Prep Hoops 10 Best: Mount Pleasant (45) vs. Cedar Rapids Xavier (55)
Junior point guard Matt Mims scored a game-high 20 for Xavier Cedar Rapids Xavier 55, Mount Pleasant 45 The top ranked team in Class 3A began their state title defense with a convincing win on Monday night, as Cedar Rapids…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingCedar Rapids Xavier 55, Mount Pleasant 45
The top ranked team in Class 3A began their state title defense with a convincing win on Monday night, as Cedar Rapids Xavier knocked off Mount Pleasant, a top-10 foe, 55-45, behind 20 points from junior point guard Matt Mims.
Mims hit his first two shots, both 3s, helping Xavier jump out to a quick 9-0 lead. Mount Pleasant stemmed the tide a little bit, closing the gap to 17-10 after one, before Xavier opened it back up to a 31-19 halftime lead. Mount Pleasant opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run behind a pair of triples from Colin Mulford, closing the gap to four. They would get as close as three (34-31) before a pair of Max Techau offensive rebounds and putbacks gave Xavier a seven-point lead, and Mount Pleasant never got any closer. The Saints held Mount Pleasant to just 31.4% (16-51) from the floor in the win.
Xavier (1-0) was led by Mims, who had 20 points. Max Techau added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Jackson Joens had 12. Mount Pleasant (0-1) was led by Colin Mulford with 14 points, and Brady Sartorius added 12 in the loss.
Scoring
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
Mount Pleasant | 10 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 45 |
Cedar Rapids Xavier | 17 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 55 |
Mount Pleasant: Colin Mulford 14, Brady Sartorius 12, Tom O’Conner 6, Jordan Magnani 5, Kieran Kohorst 4, Jonathan Ita 4
Cedar Rapids Xavier: Matt Mims 20, Max Techau 14, Jackson Joens 12, Nolan Butkowski 5, Spencer Dempewolf 4
MVP: Max Techau (Cedar Rapids Xavier)
The second leading scorer and leading rebounder for the Saints, Techau really helped stem the tide and give Xavier momentum back late in the third quarter after Mount Pleasant had cut the lead to three. On back-to-back possessions, he grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in, pushing the Xavier lead back to seven points. Mount Pleasant never got any closer. Techau finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds (six offensive) and four blocks for the Saints.
Play of the game: Matt Mims to Max Techau for the dunk
With about 7:10 to play in the game, Xavier forced a bad shot from Mount Pleasant, Matt Mims pulled down the long rebound and led a quick two-on-one fast break, dumping off a pass to a streaking Max Techau at the last second for a momentum changing dunk. The play gave Xavier a 40-31 lead.
Best offensive performance: Matt Mims (Cedar Rapids Xavier)
The Saints point guard led all scorers with 20 points and was dynamic with the ball in his hands. He got the Saints off to a fast start, knocking down a pair of 3s early to help Xavier run out to a 9-0 lead. He shot just 8-21 from the floor, but displayed the full arsenal with a couple of 3s, some nice looking mid-range jumpers off the dribble, and he got to the rim a few times for finishes. He’s especially dangerous in transition with his quickness. He’ll be asked to score much more this season following the graduation of Mitchell Burger.
Best defensive performance: Max Techau (Cedar Rapids Xavier)
Despite giving up a few inches and a lot of pounds to Mount Pleasant center Tom O’Conner, Techau more than held his own, posting four blocks, altering a few others, and really limiting what the Panthers could get in the paint.
Best player off the bench: Jonathan Ita (Mount Pleasant)
Both teams went with pretty short rotations on opening night, but Ita came off the bench to score four points, grab two rebounds and dish out two assists for the Panthers. He played with good energy and should be a key piece for the Panthers moving forward.
Best intangibles: Nolan Butkowski (Cedar Rapids Xavier)
The non-“Big Three” (Mims, Techau, Jackson Joens) returnee for the Saints, Butkowski drew the Brady Sartorius assignment on defense for most of the night and did a solid job on him. A good perimeter defender, he does a lot of small things for the Saints. He doesn’t turn the ball over, he’s capable of knocking down open shots and he gets on the floor for loose balls. He’s the glue guy for Xavier.
Best shooter: Colin Mulford (Mount Pleasant)
Mulford outshined Xavier’s sharpshooter, Jackson Joens, in this one, going 4-7 from behind the arc and displaying good form and rotation.
Best rebounder: Max Techau (Cedar Rapids Xavier)
Techau was the only player on either team to get into double figures in the rebounding column. He plays with a non-stop motor and rebounds at a high level on both ends of the floor.
Best passer: Tom O’Conner (Mount Pleasant)
O’Conner is a 6-9, 315 pound exchange student from Australia, a real mountain of a young man. He struggled at times finishing at the rim against Techau, but looked very good passing the ball from the low block on post catches. He led the game in assists, finding open shooters on the perimeter or guards slashing through the lane for layups. He’s got good court vision and a good feel for passing the basketball.
Story to watch moving forward: How Mount Pleasant continues to incorporate Tom O’Conner into the offense
Stemming off of the passing, it’ll be interesting to see how the Panthers continue involving O’Conner into their offense. If they are able to play through him, it should open up their offense quite a bit, particularly helping Brady Sartorius get better looks. Size has always been an issue with this Mount Pleasant group, so if they are able to get some solid, consistent production out of O’Conner, it would go a long ways.