Ten Best: Esko vs. Caledonia
Perhaps the game with the greatest dichotomy in playing styles, Esko and Caledonia met up for a Class AA Clash at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic. In a matchup featuring two teams from opposite corners of the state and opposite…
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Continue ReadingPerhaps the game with the greatest dichotomy in playing styles, Esko and Caledonia met up for a Class AA Clash at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic.
In a matchup featuring two teams from opposite corners of the state and opposite playing styles, it was the Caledonia Warriors edging the Eskomos 63-54.
The Warriors scored just 21 points in the second half, but used a 42-point first frame to jump out to an 18-point lead by halftime. Noah and Owen King combined for 43 points while Adam Trapp led Esko with 21 points.
MVP: Noah King (Caledonia)
On a night where Owen King struggled to find his outside shot, his younger brother Noah picked up the slack. Noah scored 26 points for the game, including 20 in the first half. He hit a pair of 3-pointers in the second half at key moments when Esko was making a run back into the game as well.
Best Offensive Performance: Noah King (Caledonia)
Noah has all the tools in the toolbox when it comes to producing points. The freshman swingman knocked down two 3-pointers, scored six points at the free throw line and hit seven field goals. He scored on drives from the perimeter and created offense in the mid post using step backs, spin moves or sheer strength. When he was in attack mode, Esko had a hard time slowing him down.
Best Defensive Performance: Adam Trapp (Esko)
Esko nearly came back to win the game in large part because of Trapp’s defense in the second half. Some of that was a coaching decision to have Trapp stay in the paint and essentially run a “four-out, one-in” defense but a lot of it was his presence in the paint and on the glass.
Trapp altered countless shots in the paint, using his incredible size and length to disrupt all flow for the Warriors.
Best Shooter: Ryan Pantsar (Esko)
Pantsar had a huge night for the Eskomos, knocking down four 3-pointers. He hit three treys in the second half, which helped ignite a near-improbable comeback.
Best Intangibles: Marten Morem (Caledonia)
Morem had to do a lot of the dirty work for the Warriors in defending Trapp. And for the most part, he did alright. Trapp got his points, but he never really dominated the game on the offensive end. That wasn’t all Morem off course, but the junior forward certainly played a big part in the effort. Morem also chipped in with 10 points and did a good job when defended by Trapp of forcing the big man out on the perimeter.
Best Player off the Bench: Austin Heim (Caledonia)
Heim only scored three points but he was another live body that the Warriors threw at Trapp. Heim, like Morem did a solid job not allowing Trapp to dominate the game offensively. His work on the glass was a big key in Caledonia being able to get out and score in transition.
Best Underclassman: King (Caledonia)
This one’s easy. King doesn’t look or play like a freshman. He’s 6-foot-2 and possesses great strength and quickness. He’s got a ton of talent and his ability to dominate a game is rare for such a young player. It’ll be interesting to see how much better he gets as he gets older. He’s awfully good already.
Best Under-the-Radar Performance: Camden Berger (Esko)
Berger quietly put together a strong game for the Eskomos. He knocked down tough pull up jumpers, hit a pair of threes and controlled the offense nicely. Berger was instrumental in the team’s second half surge, scoring and finding Trapp or Pantsar on a number of occasions.
Best Coaching Strategy: Big vs small, fast vs. slow
When Caledonia was able to get out and run, it looked like a legitimate contender in Class AA. When Esko made the game a half court contest, the Eskomos looked formidable too. Both teams played to their strengths at times in the game. But the Warriors just had a little more juice and built up a big enough lead in the first half. Caledonia is rarely going to have a size advantage, so it’s likely in the Warriors’ best interest to speed games up. Esko is the opposite and when the Eskomos play slow, they can be tough to handle.
Best Play: Owen King’s three-point play (Caledonia)
He struggled to find his shot for a large portion of the game but when his team needed a bucket, Owen King delivered. An Esko basket cut the Warriors’ lead to just six with a little more than a minute to go in the game. King came down on the next possession in transition, got to the rim, took the contact and muscled up a basket. His free throw capped the three-point play and gave the Warriors a nine-point lead, essentially putting the game on ice officially.