Ten Best: Como Park vs Spring Lake Park
People from St. Paul mentioned to NHR early in the year to watch Como Park this winter. Yesterday NHR did just that and saw them pick up a 68-63 victory over Spring Lake Park. The Cougars didn’t have the first…
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Continue ReadingPeople from St. Paul mentioned to NHR early in the year to watch Como Park this winter. Yesterday NHR did just that and saw them pick up a 68-63 victory over Spring Lake Park.
The Cougars didn’t have the first half that Coach John Robinson wanted so he left the team have it in the locker room and then left the players to decide for themselves how they wanted to compete in the second half. The answer? They competed hard.
Como Park had a nice mix of guys doing different things. Kyrin Woodard slashed as the leading scorer while Cornell Chandler was the three point weapon and both handled the ball. Also, Donald Ventrelli handled all the grunt work inside, Brian King-Keller rebounded hard and defended, and jumping jack Trey Clark was kind of everywhere. Add in the play of sophomore Donn Ward as the third leading scorer and the Cougars found the formula for a win.
MVP: Kyrin Woodard. The Como senior wing played point guard but after getting the ball up the floor went into the high post to destroy the Spring Lake Park zone with 23 points and 9 rebounds. Woodard stands 6-foot-3 and can likely play a couple different positions. A guy that some local schools should check on.
Best Offensive Performance: Kameron Davis. The 6-foot-1 junior also played point guard but once the ball was across halfcort and the offense started, Davis turned into a playmaker using a quick first step and excellent strength to stay on balance and finish at the rim. Davis made 8 of 17 shots for his 26 points plus made 8 of 11 free throws. Showed some range with a pair of threes. Davis is interesting because he has the tools be an excellent wing as a slasher and hounding defender.
Best Defensive Performance: Donald Ventrelli. The 6-foot-3 Cougar big was faced with overly strong Panther bigs Elijah Elkerton and Josh Ojile and while the pair combined for seven field goals they did not make the impact around the basket needed to win the game and Ventrelli was a big part of that.
Best Guy Off the Bench: Donn Ward. The Cougar sophomore hit double figures for the game with an And1, a three, an attacking score, and two free throws. He did the job on only six shots taking pressure off of Woodard and Chandler.
Best Under the Radar Performance: Brian King-Keller. The strong 6-foot-2 forward scored three times but his defense and rebounding (8 for the game) was more important. King-Keller also attacked the basket several times shifting the zone which helped teammates find space.
Best Underclassmen: Ward/Gabe Myren. Ward had the better game as Myren struggled to find his touch but Myren rebounded well (7) and did make a couple jumpers. At six feet tall, solid agility, and pretty from on his jumper Myren is definitely one to watch. Gabe is the Panther third leading scorer this year.
Best Story to watch Moving Forward: Can Como Park turn this into a Conference run? Como is 2-4 now on the season but the St. Paul City league looks open for a team to make a run. Highland Park seems like the top squad but there is room for others to pile up wins. Como seems to have the talent to do that.
Best Aspect of the Environment: The Food! The Tartan gym is always strong when it comes to the concessions. Massive popcorn! Taco in a Bag! Many, many options of jerky, candy, and even coffee if that’s your thing.
Best Prospect: Has to be Kameron Davis based on his strength, agility, and solid level of skill playing multiple spots.
Other: Elijah Elkerton. Enjoyed watching Elkerton play. He and Josh Ojile do a fantastic job working for position around the basket using their weight to shift the opposition for a seal giving a quality target. Elkerton is a junior and stands 6-foot-6. He made four of his six attempts and grabbed seven boards.