Bethel Holiday Tournament #1 Preview
(Image: Bethel Royals Athletics, @BethelRoyals) One of the first popular tournaments in the metro area begins on Tuesday at Bethel University in St. Paul. For a long time the tournament was an eight-team bracket format spanning three days, but in…
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Continue Reading(Image: Bethel Royals Athletics, @BethelRoyals)
One of the first popular tournaments in the metro area begins on Tuesday at Bethel University in St. Paul. For a long time the tournament was an eight-team bracket format spanning three days, but in 2009 it was changed to two four-team brackets that overlap during the middle of three days. Here NHR previews the first tournament on December 27-28 taking place in the Robertson Center gym.
The Matchups
Dec. 27, 6:00 p.m. – St. Paul Central vs. Minnetonka
Central had a brutal stretch of competition early with losses to Columbia Heights, Cretin-Derham Hall, St. Anthony and Delano. They are 2-5 just coming off a win against Roseville on Thursday (who is on the other side of this bracket). Senior forward Shawn Blanchard is scoring 12.7 per game and the next six guys are all averaging seven or more points. The Minutemen are a pretty unknown squad this year and we’ll find out more about them Tuesday.
Minnetonka has already been quite battle-tested already this season. Sitting at 2-4, their losses are not bad ones, having fallen to top 10 contenders Chaska, Apple Valley, Orono and Park Center. Burt Hedstrom is taking control almost every night and putting up 20 a game, with Zeke Carver-Bagley and 2019 Jalen Dearring supporting at 13 and 10 respectively. The Skippers’ schedule is always tough and I expect them to bounce back in the New Year.
Prediction: Minnetonka 74, St. Paul Central 56. Tonka’s guards are catching fire lately and Matt Haas has been a big producer inside. Can Central make it a game?
Dec. 27, 7:45 p.m. – Bloomington Jefferson vs. Roseville
The Jaguars of Jefferson have impressed in their slate of South Suburban foes and are 5-1 on the year. Tyler Riemersma is the go-to option and leads the way at 17.2 points per game. Point guard Joe Hird and post Peter Gathje are top-of-the-line MIAC prospects. With their senior talent and depth, Jefferson seems primed to make a run at the Metro West title and may be a dark horse in the Section 2AAAA race.
Roseville has struggled mightily since their State Tournament appearance in 2015. So far they are 1-7 and just one of those losses has been within nine points. Nobody is scoring more than seven per game and as a team the Raiders are putting up just 46 points a night. Their Suburban East schedule doesn’t make the season any easier. Sophomores Jovan Hunter and Mario Dukes are getting a lot of tick and might be the future for this Roseville program.
Prediction: Jefferson 68, Roseville 48. Raiders just don’t have reliable firepower or a player to match up with Riemersma. His ability to work inside-out will be dangerous to Roseville all night long.
Dec. 28, 2:30 p.m. – Third Place Prediction: Roseville 61, St. Paul Central 57. I’m just not very familiar with the roster makeups of these two teams so I can’t give much in terms of analysis. Central did just beat Roseville on Thursday 57-52; I’ll take the Raiders in the rematch. I’m hoping to see some new prospects emerge!
Dec. 28, 7:45 p.m. – Championship Prediction: Jefferson 71, Minnetonka 66. This is a game to get out to. Could have huge repercussions in the Section 2AAAA seeding. I think the Jaguar size advantage wins here, but don’t count out the Skippers as they can fill it up and have played quality opponents all year. I would expect a Riemersma-Hedstrom matchup on both ends of the floor that will attract many eyes.
Prospects To Watch
Burt Hedstrom (SG, 6-4, Sr., Minnetonka)
Zeke Carver-Bagley (SG, 6-2, Sr., Minnetonka)
Jalen Dearring (PG, 5-9, So., Minnetonka)
Matt Haas (PF, 6-4., Sr., Minnetonka)
Shawn Blanchard (SF, 6-1, Sr., St. Paul Central)
Joe Hird (PG, 6-3, Sr., Bloomington Jefferson)
Peter Gathje (C, 6-7, Sr., Bloomington Jefferson)
Jack Tillotson (SF, 6-4, Sr., Bloomington Jefferson)
Tyler Riemersma (PF, 6-7, Sr., Bloomington Jefferson)
Mario Dukes (G, 6-0, So., Roseville)
Jovan Hunter (G, 5-11. So., Roseville)