TWIN CITIES ACADEMY CHARTER STARS WENT UP AGAINST THE ST. PAUL WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY MAGNET EAGLES IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

On Dec. 5, Twin Cities Academy Charter Starts and the Washington Technology Eagles squared off in a boys’ basketball game at Washington.

The Stars looked to push the ball down the floor and looked to score baskets in transition.

The Eagles could score baskets in transition. They beat the Stars down the floor.

Both teams dove on the floor after loose balls.

Washington’s Curtis Bell scored his 1000 career points with a free throw with7:45 first half.

The Eagles called a timeout with 11:13 left in the first half. The score was Eagles 13, Stars 6.

The Eagles could come up with steals and could score baskets off the steals.

The Stars had trouble scoring for a period in the first half. They were not able to come up with a basket. The Eagles took advantage of that as they kept attacking the basket and coming up with layups and jump shots.

The Stars called a timeout with 5:12 left in the first half. The score was Eagles 32, Stars 9.

The stars were not able to score a basket the last 5:12 of the first half.

At halftime, the score was Eagles 45, Stars 9.

As the second half got underway the Eagles kept on attacking the basket and looking to make shots.

The Eagles were too much for the Stars to handle. The Eagles came away with the 66-19 victory over the Stars.

The leading scorer for the Stars was Ezekiel Olakunle with 8 points. The leading scorer for the Eagles was Bell with 22 points.

I was joined by the Twin Cities Hoops Czar. Check out his thoughts of the Stars vs. Eagles game.

MINNEAPOLIS NORTH WENT UP AGAINST APPLE VALLEY IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

On Dec. 3, Minneapolis North and Apple Valley squared off in a boys’ basketball game at Hopkins High School as part of the Breakdown Sports USA Tip-Off Classic.

Both teams looked to push the ball down the floor and score layups in transition.

Apple Valley got the ball into the hands of Tre Jones.

North called a timeout with 15:08 left in the first half. The score was Apple Valley 7, North 3. 

North could get everyone involved in the offense. They passed the ball around the 3-point line and talked on both ends of the floor. 

Neither team went on a huge run in the first half. 

North’s Isaac Johnson came up with deep 3-point shots and could come up with layups. His teammates could get him the ball where he could shoot it. 

Apple Valley called a timeout with 7:56 left in the first half. The score was North 29, Apple Valley 23.

North’s JaQuan Sanders-Smith could make layups in transition. If he didn’t think that he had a good shot, he wasn’t afraid to pass it to his teammates.

There were several ties and lead changes throughout the first half. Neither team went on a huge run.

At halftime, the score was Apple Valley 42, North 35. 

As the second half got underway Apple Valley could get the ball into the hands of Jones and Luke Martens. Martens could come up with mid-range jump shots and layups.

North called a timeout with 12:50 left in regulation. The score was Apple Valley 59, North 47. 

North struggled to shoot the ball in the second half. They were not able to make shots with consistency. 

North continued to keep shooting the ball. Even though they had trouble shooting the ball they kept on shooting the ball.

Apple Valley came away with the 84-70 victory over North.

 

MINNESOTA STATE WENT UP AGAINST ST. CLOUD STATE IN A MEN’S BASKETBALL GAME

On Nov. 26 Minnesota State and St. Cloud State University squared off in a men’s basketball game. Minnesota State came into the game with a record of 3-1 while St. Cloud State came into the game with a record of 3-4.

St. Cloud State looked to push the ball down the floor and score baskets in transition. St. Cloud State looked to get the ball into the hands of guard Scottie Stone. Stone could get to the basket and make mid-range jump shots and layups.

Minnesota State started the game in a zone defense. They wanted to make St. Cloud State take deep shots. St. Cloud State also started the game in a zone defense.

There was a media timeout with 14:29 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota State 14, St. Cloud State 8.

Minnesota State wasn’t afraid to take deep 3-point shots. The St. Cloud State defense had a tough time slowing them down from behind the 3-point line.

St. Cloud State’s Jon Averkamp came up with mid-range jump shots and layups in the first half.  His teammates knew where he could shoot the ball and they did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot it.

There was a media timeout with 9:55 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota State 18, St. Cloud State 11.

Minnesota State did a good job of moving without the ball on the offensive end. The players communicated well with each other on both ends of the floor.

St. Cloud State called a timeout with 8:04 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota State 20, St. Cloud State 11.

St. Cloud State had a tough time making shots for a period in the first half. Even though they struggled they kept on shooting.

There was a media timeout with 4:30 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota State 25, St. Cloud State 15.

St. Cloud State looked to make it difficult for Minnesota State to make shots. Minnesota State could get to the basket and make mid-range jump shots and layups.

St. Cloud State kept attacking the basket late in the first half. They didn’t use much time off of the shot clock.

Minnesota State called a timeout with 18.1 seconds left in the first half. The score was Minnesota State 32, St. Cloud State 21.

At halftime, the score was Minnesota State 34, St. Cloud State 21.

As the second half got underway Minnesota State continued to push the ball down the floor and score baskets in transition.

St. Cloud State’s Kurt Hall came up with mid-range jump shots and layups.

The Minnesota State defense made it difficult for St. Cloud State to get open looks at the basket. Even though St. Cloud State had difficulty shooting the ball they kept on attacking the basket.

There was a media timeout with 14:51 left in the second half. The score was Minnesota State 45, St. Cloud State 31.  

Minnesota State kept on attacking the basket and could get everyone involved in the offense.

St. Cloud State’s Jon Averkamp and Gage Davis both could make mid-range jump shots and layups.

Minnesota State called a timeout with 12:42 left in regulation. The score was Minnesota State 49, St. Cloud State 39.

St. Cloud State could pick up their offensive production in the second half. They could hit their shots in traffic.

There was a media timeout with 9:53 left in regulation. The score was Minnesota State 54, St. Cloud State 42.

Minnesota State Jon Fuqua came up with mid-range jump shots and layups throughout the game. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball where he could shoot it.

St. Cloud State came up with steals and converted them into layups on the offensive end. St. Cloud State’s Gage Davis could get through the defense and come up with layups late in regulation.

Minnesota State’s Charlie Brown also could make mid-range jump shots and layups.

There was a media timeout with 4:32 left in regulation. The score was Minnesota State 66, St. Cloud State 53.

Both teams kept on looking to score late in the game.

St. Cloud State called a timeout with 3:05 left in regulation. The score was Minnesota State 69, St. Cloud State 55.

St. Cloud State had difficult time scoring throughout the game. Minnesota State did a good job of getting everyone involved in the offense.

St. Cloud State called a timeout with 1:11 left in regulation. The score was Minnesota State 73, St. Cloud State 60.

Both teams fought hard throughout the game. Minnesota State was too much for St. Cloud State to handle.

Minnesota State came away with the 79-62 victory over St. Cloud State.

The leading scorers for Minnesota State were Fuqua with 19 points, Harper with 14 points and Joey Witthus with 12 points.

The leading scorers for St. Cloud State were Davis with 17 points and Kurt Hall with 16 points.

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH WENT UP AGAINST ST. CLOUD STATE IN A WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GAME

On Nov. 26, the University of Minnesota Duluth squared off against St. Cloud State University in a women’s basketball game. Going into the game UMD had a record of 1-2. St. Cloud State had a record of 2-2.

St. Cloud State looked to push the ball down the floor and get everyone involved in the offense early. Both teams started the game in a zone defense.

UMD looked to get the ball out of the basket and push the ball down the floor.

St. Cloud State guard Elizabeth “Betsy” Forbes MacDonald could come up with three-point baskets and mid-range jump shots. Her teammates could get her the ball where she could shoot it.

There was a media timeout with 4:59 left in the first quarter. The score was St. Cloud State 7, UMD 6.

UMD moved the ball around the three-point line. They looked to get the ball into the low block.

St. Cloud State switched between man-to-man and zone defense throughout the first quarter. There were also multiple ties and lead changes.

St. Cloud State’s Andrea Thomas also could come off screens and could make mid-range jump shots and layups.

UMD called a timeout with 54.2 seconds left in the first quarter. The score was St. Cloud State 18, UMD 9.

St. Cloud State pushed the ball down the floor and score baskets in transition.

After one quarter of play the score was St. Cloud State 18, UMD 11.  

MacDonald continued to attack the basket and make layups. The defense had a tough time slowing her down.

UMD kept attacking the basket and could make shots in the second quarter.

There was a media timeout with 4:52 left in the second quarter. The score was St. Cloud State 32, UMD 19.

St. Cloud State slowed down the UMD offense in the second quarter. St. Cloud State’s defensive pressure made it difficult for UMD to make shots.

St. Cloud State called a timeout with 2:30 left in the second quarter. The score was St. Cloud State 38, UMD 24.

St. Cloud State used their quickness to get down the floor and get past the UMD defense.

At halftime, the score was St. Cloud State 40, UMD 26.

As the third quarter got underway St. Cloud State continued to push the ball down the floor and looked to get MacDonald and Chelsea Nooker the ball. Nooker did a good job of driving to the basket and making layups.

UMD continued to push the ball down the floor and score baskets in transition. They did a good job of getting the ball into the hands of Sammy Kozlowski. Kozlowski wasn’t afraid to get past the defense.

There was a media timeout with 6:28 left in the third quarter. The score was St. Cloud State 53, UMD 30.

St. Cloud State took their time on the offensive end. They could get everyone involved in the offense.

There was a media timeout with 4:11 left in the third quarter. The score was St. Cloud State 57, UMD 35.

St. Cloud State went to a zone defense in the third quarter. The zone defense made UMD take a lot of time off the shot clock. UMD looked for their shot with about 15 seconds left on the shot clock.

UMD’s Emma Boehm could make mid-range jump shots and layups throughout the game. Her teammates knew where she was on the floor and could get her the ball in shots where she could make it.

After three quarter of play the score was St. Cloud State 68, UMD 44.

UMD kept going to the basket and trying to make layups throughout the fourth quarter.

St. Cloud state called a timeout with 6:21 left in the fourth quarter. The score was St. Cloud State 73, UMD 53.

St. Cloud State did a good job of keeping the defensive pressure on UMD throughout the game.

UMD could knock down shots in the fourth quarter. UMD’s offense came together late in the game. But it wasn’t enough.

St. Cloud State came away with the 84-65 victory over UMD.

The leading scorers for UMD were Kozlowski with 12 points, and Josie Buckley with 11 points.

The leading scorers for St. Cloud State were Nooker with 24 points, and MacDonald with 22 points.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS WENT UP AGAINST MINNESOTA IN A MEN’S BASKETBALL GAME

On Nov. 25, Southern Illinois and Minnesota squared off in a men’s basketball game. Going into the game Southern Illinois had a record of 3-2 while Minnesota was 5-0.

Minnesota looked to push the ball down the floor and score baskets in transition early. Southern Illinois also looked to push the ball down the floor and could get everyone involved in the offense.

Southern Illinois took a lot of time off the shot clock as they passed the ball around the three-point line.

It took a while for each of these teams to get their offense going.

There was a media timeout with 15:15 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota 5, Southern Illinois 4.

Minnesota switched between man-to-man and zone defense in the first half. They wanted to confuse Southern Illinois.

Both teams made it difficult for the other team to get open looks at the basket.

Minnesota’s Dupree McBrayer could get to the basket and make mid-range jump shots and layups. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot it.

There was a media timeout with 11:35 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota 12, Southern Illinois 9.

Southern Illinois’s Thik Bol was all over the floor. On the offensive end, he could get to the basket and make layups. On the defensive end, he could slow his guy down.

Minnesota called a timeout with 9:34 left in the first half. The score was Southern Illinois 16, Minnesota 12.

Both teams continued to push the ball down the floor and look for baskets in transition.

There was a media timeout with 7:59 left in the first half. The score was Southern Illinois 18, Minnesota 14.

The score went back and forth for a period late in the first half. Minnesota got hot offensively.

Southern Illinois called a timeout with 4:41 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota 23, Southern Illinois 18.

Minnesota really looked to get their shots to drop late in the first half.

There was a media timeout with 2:53 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota 25, Southern Illinois 18.

Southern Illinois kept attacking the basket throughout the first half. They didn’t back down to the Minnesota pressure.

At halftime, the score was Minnesota 29, Southern Illinois 20.

As the second half got underway both teams came out shooting. Minnesota continued to push the ball down the floor and looked for baskets in transition.

There was a media timeout with 15:56 left in regulation. The score was Minnesota 35, Southern Illinois 26.

Minnesota’s Amir Coffey could get to the basket and make mid-range jump shots and layups. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot it.

There was a media timeout with 11:35 left in the second half. The score was Minnesota 39, Southern Illinois 32.

Minnesota continued to push the ball down the floor.

Southern Illinois called a timeout with 10:06 left in the second half. The score was Minnesota 43, Southern Illinois 32.

McBrayer stepped up and could knock down three-point baskets off the break.

There was a media timeout with 7:51 left in the second half. The score was Minnesota 47, Southern Illinois 32.

Both teams continued to take time off the clock in the second half.

Minnesota called a timeout with 5:27 left in regulation. The score was Minnesota 47, Southern Illinois 36.

Southern Illinois kept attacking the basket late in the game.

Minnesota came away with the 57-45 victory over Southern Illinois.  

The leading scorer for Southern Illinois was Bol with 15 points.

The leading scorers for Minnesota were Coffey with 13 points and McBrayer and Mason each with 11 points.

FINAL WEEK OF THE MINNETONKA FALL LEAGUE

On Nov.13 was the final week of the Minnetonka Fall League.

Orono vs. Totino-Grace

In the first game Orono went up against Totino-Grace. Totino Grace pushed the ball down the floor and scored baskets in transition.

Orono also moved the ball down the floor well as they could score baskets in transition.

Totino-Grace used their quickness as they got past the Orono defense.

Totino-Grace passed the ball around the three-point line as they looked to take time off the clock. Orono switched between man-to-man and zone defense throughout the first half.

At halftime, the score was Totino-Grace 41, Orono 33.

As the second half got underway Totino-Grace continued to move the ball down the floor and score baskets in transition.

Orono switched between man-to-man and zone defense throughout the second half.

Totino-Grace came away with the 82-74 victory over Orono.

The score was put to 70 and both teams went the end of the game situation. Both teams continued to push the ball down the floor.

In the end, however Orono came away with the 78-74 victory over Totino-Grace in the extra period.

Orono vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s

Orono and Benilde-St. Margaret’s squared off in a basketball game.

Both teams were slow to get their offense going early. There were multiple ties and lead changes in the early goings.

Orono came up with steals and layups. They slowed Benilde-St. Margaret’s down on the offensive end.

The Orono defense made it difficult for Benilde-St. Margaret’s to shoot the ball. Orono did a good job of contesting shots.

At halftime the score was Orono 37, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 28.

As the second half got underway both teams scrambled down the floor as they both looked for baskets.

Neither team gave up easy shots in the second half. Benilde-St. Margaret’s knocked down shots over the Orono defense.

Orono came up with the 73-57 victory over Benilde-St. Margaret’s

In the end of the game situation both teams continued to push the ball down the floor.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s came away with the 74-72 victory over Orono in the extra time game.

BENILDE-ST. MARGARET’S VS.  MINNEAPOLIS NORTH

Benilde-St. Margaret’s went up against Minneapolis North. The score went back and forth throughout the first half.

North looked to push the ball down the floor and score baskets in transition. Benilde-St. Margaret’s could keep up the pace of North.

At halftime, the score was Minneapolis North 32, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 41

Minneapolis North had a difficult time scoring in the second half. Minneapolis North was not able to step up and make shots.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s came away with the 84-53 victory over Minneapolis North.

The score was set to 70. In the end of game situation both teams came out looking to control the tempo. North came away with the 75-74 end of the game situation

SHAKOPEE VS WAYZATA

Shakopee and Wayzata went up against each other. The score went back and forth early. Wayzata could make baskets in transition.

At halftime, the score was Wayzata 36, Shakopee 31.

As the second half got underway Wayzata continued to come up with baskets. Shakopee continued to struggle to shoot the ball throughout the second half.

Wayzata came away with the 60-50 victory over Shakopee.

Shakopee won the extra session by the score of 75-74.