MINNEAPOLIS WASHBURN WENT UP AGAINST RICHFIELD IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

On Jan. 17, Minneapolis Washburn squared off against Richfield in a boys’ basketball game.  

Richfield’s Raphael Bilal came up with steals and layups on the first two trips down the floor.

Washburn looked to get the ball down the floor quickly and score baskets in transition. Washburn’s Kevin Gleason came up with mid-range jump shots.

The Washburn defense made it difficult for Richfield to score in the first half. Richfield had a difficult time getting their shots to drop for a period of time.  

Richfield called a timeout with 12:54 left in the first half. The score was Washburn 16, Richfield 6.

Washburn’s Gleason and Evan Shepard both were able to hit mid-range jump shots consistently in the first half. Gleason was also able to hit jump shots in the paint.

Richfield’s Junior Stone came up with layups in the first half. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in the paint where he could shoot it.

Washburn’s JoBriel Powell came up with mid-range jumpers in the first half. He also was able to score coming off of screens.

Richfield’s Markest Brown stepped up and knocked down 3-point shots midway through the first half.

After a slow start by Richfield, they were able to attack the basket and come up with baskets.

Both teams played a very physical type of game. There was a lot of hand checks that were not called.

Richfield looked to trap Washburn at half court. They were looking for steals. Richfield wasn’t able to come up with steals as Washburn took care of the ball.

Richfield called a timeout with 3:32 left in the first half. The score was Washburn 31, Richfield 26.

Richfield looked to make layups as they attacked the basket late in the first half.

At halftime the score was Washburn 35, Richfield 33.

As the second half got underway the score went back and forth. Washburn was able to attack the

Richfield defense and get good looks at the basket.

Richfield called a timeout with 15:53 left in regulation. The score was Washburn 46, Richfield 37.

Washburn continued get to the basket and make layups.

Richfield went to a full court man-to-man press as they wanted to turn Washburn over. They were not able to come up with steals.

Brown continued to come up with huge shots to keep Richfield in the game. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball where he could get good looks at the basket. If Brown didn’t think that he had a good shot he would pass it to either Exavius Tucker-Shavazz or Raphael Bilal who also came up with mid-range jump shots throughout the game.

Washburn’s Evan Shepherd came up with mid-range jump shots in the second half. As a team

Washburn shot the ball well throughout the game and Richfield struggled to shoot the ball.

The game was an evenly matched. Washburn was a little quicker than Richfield but Richfield guarded well and made Washburn have to work for shots that they put up.

Gleason played well for Washburn. On the offensive end he was all over the floor. He was able to get to the basket and come up with huge shots down the stretch.

Washburn came away with the 87-70 nonconference victory over Richfield.

The leading scorers for Richfield were Brown with 16 points, Tucker-Shabazz with 13 points and Bilal with 10 points.

The leading scorers for Washburn were Gleason and Powell each with 19 points and Shepherd with 16 points and Irmiger with 11 points.

MARANATHA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY WENT UP AGAINST MINNEAPOLIS NORTH IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

On Jan. 17, Maranatha Christian Academy took on Minneapolis North in a boys’ varsity basketball game.

Going into the game Maranatha had an overall record of 13-1 while North had an overall record of 13-3.

Maranatha looked to push the ball down the floor and score quick baskets in transition. They looked to get the ball into the hands of Joe Jacobson.

North got the ball into the hands of ODell Wilson. Wilson took the ball hard to the basket and was able to make layups.

North took their time on the offensive end. They passed the ball around the 3-point line and looked to get the ball inside.

North’s Randy Matthews came up with layups on the offensive end. On the defensive end Matthews came up with big stops.

North called a timeout with 14:29 left in the first half. The score was North 9, Maranatha 4.

Maranatha’s Joe Jacobson came up with layups and mid-range jump shots in the first half. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot it. Teammate’s Jake Meyen and Jeremiah Hanson also came up with huge shots for Maranatha.

Maranatha called a timeout with 13:20 left in the first half. The score was North 15, Maranatha 8.

Jacobson did a good job of coming off of screens and getting to the basket, where he came up with layups and mid-range jump shots.

North’s Jamil Jackson came up with 3-point baskets. The defense had a hard time defending Jackson behind the 3-point line.

North did a good job of moving the ball down the floor and scoring baskets in transition. Wilson was all over the floor. He came up with huge baskets in the paint. Teammate Randy Mathews came up with layups in the first half.

North communicated well throughout the first half. They knew where they were supposed to be on the floor.

Maranatha kept shooting the ball and were able to get the ball into the hands of Jake Meyen who came up with layups and jump shots.

Tyler Johnson kept on shooting and making 3-point shots late in the first half. He wasn’t afraid to shoot the ball.

North called a timeout with 7:36 left in the first half. The score was North 34, Maranatha 18.

North went to a full court trap and they were able to get steals and make layups off the steals.

Mathews came up with two-handed slam dunks on offense and blocks on the defensive end.

At halftime the score was North 46, Maranatha 24.

As the second half got underway North continued to attack the basket and was able to keep making layups.

North stayed man-to-man on defense making it difficult for Maranatha to get a shoot off early.

North called a timeout with 14:51 left in regulation. The score was North 48, Maranatha 28.

North continued to swing the ball around the 3-point line as they were able to take time off the clock in the second half.

Maranatha continued to shoot the ball throughout the second half but the North defense made it difficult for them to hit shots they put up.

Maranatha called a timeout with 8:07 left in regulation. The score was North 62, Maranatha 41.

Wilson came up with mid-range jump shots late in the game. He also continued to come up with rebounds.

North was too quick for Maranatha. Maranatha wasn’t able to hit shots they put up. They struggled to shoot the ball throughout the game.

North played well as a team. Isaac Johnson and Jackson and Wilson played well throughout the game.

North came away with the 80-51 victory over Maranatha.

The leading scorers for Maranatha were Hanson with 19 points, and Meyen with 10 points.

The leading scorers for North were Tyler Johnson with 19 points, Isaac Johnson with 17 points, Jackson with 13 points, Rodgers 10 points, Wilson and Mathews each with 6 points, Sanders 5 points and Hunter with 4 points.

BURNSVILLE WENT UP AGAINST PRIOR LAKE IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

On Jan. 16, Burnsville squared off against Prior Lake in a boys’ basketball game. Prior Lake started in a man-to-man defense.

Burnsville looked to get the ball down the floor quickly. Burnsville’s Jason Gumm and Jake Ruffing both came up with huge mid-range jump shots in the first half. Their teammates did a good job of letting them know where they were on the court.

Burnsville was able to score layups in transition. Gumm and Ruffing were able to get the ball and get to the basket.

The score went back and forth throughout the first half. Neither team went on a huge run in the first half.

Prior Lake’s Lucas Olson and Isaiah Sims both were able to hit mid-range jump shots and layups.

Ruffing continued to make layups and mid-rage jump shots late in the first half.

At halftime the score was Burnsville 30, Prior Lake 28.

As the second half got underway Prior Lake came out on fire. They did a good job of taking time off the clock and getting everyone involved in the offense.

Gumm continued to attack the basket and score layups in transition. The Prior Lake defense had a hard time slowing Gumm down on offense.

The score continued to go back and forth throughout the second half.

Prior Lake’s Jack Kortas came up with offensive rebounds and was able to make layups. Kortas was also able to get the ball to teammates Connor Bair, Austin Heidecker the ball who also came up with baskets for Prior Lake. Isaiah Sims also came up with jump-shots and layups throughout the game.

Prior Lake was able to slow down the Burnsville offense late in the second half.

Both teams spread the ball around to everyone as it was an even scoring by each team.

Prior Lake came away with the 66-54 victory over Burnsville.

The leading scorers for Burnsville were Morris with 15 points, Shepley with 11 points, Ruffing with 10 points and Gumm with 9 points.

The leading scorers for Prior Lake were Bair and Sims each with 12 points and Heidecker with 11 points.

MINNEAPOLIS NORTH WENT UP AGAINST MINNEAPOLIS EDISON IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

On Dec. 21, North went up against Edison in a boys’ basketball game. Edison pushed the ball down the floor as they looked to score baskets in transition.

North’s Isaac Johnson was all over the floor. He came up with layups and mid-range jump shots.

Edison called a timeout with 15:44 left in the first half. The score was North 10, Edison 6.

North looked to push the ball down the floor and score layups in transition. North got the ball into the hands of ODell Wilson IV. Wilson took the ball hard to the basket and made layups.

Edison called a timeout with 12:37 left in the first half. The score was North 20, Edison 8.

North’s Tyler Johnson came up with steals and came up with layups. Teammates Ahzerik Rodgers and JaQuan Sanders-Smith both came up with mid-range jump shots.

Edison’s Travis Moore came up with layups midway through 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 North 58, Edison 20.

As the second half got underway North continued to get the ball down the floor and looked to score baskets in transition. They also were able to take a lot of time off the clock as they passed the ball around the 3-point line.

Edison wasn’t able to get their offense going throughout the game.

North was quicker than Edison. Both teams played hard throughout the game. In the end North walked away with the 100-32 victory over Edison.

The leading scorers for Edison was Andre Brown with 16 points.

The leading scorers for North were Isacc Johnson with 24 points, Wilson IV with 17 points, Tyler Johnson with 13 points.

ST. ANTHONY VILLAGE WENT UP AGAINST FRIDLEY IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

St. Anthony Village and Fridley played a boys’ basketball game.

St. Anthony started the game in a zone defense. Fridley looked to set the tempo of the game early.

Fridley attacked the basket as they looked for layups.

St. Anthony called a timeout with 13:36 left in the first half. The score was Fridley 7, St. Anthony 2.

The Fridley offense went stagnant after the timeout. They were not able to hit shots.  

Fridley went to a full court press after the timeout. They wanted to create pressure on the St. Anthony offense as they looked for turnovers.

St. Anthony’s Nick Peterson came up with 3-point shots. He was able to shoot over the Fridley defense.

St. Anthony called a timeout with 9:25 left in the first half. The score was St. Anthony 11, Fridley 7.

Both teams offense stalled in the first half. They both were bot ale to hit shots they put up.

Fridley’s Matt Marz came up with mid-range jump shots in the first half.

The score went back and forth late in the first half.

At halftime the score was St. Anthony 25, Fridley 21.

As the second half got underway Fridley was patient with the ball. They swung the ball around the 3-point line and were able to get the ball inside to the post players.

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

traded baskets.

Fridley’s Shyheem Murray came up with deep 3-point baskets late in the game.

Fridley retook the lead late in the second half. It was a very defensive game. Neither team went on huge runs.

Fridley came away with the 60-42 victory over St. Anthony.

ST. AGNES WENT UP AGAINST CHARTER STARS IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

On Jan. 14, Charter Stars and St. Agnes went up against each other in a boys’ basketball game.  Both teams played zone defense in the first half. They wanted to force the other team to take deep 3-point shots.

St. Agnes got the ball into the hands of Luther Missoh. Missoh came up with mid-range jump shots and layups in the first half. The defense had a hard time slowing him down.

St. Agnes came up with fast break layups late in the first half.

Charter Stars called a timeout with 6:05 left in the first half. The score was St. Agnes 26, Charter Stars 13.

St. Agnes was able to break the full court press and get to the basket. St. Agnes was also able to get steals and came up with layups off of the steals.

Charter Stars attacked the basket throughout the first half. They had trouble finishing shots late in the first half.

At halftime the score was St. Agnes 40, Charter Stars 24.

As the second half got underway St. Agnes continued to attack the basket and made layups.

Missoh came up with mid-range jump shots and layups in the second half. The defense didn’t have an answer for him.

Kudu Jaafaru and Romello Wilson both came up with huge shots for Charter Stars. There teammates did a good job of getting them the ball where they could shoot it.

St. Agnes Darius Lopez attacked the basket and was able to come up with layups.

Charter Stars attacked the basket as they looked for layups and mid-range jump shots throughout the second half.

Lopez dropped three straight 3-point shots late in the game.

St. Agnes guard Gary Smith III was hot all night. He came up with huge mid-range jump shots and layups. The defense had a hard time slowing him down.

St. Agnes came away with the 81-46 victory over Charter Stars.

The leading scorer for St. Agnes was Missott with 18 points.

The leading scorers for Charter Stars were Jaafaru and Wilson each with 18 points.

I was joined by the Twin Cities Hoops Czar. Check out his thoughts of the Charter Stars vs. St. Agnes basketball game.

CLOQUET WENT UP AGAINST MINNEAPOLIS SOUTHWEST IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

On Jan. 21, 2014 Cloquet and Southwest squared off in a boys’ basketball game.

Southwest’s Brennan Hawkins came up with layups early. He was able to get past the defense and get to the basket. Hawkins was also able to hit 3-point shots.

Southwest’s Dakota Fleming was all over the court. On the offensive end Fleming came up with mid-range jump shots and layups. He wasn’t afraid to pass the ball to his teammates and get assists.

Cloquet’s Gavin Takkunen knocked down mid-range jump shots. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot it.

Southwest’s Arthur Frazier came up with layups. He was able to beat his man off the dribble and get to the basket.

Cloquet called a timeout with 8:01 left in the first half. The score was Southwest 18, Cloquet 11.

Frazier came up with layups. He called for the ball and was able to get the ball at the top of the key and was able to get to the basket.

Southwest called a timeout with 4:59 left in the first half. The score was Southwest 20, Cloquet 13.

Cloquet attacked the basket as they looked for layups. They had a difficult time getting the ball into the zone defense.

Cloquet came up with layups late in the first half. Cloquet’s Zachary Gerlach and Manson Brenner came up with layups and mid-range jump shots.

At halftime the score was Southwest 31, Cloquet 20.

As the second half got underway Cloquet attack the basket and was able to come up with layups.

Fleming came up with layups in the second half.

Southwest called a timeout with 10:04 left in regulation. The score was Southwest 43, Cloquet 39.

Gerlach came up with jump shots late in the second half. Nathen Weets came up with huge jump shots throughout the game.

Cloquet got the lead with just under seven minutes to go in regulation. Southwest continued to come up with shots down the stretch.

The score went back and forth late in the game. Cloquet got the ball into the hands of Garlach and Weets late in the game. Cloquet came away with the 71-69 victory over Southwest.

The leading scorers for Cloquet were Weets with 26 points, Gerlach with 22 points and Brenner with 11 points.

The leading scorers for Southwest were Frazier with 24 points, Alexander with 14 points, Hawkins with 11 points and Fleming with 8 points.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND WENT UP AGAINST THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA IN A WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GAME

On Jan. 11, Maryland went up against Minnesota in a women’s basketball game. Going into the game Maryland had an overall record of 12-2 and was 3-0 in the Big Ten. Minnesota had an overall record of 14-1 and was 3-0 in the Big Ten.

It took each team a while to figure out what the other team was doing on the offensive end.

Minnesota started in a zone defense. They also had a lot of energy and intensity early. Maryland switched between man-to-man and zone defense.

Maryland passed the ball around the 3-point line. Everyone touched the ball. The score went back and forth.


Minnesota’s Amanda Zahui came out with a lot of energy. She called for the ball on the low block and was able to make layups.

There was a media timeout with 15:53 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota 6, Maryland 4.

Minnesota’s Shae Kelley came up with layups. She did a good job of cutting to the basket and coming off of screens and hitting layups.

Maryland looked to score baskets in transition. Maryland’s A’lexus Harrison made mid-range jump shots and layups.

Minnesota’s Shayne Mullaney hit 3-point baskets in the first half. If she didn’t think that she could make 3-point baskets she shot layups.

There was a media timeout with 11:55 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota 13, Maryland 8.

Maryland stepped up their defensive pressure after the timeout. They did make it more difficult for Minnesota to get their shots up.

Minnesota’s Carlie Wagner came off screens for layups. She called for the ball in the offense and her teammates got her the ball in the paint.

Minnesota called a timeout with 10:02 left in the first half. The score was Maryland 16, Minnesota 15.

Maryland went to a trapping man-to-man defense. They were able to turn Minnesota over and score baskets off the turn overs.

Maryland’s Shatori Walker-Kimbrough came up with layups that kept Maryland in the game. Teammate Laurin Mincy also was able to get to the basket and hit layups and mid-range jump shots.

The score went back and forth with under 6:30 left in the first half.

Zahui came up with offensive rebounds and was able to make layups.

There was a media timeout with 4:44 left in the first half. The score was Maryland 29, Minnesota 25.

Minnesota was able to get to the basket and shoot layups.

Maryland used a lot of time off the 30 second shot clock. They rushed some of their shots late in the first half because they didn’t want to have a shot clock violation.

There was a media timeout with 3:30 left in the first half. The score was Maryland 34, Minnesota 27.

Minnesota stayed in zone defense after the timeout. They were still able to get to the basket on the offensive end.

Maryland’s Lexie Brown came up with layups and jump shots throughout the first half. Maryland did a good job of attacking the basket and they were very patient on the offensive end.

At halftime the score was Maryland 39, Minnesota 34.

Walker-Kimbrough and Brown both looked to shoot the ball early in the second half. They were able to continue to hit shots.

Minnesota attacked the basket and was able was able to get the ball into the hands of Zahui who was able to get layups.

There was a media timeout with 15:53 left in regulation. The score was Maryland 42, Minnesota 40.

Minnesota’s offense got clicking midway through the second half. They did a good job of talking to each other and were able to attack the Maryland defense.

Brown and Walker-Kimbrough were able to hit shots throughout the second half. They didn’t stop attacking the basket.

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

There was a media timeout with 11:23 left in regulation. The score was tied at 52.

Kelley came up with steals and layups in the second half.

Minnesota switched up between man-to-man and zone defenses throughout the second half. They did a good job of making Maryland guess at what type of defense they were playing.

There was a media timeout with 7:08 left in regulation. The score was tied at 62.

Minnesota looked to keep getting the ball into Zahui’s hands. She took the ball hard to the basket.

Maryland doubled-teamed Zahui and made it hard for her to get shots.

There was a media timeout with 3:10 left in regulation. The score was Maryland 68, Minnesota 64.

Walker-Kimbrough kept her team in the game. She did a good job of getting to the basket and was able to make tough shots.

The game was close throughout the second half. Neither team went on a run in the second half.

Zahui tied the game at 70 with 1:10 left in regulation. Minnesota called a timeout.

Both teams hit 3 point shots after the timeout.

Moseley was fouled with 2.8 seconds left in regulation. The game was tied at 73. She made both free throws.

Minnesota called a timeout right after the free throws to set up the last play of the game. The long court pass went out of bounds and it was a turnover on Minnesota.

Mosley was fouled with .9 seconds to go and made both free throws.

Maryland came away with the 77-73 victory over Minnesota.

As a team Maryland shot 23-79 from the field that included going 7-21 from behind the 3-point line. They were 12-13 from the free throw line. They brought down a total of 42 rebounds 23 of them on the defensive end. Maryland was lead in scoring by Brown with 20 points, Walker-Kimbrough with 15 points and Jones with 11 points.

As a team Minnesota was 32-61 from the field that included going 4-13 from behind the 3-point line. They were 5-6 from the free throw line. They brought down a total of 32 rebounds 25 of them on the defensive end. Minnesota was lead in scoring by Zahui with 26 points, Wagner with 15 points and Kelley with 14 points.

LAKEVIEW CHRISTIAN WENT UP AGAINST NEW LIFE ACADEMY IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

Lakeview Christian and New Life Academy went up against each other in a boys’ basketball game.

NLA pushed the ball down the floor as they looked to score layups in transition.

Lakeview looked to get the ball into the hands of guard Bjorn Broman. Broman stepped up and was able to knock down deep 3-point baskets.

Lakeview called a timeout with 11:04 left in the first half. The score was NLA 24, Lakeview 14.

NLA’s Conrad Engstrom came up with 3-point baskets and layups throughout the first half.

Lakeview struggled to score baskets after the timeout. However NLA came up with steals and was able to make layups off the steals.

Broman was able to come up with mid-range jump shots in the first half. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot it.

Lakeview came up with steals and then they were able to get down the floor and come up with layups or 3-point shots.

Broman got hot late in the first half. He stepped up and was able to knock down 3-point jump shots.

At halftime the score was NLA 46, Lakeview 43.

As the second half got underway Lakeview continued to look get the ball into the hands of Broman.

Broman was able to hit shots that he put up from both inside and outside of the 3-point line.

NLA looked to keep getting the ball into Engstrom. Engstrom came up with deep 3-point shots. The defense had a hard time slowing him down.

Lakeview continued to attack the basket in the second half. They were able to hit shots that they put up.

Lakeview was able to get steals on defense and come up with layups on offense.

NLA’s Brad Goulet came up with layups and mid-range jump shots late in the game.

NLA was able to string some baskets together late in the game.

Engstrom scored his 1,000th point on a free throw late in the game.

NLA came away with the 90-80 victory over Lakeview.

The leading scorer for NLA was Engstrom with 37 points. The leading scorer for Lakeview was Broman with 60 points.

After the game I was able to talk to NLA’s Engstrom about the game. I was also able to talk to Broman about his performance.