CHAMPLIN PARK WENT UP AGAINST BLOOMINGTON KENNEDY IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

Hopkins High School held a four team boys’ basketball holiday classic on Nov. 28. Champlin Park went up against Bloomington Kennedy.

Both teams looked to set the tempo early. Champlin Park looked to get fast breaks.

Champlin Park’s defense caused problems for Kennedy as they had a hard time hitting shots early.

Kennedy called a timeout with 15:55 left in the first half. The score was Champlin Park 5, Kennedy 0.

Champlin Park’s JT Gibson was all over the floor. On the offensive end he was able to make his layups and mid-range jump shots.

Champlin Park was able to move the ball around the three-point line and take time off the clock. If Gibson thought that he could hit a deep three-point shot he shot it.

Kennedy called a timeout with 10:23 left in the first half. The score was Champlin Park 22, Kennedy 6.

Champlin Park did a good job of getting the ball down the floor and scoring layups in transition.

Champlin Park’s Marty Hill got past his defenders and made layups. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball while he was cutting to the paint. Teammate Marcus Hill was also able to come up with some big jump shots in the first half. Mckinley Wright was also able to come up with some layups and mid-range jump shots

Champlin Park called a timeout with 4:00 left in the first half. The score was Champlin Park 39, Kennedy 12.

Champlin Park continued to push the ball down the floor and score baskets in transition.

At halftime the score was Champlin Park 54, Kennedy 17.

As the second half got underway Champlin Park continued push the ball down the floor and score layups.

Kennedy’s Tyson Chase was all over the floor. He was scrappy on the defensive side of the floor.

Chase was able to hit jump shots that he took.

Champlin Park continued to get the ball into the hands of Gibson. Gibson was able to get the shots

that he wanted to take.

Champlin Park called a timeout with 14:49 left in regulation. The score was Champlin Park 66, Kennedy 22.

Champlin Park continued to push the tempo throughout the second half.

Champlin Park’s Datrice Mulsumo found his mid-range touch in the second half. His teams did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot it. He also was not afraid to shoot the 3-point shot from the top of the key.

Kennedy didn’t give up late in the second half. Even though they struggled to shoot the ball throughout the game they still looked for their shots.

Champlin Park came away with the 86-42 victory over Kennedy.

The leading scorers for Champlin Park were Gibson with 19, Marty Hill with 14 and Wright with 13.

The leading scorer for Kennedy was Chase with 10.

Champlin Park was too much for Kennedy. Kennedy struggled to shoot the ball throughout the game. Champlin Park was a little quicker than Kennedy.

MINNEAPOLIS SOUTH WENT UP AGAINST RICHFIELD IN A GIRLS’ BASKETBALL GAME

On Nov. 26 Minneapolis South and Richfield battled in a girls’ basketball game. It was the first games for both teams.

Richfield pushed the ball down the floor as they looked to control the tempo of the game. Richfield used man-to-man defense as they looked to create steals.

South passed the ball around the 3-point line as they looked to get the ball to the low block. They also looked to make fast-break baskets.

Richfield did a good job of passing the ball around as they were able to get everyone the ball on offense.

Richfield’s Kyla Adams got hot from behind the three-point line. She was able to come up with some huge shots in the first half.

The score was close throughout the early part of the game. Neither team went on a run. There were many ties and lead changes.

South took shots that they thought that they could make. They were not afraid to shoot the ball in traffic.

South did push the ball down the floor as they looked to get into a half-court offense. They would usually bring it down left side of the floor. Guard Adria Stewart was able to get the ball to her teammates.

South called a timeout with 10:37 left in the first half. The score was Richfield 14, South 7.

Kyla Adams got hot from behind the three-point line. The South defense couldn’t slow her down.

Richfield’s Kailey Adams came up with some steals and was also able to hit deep three-point shots.

Richfield went to a zone defense. They wanted to force South to take deep three-point shots.

South’s offense production slipped late in the first half. They were not able to make shots that they put up. Richfield had more scoring chances late in the first half.

South called a timeout with 3:11 left in the first half. The score was Richfield 37, South 25.

Stewart knocked down some deep three-point shots late in the first half.

Richfield took a lot of time off the clock after the South timeout. They pass the ball around the three-point line. That made South go to a man-to-man defense.

At halftime the score was Richfield 40, South 28.

Richfield continued to push the ball down the floor to start the second half.

South came out with a lot more defensive pressure and they looked to attack the basket move often.

Richfield called a timeout with 15:54 left in regulation. The score was Richfield 42, South 35.

South’s Morgan Hill came up with some good mid-range jump shots in the second half. Teammate Lexus Hughes also came up with nice jump shots. South did a good job of getting the ball into the hands of Hill and Hughes, as they both were able to find their shots.

Richfield called a timeout with 11:23 left in regulation. The score was Richfield 50, South 38.

Richfield swung the ball around the three-point line as they looked to break down the South’s defense.

South’s head coach Tanysha Scott got a technical foul for leaving the bench area with 8:46 left in regulation.

South looked to score quick baskets in the second half. They did a good job of attacking the basket and creating turnovers.

South called a timeout with 6:12 left in regulation. The score was Richfield 54, South 47.  

South stayed in a zone defense and extended it as they created havoc for the Richfield offense.  

Richfield handled the South’s press well. They didn’t get frustrated by the defensive pressure.  

South called a timeout with 3:24 left in regulation. The score was Richfield 62, South 50.

Hill continued to score layups late in the game.

Both teams fought hard throughout the game. In a well-played game Richfield came away with the 72-54 victory over South.

The leading scores for South were Hughes with 17 points and Hill with 15 points.

The leading scorers for Richfield were Kyla Adams with 26 points.

ROGERS TOOK ON ANOKA IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

Nov. 24 was the opening night for boys’ basketball regular season games in Minnesota. I made the trip north of Minneapolis to Anoka where they hosted Rogers.

Both teams turned the ball over early.

Anoka looked to score layups off of steals. Anoka’s Ky’Eric Baynes came off the bench and was a defensive force. He made it difficult for the players that he was guarding to get a good shot off.  

Rogers guard Allen Wilson was all over the floor. He brought the ball down the floor and was able to get the ball into the hands teammates who were able to hit shots. Teammate Steffan Musoke came up with some nice mid-range jump shots.

Anoka had a hard time shooting in the ball. Rogers took advantage of that as they were able to make layups off the turnovers.

Anoka called a timeout with 12:42 left in the first half. The score was Rogers 15, Anoka 6.

Rogers used mostly a zone defense throughout the first half.  Musoke came up with some mid-range jump shots in the first half. He looked for shots in the paint.

The Anoka offense went stagnant for a period of time in the first half.

Anoka called a timeout with 7:16 left in the first half. The score was Rogers 23, Anoka 12.  

Rogers kept attacking the basket. They looked to get the ball into the paint as they looked for layups.

Anoka’s Jackson Sutton picked up his third foul with just under six minutes to play in the first half.

Both teams continued to push the ball down the floor.

At halftime the score was Rogers 43, Anoka 22.

As the second half got underway Rogers was able to make shots off back door cuts.

Rogers came out on fire to start the second half. They were able to hit shots that they put up.

Anoka called a timeout with 16:02 left in the second half. The score was Rogers 51, Anoka 22.  

Rogers did a good job of getting everyone involved in the offense. They took a lot of time off the clock in the second half.

Rogers Cole Murray was all over the floor. He was able to get his jump shot going. The defense was not able to slow down Murray.

Rogers was too quick for Anoka. Rogers was able to take Anoka off the dribble and make layups.

Rogers came away with the 82-53 victory over Anoka.

The leading scorer for Anoka was Ky’Eric Baynes with 12 points.

The leading scorers for Rogers were Murray 23 and Muskoe with 20.

JAMESTOWN JIMMIES WENT UP AGAINST ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY IN A WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GAME

Jamestown Jimmies (Jamestown) out of North Dakota went up against St. Cloud State University Huskies in a women’s basketball game on Nov. 23.

Jamestown started in zone defense. St. Cloud State looked to push the ball down the floor and score baskets in transition.

Jamestown took a lot of time off the short clock. They did a good job of passing the ball around the three-point line.  

Jamestown called a timeout with 14:53 left in the first half. The score was St. Cloud State 12, Jamestown 6.

St. Cloud State was able to slow down the Jamestown offense down as the defensive pressure forced them to take contested shots.

St. Cloud State did a good job of getting everyone involved in the offense.

Jamestown went to a full court man-to-man full court press as they tried to make it hard for St. Cloud State to hit shots.

Jamestown’s Chelsey Frydenlund came up with some huge 3-point shots as she was left open behind the arch. Teammate Jessica Buck also came up with some big shots in the first half.

There was a media timeout with 9:48 left in the first half. The score was St. Cloud State 18, Jamestown 13.

Jamestown was able to make layups on fast breaks.

The score remained close throughout the first half. Neither team went on a run.

St. Cloud State’s Kyli Van Klei came up with some deep three-point shots.

There was a media timeout with 4:34 left in the first half. The score was St. Cloud State 24, Jamestown 20.

St. Cloud State continued to push the ball down the floor. They were able to score layups on the fast break.

At halftime the score was St. Cloud State 32, Jamestown 30.

St. Cloud State started the second half in a zone defense.  

Jamestown called a timeout with 18:02 left in the second half. The score was Jamestown 35, St. Cloud State 34.

St. Cloud State continued to make fast-break baskets.

The score went back and forth early in the second half.

Jamestown called a timeout with 15:47 left in the second half. The score was tied at 40.

St. Cloud State’s Lexy Petermann hit a mid-range jump shot over two defenders.

There was a media timeout with 14:56 left in the second half. The score was Jamestown 43, St. Cloud State 42.

St. Cloud State guard Betsy MacDonald called out plays that she wanted her team to run. If

MacDonald didn’t think that she had a good shot she was not afraid to pass the ball to her teammates.

St. Cloud State continued to push the ball down the floor and looked for fast break layups.

MacDonald was able to drive past the defenders as she was able to make layups.

There was a media timeout with 9:03 left in the second half. The score was St. Cloud State 54, Jamestown 48.

Jamestown called a timeout with 8:24 left in the second half.

Both teams battled for loose balls and rebounds.

St. Cloud State called a timeout with 7:03 left in the second half. The score was St. Cloud State 56, Jamestown 51.

MacDonald was able to hit a huge three-point shot basket.

St. Cloud State called a timeout with 5:20 left in the second half. The score was St. Cloud State 61, Jamestown 56.

St. Cloud State's Carley Jeffery came up with a deep three-point shot with the assist going to MacDonald.

St. Cloud State was able to string some baskets together late in the second half.

St. Cloud State called a timeout with 1:00 left in the second half. The score was St. Cloud State 69, Jamestown 60.

St. Cloud State passed the ball around the three-point line using a lot of time off of the shot clock.

St. Cloud State came away with the 70-62 victory over Jamestown.

The leading scorer for Jamestown was Buck with 24 points.

The leading scorers for St. Cloud State were Van Kiei and Pertermann each with 11 points. MacDonald ended up with 7 points.

2014 MINNESOTA MR FOOTBALL BANQUET

On Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014 the Doubletree-St. Louis Park was the site of the 2014 Minnesota Mr. Football banquet.

Dalton Elliott Nicollet QB Southern Confederacy - East 

         

Jackson Erdmann Rosemount QB  South Suburban                               

Kez Flomo Totino Grace          RB  Northwest Suburban - West              

Robbie Grimsley Hutchinson    RB/FS   Wright County                                  

Alex Hart Prior Lake                 LB/RB       South Suburban                                   

Will Rains                      Eden Prairie                RB                   Lake                                                       

John Rumpza                Blooming Prairie         QB                    Gopher Valley A                               

John Santiago               St. Francis                  RB/DB/Ret         Mississippi 8                                     

Ryan Schlichte              Mankato West             QB                     Big 9                                                    

Michael Veldman           Becker                        QB                     Granite Ridge   

The day started off with a meal. Then there was a highlight videos for each player.

Robbie Grimsley from Hutchinson won the 2014 Minnesota Mr Football award.

BOLD WENT UP AGAINST HOLDINGFORD IN THE CLASS 2A STATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

BOLD and Holdingford went up against each the Class 2A football state championship game at TCF Bank Stadium.

Holdingford kicked off to BOLD to start the game. BOLD took a lot of time off the clock in the first quarter.  BOLD’s Brad Wolff came up with some huge plays early in the game. On 4th-and-11

BOLD went for it but were not able to come up with a first down.

Holdingford took over on the 20-yard line. Holdingford kept the ball on the ground. They were not able to get their offense going as they turned the ball over on downs.

BOLD couldn’t get a first down and they turned the ball over on downs.

After one quarter of play the score was tied at 0.

Holdingford got the ball back as they looked to march down the field. The BOLD defense came up big as they were able to slow down the offense. On 4th-and-27 Holdingford had to punt the ball.

BOLD took over on the near midfield. On 2nd-and-6 BOLD fumbled the ball and Holdingford recovered it. Holdingford punted on 4th down.

BOLD had difficulty moving the ball down the field. They punted the ball on 4th-and-13. The ball went into the end zone for a touchback.

Holdingford took over on their own 20-yard line.

At halftime the score was tied at 0.

Holdingford got the ball to start the third quarter. The BOLD defense was all over the place. They were able to slow down the Holdingford offense. Holdingford was intercepted by Austin Weis.

BOLD took over on their own 20-yard line. BOLD went for it on 4th-and-2 and were able to come up with a first down.

After three quarters of play the score was tied at 0.

BOLD’S Austin Weis came up with an interception. BOLD kept the ball on the ground. BOYD’s Brad Wolf came up with a 4-yard touchdown run. The extra-point attempt was no good.

With 3:04 left in the fourth quarter the score was BOYD 6, Holdingford 0.

As time ran out in the fourth quarter Holding Ford’s Austin Gerads ran 10 yards for a touchdown.

The extra point attempt was no good.

The game went into overtime. There was no time on the clock. Both teams started from the 20-yard line.

BOLD’S Brad Wolff ran 1 yard for a touchdown. The extra point attempt was no good.

Holdingford’s Nathan Brinker came up with a 10-yard run for a touchdown.

BOLD failed to score and Holdingford got the ball back. Gerads caught an 8-yard pass from Binker.

The two-point conversion was good.

BOLD’S Ben Steffel ran 7 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed.

Holdingford came away with the 20-18 victory over BOLD.

DAKOTA FLEMING IS LOOKING FORWARD TOWARDS HOOPS AT THE NEXT LEVEL

Dakota Fleming was born Mar. 24, 1997 in Arizona. Fleming has one brother. He grew up in Tempe, Ariz. and Chanhassen, Minn. Fleming will graduate from Minneapolis Southwest High School in 2015.  

I was able to set up an email interview with Fleming and also an audio interview with him.

He said that, “Basketball is and has been my life and passion since I was 5 years old, playing basketball professionally and in college has been my dream since I knew what basketball was.  I live, drink, and sleep basketball. As a little kid I watched the Phoenix Suns on TV and have always wanted to become like Steve Nash”

In his free time he goes to local colleges’ open gyms to work on his game. He wants to play in college somewhere.

Fleming said that, “I am a hard-working man who strives to achieve his goals, I love life and the game of basketball, during my senior year I have been improving my academic skills as well as my basketball skills, I am working everyday to get better to get the chance to go to a good college with good academics and athletics. I get in the gym and work on my game, also I do my homework and hang with my girlfriend, family and friends”

One of the things that Fleming likes about basketball is, “I love playing being competitive with my teammates during practice and out of practice to try and work to get them better.”

I asked him about his strengths and he said that, “I am a great passer, shooter, and I have great basketball IQ, also I strive to be the leader on the floor and a great teammate.” His weaknesses are his height and his speed.  

He described his goals for the rest of this season and the future, “Up to this point I have achieved the goals I have set for myself. I am the starting point guard and captain of the Southwest varsity team.

My AAU team qualified for nationals 2 years in a row, finishing 3rd in the national tournament in 2014. We also we named USSSA national champs based on our overall performance throughout the year.”

His goals for this season are,” To get better, get more college looks, and to improve the team and myself on and off the court. He also said that, “I want to play basketball at the college level and to keep myself, girlfriend, and family happy and proud throughout my career and future.”

I was able to talk to Fleming on January 4, 2015 he would like to go to college. He is thinking of Whitewater, Concordia College St. Paul, UMD, St. Thomas and the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn. are some schools that Fleming is interested.

I personally know Fleming. He is a good person on and off the court. He is a good leader on the floor. Fleming knows the game and would be a huge assist to any program at the next level.