Tuesday, December 31, 2013

LESLIE FRAZIER HAS BEEN FIRED BY THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS

The Minnesota Vikings have fired head coach Leslie Frazier. Minnesota’s record for the 2013 season was 5-10-1.
 
Frazier started coaching at Minnesota when he was hired as the defensive coordinator in 2007. He has been with the seam since then and was hired as the head coach in 2011.
 
Frazier had a 21-31-1 coaching record.

ST CLOUD APOLLO WENT UP AGAINST STILLWATER IN A BOYS BASKETBALL GAME

Apollo and Stillwater faced off in a boys basketball game. Both teams looked to run the ball and score baskets in transition.  
 
It took a while for each of these teams to get into an offensive shooting rhythm.  
 
Stillwater looked to get the ball out of the Apollo net and get the ball down the floor as quickly as they could. They wanted to score baskets in transition.
 
Apollo played mostly man-to-man defense. They wanted to make Stillwater take longer shots and they were looking for the defensive rebound.
 
The score went back and forth midway through the first half. Apollo went to a wholesale substitution to give everyone rest in the first half.
 
Stillwater’s Kyle McKinley camped out on the low block and did a good job of calling for the ball when he was on offense.
 
Apollo called a timeout with 9:29 left in the first half. The score was Stillwater 20, Apollo 15.
 
Apollo nailed some shots and tied the score at 20 with 7:45 left in the first half.
 
The score went back and forth for a period of time.  
 
Apollo used a lot of time off the clock on the offensive end as they set up their motion offense.  
 
The score at halftime was Stillwater 32, Apollo 24.
 
Apollo came out firing on all cylinders as they were able to make shots. They were not afraid to shoot deep three-point baskets.
 
The score went back and forth midway through the second half. Neither team went on a substantial run. Stillwater never gave up the lead however.
 
Apollo’s Novacinski played well in the second half. He kept attacking the basket and was able to get his shot to drop. Stillwater had a hard time guarding him.
 
Apollo called a timeout with 5:56 left in regulation, the score was tied at 44.
 
The game came down to the wire.
 
Apollo stayed in a zone defense late in the contest. Neither team gave up easy shots.
 
Stillwater came away with the 56-51 victory over Apollo.
 
The leading scorer for Apollo was Novacinski with 23 points. The leading scorer for Stillwater was Matt Anderson with 13 points.
 

ROSEVILLE TOOK ON CHAMPLIN PARK IN A BOYS BASKETBALL GAME

Roseville and Champlin Park went up against each other in a boys basketball game as part of the Granite City Classic on the campus of St. Cloud State University.
 
The game started out close as the score went back and forth early.
 
Champlin Park guard Marty Hill did a good job of bringing the ball down the floor and was able to set up plays that he wanted his team to run. If Hill thought that he had a good shot he was not afraid to shoot it.
 
Roseville had trouble shooting the ball for a period of time early in the game. They were not making shots. The Roseville players kept attacking the basket however.
 
Champlin Park did a good job of swinging the ball around the three-point line to take time off of the clock.  The Champlin Park players did a good job of communicating on the offensive end. They also talked on the defensive end of the floor.
 
Roseville used a zone defense. They wanted to push Champlin Park out and force them to make long shots.
 
Champlin Park did a good job of moving without the ball on offense. They also swung the ball around the three-point line to take time off the clock.   
 
At halftime the score was Champlin Park 46, Roseville 37.
 
The second half got off to a quick start as both teams raced up and down the floor at a quick pace.
 
Champlin Park was able to make layups as they were able to get past the Roseville defenders.  
 
Roseville didn’t get discouraged by not hitting their shots in the second half. They kept on attacking the basket. Kyler Briggity took the ball hard to the basket. If he thought that he had an open look at the basket he was not afraid to shoot it.
 
Ian Smith for Champlin Park came up with some nice plays in the second half. He wasn’t afraid of contact as he drove to the basket for layups.
 
Roseville kept chipping at the deficit but they were not able to get the lead in the second half.
 
JT Gibson for Champlin Park was not afraid to shoot the ball from inside the three-point line. He also had good court awareness and if he didn’t think that he had a good shot he would pass it to one of his teammates for a better shot.
 
Champlin Park came away with the 81-67 victory over Roseville.
 
The leading scorers for Roseville were Derek Magunson with 14 points, Kobe Critchley and Mitch Poss each with 11 points.
 

BIG LAKE TOOK ON SARTELL-ST. STEPHEN IN A BOYS BASKETBALL GAME

Big Lake and Sartell-St. Stephen went up against each other in a boys basketball game. Both teams looked to get their offense going early.
 
Big Lake’s Michael Doperalski was not afraid to shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor. He was able to knock down both the three-point shot and make layups. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could make his shots.
 
Sartell-St. Stephen went cold on the offensive end. They were not able to hit shot that they put up.
 
Tom Bearson and Sam Neeser were the only players who scored baskets for Sartell-St. Stephen early in the first half.
 
Big Lake’s Austin Poe was not afraid to shoot the ball. If Poe thought that he had an open shot he would shoot it. The defense couldn’t slow down Poe.
 
The Big Lake defense was able to slow down the Sartell-St. Stephen offense in the first half. Even though Sartell-St. Stephen couldn’t hit shots that they were not afraid to shoot the ball.
 
At halftime the score was Big Lake 44, Sartell-St. Stephen 15.
 
Big Lake continued to get the ball into the hands of Poe. Poe continued to shoot the ball well in the second half. The Sartell-St. Stephen defense had a hard time slowing him down.
 
Sartell-St. Stephen couldn’t get their offense to click in the second half as well.
 
Big Lake came away with the overwhelming 76-39 victory over Sartell-St. Stephen.
 
The leading scorer for Sartell-St. Stephen was Bearson with 20 points. The leading scorer for Big Lake was Poe with 30 points.

SAUK RAPIDS-RICE TOOK ON BLAKE IN A BOYS BASKETBALL GAME

Sauk Rapids-Rice and Blake went up against each other in the third game of the day in the Granite City Holiday Classic.
 
Blake looked to get the ball quickly down the floor. Blake’s John Veil was not afraid to shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor. If he thought that he had an open shot he was not afraid to shoot it.
 
Blake swung the ball around the three-point line and was able to hit shots from anywhere on the floor.
 
Sauk Rapids-Rice went to a zone defense as they wanted to force Blake to make long shots. Blake was forced to take some long shots.
 
Blake used both man-to-man and zone defenses in the first half.
 
Veil continued to shoot the ball well in the first half. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot it.
 
At halftime the score was Blake 39, Sauk Rapids-Rice 24.
 
As the second half got underway Blake continued to attack that basket. Blake also looked to push the tempo and take quick shots and go for the rebounds on the miss.
 
Sauk Rapids-Rice was not able to come away with the rebounds but they did go after them.
 
Blake continued to shoot the ball well in the second half. They were not afraid to shoot the ball from anywhere on the court. The Blake players communicated well with each other on both ends of the floor as they were able to let each other know where they were on the floor at all time.
 
Sauk Rapids-Rice continued to hit shots midway through the second half.
 
Both teams played with a lot of energy and emotion in the game. Both teams battled hard throughout the game.
 
Blake came away with the 75-60 victory over Sauk Rapids-Rice. The leading scorers for Sauk Rapids-Rice were Kobe Boraas with 17 points and Alex Burklund with 16 points, The leading scorers for Blake were JR Bescom with 15 points and Gus Austin with 10 points.

Monday, December 30, 2013

PRIOR LAKE TOOK ON ROCORI IN A BOYS BASKETBALL GAME

Prior Lake and Rocori went up against each other in a boys basketball game.  Prior Lake’s Conner Bair came out on fire. He scored Prior Lake’s first nine points.
 
Rocori called a timeout with 13:53 left in the first half. The score was Prior Lake 11, Rocori 7.
 
Rocori went to a man-to-man defense in the first half. They did a good job of switching up different defenses.
 
Prior Lake was able to push the ball down the floor as they looked to score baskets in transition. Prior Lake swung the ball around the three-point line to get into their offense. If Bair thought that he had a good shot he was not afraid to shoot it.
 
Rocori called a timeout with 6:27 left in the first half. The score was Prior Lake 31, Rocori 16.
 
Prior Lake’s Kevin McKiernan stepped up and was able to knock down jump shots. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot the ball.
 
Rocori kept on shooting the ball but they were not able to hit shots that they put up.
 
The defense that Prior Lake applied made it difficult for Rocori to make their shots. There was always a hand in a Rocori player’s face when he shot the ball.
 
At halftime the score was Prior Lake 51, Rocori 22.
 
The second half got off to a quick start as each team raced up and down the floor looking for their shots.  
 
There were many loose balls in the opening minutes of the second half.
 
Rocori called a timeout with 15:42 left in regulation. The score was Prior Lake 57, Rocori 24.
 
Rocori went to a zone in the second half. Prior Lake was able to get past the Rocori defenders and attacked the basket and was able to make layups.
 
Rocori tried to get their offense going in the second half. They were not able to get their shots to drop.  
 
Prior Lake’s Tevin Grant came off the bench and provided an offensive spark plug. Grant did a good job of running his team’s offense.
 
In a game that featured a lot of energy by both times Prior Lake came away with the 73-44 victory over Rocori. Rocori couldn’t get their offense going.
 
The leading scorers for Rocori were Brad Fabel with 10 points and Max Nelson with 9 points. The leading scorers for Prior Lake were Bair with 17 points, Sobaski 14 points, Sam Schultz 13 points and Kevin McKirerman with 12 points.

DELANO TOOK ON ST. FRANCIS IN A BOYS BASKETBALL GAME

Delano and St. Francis went up against each other in a boys basketball game at St. Cloud State as part of the Breakdown Granite City Holiday Classic.
 
The score went back and forth early in the contest. Neither team went on a run early.  
 
The defense that each team played made it difficult for the other team to get open looks at the basket.
 
There were many ties and lead changes in the first half.  Blake Moreno for St. Francis was all over the floor. On the offensive end he was to get the ball in the low post and took it hard to the basket.
 
He was not afraid of contact on the offensive end.
 
Delano looked to score baskets in transition.
 
Nate Svihel for St. Francis was able to hit both the deep three-point shot and shots within the three-point line. He took the ball hard to the basket and wasn’t afraid of contact.
 
At halftime the score was St. Francis 29, Delano 26.
 
As the second half got underway St. Francis continued to move the ball well down the floor. St. Francis kept on feeding the ball to Svihel. Svihel was able to do what he wanted to do with the ball when he was on the offensive end.  
 
Delano attacked the basket. They kept on fighting for their shots. The defense that St. Francis applied made it difficult for Delano to hit shots.
 
St. Francis continued to take good shots as they were able to hit shots that they put up.
 
Delano’s Toby Hanson was all over the floor. He was able knock down shots from everywhere on the floor.
 
St. Francis continued to attack the basket and was able to hit shots in the second half. They didn’t let Delano make uncontested shots.
 
Delano had a difficult time hitting shots in the second half. They didn’t give up on the offensive end.
 
Delano caught fire late in the first half. They were not however able to get the lead late in the game.
 
St. Francis was able to hang on to come away with the 60-58 victory over Delano.
 
The leading scorers for Delano were Hanson with 28 points, and Campbell with 19 points. The leading scorers for St. Francis were Svihel with 25 points, Jake Johnson with 12 points and Moreno with 11 points.

APPLE VALLEY TOOK ON ROSEVILLE IN A BASKETBALL GAME

Apple Valley and Roseville went up against each other in the final game of the first day of the 2013 Granite City Classic.
 
The game got off to a quick start as each team raced up and down the floor.
 
Apple Valley looked to get the ball into the hands of Tyus Jones. Tyus Jones drove to the basket and was able to get his shot going in the first half. He was able to get his team in an offensive groove.
 
Roseville was able to counter that as they attacked the basket.  
 
Apple Valley caught fire midway through the second half. They were able to get fast breaks and slow down Roseville down in transition.
 
Tyus Jones continued to run the offense for Apple Valley. His was able to make layups and jump shots throughout the first half.
 
Gary Trent Jr. for Apple Valley knocked down some deep three-point shots late in the first half.
 
At halftime the score was Apple Valley 49, Roseville 38. Tyus Jones scored 19 points in the first half.
 
As the second half for underway Apple Valley continued to hit their shots. Tyus Jones continued to run the show.
 
Apple Valley was able to slow down the Roseville offense in the second half. Roseville was not able to get their offense going because of the Apple Valley defense.
 
Roseville kept on attacking the basket late in the contest. Even though they struggled to shoot the ball they were not afraid to shoot it.
 
Apple Valley came away with the 112-81 victory over Roseville.
 
The leading scorer for Apple Valley was Tyus Jones with 34 points. The leading scorer for Roseville was Kobe Critchley with 16 points.
 

STILLWATER TOOK ON CHAMPLIN PARK IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

Stillwater and Champlin Park went up against each other in a boys’ basketball game as part of the Granite City Holiday Classic.
 
Both teams got off to a good start offensively in the first half. Champlin Park did a good job of moving the ball down the floor and making baskets in transition.
 
The score was close throughout the opening 10:00 minutes of the game. Then Stillwater seemed to unravel offensively. They were not able to make shots that they put up. Champlin Park took it to them offensively as they were able to hit baskets.
 
At halftime the score was Champlin Park 57, Stillwater 34.
 
As the second half got underway Champlin Park continued to pound the ball down the floor. They were able to get past the Stillwater defenders and get open shots at the basket and make them.
 
Both teams fought hard throughout the game. Stillwater’s offense got stuck in neutral for most of the second half.
 
In a game that saw Stillwater struggle but not give up, Champlin Park came away with the 100-66 victory.
 
The leading scorer for Stillwater was Matt Anderson with 23 points. The leading scorers for Champlin Park were Brennan Witt with 19 points, Jermey Johnson with 18 points.

ROCORI TOOK ON DELANO IN A BOYS BASKETBALL GAME

Rocori and Delano went up against each other in a boys basketball game.  
 
Rocori had a hard time moving the ball on offense. The Delano defense came away with the ball and was able to get the ball down the floor on offense.
 
Neither team had played with a lot of energy in the first half.
 
Rocori swung the ball around the three-point line as they looked to get into an offensive rhythm.
 
Delano came up with some nice steals which resulted in baskets on the offensive end.
 
At halftime the score was Delano 29, Rocori 19.
 
As the second half got underway Rocori went to a zone defense. They wanted to spread the Delano defense out.
 
The score went back and forth in the second half. Neither team went on a run in the second half.   
 
Delano attacked the basket. They moved the ball well on the offensive end of the floor. Rocori was not afraid to shoot the ball from anywhere on the court.
 
The game came down to the wire. In a very defensive battled game the game was tied at 52 at the end of regulation.
 
In the overtime period both teams launched deep three-point shots.  Delano stepped up big and knocked down some deep shots in the overtime period.
 
Delano came away with the 63-60 overtime victory over Rocori.
 
The leading scorers for Rocori were Brad Fabel with 23 points, Skippy Virchow with 10 points
 
The leading scorers for Delano were Toby Hanson with 32 points, and Sean Campbell with 13 points.

PRIOR LAKE WENT UP AGAINST ST. FRANCIS IN A BOYS BASKETBALL GAME

Prior Lake and St. Francis went up against each other in a boys basketball game at St. Cloud Apollo high school as part of the Minnesota Breakdown Tip-Off Classic.
 
Both teams traded baskets to start the game. Prior Lake did a good job of pushing the ball down the floor as they looked to get baskets in transition.
 
Prior Lake’s Austin Heidecker stepped up big and knocked down shots for his team. His team did a good job of getting him the ball.
 
St. Francis passed the ball around the three-point line as they looked to get into an offensive shooting rhythm.
 
Prior Lake did a good job of moving the ball down the floor and getting set up in an offensive set.
 
Neither team went on a run in the first half.
 
The defensive pressure that Prior Lake applied made it difficult for St. Francis to get open looks at the basket.
 
Prior Lake’s John Sobaski was able to knock down shots from within the three-point line. He was not afraid to shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor.
 
At halftime the score was Prior Lake 31, St. Francis 27.
 
Heidecker for Prior Lake came up big and was able to knock down shots from inside the three-point line.  
 
There were many ties and lead changes in the second half. Neither team was able to go on a run in the second half.
 
Prior Lake took their time of the offensive end. They moved the ball well on the offensive end.
 
Both teams played with a lot of emotion and intensity. Neither team gave up easy baskets.
 
Prior Lake called a timeout with 11:32 left in regulation, the score was St. Francis 45, Prior Lake 41.
 
Sobaski continued to knock down shots. He was able to take the ball the length of the court and hit layups.
 
St. Francis called a timeout with 8:28 left in regulation, the score was Prior Lake 50, St. Francis 47.
 
The score continued to go back and forth late in the contest. St. Francis continued to look to get basket for shots. They were able to stay in the game as they were able to hit their shots that they put up.
 
St. Francis kept the defensive pressure on Prior Lake the last two minutes of the game. They wanted to make Prior Lake turn it over. Prior Lake was able to hold onto the ball and kept making plays late.
 
Both teams fought hard throughout the contest. Neither team went on a huge run in the game. Prior
Lake was able to come away with the 72-59 victory over St. Francis.
 
The leading scores for St. Francis were Jake Johnson with 16 points, Nate Svihel with 15 points and Blake Moreno with 11 points.
 
The leading scorers for Prior Lake were Sobaski with 17 points, and Bair with 16 points.