Class A State Tournament: Top Ten Performers
There were so many occurrences at the Class A State Tournament on Thursday it’s tough to break them all down but PHD has made the decision to look back on last night and give you our top ten performers of…
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Continue ReadingThere were so many occurrences at the Class A State Tournament on Thursday it’s tough to break them all down but PHD has made the decision to look back on last night and give you our top ten performers of the evening (the top ten is more in the name, we went above and beyond that).
- Joe Pistorius, West Fargo. Guys attacks the opposite way of a ball screen, hits the game winning shot allowing West Fargo to knock off the team that was number one all year and you expect somebody different? Come on. The West Fargo guard went for 16 and hit the shot that everybody will remember.
- KyJuan Johnson, Minot. When Minot broke the game open it was Johnson’s touch at the arc that separated. He opened the second half turning a ten point game into a 21 point eventual win with huge triples. Made four in all, scored 18 for the game and chased down seven boards. Definitely a guy that has raised his stock towards the end of the year.
- Aanen Moody, Dickinson. Went wild again even though at one point his injury bothered him again so he had to sit. Didn’t stop Moody from 37 points including 10 of 10 foul shooting and 12 of 22 overall. Grabbed eight boards too but what people will remember is Moody coming back on the floor and fighting his way off the dribble to produce.
- Braedan Hanson, GFRR. A lot people don’t understand everything he does. His value is in his versatility, in his ability to play four spots on offense, and in North Dakota high school basketball he can often defend five positions. Had 16 points, 11 rebounds, and even though the season may not have went like they wanted all year long, GFRR started the season as a top four team and they are in the top four at the end.
- Matt Veit, Veit is taking it to another level as a scorer. He’s efficient with his selection making 12 of 19 attempts for 28 points and doesn’t force much. Would of went for 30 had he been better from the foul line. Has his team in the final four.
- Jacob Mertens, Devils Lake. Mertens actually earned respect and it was from his effort in the loss. He was the one guy completely fighting for his team regardless of what the score was. Never stopped competing and it said a lot about his character and determination. Had 24 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
- Creighton Pfau, West Fargo. Had a game high 20 but more importantly got his team off to a nice start scoring eight of his 27 early when the Packers were trying to say with Century.
- Adam Geiger, With Dalton Feeney struggling in half one Geiger pushed his team into the break with a five point led making a pair of treys and scoring 13 first half points. Feeney then found a scoring grove (23) so Geiger defended hard and worked his way near a double-double.
- Brayden Thomas, Bismarck. Outstanding performance in a loss. Thomas recorded 23 points and 15 rebounds making 10 of 18 shots and overall out-battled everybody on the court. Problem was GFRR had more people battling overall but Thomas earned a lot of respect.
- Jake Paper, Davies. Had 26 points, a dozen rebounds, and muscled his way to results inside. Helped get Meidinger in foul trouble at times and then really took advantage.
Others
Justin Engg, Minot. Supported Johnson with 17 points and seven boards making a couple treys and taking some attention away from KyJuan’s playmaking.
Carson Dennis, GFRR. Knocked out a couple momentum building treys including one right before the halftime break. Scored 14 points and once again defended hard and made the right decisions on both ends. Dependable kid.
Jordan Meidinger, Dickinson. Nearly had a triple-double with his 13 points, 14 rebounds, and seven blocks. Getting better every day. It’s to the point that NDSU may have to fight off some higher level schools to keep him.
Ahmed Aden, West Fargo. Had a lot of trouble getting space on the Century defense early but did expand their defense with two early treys and then was able to do more going at the rim later. Added 13 rebounds with his 16 points.