46.69 (147)
South Ridge - 46.38 (72)
Cook County - 46.23 (94)
Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity - 45.95 (5)
Goodridge/Grygla - 45.88 (79)
Mesabi Academy - 45.85 (148)
Blackduck - 45.6 (88)
Cherry - 45.3 (116)
Blooming Prairie - 45.01 (115)
Park Christian - 44.9 (133)
Ortonville - 44.65 (46)
Mountain Iron-Buhl - 44.41 (7)
Southwest United - 44.33 (27)
Fond du Lac Ojibwe - 44.12 (126)
St. Clair - 43.47 (144)
Legacy Christian - 43.41 (9)
Littlefork-Big Falls - 43.21 (25)
Hills-Beaver Creek - 43.17 (20)
Isle - 43.14 (138)
St. Croix Prep - 43.13 (156)
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart - 42.72 (119)
Verndale - 42.58 (93)
Brandon/Evansville - 42.27 (59)
Menahga - 42.23 (104)
Mankato Loyola - 42.22 (70)
Onamia - 41.9 (76)
Southwest Christian - 41.59 (2)
Goodhue - 41.37 (62)
Kittson County Central - 41.06 (38)
Red Lake County - 40.97 (109)
Westbrook-Walnut Grove - 40.8 (97)
Grand Meadow - 40.6 (149)
PACT Charter - 40.42 (53)
Wabasso - 40.39 (111)
Ellsworth - 40.36 (13)
Carlton - 40.09 (129)
Central MN Christian - 40.09 (56)
Badger/Greenbush-Middle River - 40.07 (132)
Calvin Christian - 40.03 (160)
Nashwauk-Keewatin - 39.71 (12)
Royalton - 39.59 (32)
CHOF - 39.51 (49)
Underwood - 39.39 (44)
Fulda - 38.98 (31)
Schaeffer Academy - 38.74 (150)
Bertha-Hewitt - 38.7 (99)
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley - 38.55 (52)
MetroTech Career Academy - 38.42 (3)
North Woods - 38.2 (19)
Lyle/Austin Pacelli - 38.13 (151)
Lakeview - 37.42 (58)
Truman/Martin Luther - 37.4 (141)
North Lakes Academy - 37.1 (153)
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy - 37.09 (81)
New Ulm Cathedral - 36.97 (35)
Community of Peace Academy - 36.88 (155)
Stephen-Argyle - 36.74 (127)
Wrenshall - 36.73 (66)
Bethany Academy - 36.61 (65)
Cass Lake-Bena - 36.45 (21)
Hill City - 36.36 (18)
New York Mills - 36.15 (22)
Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton - 35.97 (137)
Lincoln HI - 35.76 (45)
Northland - 35.22 (131)
Randolph - 34.75 (139)
Edgerton - 34.68 (41)
Sleepy Eye - 34.59 (86)
Parkers Prairie - 34.58 (15)
Cleveland - 34.53 (117)
Chisholm - 33.96 (57)
Hope Lutheran - 33.02 (154)
Fillmore Central - 32.41 (83)
Mabel-Canton - 31.16 (146)
MN Academy for the Deaf - 30.61 (158)
Climax/Fisher - 30.4 (54)
Norman County East - 30 (47)
Cromwell - 29.66 (67)
Nova Classical Academy - 29.34 (157)
Rothsay - 29.25 (55)
Eagle Valley - 29.2 (51)
Minnesota Valley Lutheran - 29.05 (16)
Glenville-Emmons - 28.55 (135)
Mesabi East - 27.42 (87)
Murray County Central - 26.8 (10)
Lake Park-Audubon - 26.38 (91)
Norman County West - 26.27 (120)
Houston - 24.79 (130)
Minneapolis North - 24.71 (113)
Northeast Range - 24.21 (48)
Sebeka - 23.54 (37)
Pine River-Backus - 23.43 (4)
LeRoy-Ostrander - 23.41 (152)
Minnesota Transitions Charter - 23.27 (123)
Granada-Huntley-East Chain - 22.92 (63)
Waubun - 22.29 (33)
Sacred Heart - 22.29 (145)
Alden-Conger - 21.27 (140)
Laporte - 21.13 (108)
Clearbrook-Gonvick - 20.81 (34)
Madelia - 20.77 (82)
Ogilvie - 18.79 (68)
Liberty Classical Academy - 18.39 (159)
Silver Bay - 0 (1)
Adrian - 0 (6)
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg - 0 (14)
Nicollet - 0 (39)
Renville County West - 0 (40)
McGregor - 0 (43)
Hancock - 0 (50)
Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig - 0 (64)
E.C.H.O. Charter - 0 (73)
Lake of the Woods - 0 (89)
East Central - 0 (101)
FAIR School - 0 (128)

Eagles soar to upset

Prologue
A chance to see 2 South Suburban teams for the 1st time this season as I make the trip to #7AAAA Lakeville North at Bloomington Kennedy. Now after all the AAU ball and fall coaching in this building, I had forgotten just how miserable of a setup this is for a real game. Ho hum concession stand. But none of that matters. Its Lakeville North and that means we get a high school season sighting of the one and only Hat Lady (Light up Applause Sign here). Tonight's color was red.

Game Time
Soph Connor Flack off of the Lakeville North bench and very productive inside.   He scores 7 straight for the Panthers. Grant Erickson adds back to back buckets off a steal and a pick and roll. Kennedy takes a timeout down 15-9 at the 11:35 mark. Travon Hearns with a couple of post buckets for Kennedy. Then CJ Lewis off the Eagles bench with a jumper and a 3.   DJ Davis for 3 and now its Lakeville North who needs a timeout. 24-20 Kennedy at the 4:59 mark after a 15-5 run. Zach Creighton for 3 at the 3:40 mark to break a drought of 8:45 from the floor for Lakeville North. Lewis counters with another 3, 3 free throws. Then Davis and Lewis for 3 again to end the half. 39-31 Kennedy at the half.

Davis with a jumper to push the lead to 11. Macura hounded by Davis most of the night gets loose on a pick and pop and finally gets a shot to fall. That 3 at the 16:09 mark breaks his 0-11 start from the floor. Jumah'ri Turner back to back bombs and the Kennedy leads is the largest of the night at 51-37 with 15 minutes left. The Panthers gradually chip away at that lead. Macura with another 3, then an assist to Flack and a pair of buckets off of an inbounds play (best offense all night, see below).   56-46 Kennedy with 12:40 left. Panthers center Bronson Bruneau back to back buckets. Hearns with a mans move inside and the lead is back to 62-50 with 9:15 left. Then comes the Panthers run. Bruneau on the offensive glass, Macura a pair of bonus free throws on a cheap foul. Kyrell Newell on the offensive glass and Grant Erickson with a double clutch finish driving baseline. 62-58 Kennedy hanging on with 6:10 left.

After a Kennedy bucket on a turnover, its Erickson with the 3 point play to cut the lead to 3 just inside 5 to play. After trading buckets, Kennedy goes to THE WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE. That slows the tempo and gets Hearns a post look that he converts. Newell on the offensive glass again. Then another patient Eagles possession and Davis is called for a charge with 1:41 left. Lakeville North gets it back with a chance to tie. They can't convert. A dangerous Kennedy pass toward the basket on their possession is tipped away. A scrum ensues for the loose ball in the lane and Hearns comes out of it with a dagger 3 point play. 71-65 with 46.8 left.   Kennedy goes on to win 71-67.

Post Game
For Lakeville North, JP Macura leads with 15 points (I had 13 on 4-24 shooting on my sheet). Connor Flack 13 of his 15 in the first half off the Panthers bench. That included 9-11 from the charity stripe. Grant Erickson 11 (13 on my sheet) and Kyrell Newell 11. Hard to win when your best offensive player doesn't see the ball go in the basket. Macura had at least 15 good looks and only saw 2 of them go in. That's not something that's going to happen very often. I liked the idea of having him set high ball screens. This is something that Onalaska also does with Matt Thomas. Set a guard to guard high ball screen and with the deadly shooter setting the screen, the driver usually can turn the corner without resistance. Lakeville North falls to 13-4 overall and more importantly 7-2 in the South Suburban and 2 games behind Apple Valley for 1st. They remain 1 game ahead of Prior Lake and Eagan.

For Kennedy, Dejon Davis outstanding with 23 points and terrific defense on Macura. CJ Lewis with 3 triples and 18 points off the bench in a clutch performance. Travon Hearns 13 points inside as he showed that you can get after Lakeville North inside. Jumah'ri Turner 3 big 3s in the 2nd half for 9 of his 10 points. Kennedy improves to 6-11 overall, 3-6 in the South Suburban. A big win for the Eagles as they are in an absolutely brutal stretch of their schedule right now. Apple Valley visits on Friday and then a trip to Prior Lake next Tuesday.

Play of the Day
This is Lakeville North's "Triangle" set from the Baseline Out of Bounds. Nothing fancy here. Its 2 guys on the boxes, a guard at the top of the key and Macura right at the front of the rim. 3 options for him. If the defender doesn't see the ball, throw it up to him. He got his only point of the first half on this. Otherwise, he can read the defender and go off of either baseline screen. The effective option is coming out the weak side for a short corner jumper. He got a pair of 2nd half baskets off of this.   Nothing fancy here, but it shows that the simplest things can be the most effective.

A good day for the letter L

Prologue
A ridiculously early morning in The Kingdom as The Czar was up early to go find some bodies for my 7th grade team this spring. But only 1 8 AM session of that nonsense as I wouldn't want to miss an early outstate opener at the Target Center. Then a dash to the south side and back to the island for a big nightcap. The Washburn hot dog always outstanding and well priced. De La Salle pulling out Walking Tacos tonight so you know I'm not passing on that. No salsa or sour cream so a little dry and a lack of kick, but very straight forward and not bad at all. 32 ounces of Coke and a 20 oz Pepsi go on the beverage tally. Washburn turning out the tunes again with some Earth, Wind and Fire, "Let's Groove".

Game 1: Leroy-Ostrander vs McGregor (Target Center)
A slow start on the scoreboard to this outstate class A showdown. A Nick Fistere putback for McGregor ties the game at 5 at the 12 minute mark. But the Mercuries offense will fall almost as far as the mercury last week. Only 1 field goal the rest of the half as Leroy-Ostrander goes on an 18-4 run. 25-14 Leroy-Ostrander at the half. Only 3 McGregor field goals all half but they hang around with 8-12 FTs compared to 2-8 for the Cardinals. A putback early in the 2nd half cuts the lead to 9, but a pair of turnovers for layups helps push the lead back to 13. Alex Johnson for 3 for McGregor to cut the lead to 10 with 8:52 left and its McGregor's last timeout. Very little offense the rest of the way. Leroy-Ostrander wins 50-36. Nate Bunne leads Leroy-Ostrander with 18 points.

Game 2: Lakeville South at Minneapolis Washburn
An anticipated point guard matchup of Nick Anderson vs Lakeville South 8th grade star Jack Sorenson doesn't immediately materialize as both come off the bench. Zach Richter with a layup off a long feed from Luke Iverson and then a jumper to complete an 11-2 Lakeville South run. That opens up a 29-21 lead and South takes that to halftime at 35-26. Anderson sitting the last 5:51 with 2 fouls. During the half we get an appearance from Gopher football head coach Jerry Kill who walks in with an assistant to watch Washburn's Jeff Jones.

Richter and Noah Scarver get banging inside and we get the always ridiculous double foul. Then Richter tagged in another scrum with Scarver and The Former Reverend whacks him with a T. That leads to 4 in a row from Evan Shepherd. Lakeville South takes a timeout to regain some composure. Sorenson with a floater for a 3 point play. Anderson counters with a runner and baseline drive and we're tied at 38 with 12:35 left. That's a 12-3 run by the Millers to start the half. Then a Washburn foul and a return T for complaining. South makes all 4 free throws to take a 44-40 lead. They take a timeout to setup the possession but come up with 2 straight possessions of bad shots. Scarver swats the 1st leading to points and Anderson makes 2 free throws to bring the Millers back to even at 44 with 11:20 left. Sorenson for 3 as South opens a 54-47 lead with 8:06 left. Washburn comes out a calming timeout and responds with a 12-0 run. JoBreil Powell with a pair of bombs and a pair of free throws with Anderson scoring the other 4. 59-54 Washburn with 5:54 left.

Corey Larson a nice 2nd backcut for a 3 point play to cut the Washburn lead to 2. Shepherd walks on the break, Jones misses a good 10 footer, Scarver misses a layup as Washburn misses some valuable chances. Larson misses a inbounds lob. Finally its Sorenson with a bomb with 2:48 left for a 62-61 Cougars lead. Jordan Johnson with 4 straight points as Washburn misses on a pair of possessions. But a Jones putback and a nice feed from Shepherd to Quinton Garvis keeps Washburn within 66-65 with 1:03 left. Richter makes 1 free throw with 53 ticks left. 3-2 zone for South and Anderson is left all alone on the left wing. His 3 for the lead is off the mark with 34 seconds left. Surprised he got that good of a look. Larson makes 1 of 2 so Washburn gets 1 last chance but Shepherd and Jones are off the mark from 3. A pair of free throws seals a 70-65 Lakeville South win. Corey Larson with 16 points. Jack Sorenson 11 of his 14 in the 2nd half. Jordan Johnson clutch late, 8 of his 12 in the 2nd half. Washburn gets 5 in double figures all between 10 and 12 points. JoBreil Powell all 11 points off the bench in the 2nd half with 3 big triples.

Game 3: #5AAAA Eden Prairie at #1AAA De La Salle
Then its time to hustle back to the island for the back end of the boys/girls doubleheader between Eden Prairie and De La Salle. Jack Cottrell with nice footwork for a turnaround jumper and a nice stepback Nowitzki like fade. 13-11 Eden Prairie at the 12:30 mark. 22-17 Eagles at the 6:48 mark as De La Salle takes a timeout and Dave Thorson not at all happy with his team's play. De La Salle goes on an 11-0 run over the last 3:30 for a 33-29 halftime lead.

Grant Shaeffer was the early offense for the Eagles. His 3 point play after Luke Scott somehow missed 4 straight free throws put EP up 38-37 with 15:21 to play. Travis picking up his play with a post bucket and then a difficult tip over an Eagle inside. Shaeffer on the drive for 2 more, then Cottrell has to sit at the 10:58 mark with his 4th foul. 45-44 Islanders lead at that point. Shaeffer with both ends of the bonus to tie the game at 49 at the 9:31 mark. Coach David Flom rolling the dice bringing Cottrell back in but it was mostly in offense/defense situations. Jarvis Johnson with a bucket and knocks down a rare attempt at a 3. James Lawson on the offensive glass, Travis with a putback for a 3 point play at the 7:37 mark. Then Travis fouled on an inbounds lob for 2 free throws. Its a 12-2 Islanders run for a 61-51 lead with 7:14 left. Then a great sequence from De La Salle as the ball goes all the way around the horn corner to corner and then back to Sacar Anim for a drive and bucket. Then Travis ignites the crowd with not 1, not 2 but 3 swats on 1 possession. The 3rd looks like a clean block but the whistle blows much to the disgust of the crowd. Travis drawing a ton of attention on the side ball screen and that allows Jarvis Johnson to turn the corner and extend for a bucket and foul. Eden Prairie doesn't threaten again. De La Salle wins the showdown 77-60.

Reid Travis finishes with 18 and 11 on my sheet. Jarvis Johnson with the best game I've seen him play in a long time with 15 points. Luke Scott 13 points but held without a 3. James Lawson 10 points and important work cleaning the glass. 1 item to watch with the Islanders is that teams will leave Lawson to double Travis and totally clog up the Islander offense when both are on the floor.

Eden Prairie gets 19 points from Grant Shaeffer with 9-11 FTs in the 2nd half. Anthony Anderson and Andre Wallace with 11 each as both were held in check. Jack Cottrell with 12 points. He had 8 of those in the 1st half when I thought he outplayed Travis. Then foul trouble in the 2nd half and only 4 free throws. He was missed on the glass during that time as well.

So if I saw your team today and your school name had the letter L in it, you won.

Orioles stay the course

Prologue
St. Louis Park hosting St. Francis in North Suburban showdown. St. Louis Park hoping to stay on top of the league with Cooper. St. Francis on a slide after a surprising start. Hot dogs not done early in the JV game but chocolate chip cookies are always a nice alternative. 20 ounces of Coke washes it down. St. Olaf looking on as part of a nice crowd on hand. Best moment of the night is a youngster pulling out the Transformer Optimus Prime. He even was able to convert it back and forth. Very cool.

Game Time
Jake Johnson with 6 points inside for St. Francis. DJ Pollard wakes up the home crowd with a steal and 2 handed flush. Kashif Hayes with a 3 countered by Blake Moreno scoring inside for St. Francis. 11-10 St. Louis Park at the 9:05 mark. Then the Orioles pick up the offense. Hayes on the drive, Pollard with a pair of pullups and runs for a layup. Hayes for 3 and a layup and 3 free throws. Pollard back to back buckets to force a Saints timeout. 35-19 St. Louis Park just outside of 2 minutes left in the half. Then Moreno with a bucket and Johnson and Moreno with a free throw. St. Francis within 12 in the last minute. But they give up an offensive board for 2 and a turnover for 2 more to end the half. 39-23 Orioles at the break. 29 of those 39 from the star duo of Hayes and Pollard.

A pair of Saints 3s, including a long one from Austin Carlson, keep St. Francis within 49-34 with 13:10 to play. Hayes with 4 straight free throws, an Orioles 3 and Pollard with 4 free throws in a row. 60-39 Orioles with 8:41 left and there's no challenge from there. A couple late buckets gives St. Louis Park a 76-49 win.

Post Game
For St. Francis, Jake Johnson leads with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Blake Moreno with 13 points. The guards just outmatched in this one. But the Saints do have a nice nucleus of Johnson, Moreno and point guard Cody Wald returning. That's 6 of the top 7 coming back. The Saints fall to 11-5 (3-5) with 5 losses in a row. Its no easier coming up with a trip to Spring Lake Park next Tuesday, then Rogers, Fridley and Columbia Heights in the near future.

St. Louis Park improves to 13-3 and 7-0 in the North Suburban. Kashif Hayes 23 points on 11-11 from the charity stripe. DJ Pollard with 22 points. Just too much athleticism from St. Louis Park. Interesting with all seniors that they have a whole bunch of them play the 1st half of the JV game. Maybe good for this year but that makes the future even more bleak. St. Louis Park is at Totino-Grace on Tuesday in a trap game. Then the big matchup at Cooper for the conference lead. It will the 1st matchup between the teams during the season. That's part of 4 in a row on the road before a 5 game homestand to close the regular season out.

Rebels hold off Panthers

Prologue
Off to Spring Lake Park for a non-conference showdown with Champlin Park. I get yapping which almost means my hot dog gets cold. Never a good thing but thank goodness for tin foil. 12 more ounces on the beverage tally as well with the strange concept of Sprite Zero.

Game Time
Trevor Garrison with 3 easy buckets early as Champlin Park opens an 11-7 lead. Michael Sales off the Rebels bench with a jumper, a 3 and then 2-3 freebies fouled on a 3. That opens up a Champlin Park lead of 27-18 at the 8:13 mark. Then Panthers guard Gary Cook heats up. A pair of free throws and a triple to cut the lead to 4. The Rebels push the lead back to 8 but back to back drive and kicks find Cook who knocks down 2 more bombs. Cook adds 2 free throws to close out the scoring for the half. 39-37 Champlin Park at the half. Cook with 15.

Robert Ben drives for 2, the teams trade bombs and TC Robinson converts a turnover into a layup. That puts Spring Lake Park back on top 46-44 at the 14:33 mark. A very fast pace at this point in the half with both teams really pushing the ball back down the opponents throat after a make. Tied at 48 when Garrison gets out on the break and gets whacked with an intentional foul. Garrison makes 1 of the 2 freebies and Champlin Park can't get anything on the possession at the 13:30 mark. Champlin Park lead 57-54 at the 10:18 mark as Garrison adds a layup to draw a Spring Lake Park timeout.

Matt Juneau for 2 to push the lead to 5, but TC Robinson with a 3 and center Justin Axelson with the running banker off the screen and roll for a 6-0 Panthers run. 60-59 Spring Lake Park inside of 6 to play. Ian Smith right back the other way with a 3 point play for Champlin Park and a 2 point. Then the Rebels pull out the 1-3-1 zone. That slows down the Panthers offense. Brennan Witt takes over inside for Champlin Park down the stretch. He scores 9 Rebels points in a row after the zone starts. Over 3:20 that stretches the Rebels lead to 71-64 with 1:20 left. Robinson buries a 3 and a turnover is a Robert Ben bucket inside a minute to go and the lead is down to 2. The lead is 3 with 14.1 left when Champlin Park misses a front end but the worst basketball crime is giving up the offensive rebound on a free throw. Ian Smith ends up with it and buries 2 free throws. Cook gets a bucket with 4 seconds left and Spring Lake Park takes a timeout down 3. The long baseball pass is tracked down by Garrison to save possession and then he smartly gets the timeout jumping out of bounds with 2.9 left. If he doesn't come up with that, the ball comes all the way back to under the Panthers bucket for a chance to tie. Now the only way you get beat is with a long pass toward halfcourt. That's exactly what happens and a tip gives Spring Lake Park a heave from around halfcourt at the buzzer. It hits the iron but is off. Champlin Park wins 75-72.

Post Game
For Spring Lake Park, they've now lost 3 in a row to fall to 9-7 and they may fall from 16th to out of next week's state poll. Senior guard Gary Cook outstanding off the bench with 26 points to lead the Panthers. TC Robinson with 11 of his 18 points in the 2nd half to help bring Spring Lake Park back. The Panthers have North Branch at home to finish the week and then host St. Francis next Tuesday.

For Champlin Park, center Brennan Witt with 13 of his 22 in the second half to lead the Rebels. A couple of good sets for him and he took advantage inside late with the 9 in a row to make the difference. Ian Smith a solid 18 point night running the point. Trevor Garrison with 10 of his 13 in the 1st half. Very interesting in the 1-3-1 zone as the Rebels didn't put a long and/or athletic guy like a Garrison or Sales at the top of it. Garrison was actually running the baseline while PG Smith was playing a wing spot. Then Smith played a bit at the top of it which defeats the entire purpose of the zone. The Rebels improve to 11-4 and have won 5 out of 6. They are at Maple Grove on Tuesday and then host Armstrong on Thursday. 2 big games for the Rebels to try and stay in the loaded top half of the Northwest Suburban.

2012-13 Midseason CzarPI

Labels: 12-13 CzarPI

We're basically halfway through the 2012-13 season so a perfect time for the 2nd CzarPI of the Season (see CzarPI Explained here). It includes games through January 22nd, 2013 The value in () after the CzarPI value is the team's strength of schedule ranking within their class

Class AAAA

Apple Valley - 61.94 (9)
Park Center - 61.75 (15)
Eden Prairie - 60.27 (23)
Brainerd - 59.23 (56)
Osseo - 58.94 (19)
Roseville - 57.28 (37)
Hopkins - 57.17 (34)
Lakeville North - 56.77 (31)
Minnetonka - 56.72 (48)
Woodbury - 56.51 (36)
St. Louis Park - 56.1 (40)
Edina - 55.65 (3)
Stillwater Area - 55.16 (32)
Maple Grove - 55.05 (26)
Duluth East - 55.03 (22)
East Ridge - 54.89 (44)
Prior Lake - 54.55 (28)
Shakopee - 54.26 (21)
Tartan - 54.08 (59)
Champlin Park - 53.5 (29)
Wayzata - 53.48 (49)
Robbinsdale Armstrong - 53.38 (30)
Buffalo - 53.21 (4)
Moorhead - 52.79 (24)
Eagan - 52.3 (27)
Elk River - 52.29 (33)
Rochester John Marshall - 52.18 (55)
Mahtomedi - 51.9 (62)
Robbinsdale Cooper - 51.81 (17)
Eastview - 51.72 (1)
Owatonna - 50.51 (43)
Chanhassen - 49.53 (10)
St. Francis - 49.24 (63)
Farmington - 48.05 (54)
Henry Sibley - 48.03 (57)
White Bear Lake - 47.99 (16)
Mounds View - 47.99 (46)
Bloomington Jefferson - 47.02 (20)
Irondale - 45.53 (53)
Minneapolis South - 45.43 (60)
Lakeville South - 44.66 (38)
Bloomington Kennedy - 44.44 (18)
St. Michael-Albertville - 44.41 (51)
Rosemount - 44.35 (14)
Minneapolis Southwest - 43.39 (61)
Centennial - 42.96 (12)
Northfield - 42.82 (52)
Forest Lake - 42.33 (41)
Blaine - 42.18 (11)
Cretin-Derham Hall - 42.13 (39)
Rochester Century - 41.53 (35)
Rogers - 41.49 (42)
St. Cloud Tech - 35.5 (6)
Rochester Mayo - 34.43 (25)
Cambridge-Isanti - 34.09 (45)
Andover - 33.93 (13)
Burnsville - 31.52 (7)
Bemidji - 30.97 (2)
Anoka - 29.61 (8)
Hastings - 25.3 (47)
Park of Cottage Grove - 24.63 (58)
North St. Paul - 24.41 (50)
Coon Rapids - 0 (5)

Class AAA

DeLaSalle - 59.7 (21)
Austin - 58.03 (53)
Marshall - 57.39 (27)
Hermantown - 56.53 (48)
Delano - 56.25 (58)
Waconia - 55.48 (4)
Blake - 54.83 (6)
Little Falls - 54.46 (11)
Holy Angels - 53.91 (14)
Richfield - 53.42 (50)
Thief River Falls - 52.81 (49)
New Prague - 52.74 (12)
Grand Rapids - 52.61 (44)
Fergus Falls - 51.75 (9)
Mound-Westonka - 51.58 (41)
Columbia Heights - 50.77 (54)
St. Paul Central - 50.12 (30)
Sartell-St. Stephen - 49.25 (16)
St. Paul Johnson - 49.24 (8)
Big Lake - 48.11 (60)
Hill-Murray - 47.85 (23)
Mankato West - 47.85 (22)
Red Wing - 47.78 (35)
Spring Lake Park - 47.73 (46)
Willmar - 47.71 (38)
Orono - 47.34 (13)
Albert Lea - 47.31 (52)
St. Cloud Apollo - 47.23 (26)
East Grand Forks - 47 (45)
Holy Family Catholic - 46.95 (2)
Detroit Lakes - 46.8 (37)
Chaska - 46.1 (17)
Simley - 45.92 (61)
Hutchinson - 45.89 (18)
St. Paul Highland Park - 45.51 (42)
Minneapolis Washburn - 44.61 (56)
Alexandria - 44.39 (10)
Minneapolis Henry - 43.63 (32)
Cloquet - 43.39 (33)
Chisago Lakes Area - 42.89 (47)
Winona - 42.46 (20)
Zimmerman - 42.02 (57)
Minneapolis Roosevelt - 41.39 (63)
Benilde-St. Margaret's - 40.6 (15)
Fridley - 40.58 (55)
Becker - 40.55 (3)
Rocori - 40.46 (43)
Waseca - 39.59 (34)
Totino-Grace - 39.56 (24)
St. Thomas Academy - 39.44 (1)
St. Anthony Village - 38.61 (62)
St. Paul Harding - 37.5 (64)
Hibbing - 37.17 (59)
Monticello - 36.86 (29)
St. Paul Como Park - 36.21 (31)
Kasson-Mantorville - 35.22 (5)
Faribault - 34.98 (25)
New Ulm - 32 (36)
Princeton - 31.11 (51)
Mankato East - 30.91 (7)
North Branch - 30.32 (28)
South St. Paul - 26.44 (65)
Dassel-Cokato - 0 (19)
Duluth Denfeld - 0 (39)
Sauk Rapids-Rice - 0 (40)

Class AA

Hawley - 58.75 (37)
Litchfield - 58.5 (3)
Melrose - 58.22 (47)
St. Cloud Cathedral - 57.78 (19)
Redwood Valley - 57.57 (29)
Mora - 56.63 (27)
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta - 55.78 (70)
Worthington - 55.57 (2)
Perham - 55.46 (18)
Esko - 55.44 (39)
Maple River - 55.33 (75)
Hayfield - 55.17 (54)
St. Peter - 55.12 (107)
Byron - 54.88 (118)
International Falls - 54.33 (65)
Braham - 54.27 (99)
Fairmont - 54.22 (69)
Jordan - 54.22 (102)
Pelican Rapids - 54.21 (68)
Annandale - 53.93 (17)
Martin County West - 53.81 (93)
Luverne - 53.67 (30)
Minnehaha Academy - 53.43 (28)
Crosby-Ironton - 53.22 (64)
Mayer Lutheran - 53.07 (36)
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted - 52.95 (45)
Moose Lake-Willow River - 51.84 (51)
Providence Academy - 51.77 (90)
Deer River - 51.38 (111)
Rochester Lourdes - 51.25 (56)
New London-Spicer - 50.78 (22)
Sauk Centre - 50.67 (13)
Norwood-Young America - 50.58 (66)
Jackson County Central - 50.45 (1)
Sibley East - 50.36 (61)
Lake City - 50.18 (120)
Southland - 50.17 (98)
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle - 49.91 (34)
Albany - 49.81 (14)
United South Central - 49.72 (26)
Plainview-Elgin-Millville - 49.34 (105)
Crookston - 49.14 (23)
Pierz - 48.97 (9)
Caledonia - 48.71 (103)
Warroad - 48.59 (44)
Brooklyn Center - 48.11 (43)
Hinckley-Finlayson - 48 (121)
Rockford - 47.87 (8)
Lewiston-Altura - 47.85 (100)
St. Croix Lutheran - 47.77 (15)
Staples-Motley - 47.75 (62)
Zumbrota-Mazeppa - 47.65 (84)
Montevideo - 47.34 (95)
Cannon Falls - 47.27 (71)
New Life Academy - 47.24 (76)
St. Charles - 47.23 (89)
Belle Plaine - 46.98 (73)
Kimball Area - 46.93 (117)
Breck - 46.76 (106)
Virginia - 46.65 (41)
Glencoe-Silver Lake - 45.71 (83)
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown - 45.6 (91)
Concordia Academy-Roseville - 45.56 (72)
St. Paul Humboldt - 45.23 (116)
Eveleth-Gilbert - 45.1 (92)
Maple Lake - 44.65 (80)
Winona Cotter - 44.65 (82)
Chatfield - 44.51 (113)
Milaca - 44.23 (52)
Eden Valley-Watkins - 44.08 (53)
International School of MN - 43.95 (125)
St. John's Prep - 43.77 (77)
Watertown-Mayer - 43.64 (57)
Rush City - 43.34 (108)
Windom Area - 43.31 (20)
Pequot Lakes - 42.98 (21)
Roseau - 42.84 (97)
Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial - 42.42 (50)
Lac qui Parle Valley - 42.32 (96)
Medford - 41.75 (122)
Blue Earth Area - 41.75 (104)
Foley - 41.56 (33)
Benson - 41.2 (4)
La Crescent - 40.94 (67)
Holdingford - 40.9 (16)
St. Paul Academy - 40.53 (114)
Kenyon-Wanamingo - 40.39 (110)
Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop - 40.34 (46)
BOLD - 40.22 (86)
Bagley - 40.1 (25)
Stewartville - 39.74 (11)
Tri-City United - 39.73 (60)
Park Rapids Area - 38.97 (74)
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton - 38.73 (38)
Breckenridge - 38.73 (7)
Barnesville - 38.19 (79)
Pipestone Area - 37.8 (10)
Minnewaska Area - 37.17 (6)
Aitkin - 36.99 (55)
Minneapolis Edison - 36.95 (101)
St. Agnes - 36.82 (78)
Pine Island - 36.54 (94)
Cristo Rey Jesuit - 36.36 (127)
Pine City - 35.47 (112)
Kingsland - 35.47 (40)
Two Harbors - 35.17 (32)
New Richland-H-E-G - 35.15 (87)
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton - 34.9 (31)
Wadena-Deer Creek - 34.67 (109)
Frazee - 34.34 (35)
Proctor - 32.4 (119)
Great River - 32.18 (126)
Greenway - 29.97 (49)
St. Paul Washington - 29.27 (123)
Dover-Eyota - 29.07 (81)
Wabasha-Kellogg - 28.57 (63)
Spectrum - 27.69 (88)
Mounds Park Academy - 27.07 (115)
Trinity School - 25.61 (85)
LeSueur-Henderson - 24.1 (42)
Triton - 24.1 (59)
Osakis - 24.04 (5)
Paynesville Area - 20.97 (12)
Yellow Medicine East - 20.6 (58)
St. James Area - 19.01 (48)
Duluth Marshall - 0 (24)
Hmong Academy - 0 (124)

Class A

Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa - 61.76 (4)
Upsala - 58.19 (70)
Southwest MN Christian - 57.63 (49)
Maranatha Christian - 57.09 (60)
Browerville - 56.35 (24)
Heritage Christian - 55.44 (83)
Dawson-Boyd - 55.28 (38)
Northern Freeze - 54.49 (116)
Rushford-Peterson - 54.38 (95)
Ely - 54.37 (102)
Russell-Tyler-Ruthton - 54.18 (109)
Bigfork - 54.15 (29)
Cedar Mountain/Comfrey - 54.1 (39)
Canby - 54.02 (65)
Floodwood - 53.69 (80)
Win-E-Mac - 53.29 (118)
Barnum - 52.75 (99)
Sleepy Eye Saint Mary's - 52.53 (87)
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley - 52.32 (113)
West Lutheran - 51.55 (77)
Fertile-Beltrami - 51.37 (61)
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross - 51.29 (73)
Mountain Lake Area - 51.21 (133)
Henning - 51.13 (132)
Pillager - 50.98 (63)
Swanville - 50.58 (18)
Ulen-Hitterdal - 50.23 (134)
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City - 50.08 (20)
Cook County - 49.89 (11)
Ashby - 49.51 (103)
Springfield - 49.46 (32)
West Central Area - 48.69 (6)
Ada-Borup - 48.62 (139)
Nevis - 48.43 (79)
Minneota - 48.39 (131)
Red Lake - 48 (21)
Lakeview Christian - 47.97 (30)
Battle Lake - 47.94 (112)
Mahnomen - 47.78 (122)
Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity - 47.76 (46)
South Ridge - 47.51 (78)
Bethlehem Academy - 47.17 (136)
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo - 47.03 (98)
Spring Grove - 47 (141)
Northome/Kelliher - 46.82 (114)
MACCRAY - 46.81 (31)
Lanesboro - 46.23 (149)
Goodridge/Grygla - 46.22 (126)
Littlefork-Big Falls - 45.85 (72)
Blooming Prairie - 45.85 (110)
Mountain Iron-Buhl - 45.7 (40)
Blackduck - 45.67 (104)
Red Rock Central - 45.21 (44)
Ortonville - 45.21 (47)
Fosston - 44.89 (54)
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart - 44.84 (106)
Southwest Christian - 44.8 (5)
Park Christian - 44.33 (129)
St. Clair - 43.99 (138)
Mankato Loyola - 43.65 (59)
Brandon/Evansville - 43.6 (43)
Verndale - 43.34 (93)
Isle - 43.27 (124)
Cherry - 43.12 (108)
Ellsworth - 42.51 (12)
Mesabi Academy - 42.27 (153)
Onamia - 42.01 (68)
Goodhue - 41.9 (75)
Calvin Christian - 41.55 (155)
St. Croix Prep - 41.42 (157)
Grand Meadow - 41.06 (152)
Fond du Lac Ojibwe - 40.99 (117)
Wabasso - 40.97 (96)
Westbrook-Walnut Grove - 40.93 (94)
Fulda - 40.9 (41)
Bertha-Hewitt - 40.65 (66)
PACT Charter - 39.98 (25)
Lyle/Austin Pacelli - 39.85 (142)
Nashwauk-Keewatin - 39.79 (9)
Hills-Beaver Creek - 39.71 (10)
Legacy Christian - 39.66 (2)
MetroTech Career Academy - 39.64 (13)
Southwest United - 39.63 (16)
Menahga - 39.47 (121)
Schaeffer Academy - 39.42 (151)
Wrenshall - 39.21 (86)
Kittson County Central - 39.19 (19)
Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton - 39.11 (146)
Lakeview - 39.04 (36)
Red Lake County - 38.71 (105)
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley - 38.48 (58)
Badger/Greenbush-Middle River - 38.46 (143)
Stephen-Argyle - 38.34 (111)
North Woods - 38.26 (53)
North Lakes Academy - 38.02 (154)
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy - 37.92 (42)
Underwood - 37.88 (48)
Hill City - 37.85 (84)
Bethany Academy - 37.83 (85)
CHOF - 37.58 (22)
Royalton - 37.11 (62)
Carlton - 36.99 (123)
Truman/Martin Luther - 36.87 (135)
Cass Lake-Bena - 36.83 (27)
Edgerton - 36.41 (89)
Northland - 35.8 (125)
Community of Peace Academy - 35.66 (158)
Central MN Christian - 35.62 (55)
New York Mills - 34.88 (8)
Chisholm - 34.84 (67)
Randolph - 34.6 (144)
Parkers Prairie - 33.06 (52)
New Ulm Cathedral - 33.06 (34)
Cleveland - 32.91 (127)
Fillmore Central - 32.77 (57)
Cromwell - 32.64 (101)
Hope Lutheran - 30.42 (150)
Nova Classical Academy - 30.27 (159)
Lincoln HI - 30.17 (15)
Mabel-Canton - 29.9 (148)
Rothsay - 29.53 (56)
Sleepy Eye - 29.28 (100)
Murray County Central - 29.2 (35)
Mesabi East - 29.08 (130)
Minnesota Valley Lutheran - 28.75 (37)
Eagle Valley - 28.32 (50)
Norman County East - 28.13 (45)
Climax/Fisher - 26.83 (82)
Minneapolis North - 26.63 (107)
Northeast Range - 26.08 (74)
Houston - 25.09 (128)
LeRoy-Ostrander - 24.94 (147)
Granada-Huntley-East Chain - 24.79 (88)
Pine River-Backus - 24.27 (3)
Sebeka - 23.62 (14)
Clearbrook-Gonvick - 22.67 (23)
Madelia - 22.52 (115)
Glenville-Emmons - 21.98 (120)
Laporte - 21.82 (119)
Lake Park-Audubon - 21.14 (91)
Ogilvie - 20.59 (69)
Alden-Conger - 19.99 (140)
MN Academy for the Deaf - 19.91 (160)
Norman County West - 18.39 (81)
Waubun - 18.37 (76)
Sacred Heart - 18.37 (145)
Silver Bay - 0 (1)
Adrian - 0 (7)
Hancock - 0 (17)
McGregor - 0 (26)
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg - 0 (28)
Renville County West - 0 (33)
Nicollet - 0 (51)
Lake of the Woods - 0 (64)
Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig - 0 (71)
Minnesota Transitions Charter - 0 (90)
East Central - 0 (92)
E.C.H.O. Charter - 0 (97)
FAIR School - 0 (137)
Liberty Classical Academy - 0 (155)

Minutemen save a record

Central Minuteman

Prologue
Off to St. Paul Central for a big St. Paul City showdown between Johnson and Central. Johnson coming into the game with a 55 game conference winning streak. Central has the all-time record with a 56 game streak in the mid 80s. Central was also the last team to beat Johnson in league play, also at Central, on January 18th, 2008. No Minute Maid on the menu so I'll have to settle for 12 oz of Sprite. Valley City State in the building to keep an eye on Quashingm Smith-Pugh of Johnson. We also get a quality performance from the largest band in the land with the Central pep band taking up a large section. The Central Minuteman mascot sporting the outstanding hat and doing an outstanding job pacing the sideline. I'm no photography expert but I had to get a quick one to try to do the mascot some justice.

Trivia:
Johnson did lose a big game to a conference rival during the streak but in a non-conference scenario. Can you name it? Answer at the end of this post.

Game Time
Central showing a possession of THE WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE. That results a Markus Taylor-Knighten post up and 3 point play for a 6-1 Minutemen lead. More importantly its the 2nd foul on Smith-Pugh and he has to sit at the 15:23 mark. Johnson cuts the lead to 1 but the offense sputters with Smith-Pugh on the bench. Taylor-Knighten backcuts for a 3 point play, grabs 2 offensive boards for a bucket, knocks down a jumper and then makes 2 technical free throws as Johnson is totally frustrated. The run is 9-0 in 3:46. 15-5 Central at 8:51. Smith-Pugh returns at the 6:32 mark. Johnson with 1 field goal in the 1st 12:20 but they do have a mini rally in them. Central misses a lob and Smith-Pugh takes it the other way for 2. Johnson adds a putback and they're within 21-14 at the 2:40 mark. 26-14 Central at the half

A Central steal for 2 free throws is Jalen Mobley's 4th foul with 13:37 to play. Guard Rayeon Williams with a jumper and Central is up 35-21 with 12 minutes left. Vern Simmons regroups his guys in a timeout and they go back to good old Johnson full court pressure. Smith-Pugh puts back a miss and a turnover is a Govs layup. Lead down to 6 and now Central coach Scott Howell needs a timeout to settle his guys down. 35-27 at the 10:05 mark. Mobley then fouls out at the 9:50 mark on a John Lithgow hand check. But as the 2nd best offensive option, you have to wonder why he wasn't sitting. A Central turnover for 2 free throws cuts the lead to 5 and it looks like Central is seriously crumbling. Taylor-Knighten with a nice scoop and a Felix Taylor Jr. drive and the Central lead is 40-31 inside 7 to play.

Central never puts this one away as they miss 11 free throws in the last 7 minutes. But they do get some clutch plays. Taylor-Knighten with his last block of the night to protect a 6 point lead with 3:30 to go. Central would get another block on the next possession but then throw a long outlet pass away. Taylor does make 6 of 8 in the last 2 minutes to help the cause. Smith-Pugh misses 2 with 17.7 left that could have cut the lead to 3 and really made it interesting. Central goes on to win 53-49.

Post Game
For Johnson, Lazerik Gilbert leads with all 17 of his points in the 2nd half, 11 in the last 2 minutes as the Govs tried to rally. Quashingm Smith-Pugh 11 points despite being in foul trouble. Just no offensive flow for the Govs. When they turned up the defense midway through the 2nd half it had a 5 minute stretch of bothering Central. Once they dealt with it, Govs had no answer. Johnson falls to 6-5. They host Como Park Friday before a showdown with Edina in the Super 60 on Saturday night.

Central improves to 10-5 with the win and 3-0 in the conference. Markus Taylor-Knighten was outstanding, particularly in the 1st half but he also cleaned up the boards in the 2nd half. He finishes with 19 points, 18 rebounds and 4 blocks on my sheet. 14, 8 and 3 of those in the 1st half to help Central jump out to the double figure lead. Guard Felix Taylor took care of some late free throws to end up with 12 points. They used some 2-3 to good effect in this one. When you look at the roster, don't be surprised at this result. They've got the top post in the league (Malik Durant-Haines) and have more firepower than Johnson does. Add in a star player in Taylor-Knighten and you have a dangerous club.

Central has 3 straight tough games to end the week. Minnehaha on Thursday, at Highland Park for the league lead on Friday and a short turnaround for Kennedy on Saturday afternoon in the Super 60. They didn't show much depth tonight, we'll see if that comes into play with 4 games in 5 days. The Central rematch at Johnson is Thursday, February 14th and expect a fun atmosphere on the east side for that one.

Trivia Answer:
The answer is St. Paul Como Park. The Cougars upset Johnson 72-61 in the 4AAA section final on March 18, 2008. Como Park lost the 2 regular season meetings by a combined 9 points in low scoring games.

2013 Midwest Players Classic Thoughts

Prologue
Its the 3rd annual Midwest Players Classic at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, WI. Always great to get back to The Old Kingdom for this one. Now thanks to an early morning train ride with Roseville, the arrival is late for game 1. The games themselves didn't stand out but plenty of D1 talent on hand. If there's anything I've learned, I've figured out that the bigger the building, the more expensive the concessions. $3 for a 20 oz Pepsi isn't the cheapest but I'm more than happy to support a quality event in my hometown. Here are some of the sights and sounds. I arrived in time to see the end of Austin steamrolling Westby 71-48. Packers on a serious roll right now and might be at another level to compete against De La Salle in AAA.

Game 2: Eastview vs Holmen, WI
Eastview gets their pace as they hold the Vikings to 1 field goal in the 1st quarter. But Ben Oberfeld picks up his 2nd foul with 44.4 left in the quarter. He'll sit the rest of the half. That kills the Eastview offense as they only get 1 field goal in the 2nd quarter. Some of that due to a clock killing 5 out look. That allows Holmen to cut the lead in half to pull within 17-13 at the half. 5 in a row to start the half for Eastview pushes the lead to 9. Oberfeld sits the last 3:56 of the 3rd quarter after rolling an ankle. But a late Eastview 3 keeps the lead at 7 after 3. Holmen makes it interesting in the last minute with a 3 to cut the lead to 2 with 11.6 left. But a pair of free throws seals a 37-33 Eastview win. Ben Oberfeld 6 points and 10 boards on my sheet.

Game 3: Manitowoc (WI) Roncalli vs Maple River
This was the game I was most looking forward to. Roncalli knocks down 5 3s in the 1st quarter and then 2 right away to start the 2nd quarter. 7 3s in less than 9 minutes, those lead to a 17-2 run to put the Jets up 27-11. The Jets run out of fuel with no 3s the rest of the half. Soph Jonah Breiter with 7 in the quarter for Maple River to cut the lead to 7 at half. Roncalli quickly extends that lead to 13. Then a pair of late 3s from the Jets to push the lead to 17 after 3. Roncalli in no danger from there for a 66-49 win. Jaron Denn 14 to lead the Eagles. Nate Stelzer with 5 3s and 20 points to lead Roncalli. The Jets play Eden Prairie at the Border Battle and that will be a battle of great half court motion offense against the tough EP man defense.

Game 4: Onalaska vs Linn-Mar, IA
Iowa State signee Matt Thomas goes nuts with 14 of his 32 in the 1st quarter. Starting with a 3, a couple of drives, a sweet backcut and knocking down all 3 free throws after getting whacked behind the line. Onalaska coming off a big come back win against my alma mater La Crosse Central the night before in a very emotional game. None of that showed. Onalaska blows out the Lions 67-32.

Game 5: Robbinsdale Cooper vs DeForest, WI
Rashad Vaughn with a pair of quick jumpers and a deep 3. Brandon Robinson with a 14 point layup drill. DeForest not getting back on defense and getting crushed on the offensive glass. 29-17 Hawks after 1 in the most scoring we've seen all day. Second quarter not much better as the Hawks get a 3 point play, a skip to Vaughn for another 3 and Lavar McCollough for 4 in a row. 39-18 Cooper at the 5:46 mark of the 2nd and the rout appears to be on. DeForest hangs within 47-32 at half. A rough 3rd quarter for the Hawks as DeForest regains their composure and the Hawks don't respond. Norskies within 58-53 after 3 and we have a game again. The lead is 4 when Vaughn scores a tough 2 with 4:20 left. Then pesky Brett Minich wiht a putback and he steals the inbounds for 2 more. Vaughn misses after a timeout and DeForest has a chance to tie but can't convert. Robinson runs the other way for a critical layup. Vaughn with a tough move inside for 2 more inside a minute and the lead is back to 6. Vaughn makes 2 free throws with 10 seconds left to seal a 71-67 Hawks win. Rashad Vaughn 25 points on 9-18 shooting.

Game 6: Roseville vs La Crosse (WI) Aquinas
Wisconsin signee Bronson Koenig getting the assignment on Mack Johnson. After a block Koenig is on the board. Then a pair of assists for layups. Post Parker Weber with a big quarter of 8 points with Mike Conway on the bench. 12-7 Aquinas after 1 quarter. Jordan Burich with a block on 1 end and then runs for 2 the other way. Koenig counters for 3. Then Mack Johnson goes down with an injury at the 5:32 mark and doesn't return. Its all down hill from their for Roseville. Conway for 2, Koenig another assist and then a dunk off a turnover. 27-9 Aquinas at the 3:10 mark. 32-14 at the half. The lead is 19 after 3. Jacques Perra with a big 4th quarter as Roseville closes to within 10 with 3:07 left but no matter. Aquinas goes on to win 58-48. Bronson Koenig 18 points and 8 boards. A tough 24 hours for Roseville giving up a lead at Woodbury, the early morning train ride, a long day waiting around and then the Johnson injury and loss. Jacques Perra 15 to lead the Raiders.

Salivating over small schools

Prologue
Its a trip to the Salvation Army in St. Paul at Park Christian makes their annual mid-January trek to the metro for a Friday night/Saturday afternoon pair. The Sal not known for its concessions so I make sure to stop for dinner first but dessert is on the menu with the usual Kit Kat. Good crowd of Park Christian fans and they brought their cheerleaders on the road trip. The parents even stand until the 1st Falcons basket. Good stuff. Its not often I get surprised but I walked into the gym to find out its a girls/boys doubleheader. Even better as that's my version of running up the score. As Ernie Banks said, let's play 2! CHOF girls get a 50-39 with 5 juniors starting.

Game Time
Now to the main event. Liked a couple of the simple but effective warmup drills that Park Christian used. CHOF short-handed with a group of starters missing this week's games. Park Christian guard Matt Moberg with a quick couple of buckets and then fouls to keep him out the last 16:23 of the half. 6'5 center Hunter Nickel too much inside for a small CHOF lineup. He scores 10 quick easy points. But frosh Kit Piepkorn knocks down a pair of triples to cut the Falcons lead to 23-20 at the 8 minute mark. A couple of Lions turnovers and Park Christian goes on a 7-0 run to push the lead to 10. Piepkorn with his 3 bomb of the half to keep the Lions within 30-23. Park Christian with their own star frosh Zach Kvalvog. He drives for 2 and knocks down a 3. Then he finds Nickel on a repost, something the Falcons do that you see almost nobody else in high school do. Love that. Jay Hanson 5 in a row and a buzzer beating 3 from Duncan Hannestad for a 13-2 Falcons run to end the half. 45-27 Park Christian at the break. Only 1 CHOF field goal in the last 6 minutes.

Moberg back in to start the 2nd half and he immediately scores. He then finds Nickel for a dunk and knocks down his own jumper. Then 2 quick fouls put him with 4 but is a blowout so leave him in there to get his time. The run across halftime ends up being 19-2 in not quite 7 minutes. The lead gets to 29 and it looks like we'll have running time. But CHOF scraps and Park Christian didn't defend well in the 2nd half. They still roll 84-56.

Post Game
For CHOF, frosh Kit Piepkorn with 4 3s and 18 points on my sheet (though I may have missed a bucket). He's a better shooter with a quicker release than I remembered. He had 31 against Braham on Tuesday. Junior guard Nate Johnston with 15. The Lions fall to 4-7 but its a young team that doesn't really have a good win. They hope to be at full strength next Tuesday at home vs St. Agnes.

For Park Christian, center Hunter Nickel leads with 18 points, 14 of those in the 1st half. Just too tall and agile inside. But he's still raw to a certain extent as he had a chance to have 30. Matt Moberg with 12 of his 16 in the 2nd half and he racked them up in a hurry. He saw limited minutes due to foul trouble. Liked frosh Zach Kvalvog with 11 points and a nice job pushing and moving the ball. He had to have a handful of assists easily. Funky shot setup but if he gets set, he's got range. 5 of the top 6 coming back next year for this crew as well. The Falcons are now 10-3. Ranked Ulen-Hitterdal got them earlier in the year by 17 and they will likely meet again in the 6A North subsection final. That subsection is crazy with those 2 and Ada-Borup having very good records and everybody else outside of Hillcrest struggling. The Falcons cross the metro to play at Southwest Christian in an afternoon game Saturday to finish their trip south.

A cross-river city showdown

Prologue
Its another trip to the north side of Minneapolis and another matchup in the city league as Edison visits North. The concession stand at North not known for the best hot dogs, so I'll stop on the way for a quick bite. Nothing missed in a running time JV game including my beverage. Add 12 oz of 7-up to the ledger. One of the major fashion statements of the year from North's Julius Johnson with the Blue/Orange (think Washburn) shoes, polka dot socks and the team hooded warmup.

Game Time
Julius Johnson off to a quick start for North as he knocks down a long 2 and a pair of 3s. The last 3 is part of an 8-0 Polars run. 13-5 North just inside of 13 minutes to play in the 1st. But the run ends and the rim went to find some dinner. Raol Bulchaa knocks down a 3 for a 16-10 Polars lead but that's the only field goal they'll get in almost 11 minutes after the run. Edison goes on a 14-0 run of their own with D'Angelo Dockery knocking down a pair of 3s. Interesting sequence during the run as North gets out on the break and draws and intentional foul on a missed shot. They miss both free throws with the North coach somehow thinking they should have shot 4. Then on the possession they get fouled on a 3 and miss all 3 of those. Bulchaa makes 4 free throws to break the run. Lee Gaines out on break with a dunk at the 2 minute mark to break the field goal drought. Despite that, North only down 29-24 at the half.

Julius Johnson with a tip in to end a 6-0 run and cut the Edison lead to 1. Gaines on the post and North comes back to take a 36-35 lead with 11:25 to play. Joseph Anderson turns it on in the 2nd half with a putback and goes coast to coast for 2 more. Then another bucket off a nice feed. 48-41 Edison inside 7:30 to play. The lead is 6 inside of 5 minutes. Julius Johnson back in the game with 4 fouls and scores off a turnover to cut the lead to 2. North then can't convert a turnover with a chance to tie. Gaines in the post to cut the lead to 2 and they miss a layup off a turnover. Frosh point guard Tyler Johnson with 2 after an offensive board. Tied up at 56 as we go under 2 minutes to play. 2 of 4 free throws for Edison and North misses 2 chances. Then a pair of Edison free throws for a 4 point lead with 1:02 left.

Then an ugly last minute of trying to close out a ball game. A bad drive that gets swatted away by Gaines. North comes back gets an offensive rebound and almost puts it back for a chance at a 3 point play. That just falls off and then both free throws are missed. Then Edison throws out of a front court trap and jacks up a 3 with 10 seconds left. That doesn't impact the final outcome as Edison wins 60-56.

Post Game
North falls to 1-6 overall and 0-4 in the Minneapolis City. Just too many fouls and not much against the Edison 1-2-2 zone. When Edison extended that full court they were able to force turnovers. Julius Johnson leads the Polars with 12 points but 8 of them were quick right at the start of the game. Frosh PG Tyler Johnson with 10 points. I liked his poise and he showed an ability to run a team and score a little. He'll be a quality player in the league. The Polars make the long trek north to Red Lake on Saturday.

Edison improves to 4-8 but the 4 wins are deceptive. They remain in a 3 way tie for 3rd at 2-2 in the City league, only 1 game behind Henry and Washburn. Joseph Anderson with 14 of his 17 in the 2nd half to lead the Tommies. Guard Brian Givens with 15. Edison shot 21-31 free throws in the 2nd half alone compared to 1-4 in the half for North. Only 5 2nd half field goals for the Tommies and Anderson had 4 of those. When North went man to man in the 2nd half, their pressure did bother Edison but the foul shooting was the savior. Edison hosts section rival St. Paul Academy on Saturday before a home date with Henry next Tuesday. Then a trip to South who beat Henry at Henry by 17 tonight.

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