BENILDE-ST.MARGARET’S WENT UP AGAINST HOLY ANGELS IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

On Dec. 4 Benilde-St. Margaret’s squared off against Holy Angels in a boys’ basketball game.

Holy Angels swung the ball around the 3-point line as they got everyone involved in the offense.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s went to a full court press in the first half.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s guard Sam Baker came off the bench and provided an offensive spark. Baker did a good job of going after rebounds and was able to hit his mid-range jump shots.Teammate Jalen Floyd was able to catch Baker’s passes underneath the basket and was able to get layups.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s was a little quicker than Holy Angels. They used their quickness to make fast break baskets.

Holy Angels called a timeout with 9:34 left in the first half. The score was Benilde-St. Margaret’s 28, Holy Angels 6.

Holy Angels was able to push the ball down the floor. After the timeout they found their shot as they began to drop.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s called a timeout with 7:02 left in the first half. The score was BEnilde-St. Margaret’s 31, Holy Angels 14.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s used a half court man-to-man defense. They were able to create havoc for the Holy Angels players.

Both teams dove on the floor after loose balls. There were many loose balls in the first half.

At halftime the score was Benilde-St. Margaret’s 46, Holy Angels 29.

As the second half got underway Holy Angels looked to set the tempo and attack the basket early.

Holy Angels also looked to get the ball into the hands of Charlie Nicklay and Sam Boehne. Both had the green light to shoot the ball.

Floyd continued to come up with some big plays in the second half. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot it.

Holy Angels called a timeout with 11:46 left in regulation. The score was Benilde-St. Margaret’s 55, Holy Angels 40.

Holy Angels continued to push the ball down the floor and continued to look to get the ball into the post. They were able to get the ball into the hands of Robbie MetCalf, Sam Boehne and Charlie Nicklay, all who were able to shoot the ball.  

Holy Angels is a young team. There wasn’t a lot of guys returning this year. They had four seniors, six juniors and a sophomore on their varsity roster.

In a hard fought game Benilde-St. Margaret’s came away with the 70-57 victory over Holy Angels.  

The leading scores for Holy Angels were Nicklay with 19, Boehne with 11 and Metcalf with 9 points.

The leading scorers for Benilde-St. Margaret’s Baker with 23, and Drees and Floyd each with 13 points.

ST. PAUL ACADEMY WENT UP AGAINST HILL-MURRAY IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

On Dec. 3 St. Paul Academy and Hill-Murray went up against each other in a boys’ basketball game.

It took a while for each team to get used to what the other team was doing offensively. On the defensive end both teams started out in a zone defense.

St. Paul Academy’s Dalante Peyton was all over the floor. On the defensive end Peyton was able to slow the guy down that he was guarding.

Hill-Murray’s Marshawn Wilson did a good job of getting offensive rebounds and making his layups in the first half. Wilson also took deep three-point shots.

The score went back and forth for a period of time in the first half. There were several ties and lead changes.

St. Paul Academy took a lot of time on the offensive end. They passed the ball around the three-point line as they were able to get everyone involved in the offense.

St. Paul Academy called a timeout with 4:23 left in the first half. The score was St. Paul Academy 26, Hill-Murray 22.

Neither team went on a run in the first half. The defense made it difficult for either team to take uncontested shots.

Hill-Murray was able to score baskets in the fast break late in the first half.

At halftime the score was St. Paul Academy 29, Hill-Murray 27.

St. Paul Academy’s Kent Hanson was able to hit mid-range jump shots consistently. His teammates did a good job of getting the ball into his hands where He could shoot it.

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

Hanson continued to come up with some huge shots in the second half.

Both teams continued to take their time off the clock as they swung the ball around the three-point line. Also both of these teams were evenly matched.

Hill-Murray came up with some steals and were able to make layups on the offensive end.

St. Paul Academy called a timeout with 10:34 left in the second half. The score was Hill-Murray 47, St. Paul Academy 40.

Hill-Murray kept on attacking the basket as they were able to make quick baskets in transition.

Hill-Murray called a timeout with 8:43 left in the second half. The score was Hill-Murray 55, St. Paul Academy 42.  

Wilson continued to come up with some huge shots in the second half. His teammates continued to feed him the ball in spots where he could shoot it.

Hill-Murray tried to pull away late in the second half. St. Paul Academy fought hard throughout the contest.

With 2 minutes to go Hill-Murray had a 61-54 lead in the game.

St. Paul Academy hit two consecutive shots before Hill-Murray called a timeout with 1:31 left in regulation.

St. Paul Academy continued to hit shots late in the game.

The game came down to the wire. Hill-Murray came away with the 63-60 victory over St. Paul Academy.

The leading scorer for Hill-Murray was Wilson with 30 points.

The leading scorer for St. Paul Academy was Hanson with 20 points.

I was joined by the Twin Cities Hoop Czar. Check out his thoughts of the St. Paul Academy vs. Hill-Murray game.

OSSEO WENT UP AGAINST PARK CENTER IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

Osseo and Park Center squared off in a boys’ basketball game on Dec. 2. Osseo looked to push the ball down the court and score layups.

It took a while for each team to get into a shooting rhythm. There were many ties and lead changes early.

Osseo did a good job of getting everyone involved in the offense. Osseo’s Elliot Kane was all over the floor. On the offensive end Kane was able to hit mid-range jump shots.

Both teams went into a scoring drought as both teams had difficult time shooting the ball.

Park Center called a timeout with 10:10 left in the first half. The score was Osseo 13, Park Center 9.  

Park Center played zone defense as they wanted to force Osseo to take long shots.

Osseo’s J.J. Svac called for the ball from Allen Anderson. Anderson was able to get Svac the ball and was able to make his layups.

Osseo went to a full court press. That gave Park Center difficulties getting the ball down the floor.

At halftime the score as Osseo 31, Park Center 24.

As the second half got underway Osseo continued to push the ball down the floor and make baskets in transition.

Osseo was able to score baskets in transition. They were a little quicker than Park Center.

Park Center’s Amani Hooker didn’t force his shot. He took his time on the offensive end. Hooker did a good job of getting the ball into the hands of his teammates.

Osseo called a timeout with 11:04 left in regulation. The score was Osseo 44, Park Center 35.

Park Center trapped Osseo. Anderson had to call a timeout with 10:21 left in the regulation as the pressure mounted. The score was Osseo 45, Park Center 37.

Osseo continued to push the ball the floor.

Osseo was too quick for Park Center. In the end Osseo came away with the 72-52 victory over Park Center.

CHAMPLIN PARK WENT UP AGAINST HOPKINS IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

Champlin Park squared up against Hopkins in a boys’ basketball game. Hopkins looked to push the tempo early in the game.

Hopkins used a tough man-to-man pressure and Champlin Park also used man-to-man early in the game.

Hopkins Amir Coffey was all over the floor. On the offensive end Coffey was able to get to the basket. He did a good job of setting up his teammates and getting them the ball in spots where they could shoot it.

Champlin Park called a timeout with 11:47 left in the first half. The score was Hopkins 24, Champlin Park 15.

Hopkins continued to get steals and was able to make their layups.

Champlin Park called another timeout with 11:06 left in the first half. The score was Hopkins 29, Champlin Park 15.

Champlin Park guard JT Gibson was all over the floor. On the offensive end Gibson came up with some huge three-point baskets.

Coffey came up with some deep three-point shots. If he didn’t think that he had a good shot he could pass it to one of his teammates.

Champlin Park got hot with under 7 minutes left in the first half. They were able to string baskets together.

Hopkins called a timeout with 4:33 left in the first half. The score was Champlin Park 48, Hopkins 41.

Both teams were able to score baskets on the fast break.

Gibson continued to move the ball down the floor well late in the first half. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where they could shoot it.

Champlin Park continued to push the ball down the floor and hit layups in transition.

At halftime the score was Champlin Park 59, Hopkins 54.

Champlin Park continued to push the ball down the floor and were able to hit layups. Gibson did a good job of setting the tempo in the second half.

Hopkins John Warren was all over the floor. On the offensive end he knew where his teammates were and was able to get them the ball in spots where they could shoot it.

Hopkins was able to attack the basket. Hopkins Vincent Shahid came up with some big mid-range jump shots. He was able to hit shots over defenders. On the defensive end Shahid was able to create steals.

Hopkins stepped up their defensive pressure as they created turnovers. They were able to score layups off the turnovers.

Hopkins called a timeout with 9:04 left in the second half. The score was Champlin Park 74, Hopkins 69.

Both teams continued to make fast break layups in the second half.

Gibson was able to distribute the ball well to his teammates.

Champlin Park called a timeout with 5:51 left in the second half. The score was Champlin Park 76, Hopkins 74.

The score went back and forth late in the game. Neither team went on a run late.

Coffey continued to come up with some huge shots late in the game.

Champlin Park called a timeout with 1:23 left in regulation. The score was Champlin Park 87, Hopkins 84.

Hopkins continued to look to get to the basket late in the game.

Champlin Park came away with the 90-86 victory over Hopkins.

The leading scorer for Hopkins was Coffey with 36 points.

The leading scorer for Champlin Park was Gibson with 26.

BLOOMINGTON KENNEDY WENT UP AGAINST BENILDE-ST. MARGARET’S IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

Bloomington Kennedy and Benilde-St. Margaret’s went up against each other in a boys’ basketball game on Nov. 29.

Kennedy looked to set the tempo early in the game. On the defensive end Kennedy used a zone defense. They wanted to force Benilde-St. Margaret’s to take long shots.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s guard Sam Baker was all over the floor. He brought the ball down the floor and was able to get the ball into the hands of his teammates.  

Benilde-St. Margaret’s went to a full court press and they were able to turn Kennedy over.

Kennedy looked to move the ball down the floor and score baskets in transition. Kennedy guard Tyson Chase was all over the floor. On the offensive end he was able to get to the basket and hit mid-range jump shots.

Kennedy called a timeout with 12:16 left in the first half. The score was Benilde-St. Margate’s 14, Kennedy 7.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s did a good job of making layups in transition. They were able to get past the Kennedy defenders and get to the basket.

Kennedy’s Markel Aune took the ball hard to the basket as he was able to look to make layups. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot the ball.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s did a good job of moving the ball down the floor and scoring baskets in transition. Benilde-St. Margaret’s was also quicker than Kennedy. They were able to beat Kennedy down the floor.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s Jay Patnode was all over the floor on the offensive end. He was able to hit mid-range jump shots. He knew where his teammates were on the floor. If Patnode didn’t think that he had a good shot he was not afraid to pass it to them.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s called a timeout with 2:42 left in the first half. The score was Benilde-St. Margaret’s 29, Kennedy 24.

Kennedy continued to move the ball well down the floor late in the first half.

At halftime the score was Benilde-St. Margaret’s 34, Kennedy 28.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s Jalen Floyd was all over the floor, on the offensive end Floyd was able to hit mid-range jump shots.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s called a timeout with 15:21 left in regulation. The score was tied at 35.

The score went back and forth early in the second half. Neither team went on a run.

Both teams looked to make layups in transition. Baker stepped up and knocked down deep three-point shots. He was not afraid to shoot the ball.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s was able to slow down the Kennedy offense.

Kennedy called a timeout with 9:23 left in regulation. The score was Benilde-St. Margaret’s 52, Kennedy 52.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s swung the ball around the three-point line as they looked to take time off the clock and get their shots.

Kennedy kept the defensive pressure on as they looked to turn Benilde-St. Margaret’s over.

The score went back and forth late in the game. Neither team went on a run.

Chase continued to hit shots throughout the second half. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot it. On the defensive side of the ball Chase was able to keep the ball away from his guy.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s called a timeout with 4:18 left in regulation. The score was Benilde-St. Margaret’s 62, Kennedy 61.

Kennedy went to a zone defense late in the second half. They continued to want to force Benilde-St. Margaret’s to shoot deep shots.

Kennedy called a timeout with 1:33 left in regulation. The score was Kennedy 67, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 64.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s looked to score quick baskets late in the game.

The score went back and forth late in the game.

The game was tied at 70 after regulation.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s stayed in a zone defense in the overtime period. Kennedy went to a zone defense that made Benilde-St. Margaret’s pass the ball around the three-point line.

Kennedy’s Josh Bryant came up with a layup in the overtime period.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s Baker came up with a huge layup late in the overtime period.

Both teams shot the ball well in the overtime period. However Kennedy played defense well enough to slow down the Benilde-St. Margaret’s offense down.

Bloomington Kennedy came away with the 86-79 overtime victory overtime victory over Benilde-St. Margaret’s.

The leading scorer for Benilde-St. Margaret’s was Floyd with 16 points.

The leading scorer for Bloomington Kennedy was Chase with 33 points.

MOORHEAD TOOK ON BUFFALO IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

Moorhead traveled to Buffalo high school for a boys’ basketball game on Nov. 28.

It took a while for each team to get into an offensive shooting rhythm. Both teams took a lot of time off the clock early.

Buffalo started in a zone defense. They wanted Moorhead to take deep shots.

Buffalo called a timeout with 11:52 left in the first half. The score was Moorhead 14, Buffalo 7.

Moorhead’s Shane Steckler was all the floor. He stepped up and knocked down deep three-point shots. The defense had a hard time slowing Steckler down.

Moorhead went to a zone defense. That made it difficult for Buffalo to hit shots. They had to swing the ball around the three-point line because they couldn’t attack the basket.

Buffalo called a timeout with 7:08 left in the first half. The score was Moorhead 30, Buffalo 12.

Moorhead continued to look to get the ball into the hands of Steckler. Moorhead’s Leif Engen came up with steals and was able to make layups off the steal.

Buffalo continued to take the ball hard to the basket late in the first half. They were able to get steals and convert on the offensive end.

Moorhead called a timeout with 1:43 left in the first half. The score was Moorhead 38, Buffalo 21.

Moorhead took a lot of time off the clock as they swung the ball around the three-point line.

At halftime the score was Moorhead 38, Buffalo 23.

Moorhead continued to pass the ball around the three-point line and looked to get the ball into the hands of Steckler.

Buffalo’s Jared High and Matt Laidlaw shot the ball well. They weren’t afraid to shoot the ball if they thought that they had open looks at the basket.

Moorhead continued to get steals in the zone defense.

Buffalo called a timeout with 12:32 left in regulation. The score was Moorhead 49, Buffalo 28.

Buffalo looked to score quick layups as they attacked the basket midway through the second half.

Buffalo called a timeout with 10:10 left in regulation. The score was Moorhead 53, Buffalo 32.

Buffalo did a job of getting everyone involved in the offense.

Moorhead’s Cody Dorow also got hot late in the game. He was able to step up and knock down mid-range jump shots. Dorow was also able to hit layups as well.

Moorhead continued to get the ball into the hands of Steckler and Dorrow. The defense had a difficult time guarding them.

Moorhead came away with the 74-53 victory over Buffalo.

The leading scorer for Buffalo was Laylawd with 9 points.

The leading scorers for Moorhead were Streckler with 29 points and Dorrow with 24 points.  

Steckler had a great game he was able to put his team on his back and carry them throughout the game. Dorrow also played well for Moorhead.

Laidlaw came up with some huge baskets for Buffalo.

After the game I was able to talk to Moorhead’s Streckler and Dorrow about the game. I was also able to talk to Moorhead coach Corey Zimmerman about the game.

BENILDE-ST. MARGARET’S WENT UP AGAINST HOPKINS IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

Benilde-St. Margaret’s and Hopkins went up against each other in a boys’ basketball game.

Hopkins did a good job of pushing the ball down the floor to start the game. Hopkins got the ball into the hands of Amir Coffey. Coffey was able to get to the basket and make mid-range jump shots. If Coffey wasn’t able to get a good shot he would pass it to teammate John Warren who also came up with some big shots for Hopkins.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s did a good job of pushing the ball down the floor. They were able to get everyone involved in the offense and hit shots.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s called a timeout with 13:37 left in the first half. The score was Hopkins 12, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 6.

Hopkins did a good job of running the floor. They were very quick on both ends of the court.

Hopkins guard Xavier Johnson did a good job of getting down the floor. Johnson was able to hit layups. He was also able to step back and knock down three-point shots.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s called a timeout with 11:04 left in the first half. The score was Hopkins 21, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 9.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s passed the ball around the three-point line as they looked to get everyone involved in the offense.

Hopkins continued to push the ball down the floor and make layups in transition.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s Sam Baker was all over the floor. He was able to hit jump shots and layups.

He was not afraid to shoot the ball.

At halftime the score was Hopkins 55, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 31.

Baker continued to get to the basket. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot it.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s called a timeout with 15:34 left in regulation. The score was Hopkins 62, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 34.

Hopkins was able to make layups in transition. They were able to beat Benilde-St. Margaret’s down the floor.

Hopkins continued to push the ball down the floor and make baskets in transition.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s called a timeout with 11:45 left in regulation. The score was Hopkins 43, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 42.

Hopkins took their time on the offensive end. They passed the ball around the three-point line as they got everyone involved in the offense.

Hopkins was too much for Benilde-St. Margaret’s as Hopkins came away with the 94-51 victory.

The leading scorer for Benilde-St. Margaret’s was Baker with 12 points.

The leading scorer for Hopkins was Coffey with 24 points and Warren with 22 points.