It was a great day of basketball at Anoka-Ramsey CC on Saturday, January 25, at the 1st annual Jack Link's Hall of Fame Winter Classic, which is a fund-raiser for the Minnesota High School Basketball Hall of Fame.
Hopkins and Eden Prairie won fairly easily, while East Ridge had to come from behind to beat Rochester Mayo 64-63 in the finale.
Eden Prairie 82 Park Center 64
The Eagles showed why they're unbeaten and ranked #1, running away from an elite Park Center team 36-8 early and 46-20 at the half. Eden Prairie did its thing, which is to make the 3--9-of-14 in the 1st half. Meanwhile, the Pirates were making just 2-of-11 3s and just 5-of-14 2s in the 1st half. After Dain Dainja opened the scoring with a 3 for Park Center--just imagine this!--Eden Prairie went on a 36-5 run.
It was more of the same early in the 2nd half, as the Eagles took their largest lead at 56-24 on an Austin Andrews 2+1 at 14:12 and it was still 70-42 after a Drake Dobbs layup at 5:08. The Pirates won the final 5 minutes 22-12 to tighten up the final score a little bit.
But, the bottom line is that, well, yes, Eden Prairie makes 3s, 12-of-22 for the night. But, more than that, they do the little things on both sides of the ball. They move the ball and move without the ball better than anybody. They're all great passers. They all know that if they get open, the teammates will get them the ball. The hustle on defense and really shut down dribble penetration. Meanwhile, 6-7 Connor Christensen took on 6-10 Dainja man-to-man but of course he got help when needed, which was often, and the Eagles really excel at help defense.
They don't really overwhelm you with their athleticism or their size or anything, but then the clock starts and they play with great intensity and even greater intelligence. They don't just play games, they put on clinics.
Dobbs scored 31 points on 4-of-6 3s, 4-of-7 2s and 11-of-12 FT and added 9 boards. It's hard to believe he only had 1 assist. As a team, they had 9 on 25 buckets, which seems a little bit stingy on the part of the scorekeeper. Andrews added 19 on 7-of-11 shooting. Christensen also scored 19 with 5-of-7 3s and 7 boards.
Park Center had a tough time generating any offense until late and made just 3-of-20 3s. They got no penetration and had just 5 assists on 25 buckets. Dainja finished with 22 points but was stuck on 10 for the first half of the second half. Still, he made 10-of-16 FG with 9 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Detavius Frierson added 15 points and Joshua Brown 12.
East Ridge 64 Rochester Mayo 63
Mayo was just cruising along, executing, making shots, getting defensive stops, and they led by 11 points inside of 10 minutes. And, then East Ridge got things clicking a little bit. Kendall Blue made 3 straight mid-range jumpers off of dribble penetration, and Ben Carlson got a Ben Carlson-dunk and suddenly it was 60-58 East Ridge.
East Ridge made Mayo's 6-5 guard Gabe Madsen work for everything, but he made 5-of-11 shots and had 5 boards and 4 assists and 16 points. His brother Mason made 4-of-11 for 8 points and had 6 boards and 3 assists. But, after executing pretty flawlessly for 35 minutes, suddenly there were a couple-3 untimely turnovers down the stretch and, then, once Mayo got behind, the 3-pointer wouldn't fall.
The big eye-opener for the night was Mayo's 6-2 guard Michael Sharp who scored 17 points, 3 2-pointers mostly on back cuts into the lane, but also 3-of-3 3-pointers.
Meanwhile, East Ridge was essentially the Blue and Carlson show. They scored 2/3 of their team's points, got 2/3 of the rebounds and both (!) of their assists. (Yup, 2 assists for East Ridge on 25 buckets!) East Ridge had a 38-23 edge on the boards including 12-2 on the O-boards and outscored Mayo 15-2 on 2nd chancers. And, down the stretch, Blue and Carlson were not going to be denied.
Hopkins 90 Hibbing 58
First off, it was closer than that. Not to say that Hopkins wasn't in control 49-30 at the half, 55-40 at 13 minutes, 79-58 at 2 minutes, but then 11-0 inside of 2 minutes for the 90-58 final.
For those who are wondering how a Hopkins-Hopkins matchup came to be, Hibbing is a junior team, plus 6-3 sophomore guard Ayden McDonald, who scored his 1,000th point last week. So, the Bluejackets, a AAA team from the Iron Range, as you know, are playing a monster schedule with at least 7 AAAA's on it plus a game at Minnehaha in February.
Here, Hibbing got down 14-6 and 33-15. It was pretty obvious that Hopkins was stronger and more athletic and a lot deeper. Hibbing's starters actually outscored Hopkins' 55-48, and that was playing just 4 minutes more per man. The Hopkins bench played twice as many minutes as Hibbing's bench and outscored them 42-3.
Mainly, the game plan seemed to be that Hopkins was not gonna let Ayden McDonald beat them, and they leaned on him all night and held him to 4-of-15 shooting. McDonald's 3-of-8 3s was not bad, but 1-of-7 2s was indicative of the physical Hopkins defense. Junior guard Mayson Brown filled the gap with 25 points including 7-of-15 3s.
But Hopkins won the battle in the paint 34-6, and points off turnovers 28-2 though the turnovers themselves were just 17-13. But, you know Hopkins. Defend-and-go is what they do. They're not as good in the half court set as Hopkins teams of yore, what with their lack of a big fellow, but turn it over and they're gonna convert.
Kerwin Walton led Hopkins with a quiet 17 and was picked as the game MVP. Jaelen Treml and Regan Merritt each added 15, both off the bench.
The Hall of Fame All-Stars
The top players of the day:
C- Ben Carlson, East Ridge 16 pts, 14 reb
F- Connor Christensen, Eden Prairie 19 pts, 7 reb
PG- Drake Dobbs, Eden Prairie 31 pts, 9 reb
G- Kendall Blue, East Ridge 25 pts, 5 reb
G- Kerwin Walton, Hopkins 17 pts, 6 reb
2nd Team
C- Dain Dainja, Park Center 22 pts, 9 reb
F- Austin Andrews, Eden Prairie 19 pts, 4 reb
PG- Ayden McDonald, Hibbing 15 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast
G- Gabe Madsen, Mayo 16 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast
G- Mayson Brown, Hibbing 25 pts
3rd Team
C- Riek Riek, Mayo 8 pts, 5 reb
F- Detavius Frierson, Park Center 15 pts, 5 reb
PG- Cornell Richardson, Hopkins 9 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast
G- Michael Sharp, Mayo 17 pts
G- Joshua Brown, Park Center 12 pts, 5 reb
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Monday, January 20, 2020
Como girls edge Cretin 62-56 to celebrate MLK
Cretin-Derham Hall had a great doubleheader to celebrate MLK Day, and the Raiders split the 2 games. The boys beat 12-1 Mounds View handily while in the girls game it was visiting St. Paul Como Park coming back from a 43-42 deficit at 8:30 to win 62-56.
That means that Como won those final 8-and-a-half minutes 20-13 as Ronnie Porter scored 7 points and Kaylynn Asbury 6. Como shot 8-of-18 FG down the stretch (45%) after making just 16-of-70 shots (23%) over the game's first 27 minutes. Cretin, meanwhile, shot 38% percent in taking that 43-42 lead (17-of-45) but made just 4-of-17 (23%) down the stretch.
The difference in the game was Como's 26 offensive rebounds leading to 17 2nd chance points, 7 in the first half and 10 more in the 2nd. On Como's offensive end, there were 51 rebounds available. Como grabbed 26, Cretin just 25. Total rebounding was Como 55 Cretin 40 as the two teams missed more than 100 shots. But, if you're wondering how Como got off 88 shots, well, 26 offensive rebounds is the answer.
Ronnie Porter was also the difference in the game, scoring 31 points while none of her teammates managed to get into double figures. Porter shot 12-of-29 (42%) including 4-of-12 from long range (4-of-7 in the 1st half) and 8-of-17 2s. She added 8 rebounds, 3 steals, an assist and a block, plus 5 turnovers. Nevaeh Moeschter scored 19 points for Cretin while Takara Mason added 17.
That means that Como won those final 8-and-a-half minutes 20-13 as Ronnie Porter scored 7 points and Kaylynn Asbury 6. Como shot 8-of-18 FG down the stretch (45%) after making just 16-of-70 shots (23%) over the game's first 27 minutes. Cretin, meanwhile, shot 38% percent in taking that 43-42 lead (17-of-45) but made just 4-of-17 (23%) down the stretch.
The difference in the game was Como's 26 offensive rebounds leading to 17 2nd chance points, 7 in the first half and 10 more in the 2nd. On Como's offensive end, there were 51 rebounds available. Como grabbed 26, Cretin just 25. Total rebounding was Como 55 Cretin 40 as the two teams missed more than 100 shots. But, if you're wondering how Como got off 88 shots, well, 26 offensive rebounds is the answer.
Ronnie Porter was also the difference in the game, scoring 31 points while none of her teammates managed to get into double figures. Porter shot 12-of-29 (42%) including 4-of-12 from long range (4-of-7 in the 1st half) and 8-of-17 2s. She added 8 rebounds, 3 steals, an assist and a block, plus 5 turnovers. Nevaeh Moeschter scored 19 points for Cretin while Takara Mason added 17.
Friday, January 17, 2020
Eden Prairie boys beat Hopkins and the snow 82-68 to stay undefeated
The Eden Prairie boys showed why they're unbeaten and rated #1 among the Class AAAA boys, swooping into Hopkins Lindbergh Center and leaving several hours later with an 82-68 win. It was closer than that, but whenever Kenny Novak's Royals made a run, the Eagles had the weapons and the answers. They closed the game on an 11-2 run for the 14-point final margin.
Like I said, the Eagles have a lot of weapons and the ability to feed the hot hand. Tonight it was senior wing John Henry making 7-of-12 3-pointers, mostly from deep in the corners and with a hand in his face. And, as always, senior point guard Drake Dobbs controlled the ball and the tempo and got the ball to the guy with the hot hand, and made 3-of-4 3s of his own. Henry and Dobbs combined for 52 points on 16-of-27 shooting.
For Hopkins, of course, 6-5 senior guard Kerwin Walton was the story with 26 points on 9-of-17 including 4-of-8 from long range. And Hopkins was deeper with 9 players scoring to 6 for the Eagles. But none of the other Royals could get into double figures and as a group they shot just 16-of-41, including 7-of-19 in the 2nd half. There was just too much one-on-one for the Royals and so my unofficial stats show just 4 assists on 25 Hopkins buckets. And, as strong and athletic as Hopkins is, I had Eden Prairie with a 37-22 edge on the boards.
Eden Prairie took an early 11-7 as their first 6 shots were all 3s and they made half of them. But, Hopkins ripped off an 18-7 run to lead 26-18 at the 7 minute mark of the first half. 9 of those points came on 5 Eden Prairie turnovers, half of their total for the whole night. Now it was the Eagles turn and they closed the half on a 20-4 run. Dobbs and Henry each hit a pair of 3s in the run.
The Eagles kept it going in the 2nd half, opening with an 18-8 advantage (a total of 38-12), again making 3-of-4 3s in the first 4 minutes of the half. At the 14 minute mark it was 56-38. But Hopkins made its run, a 28-15 run over 14 minutes to get within 71-66 with 4 minutes remaining. Walton scored 15 of the 28 points but Sawyer Shrake and Regan Merritt each chipped in a 3 as well. But, now it was Will Foster and Connor Christianson scoring 7 points down the stretch for the final score.
What makes the Eagles the Eagles, I think, is their movement and their ball movement on offense. They always have 5 great passers on the court so they're hard to trap and hard to slow down. Hopkins did both but only in small spurts. In fact, they did a nice job of doubling down low but the Eagles more than answered with the 3-ball. But don't underestimate Hopkins or overestimate the Eagles. This was not a 14 point game but more like 6 or 8. But for now Eden Prairie is the best team in the state of Minnesota, no matter what you may read elsewhere.
Like I said, the Eagles have a lot of weapons and the ability to feed the hot hand. Tonight it was senior wing John Henry making 7-of-12 3-pointers, mostly from deep in the corners and with a hand in his face. And, as always, senior point guard Drake Dobbs controlled the ball and the tempo and got the ball to the guy with the hot hand, and made 3-of-4 3s of his own. Henry and Dobbs combined for 52 points on 16-of-27 shooting.
For Hopkins, of course, 6-5 senior guard Kerwin Walton was the story with 26 points on 9-of-17 including 4-of-8 from long range. And Hopkins was deeper with 9 players scoring to 6 for the Eagles. But none of the other Royals could get into double figures and as a group they shot just 16-of-41, including 7-of-19 in the 2nd half. There was just too much one-on-one for the Royals and so my unofficial stats show just 4 assists on 25 Hopkins buckets. And, as strong and athletic as Hopkins is, I had Eden Prairie with a 37-22 edge on the boards.
Eden Prairie took an early 11-7 as their first 6 shots were all 3s and they made half of them. But, Hopkins ripped off an 18-7 run to lead 26-18 at the 7 minute mark of the first half. 9 of those points came on 5 Eden Prairie turnovers, half of their total for the whole night. Now it was the Eagles turn and they closed the half on a 20-4 run. Dobbs and Henry each hit a pair of 3s in the run.
The Eagles kept it going in the 2nd half, opening with an 18-8 advantage (a total of 38-12), again making 3-of-4 3s in the first 4 minutes of the half. At the 14 minute mark it was 56-38. But Hopkins made its run, a 28-15 run over 14 minutes to get within 71-66 with 4 minutes remaining. Walton scored 15 of the 28 points but Sawyer Shrake and Regan Merritt each chipped in a 3 as well. But, now it was Will Foster and Connor Christianson scoring 7 points down the stretch for the final score.
What makes the Eagles the Eagles, I think, is their movement and their ball movement on offense. They always have 5 great passers on the court so they're hard to trap and hard to slow down. Hopkins did both but only in small spurts. In fact, they did a nice job of doubling down low but the Eagles more than answered with the 3-ball. But don't underestimate Hopkins or overestimate the Eagles. This was not a 14 point game but more like 6 or 8. But for now Eden Prairie is the best team in the state of Minnesota, no matter what you may read elsewhere.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
The 1/3 Report: The Surprises and Most Improved Among the Girls
Well, we're at the 1/3 point in the season. The "pre-season" is behind us. Now comes the "regular season," sometimes known as "the grind," and we don't mean Starbuck's. Then comes the "post-season." So what have we learned in the 1st 1/3 of the season that sheds light on what might happen in the 3rd 1/3?
Class AAAA
At the 1/3 point in Class AAAA the surprise teams (in a good way) are Blaine, Centennial, Elk River and Shakopee. Blaine, which has enjoyed precious little success over the past 6-8 years, has in fact moved into the favorite's role in Section 7. Centennial, Elk and Shakopee remain underdogs in their sections but have moved up to #7, #12 and #13 in the rankings after not being ranked in the pre-season.
The 5th mover is Rosemount though they've done almost exactly what was expected, in fact dropping marginally in the rankings from #10 to #11. But, at the same time, they're now the favorite in Section 3 ahead of Lakeville North.
The other section favorites remain the same--Farmington, Chaska, Stllwater, Park Center, Hopkins and St. Michael. Right now I would expect to see Hopkins vs. Stillwater and Farmington vs. Park Center in the state semis, and those are the same 4 that I had in the pre-season. In the final, I'm thinking Hopkins 72 Farmington 61. Paige Bueckers of Hopkins remains the favorite for PoY and for Ms. Basketball, while Blaine's Kayla Bohr is the breakout player right now.
Class AAA
Believe it or not, I don't have a single change in any of the 8 section favorites. I'm picking Como to surprise DeLaSalle in one semi and Red Wing edge Marshall in the other, after Marshall edges Becker 60-59 in the 1st round.
The surprise teams are Mahtomedi and Richfield at #9 and #10 after not being ranked in the pre-season. Coach Danny Woods of Holy Angels told me, "Watch out for Richfield," and I'm like "yeah, yeah." That's why he gets paid the big bucks.
Class AA
OK, here's where it gets interesting right from Section 1. Stewartville lost Erin Lamb to volleyball and they've dropped from #2 statewide out of the top 15. Goodhue, just up from Class A, has already become the favorite with a win at Lake City. Rochester Lourdes is more highly rated in that other poll but I like Goodhue.
In 2AA, Waseca replaces Norwood Young America. NYA has some injuries, while Waseca has a road win at previously unbeaten Winona Cotter.
New London-Spicer and Minnehaha remain favorites in 4 and 5, and Sauk Centre and Fergus up north. But in Section 7AA, Proctor drops from #3 in the state to #3 in the section despite just 1 loss. But the 2018 section champs, Mesabi East, have no losses and Duluth Marshall also has just 1.
Some other movers include unbeaten Holdingford and Pelican Rapids, though neither is a section fave.
At state, I'm seeing right now Fergus over Goodhue and Sauk over Minnehaha in the semis, and Sauk 57 Fergus 56 in the final.
Class A
There are a few changes here. Unbeaten Waterville-Elysian-Morristown takes over from BOLD in 2A, Mayer Lutheran is the new fave over Heritage in 4A, and Warren-Alvarado-Oslo takes over from Red Lake in 8A. Park Christian moves up, though it's not a section favorite, with a win over Ada.
Right now I see Minneota over Walker-HA and WEM over MIB in the state semis, and Minneota 51 WEM 49 to repeat was state champ.
Summary--the biggest surprise teams so far:
1. Richfield--unbeaten after winning just 5 games a year ago.
2. Blaine--hard to believe it, but the Bengals will challenge for a state tournament berth. Kayla Bohr is the breakout player.
3. Waterville-EM--they know how to win in volleyball, why not hoops?
4. Mayer Lutheran--will they be better than Heritage come March?
5. Goodhue--1st year in AA but more than ready to compete.
6. Mahtomedi--deep, young, talented team but they are still in DeLaSalle's section.
7. Holdingford--unheralded and unbeaten.
8. Waseca--they've been good but still have just 1 state tournament berth ever.
9. Mesabi East--you knew they were good but can they beat Proctor and Duluth Marshall in March?
10. Rosemount--now favored to get by both Eastview and Lakeville North in Section 3AAAA.
Class AAAA
At the 1/3 point in Class AAAA the surprise teams (in a good way) are Blaine, Centennial, Elk River and Shakopee. Blaine, which has enjoyed precious little success over the past 6-8 years, has in fact moved into the favorite's role in Section 7. Centennial, Elk and Shakopee remain underdogs in their sections but have moved up to #7, #12 and #13 in the rankings after not being ranked in the pre-season.
The 5th mover is Rosemount though they've done almost exactly what was expected, in fact dropping marginally in the rankings from #10 to #11. But, at the same time, they're now the favorite in Section 3 ahead of Lakeville North.
The other section favorites remain the same--Farmington, Chaska, Stllwater, Park Center, Hopkins and St. Michael. Right now I would expect to see Hopkins vs. Stillwater and Farmington vs. Park Center in the state semis, and those are the same 4 that I had in the pre-season. In the final, I'm thinking Hopkins 72 Farmington 61. Paige Bueckers of Hopkins remains the favorite for PoY and for Ms. Basketball, while Blaine's Kayla Bohr is the breakout player right now.
Class AAA
Believe it or not, I don't have a single change in any of the 8 section favorites. I'm picking Como to surprise DeLaSalle in one semi and Red Wing edge Marshall in the other, after Marshall edges Becker 60-59 in the 1st round.
The surprise teams are Mahtomedi and Richfield at #9 and #10 after not being ranked in the pre-season. Coach Danny Woods of Holy Angels told me, "Watch out for Richfield," and I'm like "yeah, yeah." That's why he gets paid the big bucks.
Class AA
OK, here's where it gets interesting right from Section 1. Stewartville lost Erin Lamb to volleyball and they've dropped from #2 statewide out of the top 15. Goodhue, just up from Class A, has already become the favorite with a win at Lake City. Rochester Lourdes is more highly rated in that other poll but I like Goodhue.
In 2AA, Waseca replaces Norwood Young America. NYA has some injuries, while Waseca has a road win at previously unbeaten Winona Cotter.
New London-Spicer and Minnehaha remain favorites in 4 and 5, and Sauk Centre and Fergus up north. But in Section 7AA, Proctor drops from #3 in the state to #3 in the section despite just 1 loss. But the 2018 section champs, Mesabi East, have no losses and Duluth Marshall also has just 1.
Some other movers include unbeaten Holdingford and Pelican Rapids, though neither is a section fave.
At state, I'm seeing right now Fergus over Goodhue and Sauk over Minnehaha in the semis, and Sauk 57 Fergus 56 in the final.
Class A
There are a few changes here. Unbeaten Waterville-Elysian-Morristown takes over from BOLD in 2A, Mayer Lutheran is the new fave over Heritage in 4A, and Warren-Alvarado-Oslo takes over from Red Lake in 8A. Park Christian moves up, though it's not a section favorite, with a win over Ada.
Right now I see Minneota over Walker-HA and WEM over MIB in the state semis, and Minneota 51 WEM 49 to repeat was state champ.
Summary--the biggest surprise teams so far:
1. Richfield--unbeaten after winning just 5 games a year ago.
2. Blaine--hard to believe it, but the Bengals will challenge for a state tournament berth. Kayla Bohr is the breakout player.
3. Waterville-EM--they know how to win in volleyball, why not hoops?
4. Mayer Lutheran--will they be better than Heritage come March?
5. Goodhue--1st year in AA but more than ready to compete.
6. Mahtomedi--deep, young, talented team but they are still in DeLaSalle's section.
7. Holdingford--unheralded and unbeaten.
8. Waseca--they've been good but still have just 1 state tournament berth ever.
9. Mesabi East--you knew they were good but can they beat Proctor and Duluth Marshall in March?
10. Rosemount--now favored to get by both Eastview and Lakeville North in Section 3AAAA.
Sunday, December 29, 2019
The 1/3 Report, Part 1: The Boys Surprises/Most Improved
Well, the 2019-2020 basketball season is now 1/3 over. The "pre-season" is over. Up next, the grind, the "regular season." And, after that, what we all live for, the "post-season."
Among the boys, the surprises to date are very few and far between in Class AAAA, and then they become more and more numerous as you climb the ladder to AAA, AA and A.
Class AAAA
At this point, I've changed just one of my section favorites--that would be from Wayzata to Hopkins in Section 6AAAA, and that's a weak change. In other words, the Trojans got off to a terrible start due mostly to injuries. So, I'll bite. I'll move the Royals back up into the favorite's spot. But, if Wayzata gets healthy, as they are now showing signs of doing, I might regret the change. Elsewhere, the favorites continue to be Lakeville South, Eden Prairie, Eastview, Cretin, Park Center, Cambridge and Maple Grove.
Even more than the change at the top of Section 6, the surprises are Eastview (7-1, my #3), Lakeville South (now 8-0, #4) and Rochester Mayo (6-1, #10). The big droppers are Wayzata (from #4 to #17), Prior Lake (#3 to #11) and Champlin Park (from #10 to outside the top 20). Also making the latest top 10 are Shakopee and Chaska.
Still, Eden Prairie and Park Center remain at #1 and #2, just in reverse order, and remain our picks to play for the state title. Eastview and Lakeville South are now my other semi-finalists, replacing Prior Lake and Wayzata. And, I see Park Center edging Eden Prairie 68-67 in the state final. You can see these same 2 teams play one another on Saturday, January 18, at Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Coon Rapids at 4:15 p.m.
Dawson Garcia is now hurt, which explains Prior Lake dropping, and so he now shares the lead for AAAA PoY with Dain Dainja, Park Center, and Ben Carlson, East Ridge.
Class AAA
Here, Minnehaha and DeLaSalle remain at #1 and #2. I've changed 3 of my section faves. In Section 2AAA, Marshall (8-0, up from #5 statewide to #3) inches ahead of Mankato East (7-1, down from #3 to #6). In 3AAA, St. Croix Lutheran displaces Holy Angels. In 7AAA, Princeton displaces Hibbing.
St. Cloud Apollo is the big surprise though they were the pre-season Section 8AAA fave, but they were #10 at the time--now unbeaten and #4. The other surprises are Princeton and Marshall. The droppers are Waconia, Holy Angels and Hibbing.
The other section faves after 'Haha, De, Marshall, St. Croix Lutheran, Princeton and Apollo continue to be Austin and Delano. Also in my top 10 is Torino-Grace.
PoY in AAA continues to be Jalen Suggs, of course, and I see Suggs' team beating Marshall 67-65 in the state final after Marshall upsets De in the semis.
Class AA
Class AA is a hot mess with new favorites in 5 sections. In 1AA, Caledonia (8-0) now takes a small lead over Lake City (8-1). In 3AA, unbeaten Tracy-Milroy-Balaton displaces Jackson County Central. In 4AA, St. Croix Prep moves ahead of Cristo Rey Jesuit. In 6AA, Annandale displaces Melrose, and in 7AA, Virginia takes over for Esko.
The big gainers are Annandale, but also Minnesota Valley Lutheran and Blake, all having moved from unranked to the top 10. The big droppers are Cristo Rey, Jordan and Maranatha, who drop from the top 10 and out of the top 15.
The other section faves remain Waseca, Mpls. North and Perham. I foresee Perham 66 Caledonia 65 in the state final.
Class A
There are also new favorites in half of the Class A sections--Blooming Prairie moving ahead of Rushford-Peterson in 1A, Southwest MN Christian ahead of Minneota in 3A, Legacy Christian ahead of Mayer Lutheran in 4A, and Nevis ahead of Cromwell in 5A.
The big movers are Waterville-Elysian-Morristown from #13 to #3, but still #2 in Section 2A behind BOLD; Southwest MN Christian from #14 to #2; and Nevis from unranked to #4. The big droppers are Mayer Lutheran, Minneota and Rushford-Pete.
The other section faves remain Henning, North Woods and Ada. I see Southwest Christian and Nevis replacing Ada and Mayer Lutheran in the state semi-finals, and Southwest Christian beating Henning 65-57 in the final.
Summary
So, overall, the most improved teams from pre-season expectations are:
1. St. Cloud Apollo was #10AAA pre-season. Still, 8-0 was not expected, including wins over Princeton, Cambridge and Maranatha.
2. Eastview was #8AAAA but the win over East Ridge was not expected. Now 7-1 with a loss only to #1 Eden Prairie, they've moved up to #3 ahead of folks like Cretin, Hopkins, Park Center and Prior Lake.
3. Waterville-EM has lost only to defending state champ Henning, and that in 3 OT, so they've moved from #13 to #3 in Class A. They still trail #1A BOLD in their section.
4. Lakeville South. Everything we said about Eastview applies here, and they've moved from #15AAAA to #4.
5. Annandale didn't even make the pre-season top 5 in Section 5AA. Now they're the fave (and #7AA overall) at 6-0 with a win over Maranatha.
6. Southwest MN Christian (6-0).
7. Princeton (7-2).
8. Rochester Mayo (6-1).
9. Marshall (9-0).
10. Minnesota Valley Lutheran (9-0).
Among the boys, the surprises to date are very few and far between in Class AAAA, and then they become more and more numerous as you climb the ladder to AAA, AA and A.
Class AAAA
At this point, I've changed just one of my section favorites--that would be from Wayzata to Hopkins in Section 6AAAA, and that's a weak change. In other words, the Trojans got off to a terrible start due mostly to injuries. So, I'll bite. I'll move the Royals back up into the favorite's spot. But, if Wayzata gets healthy, as they are now showing signs of doing, I might regret the change. Elsewhere, the favorites continue to be Lakeville South, Eden Prairie, Eastview, Cretin, Park Center, Cambridge and Maple Grove.
Even more than the change at the top of Section 6, the surprises are Eastview (7-1, my #3), Lakeville South (now 8-0, #4) and Rochester Mayo (6-1, #10). The big droppers are Wayzata (from #4 to #17), Prior Lake (#3 to #11) and Champlin Park (from #10 to outside the top 20). Also making the latest top 10 are Shakopee and Chaska.
Still, Eden Prairie and Park Center remain at #1 and #2, just in reverse order, and remain our picks to play for the state title. Eastview and Lakeville South are now my other semi-finalists, replacing Prior Lake and Wayzata. And, I see Park Center edging Eden Prairie 68-67 in the state final. You can see these same 2 teams play one another on Saturday, January 18, at Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Coon Rapids at 4:15 p.m.
Dawson Garcia is now hurt, which explains Prior Lake dropping, and so he now shares the lead for AAAA PoY with Dain Dainja, Park Center, and Ben Carlson, East Ridge.
Class AAA
Here, Minnehaha and DeLaSalle remain at #1 and #2. I've changed 3 of my section faves. In Section 2AAA, Marshall (8-0, up from #5 statewide to #3) inches ahead of Mankato East (7-1, down from #3 to #6). In 3AAA, St. Croix Lutheran displaces Holy Angels. In 7AAA, Princeton displaces Hibbing.
St. Cloud Apollo is the big surprise though they were the pre-season Section 8AAA fave, but they were #10 at the time--now unbeaten and #4. The other surprises are Princeton and Marshall. The droppers are Waconia, Holy Angels and Hibbing.
The other section faves after 'Haha, De, Marshall, St. Croix Lutheran, Princeton and Apollo continue to be Austin and Delano. Also in my top 10 is Torino-Grace.
PoY in AAA continues to be Jalen Suggs, of course, and I see Suggs' team beating Marshall 67-65 in the state final after Marshall upsets De in the semis.
Class AA
Class AA is a hot mess with new favorites in 5 sections. In 1AA, Caledonia (8-0) now takes a small lead over Lake City (8-1). In 3AA, unbeaten Tracy-Milroy-Balaton displaces Jackson County Central. In 4AA, St. Croix Prep moves ahead of Cristo Rey Jesuit. In 6AA, Annandale displaces Melrose, and in 7AA, Virginia takes over for Esko.
The big gainers are Annandale, but also Minnesota Valley Lutheran and Blake, all having moved from unranked to the top 10. The big droppers are Cristo Rey, Jordan and Maranatha, who drop from the top 10 and out of the top 15.
The other section faves remain Waseca, Mpls. North and Perham. I foresee Perham 66 Caledonia 65 in the state final.
Class A
There are also new favorites in half of the Class A sections--Blooming Prairie moving ahead of Rushford-Peterson in 1A, Southwest MN Christian ahead of Minneota in 3A, Legacy Christian ahead of Mayer Lutheran in 4A, and Nevis ahead of Cromwell in 5A.
The big movers are Waterville-Elysian-Morristown from #13 to #3, but still #2 in Section 2A behind BOLD; Southwest MN Christian from #14 to #2; and Nevis from unranked to #4. The big droppers are Mayer Lutheran, Minneota and Rushford-Pete.
The other section faves remain Henning, North Woods and Ada. I see Southwest Christian and Nevis replacing Ada and Mayer Lutheran in the state semi-finals, and Southwest Christian beating Henning 65-57 in the final.
Summary
So, overall, the most improved teams from pre-season expectations are:
1. St. Cloud Apollo was #10AAA pre-season. Still, 8-0 was not expected, including wins over Princeton, Cambridge and Maranatha.
2. Eastview was #8AAAA but the win over East Ridge was not expected. Now 7-1 with a loss only to #1 Eden Prairie, they've moved up to #3 ahead of folks like Cretin, Hopkins, Park Center and Prior Lake.
3. Waterville-EM has lost only to defending state champ Henning, and that in 3 OT, so they've moved from #13 to #3 in Class A. They still trail #1A BOLD in their section.
4. Lakeville South. Everything we said about Eastview applies here, and they've moved from #15AAAA to #4.
5. Annandale didn't even make the pre-season top 5 in Section 5AA. Now they're the fave (and #7AA overall) at 6-0 with a win over Maranatha.
6. Southwest MN Christian (6-0).
7. Princeton (7-2).
8. Rochester Mayo (6-1).
9. Marshall (9-0).
10. Minnesota Valley Lutheran (9-0).
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Rogers, Andover and Roseville girls win at Roseville
Rogers opened the Roseville Girls Holiday Tournament with a 78-57 win over Mpls. South. In fact, it was 78-44 at the 5 minute mark, when South's starters closed it out with a 13-0 run over Rogers' deep bench to make it respectable. Rogers had 5 players in double figures, shot 47% from the field with 16 assists, according to my unofficial numbers. They must have averaged 8 to 10 passes per shot, while South had all kinds of 1-2-3 touch possessions, just a whole lot of 1-on-1.
Sophomore forward Ellie Buzzelle was, well, not quite her usual self, scoring only 19 points, but 14 of them as Rogers built a 42-29 lead in the 1st half. It was senior guards Alaina Brenning and Ali Karels who did a lot of the work for Rogers, with 25 points between them on (again, unofficially) 11-of-14 shooting, 5 assists and 2 turnovers. Inside it was freshman Clara Glad and Katelyn Maciej combining for 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go with 16 rebounds. Junior Mackenzie Matthies had a really nice game off the bench with 7 points on 3-of-5 shooting, 3 boards and a team-high 5 assists.
Bottom line: Rogers moved the ball, got those 16 assists, and then 15 offensive boards didn't hurt.
Jade Hill scored 21 for South.
Andover followed with an exciting 63-61 win over Woodbury. Andover led 30-25 at the half, and 45-36 and 49-40 in the 2nd before Woodbury came back to make a game of it. The Royals tied it at 53 at 4:06 on a Carley West bucket. They took their first and only lead of the 2nd half at 55-53, then 57-53 on a pair of cutbacks by Megan Hurley and Mary Grant. But, Andover finished on a 10-4 run, taking a 61-59 lead on a Sydney White 3 and getting the win on an Alyssa Gerth layup with 3 seconds remaining.
In fact, Gerth was in-bounding the ball from the baseline under her own basket. The Woodbury defender turned her back on the passer to face the court. Gerth bounced it off the defender's back, got both feet in bounds, grabbed the ball again, and laid it in. I've seen that a few times, but I don't think I've ever seen it for the game-winner.
White scored 30 for Andover on 3s, dribble drives, you name. She is a complete offensive player, strong, works hard to get open. Gerth is a smart, solid point guard, and scored 16. For Woodbury, it was mostly inside, where West scored 22 points and Mary Grant came off the bench to score 19. In the final 10 minutes, Woodbury had 4 offensive boards good for 9 2nd chance points. On the other hand, the officials had a tough night. They never called West's hook move in the lane, they didn't notice Andover's shooters getting hammered twice inside of 30 seconds. Emily Diemer got bodied so hard she had to come out of the game. No call. And, then Taylor Einck fouled out on a ticky-tack foul on the rebound as the official under the basket made a no-call but the official at half-court ran in to interrupt the proceedings. But Woodbury missed 2 possible game-winning FT to set up Gerth's game-winner.
Finally, Roseville defeated Hastings 53-47 in a surprisingly close game. It was 25-16 at the half as the Roseville didn't start to exploit their size inside until the half was half done. After that, Roseville's Jayda Johnston (18 points), Tamia Ugass (16) and Josie Haug (7) combined for 41 points. But 5 guards scored just 12 points for the Raiders. Meanwhile, Mallory Brake kept Hastings in it with 29 points. She scored 9 of Hastings' first 12 points and the Raiders from Hastings led the Raiders from Roseville 12-8. They shut the Creighton-bound Brake for the next 10 minutes but then she hit a 3 to get Hastings within 18-16. They didn't score the rest of the 1st half, however.
Brake scored 17 in the 2nd half to keep Hastings close. Her fellow 6-footer Lily Nuytten (pronounced Newton) added 11, but their teammates could only muster 7 points among them.
I did not see Centennial break away from a 26-26 halftime tie to defeat Cooper 61-49 as Jodi Anderson and Jenna Guyer combined for 34 points.
The Top Individuals
Center--1) Jenna Guyer, Centennial, 2) Mary Grant, Woodbury, off the bench
Power Forward--1) Jayda Johnston, Roseville, 2) Carley West, Woodbury
Small Forward--1) Mallory Brake, Hastings, the overall MVP for the day, and 2) Jodi Anderson, Centennial
Point Guard--1) Alyssa Gerth, Andover, 2) Ali Karels, Rogers
Shooting Guard--1) Sydney White, Andover, 2) Ellie Buzzelle, Rogers
The Semis
There should be a pair of competitive semi-final games today as Andover faces Rogers and Centennial takes on the hosts from Roseville. Rogers had by far the most balanced and distributed scoring and, well, their 3-4-5 players and their bench was deeper and better than any of the other 8 teams here, but Andover is going to be a bigger challenge for them than South was able to muster. Sydney White vs. Ellie Buzzelle will be a scoring contest to see. Buzzelle is maybe a tad better from long range but White is stronger going to the rim.
Centennial will also provide Roseville with a tougher challenge than Hastings did, and Roseville only beat Hastings by 6. Can Roseville's big 3 score 41 against Guyer and company inside, or can Roseville's guards get it going a little better. One or the other will probably have to happen for the Raiders to win.
Sophomore forward Ellie Buzzelle was, well, not quite her usual self, scoring only 19 points, but 14 of them as Rogers built a 42-29 lead in the 1st half. It was senior guards Alaina Brenning and Ali Karels who did a lot of the work for Rogers, with 25 points between them on (again, unofficially) 11-of-14 shooting, 5 assists and 2 turnovers. Inside it was freshman Clara Glad and Katelyn Maciej combining for 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go with 16 rebounds. Junior Mackenzie Matthies had a really nice game off the bench with 7 points on 3-of-5 shooting, 3 boards and a team-high 5 assists.
Bottom line: Rogers moved the ball, got those 16 assists, and then 15 offensive boards didn't hurt.
Jade Hill scored 21 for South.
Andover followed with an exciting 63-61 win over Woodbury. Andover led 30-25 at the half, and 45-36 and 49-40 in the 2nd before Woodbury came back to make a game of it. The Royals tied it at 53 at 4:06 on a Carley West bucket. They took their first and only lead of the 2nd half at 55-53, then 57-53 on a pair of cutbacks by Megan Hurley and Mary Grant. But, Andover finished on a 10-4 run, taking a 61-59 lead on a Sydney White 3 and getting the win on an Alyssa Gerth layup with 3 seconds remaining.
In fact, Gerth was in-bounding the ball from the baseline under her own basket. The Woodbury defender turned her back on the passer to face the court. Gerth bounced it off the defender's back, got both feet in bounds, grabbed the ball again, and laid it in. I've seen that a few times, but I don't think I've ever seen it for the game-winner.
White scored 30 for Andover on 3s, dribble drives, you name. She is a complete offensive player, strong, works hard to get open. Gerth is a smart, solid point guard, and scored 16. For Woodbury, it was mostly inside, where West scored 22 points and Mary Grant came off the bench to score 19. In the final 10 minutes, Woodbury had 4 offensive boards good for 9 2nd chance points. On the other hand, the officials had a tough night. They never called West's hook move in the lane, they didn't notice Andover's shooters getting hammered twice inside of 30 seconds. Emily Diemer got bodied so hard she had to come out of the game. No call. And, then Taylor Einck fouled out on a ticky-tack foul on the rebound as the official under the basket made a no-call but the official at half-court ran in to interrupt the proceedings. But Woodbury missed 2 possible game-winning FT to set up Gerth's game-winner.
Finally, Roseville defeated Hastings 53-47 in a surprisingly close game. It was 25-16 at the half as the Roseville didn't start to exploit their size inside until the half was half done. After that, Roseville's Jayda Johnston (18 points), Tamia Ugass (16) and Josie Haug (7) combined for 41 points. But 5 guards scored just 12 points for the Raiders. Meanwhile, Mallory Brake kept Hastings in it with 29 points. She scored 9 of Hastings' first 12 points and the Raiders from Hastings led the Raiders from Roseville 12-8. They shut the Creighton-bound Brake for the next 10 minutes but then she hit a 3 to get Hastings within 18-16. They didn't score the rest of the 1st half, however.
Brake scored 17 in the 2nd half to keep Hastings close. Her fellow 6-footer Lily Nuytten (pronounced Newton) added 11, but their teammates could only muster 7 points among them.
I did not see Centennial break away from a 26-26 halftime tie to defeat Cooper 61-49 as Jodi Anderson and Jenna Guyer combined for 34 points.
The Top Individuals
Center--1) Jenna Guyer, Centennial, 2) Mary Grant, Woodbury, off the bench
Power Forward--1) Jayda Johnston, Roseville, 2) Carley West, Woodbury
Small Forward--1) Mallory Brake, Hastings, the overall MVP for the day, and 2) Jodi Anderson, Centennial
Point Guard--1) Alyssa Gerth, Andover, 2) Ali Karels, Rogers
Shooting Guard--1) Sydney White, Andover, 2) Ellie Buzzelle, Rogers
The Semis
There should be a pair of competitive semi-final games today as Andover faces Rogers and Centennial takes on the hosts from Roseville. Rogers had by far the most balanced and distributed scoring and, well, their 3-4-5 players and their bench was deeper and better than any of the other 8 teams here, but Andover is going to be a bigger challenge for them than South was able to muster. Sydney White vs. Ellie Buzzelle will be a scoring contest to see. Buzzelle is maybe a tad better from long range but White is stronger going to the rim.
Centennial will also provide Roseville with a tougher challenge than Hastings did, and Roseville only beat Hastings by 6. Can Roseville's big 3 score 41 against Guyer and company inside, or can Roseville's guards get it going a little better. One or the other will probably have to happen for the Raiders to win.
Friday, December 27, 2019
Eastview boys 66 East Ridge 63
People are talking about Ben Carlson (6-8, of East Ridge, ranked #5 in Minnesota's senior class) and Stephen Crowl (6-11, of Eastview, ranked #6), future teammates at that school that has Bucky Badger as its mascot. But, there's probably going to be some talk about Crowl's high school teammate Ryan Thissen here pretty quick. The 6-5 wing is rated just #41 among Minnesota's seniors and it appears he's uncommitted. But, he was the difference Friday night as #8 ranked Eastview (now 6-1) stormed back from a 5-point half-time deficit to win at #4 East Ridge (now 4-3) 66-63.
But, first, Carlson outplayed and outscored Crowl 24-13. Carlson is much improved over last year. He overpowered Eastview's attempts at double and triple teams, scoring mostly from inside. Crowl, has 3 inches on Carlson but probably gives up a few pounds, and the Raptors' double and triple teams bothered Crowl all night. Carlson has always been more highly rated, though recently you'll hear people say Crowl has more upside with his size and his ability to step outside and hit the 3, though he did that only once tonight. And, the fact is that at the next level, nobody's going to be able to throw their whole defense at Crowl, so he'll have more room to operate and could be better at the next level. Meanwhile, you wonder if Carlson will be able to overpower people at the next level. But, hey, he was better tonight and maybe he's the one with more upside. I'm sure Bucky will be happy either way.
But, returning to Thissen. He's a solid 6-6, plenty mobile to play the 2 and a solid shooter. He got the ball out of bounds at his own FT line with 3.8 seconds left tonight and the score tied at 63. He brought the ball up the right sideline. With time running out, he let it go about 30 feet from his own baseline but on the right sideline, so it was probably a 35-footer. It banked off the glass and through the hoop as the buzzer sounded. They were his 19th, 20th and 21st points.
East Ridge led by as many as 9 in the 1st half, then by 5 at the half, and by 39-31 and 48-42. Thissen tied it up at 51 with a post-up, then scored on a dribble drive to make it 53-51. A Thissen FT tied it up at 54, and a Thissen 2 made it 60-56 Eastview. A Thissen FT made it 63-61 Eastview, and then came the game-winner. So that's 11 points and a pair of boards in the final 7 minutes. The only quibble was 2-of-5 FT down the stretch.
The third star for Eastview was senior point guard Caden Scales, who is athletic with great handles. He scored on a terrific put-back to get the Lightning within 51-49 at about 8 minutes.
For East Ridge, you had sophomore 6-5 point guard Kendall Blue, who scored 15; and 6-6 senior wing Brody Kriesel, who was everywhere, guarding Crowl, pounding the boards and adding 9 points.
It was a game that, frankly, East Ridge should have won. They had it won. Up 48-42 at 9 minutes, they were outscored 24-15 on their homeport. The 2nd chance points in the 2nd half were Eastview 9 East Ridge 0, and that is basically the story. Carlson outplayed Crowl, but bench scoring was 17-0 Eastview. It's tough to win when you're outscored 26-0 off the bench and off the glass.
But, first, Carlson outplayed and outscored Crowl 24-13. Carlson is much improved over last year. He overpowered Eastview's attempts at double and triple teams, scoring mostly from inside. Crowl, has 3 inches on Carlson but probably gives up a few pounds, and the Raptors' double and triple teams bothered Crowl all night. Carlson has always been more highly rated, though recently you'll hear people say Crowl has more upside with his size and his ability to step outside and hit the 3, though he did that only once tonight. And, the fact is that at the next level, nobody's going to be able to throw their whole defense at Crowl, so he'll have more room to operate and could be better at the next level. Meanwhile, you wonder if Carlson will be able to overpower people at the next level. But, hey, he was better tonight and maybe he's the one with more upside. I'm sure Bucky will be happy either way.
But, returning to Thissen. He's a solid 6-6, plenty mobile to play the 2 and a solid shooter. He got the ball out of bounds at his own FT line with 3.8 seconds left tonight and the score tied at 63. He brought the ball up the right sideline. With time running out, he let it go about 30 feet from his own baseline but on the right sideline, so it was probably a 35-footer. It banked off the glass and through the hoop as the buzzer sounded. They were his 19th, 20th and 21st points.
East Ridge led by as many as 9 in the 1st half, then by 5 at the half, and by 39-31 and 48-42. Thissen tied it up at 51 with a post-up, then scored on a dribble drive to make it 53-51. A Thissen FT tied it up at 54, and a Thissen 2 made it 60-56 Eastview. A Thissen FT made it 63-61 Eastview, and then came the game-winner. So that's 11 points and a pair of boards in the final 7 minutes. The only quibble was 2-of-5 FT down the stretch.
The third star for Eastview was senior point guard Caden Scales, who is athletic with great handles. He scored on a terrific put-back to get the Lightning within 51-49 at about 8 minutes.
For East Ridge, you had sophomore 6-5 point guard Kendall Blue, who scored 15; and 6-6 senior wing Brody Kriesel, who was everywhere, guarding Crowl, pounding the boards and adding 9 points.
It was a game that, frankly, East Ridge should have won. They had it won. Up 48-42 at 9 minutes, they were outscored 24-15 on their homeport. The 2nd chance points in the 2nd half were Eastview 9 East Ridge 0, and that is basically the story. Carlson outplayed Crowl, but bench scoring was 17-0 Eastview. It's tough to win when you're outscored 26-0 off the bench and off the glass.
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