AUGSBURG WENT UP AGAINST MACALESTER IN A MEN’S BASKETBALL GAME

On Feb. 4, Augsburg faced off against Macalester in a men’s basketball game. Augsburg started the game in zone defense. They looked to force Macalester to shoot deep 3-point baskets.

Macalester called a timeout with 14:54 left in the first half. The score was Augsburg 10, Macalester 5.

Augsburg looked to score baskets in transition and make layups in the first half. Augsburg guard Parker Hines did a good job of coming off  screens and took layups.

Augsburg did a good job of swinging the ball around the 3-point line as they looked to take time off the shot clock.

Macalester struggled shooting the ball in the first half. Even though they were not able to hit shots they still drove to the basket and looked for mid-range jump shots.

Augsburg’s guards Harry Sonie and Joey Sonnenfeld both came off the bench and gave their team an offensive energy.

Macalester called a timeout with 6:04 left in the first half. The score was Augsburg 19, Macalester 16.

Neither team went on a run in the first half. Both teams took a lot of time off the shot clock as they passed the ball around the perimeter.

There were several ties and lead changes throughout the first half.

At halftime the score was Augsburg 25, Macalester 20.

As the second half got underway Augsburg continued to move the ball down the floor well as they looked to score baskets in transition.

Hines came up with huge steals and was able to make layups on the offensive end.

Macalester struggled to make baskets in the second half. The Augsburg defense gave Macalester difficulties all night.

Both teams dove on the floor after loose balls. There were many jump balls throughout the game.

Macalester looked to shoot the ball with about 15-10 seconds left on the shot clock. They didn’t get any shot clock violations however.

Augsburg’s Joe Zangel, Parker Hines and Collin Olmscheid were all scoring factors throughout the game. They all were able to come up with mid-range jump shots and layups.

Augsburg took deep 3-point shots as they fought to stay in the game late in the contest. They did a good job of wearing down the Macalester defense.

Macalester came up with layups down the stretch.

Augsburg came up with the 56-45 victory over Macalester.

The leading scorers for Macalester were Griffin Black with 11 points, Kilgour, Kyle Bernhard, and Black each had 10 points.

The leading scorers for Augsburg were Joe Zangel with 11 points and Hines and Olmscheid each with 10 points.

2013 INNER CITY ALL STAR BASKETBALL CLASSIC

Schoenecker Arena on the campus of St. Thomas University was the site of the 2013 Inner City All Star Classic. The first game was between Team Faith and Team Truth.

Music was playing throughout the game and there were two anouncers doing play-by-play throughout the whole game to keep the fans involved in the contest.

The score went back and forth throughout the first half. Neither team went on a run. The game was close.

Both teams used a man-to-man style of defense. Neither team went on a run throughout the contest. 

Both teams used a full-court press and tried to slow the other team down. The defense was good as it was difficult for both teams to make shots.

Team Faith was not afraid to shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor. They were able to cast long three-point baskets and they were able to make them.

Truth didn't back down how ever as they were not able to hit baskets they kept on shooting the ball even though they were not able to hit shots for a period of time in the second half.

Team Truth made a late run at Team Faith but in a hard fought battle Faith came away with the 65-55 victory over Truth.

BOYS' GAME

In the second game of the day Team Wisdom and Team Knowledge went up against each other.

Both teams looked to push the ball down the floor from the start of the game. Music blared from a live DJ. Both teams looked to push the ball down the floor early and often.

Everyone looked to showcase their offensive skills. The start of the game was a little sloppy as it took while for each team to get into an offensive shooting rhythm. 

Neither team went on a run early. The score went back and forth throughout a good portion of the first half. 

Quinton Hooker for Team Wisdom was able to pick up some easy baskets off some steals. 

Garrison Gillard was all over the floor for Team Wisdom. He was able to blow by his defenders and get to the basket and made easy lay-ups. Gillard was not afraid to pass the ball to one of his teammates if he thought that his teammate had a better shot than he did.

Harry Sony for Knowledge was able to dribble around his defender and get to the basket and was able to make shots that he put up.  On the defensive end Sony was able to lock down his guy that he was gaurding and make it really hard for him to get a good look at the basket.

Hooker and Cullen Russo battled each other as they guarded each other. They made it difficult for each other to hit shots that the other was putting up.

Russo came up with some nice blocks. He was able to block Kyle Washington's shot at the basket. That got the crowd into the game.

Washington came up with some nice two-handed slam dunks. That got the crowd involved in the game.

Neither team was afrid to shoot the ball as they brought the ball down they each were able to take wide open shots. Offense was certainly the name of the game.

Sony blew past his defenders a few times in the first half and was able to get to the basket with ease.

Team Wisdom went to sleep late in the first half, as they were not able to hit shots that they put up. Knowledge took advantage of that as they were able to go on a run late in the first half.

At halftime the score was Knowledge 40, Wisdom 21.

As the second half got underway both teams continued to push the ball down the floor.

Both teams continued to fly up and down the floor casting up shots. Everyone touched the ball for both teams. Knowledge still had difficulty hitting shots that they put up.

Wisdom continued to have difficulty shooting the ball.

Knowledge never gave up the lead, which they held the whole game.

Both teams offense went stagnet as neither team was able to score for a period of time in the second half. 

Tyus Jones was in attendance and watched a good portion of the game with his family. Jones is considered one of the top basketball recruits in the country, and will graduate in 2014.

Team Knowledge came away with the 69-50 victory over team Wisdom.

I thought everyone played hard and every one had a good time. I thought that that the players and fans enjoyed themselves. 

ONALASKA TOOK ON APPLE VALLEY IN A BOYS' BASKETBALL GAME

Onalaska Wisconsin took on Apple Valley in the final game of the 2012 Minnesota Timberwolves Shootout.

Onalaska started the game out hot as they were able to get out to a 5-0 run. They took their time on the offensive end.

Apple Valley looked to get the ball into the hands of Tyus Robert Jones. Jones was all over the court. Apple Valley also looked to get the ball into the hands of Harry Sonie.

Sonie dove on the ball after loose balls. He was able to get rebounds on both ends of the floor. Sonie and Jones worked well with each other on the court.

Onalaska looked to get the tempo of the game into their hands.

Jones took over and was able to get hot and was able to knock down shots. Onalaska was not able to slow him down.

At halftime the score was Apple Valley 29 and Onalaska 27.

Apple Valley continued to shoot the ball well. Onalaska wanted to keep the pressure on Apple Valley. They didn't want to have Jones get any open shots.

Matt Thomas for Onalaska was all over the floor. He got his team involved in the offense.

The game came down to the wire. This game was the closest game of the day. Both teams played well throughout the game.

I thought that Jones played well throughout the game. He knows the game so well and is not afraid to pass up a shot if he thinks his teammate has a better shot.

Onalaska went on a run late in the game. The game was tied at 64 with 32.2 seconds left in regulation.

Mitch Hechsel for Apple Valley scored the game winning shot with 1.9 seconds left in regulation.

According to an announcement early in the first half of the game, Apple Valle's Tyus Jones scored his 1,000 career point. Also of note University of Minnesota men's basketball coach Tubby Smith was in attendance to watch the game.

Apple Valley came away with the 66-64 victory over Onalaska.

The leading scorers for Apple Valley were Tyus Robert Jones with 18 points, Mitch Hechsel with 15 points and Harry Sonie with 14 points. Apple Valley shot 23-65 from the field that included going 7-20 from behind the three-point line. They were 13-19 from the free throw line. They grabbed a total of 39 rebounds, 26 of them on the defensive end.

The leading scorers for Onalaska were Matt Thomas with 33 points, Clint Rihn with14 points and Nick Arenz with 11 points. Onalaska shot 23-55 from the field that included going 6-16 from behind the three-point line. They were 12-18 from the free throw line. They grabbed a total of 43 rebounds, 33 of them on the defensive end.

APPLE VALLEY TOOK ON TARTAN IN THE MINNESOTA BREAKDOWN TIP-OFF CLASSIC

The game that was billed as one of the best match-ups of the day at The Minnesota Breakdown Tip-Off Classic in the finale game was Apple Valley against Tartan. Tartan came into the game with a record of 1-0. Apple Valley came into the game with a record of 0-1.

There was a big crowd in for the final game of the Tip-Off Classic. Everyone wanted to watch this game and see Apple Valley's guard Tyus Robert Jones who has gotten national media and coaches attention.

Tartan called a timeout with 12:59 left in the first half. The score was tied at 11.

Apple Valley looked to move the ball around the three-point line.

Tartan launched three-point shots as they were not afraid to shoot the ball.

Apple Valley looked to get the ball into the hands of Hary Soni. Soni was all over the court. He was able to slow down his defenders and on the offensive end and he was able to score the basket.

The game was close throughout the first half. Both teams were evenly balanced.

At halftime the score was Apple Valley 33 and Tartan 28.

Jones was all over the floor. On the offensive end he was able to blow by his defenders.

Apple Valley went on a run midway in the second quarter.

Tartan called a timeout with 13:42 left in regulation. The score was Apple Valley 45 and Tartan 37.

Tartan battled back. They were shooting three point shots and they didn't back down. Mark Hudspeth found the basket often in the second half. He knew where he should shoot the ball from and when he was open he would make his shots.

Tartans head coach got a technical foul for saying something to the official with 6:34 left in regulation.

Apple Valley knew what plays they wanted to run and everyone looked like they were on the same page.

Every time Apple Valley looked to go on a run Tartan didn't let the run get out of control. Tartan scored a basket and held the ball to get the tempo back into their liking.

Apple Valley called a timeout with 3:31 left in regulation.

I thought that this game was played with very much emotion by both teams. I though that both teams played well. I was not disappointed in the play of either team.

Apple Valley came away with the 79-69 victory over Tartan.

The leading scorers for Tartan were Mike Hudspeth with 19 points, Darrion Strong with 15 points, and Marshawn Wilson with 11 points. Tartan shot 28-70 from the field that included going 9-34 from behind the three-point line.

The leading scorers for Apple Valley were Tyus Robert Jones with 28 points, Dustin Fronk with 14 points, and Dennis Austin with 13 points.

Tyus Jones said, It’s been a good season so far. We take it one step at a time. We got a young team. This summer I played for the 17U Howard Pulley team. Worked out and working on my game. Making the state tournament is one of our goals.”

Hary Soni said, ”Good team effort. Had to step it up on the defensive end. Going in we knew we had to step it up on the defensive end. Tyus Jones is like a brother to me. We really connect on the court.”

Head coach Zach Goring said, “It was a great win great environment. It was a big week. We like to schedule aggressive teams early. Tyus is really good. He scored 28 points and is leading our offense and does a great job for us.”

THE BATTLE OF THE VALLEY AS EASTVIEW TOOK ON CROSSTOWN RIVAL APPLE VALLEY IN A BOYS' BASKETBALL GAME

The Eastview Lighting traveled across town to Apple Valley High School to take on the Eagles in a
boys' basketball game. Eastview came into the game with a record of 15-4. Apple Valley came into the game with a record of 12-8.
 

The game got out to a quick start. With 17:00 left Eastview took a timeout with the score Apple Valley 6 and Eastview 2.
 

Apple Valley came out in a man-to-man defense. They looked to pressure Eastview from the start of the game.
 

The score went back and forth from the beginning of the game. When Apple Valley scored, Eastview
went to the other end of the court and scored a basket.
 

Apple Valley looked to get the ball into the hands of freshman guard Tyus Jones. Jones is a skilled
guard who can hit his shot from anywhere from the court. He missed the first half of the season because of a kidney problem.
 

Eastview took their time with the ball on the offensive end. They wanted to look for the best shot while taking as much time off the clock as they could.
 

Eastview's Frank Veldman went after rebounds on both ends of the court. He was able to hold onto
them and find his guards so they could push the ball down the court.
 

Eastview did a good job of getting the ball out of the court and getting it up the court.
 

Eastview took another timeout with 10:02 left in the first half with the score Apple Valley 20 and
Eastview 19.
 

Apple Valley guard Harry Sonie came into the game and was able to push the ball down the court and
keep the high pace of the game.
 

Sonie was able to feed Jones for easy assists. Sonie passed up some shots because he knew Jones was open. Jones stepped up and was able to knock down the shots.
 

Eastview continued to take the ball strong to the basket. Ben Oberfeld blocked Tyus Jones shot that
went out of bounds. Jones tried to shoot the ball just under the low block.
 

Apple Valley did a good job of getting everyone involved in the play. They passed the ball around the
three-point line.
 

Apple Valley called a timeout with 4:45 left in the first half with the score Apple Valley 36 and
Eastview 29.
 

Oberfeld asked for the ball on the low block. He was able to make easy layups from the low block as
that is what he was able to do.
 

Eastview went to a stall on the offensive end late in the half. Apply Valley stood in a zone defense and they let Eastview take as much time off the clock as they could.
 

Eastview took a timeout with 1:21 left to go with the score Apple Valley 41 and Eastview 31.
 

Darin Haugh launched some deep three-point shots at the end of the half to keep Eastview close.
 

At halftime the score was Apple Valley 41 and Eastview 36.
 

As the second half got underway Eastview looked to get the ball into the hands of Joey King. King was all over the court in the first half.
 

Jones started out the half cold. He missed six shots in a row.
 

Eastview stayed in a zone defense. They continued to look to spread Apple Valley out.
 

Eastview continued to chip away at the deficit in the second half. They took the lead on a three point
shot by Veldman.

Apple Valley called a timeout with 9:16 left in the game with the score Eastview 50 and Apple Valley
49.
 

The score went back and forth throughout the second half. Neither team went on a run. Both teams did a very good job of playing defense.
 

Apple Valley took a timeout with 5:01 left to go with the score Eastview 59 and Apple Valley 53.
 

Apple Valley looked to trap the ball after the time out. King came down and nailed a three-point shot
that gave Eastview energy.
 

Sonie came back into the game with just over 2:00 left in regulation.
 

Eastview took a timeout with 1:54 left in regulation with the score Eastview 66 and Apple Valley 62.
 

I thought at Tyus Jones played well in the game despite missing six shots in a row in the second half.
 

He is a quick player who was able to blow by his defenders. He was able to shoot the ball from
anywhere on the court.
 

University Of Minnesota basketball coach Tubby Smith was in the building watching the game.
 

Eastview was able to come away with the 74-67victory over Apple Valley.
 

Apple Valley was led in scoring by Tyus Jones with 33 points and Tom Schalk with 18 points. Jones
was 11-21 from the field that included 4-7 from the three-point line and was 7-7 from the free throw
line. Apple Valley shot 25-53 from the field and was 8-17 from behind the three-point line. They also
shot 9-10 from the free throw line.
 

Eastview was lead in scoring by Joey King who scored 30 points and Frank Veldman with 15 points.
 

Eastview shot 28-53 from the field and 6-17 from behind the thee-point line. They also were 12-14
from the free throw line.
 

I was joined by the Czar of Twin Cities Boys' Hoops. Check out his thoughts on the Eastview vs. AppleValley game. 

LINN-MAR TOOK ON APPLE VALLEY IN THE FINAL GAME OF THE 2011 MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES SHOOTOUT

Linn-Mar from Iowa took on Apple Valley in the final game of the 2011 Timberwolves
Shootout. Lin-Mar came into the game with a record of 7-0
 

Apple Valley was out their star guard Tuys Jones who had a kidney injury. Also out with an
injury was Tom Schalk.
 

Linn-Mar won the tip. They looked to go get the ball to Ian McBrayer. McBrayer made a nice
jump shot for the game’s first basket.
 

Linn-Mar came out on fire as they were able to get an early 9-4 lead with 14:00 left in the first
half.
 

Apple Valley’s Harry Sonie was hot as he was able to hit his first few shots he put up.
Ian McBrayer for Linn-Mar was able to find his shot and was dead on from all over the court.
 

Apple Valley kept shooting the ball and taking the ball strong to the basket. They made a run at
Linn-Mar midway through the first half.
 

Linn-Mar’s Marcus Paige played well. He was very aggressive. He knew where he was supposed
to be on the court and his teammates did a good job of knowing where his teammates were.
 

At halftime the score was Lin-Mar 43 and Apple Valley 21.
 

Lin-Mar started out hot to begin the second half. They were able to keep making their shots.
Paige played well throughout the game. He was able get to the basket on a number of different
occasions in the second half.
 

I thought that Lin-Mar played well throughout the game. They were way too much for Apple
Valley to handle. I also thought that Paige played well for them. He was all over the court and
was a really physical player. Lin-Mar was just too stacked with talented players. They were able
to wear down Apple Valley in the early goings of the game and didn’t back down throughout.
Apple Valley kept the fight alive throughout the game. They didn’t back down. I thought that
Sonie played well in the game. Apple Valley was without their two main players Tyus Jones and

Tom Schalk. I thought that played a big role in the game. Without those two scoring, Apple
Valley had to look for others to fill in the gap.
 

Linn-Mar came away with the 81-35 victory over Apple Valley. Linn-Mar was led in scoring by
Matt Bohannon with 19 points, Shane Benton with 17 points and Marcus Paige with 16 points.
They shot 33-60 from the field and 9-13 from the free throw line.

Apple Valley was led in scoring by Josh Johnson with 8 points, and Jordan Crocket with 7
points. They shot 13-47 from the field and 7-12 from the free throw line.

According to Jeff Munneke of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Marcus Paige from Linn-Marr has
made a verbal commitment to play basketball at the University of North Carolina.

TARTAN TOOK ON APPLE VALLEY IN THE MINNETONKA BOYS’ BASKTBALL FALL LEAGUE

Tartan took on the Apple Valley Eagles in the boys’ basketball fall league. Tartan started the game in a zone defense.


Apple Valley looked to get the ball into the hands of Tyus Jones. Tyus Jones knew what he was doing on the offensive end. He was also able to get the ball into Harry Sonie’s hands.


Tartan was able to go on a run midway through the first half.


Tyus Jones was on fire in the first half. He was able to make most of the shots he was putting up.


Tartan didn’t give up. They were able to keep battling and going after Apple Valley


Tartan played mostly man-to-man defense. They were able to pressure Apple Valley.


Tartan went on a run near the end of the half. At halftime the score was Apple Valley 32 and Tartan 27.


As the second half got underway both teams came out aggressive. Apple Valley started the second half in a zone defense. They didn’t want to have Tartan go on a run.


Tartan didn’t back down. They kept on fighting throughout the game.


Apple Valley came away with the 76-67 victory over Tartan.


I thought that Tyus Jones for Apple Valley played well throughout the game. He knew where his teammates were on the court and he was able to get his teammates involved in the game. Tyus was also able to some incredible things with the basketball. He has good handles and very good court awareness. I also think that he will get bigger, stronger and quicker as he progresses though his playing years.

GET TO KNOW HARRY SONIE

Harry Sonie was born in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. He was born on September 9th 1994. He has two brothers and a sister. Both of his brothers played college football as one is currently playing at Northern Iowa University.

Harry will graduate from high school in 2013. He plays basketball and football at Apple Valley high school. Basketball means everything to him. He is in the gym everyday working on his game and just shooting shots. He hopes to continue and play division one basketball in college. He knows he has a great chance to do that by playing Howard Pulley. He feels like Pulley is making him better everyday and getting him the great exposure he really needs.

This upcoming summer he will continue to play Howard Pulley throughout the summer until the season ends. From what he has heard he hopes to return next year too. He will also be in a summer league with his school on Tuesday nights in the varsity division. He is very excited to once again play alongside Tyus Jones. Tyus Jones is considered one of the best players in his division right now. He also attends Apple Valley and is in the class of 2014.

Sonie also plays football for Apple Valley high school. He says that he is a very dedicated athlete. Basketball is his favorite sport by far. He said that he is highly underestimated and just needs a little exposure to prove himself as a great basketball player and reat hopefully a top prospect for his class in the state of Minnesota.