Eight minutes into the game it was only 10-2 with Ellsworth up. Litchfield is well coached and a tough defensive basketball team and they were running their game plan but just struggling to produce points. Ellsworth was producing on 30-second possessions and at this point in the game all five of the Panthers from Ellsworth had scored. Star Cody Schilling recorded one of the buckets and then had assists on the other four. Litchfield was watching him close but his skill created opportunities for people all over the floor.
The Dragons were able to get back in the game quickly as three different Dragons knocked down three-pointers. Junior Andrew Whitchurch, senior Steve Hendrickson, and sophomore Dominic Devine made the third making the score 10-13. Devine is a lengthy kid with a quick release on his shot while Hendrickson is a nice player who leads and has to score for this squad giving him a ton of responsibility.
From this point everything was one and done for Litchfield and they were being forced into some tough shots. Ellsworth went on a 14-0 run highlighted buy two three-pointers from senior Brandon Guis and a pair from Adam Van Der Stoep a junior. At this point it seemed Schilling had assisted on every bucket of the game save the ones he produced.
At the half Ellsworth held a 42-19 lead as they just continued to pound at Litchfield with great execution. Half way through the game Schilling had put up 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. The highlights from Schilling were some beautiful passes off the drive and a deep pull-up three-pointer from about three steps beyond the arc.
Although down, Steve Hendrickson had scored 12 of his teams 19 points and heÕs a very good young point guard who can score as well as dish. When his younger teammates start to develop he could be the leader of a nice young team come February and March.
At the 13:30 minute mark of the second half Ellsworth was up 54 to 24 on the Dragons. They had already hit ten three-pointers including five from Van Der Stoep. Big sophomore center Trevor Gruis played strong inside scoring and his older brother Brandon had now hit four jumpers including three three-pointers. Plus Weston DeBerg was working the floor defensively, with screens and had scored in double figures himself.
For the game Cody finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists, and a Player of the Game plaque. This was along with 18 from Brandon Gruis, 15 from Van Der Stoep, and the 12 points scored by Trevor Gruis. Hendrickson led the Dragons with 24 as he had a nice all around basketball game scoring more then half of the Litchfield points.
Marshall tried to go with the country psyche playing some John Denver and Big and Rich, they had the boys in overalls and barefeet in the front row, and then the boys in hunting jackets in the back row. It was entertaining and made the Skippers do some double takes.
However, on the floor Andrew Latzke did his own double take with two quick three-pointers and a 12-4 lead for Minnetonka. Then a big point in the game was a huge scoring swing. A nice Marshall possession landed the ball in Tyler GimmestadÕs lap but he waited to check on the Skippers around him and that hesitation gave CJ Erickson the time to get a block and then the other way he penetrated the length of the floor for a lay-up flying high above the Tigers racing back on defense. Instead of a Gimmestad lay-up and a 14-11 game it became a 16-9 Minnetonka lead that grew to 32-11. Three of those buckets were gorgeous threes from Anthony Tucker, as well as some free throws, and then two mid-range shots from Latzke.
UT Udo gave Minnetonka a nice boost driving for two baskets and then drawing two charges. In a game that had numerous questionable calls these two charges were not of the curious sort.
The halftime score was 44-23 and the Skippers showed a nice defensive effort playing with some aggression. They were giving the guards fits and poor Beau Bredeson took care of the ball but he had people hounding him. His ten points were the Tiger bright spot in the first half. But inside Marshall was not getting anything to the rim as Minnetonka recorded near double figure blocks in the first twenty minutes of the game.
Andy Burns had a great game making plays for his team. His assist total was game high and he drove for a couple pretty hoops himself. Many of the three point looks for Tonka came off of BurnsÕs creation.
After watching Cole Stefan hit numerous three-pointers at the Tartan Jamboree in about six minutes last weekend, he entered this game and hit three-three pointers in five minutes making the second half score 67 to 38 with ten minutes remaining.
And Skipper Sedrick McBounds showed some nice jumphooks, tip-ins, and rebounds in the second half. McBounds was one of several Minnetonka players who defended Tyler Gimmestad to 29 straight minutes of no offensive scoring production after TylerÕs three-pointer to start the game. The D-1 football recruit showed a nice up-and-under move to break the silence with a few minutes remaining for Marshall.
The final score was Minnetonka 84 and Marshall 51 as Tonka had four guys in double figures. Tucker led with 16 points, Latzke had 15, Stefan had 15 points and McBounds scored ten. Bredeson scored a team high 18 points for Marshall in defeat.
The constant movement of the Ranger offense caused fits for Washburn early as Bryce Tesdahl scored twice himself and then fed a teammate on a back-door cut. Adding to the misery for the Millers was 6-foot-5 C-I center Joe McLaughlin hitting two three-pointers in the gameÕs first five minutes.
The Rangers continued to have their way with Washburn as they could back-cut, throw lobs, and penetrate while the Millers were just not helping enough or talking defensively and it was a big reason why they were down 26-10. Credit also goes to C-I for their offensive system and team play as they share the ball extremely well.
The Rangers built a halftime lead of 40-22 as they just continued to pick apart the Millers. Pick and rolls, lobs to the post, and your basic backdoor cuts were constant. Tesdahl led the team in scoring with 12 points after 18 minutes plus he had four assists at the half. Kody Bartels received several lobs in which he finished and Swanhorst just bulled over people to score.
Opening up the second half the lead was extended as the Rangers continued to pick apart the Millers. Tesdahl has a fantastic ability to pass the basketball and this was highlighted on a gorgeous no-look pass on the break to Trevor Dickie for a 51-26 lead. Swanhorst was a beast around the cup using his size to power over folks and having the basketball IQ to move to the right spots anticipating passes off of penetration.
Miller standouts RaShede Hageman and Cedric Martin were both plagued by foul trouble throughout and never could get into the flow of the game. A lot of this also had to do with the active Ranger zone defense that seems to give a lot of teams fits the first time they see it.
Martin and Hageman combined for 14 points and eight fouls in this game.
The Millers showed late they would never quit as they cut a 23-point lead to ten giving the fans some excitement to hang on to. Late the new rules were evident as Washburn could barely whisper at their opponents or blow in their face before the foul was called.
The final score was 77 to 63 with the Rangers ahead. Swanhorst had a game high 20 points, Bartels scored 17 and then Tesdahl put up 18 points and recorded numerous assists. Leading the Millers was junior Jay Edwards with 11 points.
Mayo built an early 15-5 lead as jumpers were flying from everywhere from both teams in the gameÕs first five minutes. Mayo senior forward Jordan Hicks was the ten-point difference hitting a pair of three-pointers and then scoring dunks, one after picking up a loose ball and the other on a breakaway.
Mayo built the advantage to 26-10 as Hicks stayed hot hitting two more shots while Ellsworth was ice cold until Schilling scored on a drive through the Mayo defense for a lay-in and then produced two points off a give and go. This put the game at 26-14 at the six-minute mark. Early on Loyola-Chicago commit Jordan Hicks looked outstanding hitting three three-pointers and driving for more production.
The play of the event at this point occurred when Hicks faked a dribble right in transition and turned around the defender only to go the other way and dunk over the top of another Panther defender while being fouled. Hicks had put up 20 already at this point and was looking unstoppable in the first half. Even when he was off things went well as he got a bank shot to go hard off the board. Mayo went into the half with a 39-20 lead after Garrett Benson scored a lay-up right before the buzzer.
Schilling would lead a comeback bringing the team back from 19 down to 41-29 as he drove for a pair of scores and then dished off for another pair. Weston DeBerg was a recipient as he scored three times. This little run was stopped by a monster jam from Hicks after a time-out. The type of jam in traffic where he flew over everybody in the lane to finish rivaling his first highlight play. Then Rice commit Lucas Kuipers scored twice in the middle taking advantage of his size around the cup.
After the jam it became the Kuipers-Hicks show as Kuipers produced inside plus had a 19-footer and then Hicks continued to dominate. He hit another three and then intercepted an Ellsworth pass taking it the other way for a dunk. Then a step-back jumper from Kuipers was hit from 16 feet and Mayo had run away with it with ten minutes remaining. Score was 61 to 35.
You could see at the mid-point of the second half that three games in three days for Ellsworth was taking a real toll. The legs were just gone after they beat SW Star Concept and Litchfield on previous days. And at this point Kuipers was now pushing up his totals hitting from deep and from the inside.
The final score was 84 to 53 as Hicks put up 31 points and then Kuipers scored 27. Both Hicks and Kuipers recorded double-doubles as they both grabbed 11 rebounds. Hicks also had three steals and three assists. Schilling scored 20 for the Panthers followed by 18 from sophomore center Trevor Gruis. But Ellsworth was never able to recover from 23 percent shooting in the first half. Seven of 30 from the field just put them to far behind early.
The common statement when talking Dan Brown is one of the stateÕs best role players. But he looked like even more then that against the Cardinals as he hit three three-pointers, slammed home a fast break, and went baseline for a three-point play as he was fouled on a lay-up attempt. He scored 14 of his teamÕs first 19 points as Osseo was holding off a scrappy Redwood Valley team 19-17 at the ten-minute mark.
With Brown proving to be a top Osseo scoring option it was senior Ryan Spading who looked like one of the top role players. Defense, rebounding, and scoring around the cup was supplied by Spading as Osseo was holding off the Cards. Brown continued his hot streak with anther three but point guard Mike Felt was getting in his scoring grove for the Valley and his team was just hanging behind Osseo.
Dan Brown and Mike Felt had their double figure scoring games already but the difference maker became Carrington Tankson, OsseoÕs talented guard. Without a point through the majority of the first half, Tankson stopped setting up others and started scoring. First was the floater in the lane, second was a baseline drive exploding by everyone and then two three-pointers were sunk from deep. And at the buzzer Zack Peterson tipped in a miss for a 43 to 31 lead.
This battle of the birds continued to be the best contest of the event up to this point when Osseo pushed ahead with a Spading jumper and then a Jayvin Reynolds bucket off a brilliant pass from Tankson. Felt and guys like Mahlon Zimmermann continued to hit shots for Redwood Valley and this is a team that is very composed and well coached. They continued to work at the deficit as Felt scored with a driving lay-up and then a three-pointer that made this an eight-point game at 59-51.
Just when Redwood Valley was getting some momentum Tankson penetrated and dished to Sam Dower for a lay-in, Tankson scored himself, and then Dower hit a three giving his team a 15-point lead.
Late in the game a couple things became apparent. Mike Felt is one of the stateÕs better juniors as he put on a fantastic display of shooting as he scored with pretty moves off the dribble drive and sunk three-pointers. And Sam Dower is starting to show that top potential. After the three-pointer Sam scored with two jumphooks, had a putback, made a free throw as well as had a steal and dunk in the open floor.
Tankson finished the game with 20 points, ten assists and six rebounding leading Osseo. Dan Brown led the team with 21, Dower finished with 16, and Spading had 15 points. Felt led Redwood Valley with 34 points including five three-pointers.
The intense defense of coach Dave ThorsonÕs DeLaSalle team took the floor with definite effect and it led to a 7-0 lead as Tim Swords made two free throws, AJ Barker hit a jumper and Bryce Hawkins scored inside for the Islanders.
The lead did not last as Tonka came back to tie the contest at nine. CJ Erickson drilled a three-pointer and then Anthony Tucker stole a pass and took it the other way for a floating finger roll. Then Andy Burns gave the Skippers the lead with a runner in the lane and it was an 11-2 run for Minnetonka.
A tie game at 11 was broken with a Sedrick McBounds basket and then Andrew Latzke sunk a three for his team. After a McBounds made free throw the Skippers had fought ahead to take an eight-point lead at 19 to 11.
The youth of DeLaSalle made a nice push in the first quarter as sophomores Jalen Jaspers and Evan Williams started to grow in this game. Jaspers attacked for a couple buckets and squared up to hit a mid-range jumper while Williams penetrated in the half-court set for two lay-ups. Down only five the Islanders were attacking the number one team in state and outside of three Sedrick McBounds shots in the paint the Skippers were having a tough shooting night at this point.
Right before the half AJ Barker made two buckets including a jumper and a driving lay-up. But back the other way Anthony Tucker created a shot for Tyler Schilling who put it through the hoop giving the Skippers a 31-25 advantage at the half.
Minnetonka opened their lead to 39-28 as CJ Erickson hit another three-pointer and Andrew Latzke hustled down a board then hit a mid-range jumper. The game stayed at a difference of 11 for some time until AJ Barker hit a three and then Jeremy Randle knocked one down followed by a pair of free throws from the 5-foot-10 speedy guard. At this point in the game it was 43-40 with Tonka up but fading.
After the Islanders gained the momentum they turned the ball over twice and it resulted in an Anthony Tucker lay-in, two Erickson free throws and a seven-point Minnetonka advantage. But AJ Barker continued to play a strong game making a jumper and then two free throws and the Breakdown finally had its wire-to-wire close game at 49 to 46. Then Jeremy Randle hit a jumper and it was a one-point contest. Just as they were getting close CJ Erickson stepped up again with two free throws and then a steal that became a lay-up for Anthony Tucker.
The game remained a one-possession contest until Tucker found his stroke and hit a three. Then back on defense Erickson stole another pass that became a Tucker runner giving Minnetonka a 60-52 advantage. The lead was then pushed into double figures and Minnetonka would win out but they went through a battle and came out on top. The final score was 68 to 55. Tucker led the Skippers with 17 while Schilling had 13 points and Erickson 14. Barker led the Islanders with 19 points and Randle recorded 11 points.
Maurice Hernandez scored the WarriorsÕ first three baskets hitting two three-pointers and then had a put-back inside. A three-pointer from Peter Leslie forced Marshall to take a time-out and Sibley had an 11-2 lead early.
Mike Bruesewitz showed his mid-range game with a pair of quality shots in the paint and Leslie made a three as well as a pretty drive through the paint finished with a soft touch. This led to an 18-7 Sibley advantage.
The host of the event cheered on their team as the Tigers came back on the shoulders of point guard Beau Bredeson. Beau scored off of penetration leading with a brilliant ball fake and charge to the cup. He also made four straight free throws and Marshall was down only four at 20 to 16. After another Hernandez three-pointer Marshall scored with four more free throws put in by Tyler Gimmestad and Brandon Stacken and it was a three-point game at 23-20.
Chris Halvorsen would energize the Warriors taking an important charge late in the half. Then Hernandez got back in the mix with another three-pointer and Bruesewitz maneuvered around the hoop to score while being hacked. This resulted in a three-point play and a Marshall turnover on their next possession was pushed ahead for a Hernandez lay-up and a 36-22 halftime advantage.
Tyler Gimmestad led a charge back with a four-point play in the second half and he started to really work the paint for scoring production.
Of the highlight reel category was a play from Halvorsen as he caught an alley-oop backwards and falling back. He flipped it with his extremely long arms and it kissed off the glass and in. But his Sibley team continued to struggle with turnovers in the second half and Gimmestad made an elbow jumper for Marshall to cut the Warrior lead to 40-32. Then Tyler powered up a strong move inside over several shot blockers and Marshall had caught the momentum.
Mike Bruesewitz had not had the impact he was hoping for yet but he just started outworking everybody in the paint. He had some misses but Mike got all his own boards and then completed a play with a lay-in. On the next possession Mike fed Chris Halvorsen with a high-low pass for two followed the next time down by another lay-in from Mike and a 46-34 lead. Bruesewitz was fouled but missed the foul shot and Halvorsen snatched the board kicking to Leslie who made a three. Hernandez made his fifth three the next time down for Sibley then Leslie made one and this game was blown wide open at 55 to 36.
Sibley continued to roll the rest of the way defeating Marshall 74-52. Gimmestad had a game high 24 points while Hernandez led Sibley with 21. Also for Sibley, Leslie scored 19 points, Bruesewitz put up 14, and Halvorsen recorded 12 in the win.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
