Ten Best: Faribault vs. Sauk Rapids-Rice
Faribault and Sauk Rapids-Rice kicked off the Breakdown Tip Off Classic and while mornings are generally a teenager’s worst enemy, the Falcons showed no ill-effects from playing late Friday night. Sauk Rapids-Rice wasn’t at full strength as it was without…
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Continue ReadingFaribault and Sauk Rapids-Rice kicked off the Breakdown Tip Off Classic and while mornings are generally a teenager’s worst enemy, the Falcons showed no ill-effects from playing late Friday night.
Sauk Rapids-Rice wasn’t at full strength as it was without Tyler Kranz and Deng Deang. The Falcons weren’t at full strength either as Kade Hart was on a minutes restriction, but it was clear from the start that the contest was going to be one-sided.
FHS used a strong start to essentially put the Storm away early, coasting to a 62-37 win.
MVP: Joe Jackson (Faribault)
Jackson didn’t light up the scoreboard by any means but his ability to manage the game from the start was a big key in the Falcons’ win. The junior point guard scored eight points but played an excellent floor game. The Storm mixed defenses multiple times, trying to press, trying to match up man-to-man and trying to play zone. None of it worked and the Falcons operated at an extremely high level offensively throughout the contest. Jackson basically captained the ship. He also did a great job defensively, preventing any sort of penetration on the perimeter and providing pressure defense on whomever he was guarding.
Best Offensive Performance: Cody Landwehr (Sauk Rapids-Rice)
Landwehr had to earn every single one of his 14 points Saturday. And while he is generally going to score more than that, the performance he did put on showed why he is getting a lot of Division II interest. The 6-foot-7 forward showed off impressive shooting range, toughness inside and solid ball skills that make him an ideal power forward at the next level. Faribault has one of the better defenses he’ll see this season and without much help, he was often times defended by at least two guys on the catch.
Best Defensive Performance: Kade Hart (Faribault)
It sounds a bit contrarian to name one guy the offensive player of the game and turn around and name the guy guarding him the defensive player of the game, but hang in there. Landwehr would’ve had to carry his team if the Storm were going to win Saturday. Hart played a big part in holding him to 14 points. Hart was on a minutes restriction so he didn’t play a lot, but when he did, he was excellent defensively. The 6-foot-8 forward controlled the paint in a big way, blocking several shots and providing a presence inside that negated any potential drive game by the Storm guards. When he matched up with Landwehr, he didn’t allow easy touches and made him work for every point.
Best Shooter: Cody Ehlers (Faribault)
Ehlers could make a good case for MVP in this game given he scored a game-high 19 points and played solid defense on the wing. The 6-foot senior drilled five 3-pointers, serving as a one-man zone buster for the Falcons. Faribault isn’t going to be a juggernaut offensively, so Ehlers providing scoring in bunches is important. He showed he’s capable of filling it up Saturday.
Underclassman: Cade Milton-Baumgardner (Sauk Rapids-Rice)
On a day where very little went right for the Storm, Milton-Baumgardner was a solid spark. The 6-foot-2 sophomore scored eight points and hit a pair of 3-pointers. He’s got a nice looking stroke and was one of the guys that played with a lot of energy for the Storm even late in a lopsided game.
Best Passer: TJ Hunt (Faribault)
More a facilitator than pure scorer, Hunt had an excellent game for the Falcons Saturday. The 6-foot-4 senior scored eight points but did a great job finding teammates for easy buckets. He spoonfed Chase Ernste and Hart easy layups on numerous occasions and found Ehlers behind the arc for open looks multiple times. When the ball is in his hands, everybody needs to be ready because he’ll fit passes through tight windows. When he drives, his first instinct is to pass. It’s a good instinct and one that makes his teammates better.
Best Under-the-Radar Performance: Chase Ernste (Faribault)
It doesn’t take long to notice Ernste on the floor. He’s usually throwing his weight around, taking and doling out punishment in the paint. Ernste plays with an edge inside and doesn’t back down from anybody. He’s an ox inside and willing to throw his body around no matter the consequence. Ernste scored 11 points against the Storm and played a big role in the Falcons’ defensive effort. His ability to play strong defense inside while also defending perimeter players makes a big difference for the Falcons.
Best Play: 3-point barrage puts the game to bed early (Faribault)
In a game that lacked drama essentially from the start, there was a brief moment in the second half where it looked like the Storm might have a little bit of life. The Storm opened the half on a 4-0 run to cut the lead to 14 using a zone press. But a Hart layup and back-to-back 3-pointers from Ehlers and Hart pumped the Falcon lead back up to 22. The Storm never got back into the game after that.
Best Storyline Going Forward: Storm at full-strength (Sauk Rapids-Rice)
On paper, this was an interesting game. But on the court, the game turned into a blowout quickly in large part because the Storm were heavily undermanned. Sauk Rapids-Rice was without two of its top three players as Kranz and Deang were both out. With all their horses, the Storm should be a very good team this season. Kranz averaged 17 points per game as a junior and Deang is a matchup problem on the wing.
Coach Said (Faribault)
It would’ve been easy for the Falcons to come out and lay an egg Saturday morning, given that they’d just beaten Northfield for the first time in four years late Friday night. With less than 12 hours between games, the Falcons were collectively running on empty. Head coach Lance Walsten wasn’t going to let them hit empty without a strong showing.
“No one’s feeling sorry for us because we played [Friday] night so I just wrote on the board ‘We’re not tired,’ and they responded,” said Walsten. “It was big to come out strong. That set a tone for us. I told them we’re the better team and we have to act like it. Put it in their mind that they’re not going to be competitive with us today and they set the tone right away.”