HOPKINS TOOK ON LAKEVILLE NORTH IN THE CLASS 4A STATE TITLE GAME

Hopkins and Lakeville North went up against each other in the Class 4A state title game in boys basketball.

 

Both teams looked to get the ball down the court quickly as they each tried to make layups.

 

Lakeville North looked to get the ball into the hands of J.P. Macura. He was able to come up with mid-range jump shots early.

 

There was a media timeout with 11:09 left in the first half. The score was Lakeville North 15, Hopkins 11.

 

Hopkins looked to get the ball in to the Amir Coffey and Kamali Chambers.

 

There was a media timeout with 9:39 left in the first half. The score was Hopkins 18, Lakeville North 15.

 

Hopkins’ Chambers came up with mid-range jump shots and layups throughout the first half. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could score baskets.

 

Macura was also able to hit mid-range jump shots throughout the first half.

 

There was a media timeout with 6:41 left in the first half. The score was Hopkins 27, Lakeville North 22.

 

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

 

The score at halftime was Hopkins 41, Lakeville North 36.

 

As the second half got underway Lakeville North’s Macura kept on coming up with the ball and was able to come up with mid-range jump shots.

 

There was a media timeout with 13:58 left in regulation. The score was Hopkins 50, Lakeville North 46.

 

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

 

Lakeville North called a timeout with 11:06 left in regulation. The score was Hopkins 54, Lakeville North 50.

 

Both teams dove on the floor after loose balls.

 

Chambers guarded Macura for a bit in the second half. They both did a good job of guarding each other.

 

Macura was a not afraid to shoot deep three-point shots. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot it. Teammate Alex Reiland also came up with deep three-point shots.

 

There was a media timeout with 5:57 left in regulation. The score was Hopkins 67, Lakeville North 65.

 

Macura came up with some big plays late in regulation.  

 

There was a media timeout with 3:12 left in regulation. The score was Hopkins 74, Lakeville North 70.

 

Hopkins Noble Fahnbulleh came up with some nice mid-range jump shots late in the contest. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots here he could shoot it.

 

Macura nailed a deep three-point shot with under a minute to go. Lakeville North called a timeout with 36.5 left in regulation. The score was Hopkins 80, Lakeville North 78.

 

Lakeville North’s Drew Steward knocked down a three-point shot for the lead and was fouled and made his free throw. Teammate Bronson Bruneau came up with some big shots down the stretch.

 

Flack hit the game winner with under 10 seconds left in regulation.

 

Lakeville North won the game by the final of 84-82.

 

The leading scorers for Hopkins were lead in scoring by Chambers with 24 points, Fahnbulleh with 16 points and Wright with 11 points.

 

Lakeville North was lead in scoring by Macura with 43 points, Bruneau with 16 points and Stewart with 10 points.

 

After the game I was able to talk to Macura, Flack, Stewart, Bruneau and head coach John Oxton about winning the Class 4A state title.

LAKEVILLE NORTH TOOK ON CRETIN-DERHAM HALL IN THE SEMIFINALS OF THE MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE TOURNAMENT

Lakeville North and Cretin-Derham Hall went up against each other in a semifinal game at the Target Center.  

 

The score went back and forth to start the game.

 

There was a media timeout with 14:52 left in the first half. The score was Lakeville North 5, Cretin-Derham Hall 4.

 

Lakeville North looked to get the ball into the hands of J.P. Macura.

 

There was a media timeout with 6:37 left in the first half. The score was Lakeville North 21, Cretin-Derham Hall 19.

 

Cretin-Derham Hall’s Michael Hannon was all over the floor. He was able to make his mid-range jump shots and layups throughout the first half. On the defensive end he was able to slow down the guy he was guarding.

 

The score at halftime was Cretin-Derham Hall 32, Lakeville North 30.

 

As the second half got underway both teams tried to slow the tempo of the game by swinging the ball around the three-point line.

 

There was a media timeout with 13:35 left in regulation. The score was Lakeville North 36, Cretin-Derham Hall 35.

 

The score continued to go back and forth throughout the second half. Neither team went on a run.

 

Cretin-Derham Hall’s Joe Rosga and Donnell Gresham came up mid-range jump shots and layups in the second half.

 

Lakeville North had a difficult time making layups.

 

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

 

The score was tied at 52 with under a minute to go.

 

Flack and Macura came up with key shots late in regulation.

 

Macura came up game winning three-point basket at the buzzer.

 

Lakeville North came away with the 55-52 victory over Cretin-Derham Hall.  

 

The leading scorers for Cretin-Derham Hall were Gresham with 15 points and Rosga with 10 points.

 

The leading scorers for Lakeville North were Macura with 31 points and Flack with 13 points.

 

After the game I was able to talk to Lakeville North’s Macura and head coach John Oxton about the game.

LAKEVILLE NORTH TOOK ON APPLE VALLEY IN A BOYS BASKETBALL GAME

On Jan. 14 Lakeville North traveled to Apple Valley High School for a boys basketball game. Going into the game Lakeville North had a record of 11-2 while Apple Valley had a record of 12-1. There was a large crowd on hand to watch the game.

 

Both teams looked to get the ball down the court quickly as they tried to score baskets in transition.

 

The score went back and forth early. Everyone on the Apple Valley team touched the ball on offense.

 

Lakeville North looked to get the ball into the hands of J.P. Macura. Macura was all over the floor. He was able to get to the basket and make his shots. His teammate Alex Reiland stepped up big and knocked down jump shots near the top of the key.

 

Apple Valley’s Tyus Jones was all over the floor. He was able to come up with a slam dunk and then turned around and drain a deep three-pointer. His teammate Brock Bertram also stepped up and knocked down some jump shots.

 

Apple Valley’s Dennis Austin knew where the ball was at all times. He did a good job of letting his teammates know where they were supposed to be on the floor.  

 

Both teams used to a man-to-man half-court defense in the first half. Neither team got an easy look at the basket.

 

Apple Valley called a timeout with 5:15 left in the first half. The score was Apple Valley 40, Lakeville North 31.

 

Apple Valley continued to get the ball into the hands of Jones. Jones knew where his teammates were on the floor and they did a good job of communicating on both ends of the court.

 

At halftime the score was Apple Valley 46, Lakeville North 37. At the half Apple Valley was lead in scoring by Jones with 15 and Austin and Bertram each with 10. Lakeville North was lead in scoring by Macura with 9.

 

The second half got off to a slow start. Neither team played with any energy. Apple Valley continued to feed Jones who was able to finish near the basket.

 

Lakeville North continued to attack the basket late in the second half.

 

Apple Valley took a lot of time off the clock in the second half as they swung the ball around the three-point line.

 

Apple Valley came away with the 102-74 victory over Lakeville North.

 

The leading scorers for Lakeville North were Connor Flack with 17 points, Calven Pesola 12 points, Macura 13 and Reiland 11 points. As a team Lakeville North shot 28-60 from the line. That included going 15-30 from behind the three-point line. They were 3-6 from the free throw line. As a team Lakeville North brought down a total of 22 rebounds 15 of them on the defensive end.

 

The leading scorers for Apple Valley were Jones with 41 points, Austin and Bertram each had 14 points. As a team Apple Valley shot 43-72 from the field. That included going 5-13 from behind the three-point line. They were 11-12 from the free throw line. As a team Apple Valley brought down a total of 42 rebounds 27 of them on the defensive end.

 

I was joined by the Twin Cities Hoops Czar. Check out his thoughts on the Lakeville North vs. Apple Valley game.

GRAND RAPIDS TOOK ON LAKEVILLE NORTH IN THE 2014 MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES SHOOTOUT

The Target Center was the spot for the 2014 Minnesota Timberwolves Shootout. In the first game Grand Rapids went up against Lakeville North.

 

Grand Rapids looked to get the ball into the hands of Alex Illikainen. Illikainen was all over the floor on both ends of the court.

 

Neither team took many shots in the early goings.

 

Lakeville North went to a zone in the first half. They switched up between man-to-man and zone defense. That made it difficult for Grand Rapids to get shots off.

 

Grand Rapids called a timeout with 8:18 left in the first half. The score was Lakeville North 11, Grand Rapids 10.

 

Grand Rapids went to a zone defense and that made Lakeville North have to take longer shots.

 

At halftime the score was Lakeville North 25, Grand Rapids 15.

 

The second half got off to a quick start as both teams looked to get energy. Both teams looked sluggish in the first half.

 

Lakeville North’s JP Macura was all over the floor he was able to hit shots from everywhere on the court.

 

Lakeville North was too much for Grand Rapids as they came away with the 59-36 victory.

 

As a team Grand Rapids shot 11-41 from the field, that included going 2-14 from behind the three-point line, they were 12-21 from the free throw line. As a team Grand Rapids brought down a total of 36 rebounds 30 of them on the defensive end. They were lead in scoring by Illikainen with 17 points.

 

As a team Lakeville North 21-57 from the field, that included going 6-27 from behind the three-point line, they were 11-17 from the free throw line. As a team Lakeville North brought down a total of 42 rebounds 30 of them on the defensive end. They were lead in scoring by Macura with 24 points.

WISCONSIN STARZ EILITE TOOK ON MND1 IN A BOYS’ BASKETBALL GAME

In a semifinal game of the MND1 Summer Classic boys’ basketball tournament Wisconsin Starz went up against MND1 on July 21.

 

Both teams looked to get the ball down the floor and score baskets in transition. On the offensive end Jordan Dembley to get his team in an offensive rhythm. He called out plays that he wanted to run and directed his teammates in spots where they should be on the floor.

 

Wisconsin Starz had trouble hitting shots throughout the first half. They didn’t give up however as they kept on attacking the basket.

 

MND1 looked to get the ball into the hands of Jonathan JP Macura. Macura was all over the floor. He was able to shoot a nice pull-up jump shot with ease throughout the contest.

 

Wisconsin Starz did look to get out and push the ball as they wanted to score quick baskets in transition.  They were able to string some baskets together with 8:00 left in the first half. MND1 wasn’t able to slow them down when they went on their run.

 

MND1 called timeout on the floor with 5:10 left in the first half. The score was MND1 29, Wisconsin Starz 19.

 

Both teams continued to push the ball down the floor after the timeout.

 

MND1 switched between man-to-man defenses throughout the first half. Wisconsin Starz used mostly man-to-man defense.

 

Wisconsin Starz kept on attacking the basket. They didn’t give up. They fought hard the whole first half.

 

Ian Theisen for MND1 was all over the floor. He called for the ball when he was in the middle of the paint. With Theisen’s 6-foot-9 frame, he battled for rebounds on both ends of the floor.  Alex Herink for MND1 was able to get some good looks at the basket late in the first half.

 

At halftime the score was MND1 43, Wisconsin Starz 26.

 

As the second half got underway both teams continued to attack the basket. MND1 did a good job of taking time off the clock as they used the clock in their favor.

 

Paul Friendshuh for MND1 did a good job of getting the ball into the hands of Theisen. Those two had very good communication on the floor.

 

Delshon Strickland for MND1 also came up with some nice plays for his team. He was able to get to the basket and had a new good slam dunk attempts.

 

Jerry Ngobi for the Starz played well throughout the game. He took the ball aggressively to the hole and was not afraid to dish the ball off to his teammates if he and an assist set up.

 

Wisconsin Starz called a timeout with 9:56 left in regulation. The score was MND1 56, Wisconsin Starz 35.

 

Srickland came up with some nice assists for his team late in the contest. He knew where his teammates were on the floor and was able to throw them the ball in spots where they knew they could make layups.

 

Wisconsin Starz kept on attacking the basket late in the contest. They were not able to hit shots as they struggled to shoot against the MND1 defense throughout the contest.

 

MND1 was too much for the Wisconsin Starz. They were too physical. MND1 walked away with the 73-49 victory over the Wisconsin Starz.