Ten Best: Blaine vs. Forest Lake
Blaine traveled north on 35W to meet up with Forest Lake in a Section 7AAAA final rematch from last year. The two teams know each other well and it’s always a competitive matchup between Rangers and Bengals. The Bengals couldn’t…
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Continue ReadingBlaine traveled north on 35W to meet up with Forest Lake in a Section 7AAAA final rematch from last year. The two teams know each other well and it’s always a competitive matchup between Rangers and Bengals.
The Bengals couldn’t really find a shooting rhythm and 6-7 post Tim Leo was bumped around inside by the physical Forest Lake frontcourt. The Rangers took advantage, converting their defensive stops into efficient points; those mostly came in the form of 6-3 forward Mitch Jerde. He knocked out four treys, slipped around Blaine’s bigger guys for inside baskets, and finished with a game-high 23 points. As the contest wore on, Blaine began to attack the rim and finish over the top of defenders, but couldn’t string together solid possessions on defense. Trading buckets the rest of the way, Forest Lake closed out the game 72-64.
MVP: Mitch Jerde (F, 6-3, Sr., Forest Lake)
The way Mitch is built (thick bodied, undersized 4-man), you would expect him to play tough D, get rebounds, win hustle plays, and score dump-offs and garbage buckets. What he showed tonight is that he’s capable of all those things and more. On his way to a versatile 23 point performance, Jerde hit four bombs, had a beautifully athletic putback, an And-1 over Leo, and added three assists.
Best offensive performance: Jackson Odegard (SG, 6-1, Sr., Blaine)
Odegard went for the deep ball whenever he had the open look, and it went in most of the time. Tallying double-digit points in the loss, he also made four shots from beyond the arc, providing a small spark for the Bengals. He answered Jerde multiple times to keep them within striking range.
Best defensive performance: Tim Leo (C, 6-7, Sr., Blaine)
I haven’t seen Leo play in just about a year, and my memory of him was a traditional post player that had trouble stepping out to defend the ball screen. Tonight that was not the case. Forest Lake resorted to a double stagger ball screen action when they needed a bucket, and guarding the second screener, Leo’s job was to attack the ballhandler and give the guard time to recover. He refused to let Ranger PG Jake Larson turn the corner toward the hole.
Best coaching decision: Isolating the post for Leo in the second half
Blaine coach Mark Arzdorf is known for grooming post players, and during his tenure, he’s had them aplenty. Like Andy Leo and Ben Scherer before him, Tim Leo has turned into a formidable, smooth-footed center. When the big man had trouble finishing early, Arzdorf gave him the ball more and more to build his confidence and send him to the free throw line. It gave the Bengals opportunities to cut the lead and stopped the clock late as well.
Best play: Jerde’s back to back (to back) treys
As Mitch Jerde started to catch fire early in the second half for Forest Lake (he scored ten straight at one point), he camped outside for catch-and-shoot chances. Offensive rebounds led to two straight triples, and when he got a third open look, he swung it once more to a teammate who sunk the even more wide-open attempt. The crowd went wild after that string of plays.
Best under-the-radar-performance: Byron Bynum, Jr. (PG, 6-0, Jr., Blaine)
Bynum has been a part of the Bengal rotation since his freshman year. His speed with the dribble is a skill to be reckoned with, and he can blow by anybody for an athletic finish at the bucket. Bynum utilized ball screens well, displaying patience in waiting for a driving seam to open up. His upside is high, just needs to polish his touch around the rim.
Best intangibles: Jake Larson (PG, 5-11, Sr., Forest Lake)
I expected Larson to be the star of the show in this game, having heard about his dazzling ball skills and keen shooting ability. He didn’t get his first field goal until the final two minutes of the first half, but the basketball was still in his hands more often than not. He was not shaken by the steady Bengal pressure and kept his composure and his dribble alive. He got more aggressive later on, using pump fakes to fly past his defender and score on floaters and pull-ups. A quiet but solid 16-point game from the senior captain.
Best underclassman: John Schrader (G, 6-2, So., Forest Lake)
Schrader strung together a couple of scoring streaks early, attacking the offensive glass and digging out 50/50 balls. He finished with nine points and responded to Blaine’s press late in the game.
Best performance off the bench: Connor Hale (F, 6-2, Jr., Forest Lake)
The junior forward’s length proved essential in helping his team break down Blaine’s last-ditch effort to press and get steals. He was sure-handed with the ball in the backcourt, and hit two threes to boost his point total to nine.
Best storyline moving forward: Who wins the section seeding?
These two squads are placed in the never-changing, ever-mediocre Section 7AAAA, and so far this season, Forest Lake is on the short end having lost to fellow section opponent Coon Rapids. Blaine defeated Cambridge-Isanti to help their record. Both teams now sit at 1-1 against their playoff foes, with Forest Lake holding the head-to-head. The Rangers’ next four games are against section 7, while Blaine will play most of theirs within the conference schedule. If Blaine can take care of those conference games and maybe upset a couple more, they’ll have a shot at taking over the number one seed.