Ten Best: Tartan vs Armstrong
When you get teams like Tartan and Robbinsdale Armstrong together you can expect that there will be well coached units (Mark Klingsporn and Greg Miller do a great job) and there will be experienced players stepping forward to bring depth. Tartan…
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Continue ReadingWhen you get teams like Tartan and Robbinsdale Armstrong together you can expect that there will be well coached units (Mark Klingsporn and Greg Miller do a great job) and there will be experienced players stepping forward to bring depth. Tartan played nine guys this evening, eight of them seniors. Several of the names are known but guys like Damien Goergen and Terrell James came off the bench to provide depth and make an impact. Same thing can be said for Falcon senior Calvin Green and junior Quinn Smith who have stepped up early this season and played big.
The Titans had a 64-49 edge coming down the stretch but Armstrong went on a 17-2 run highlighted by four long jumpers from Race Thompson (a pair of them three-pointers) and attacking scores from senior Isaiah Rollins and Calvin Green. The game was tied at 66 but then Jordan Horn stepped forward and knocked out a key three and several foul shots. A transition push led to a King Myles And1 that ended the Armstrong run. Overall it was a quality game from both.
Thompson made 8 of 13 field goals and 7 of 8 foul shots for his 25 points with 13 rebounds while Green and Rollins each had 14. Tartan was led by the 23 points from Jordan Horn, the 15 points and 8 boards from Joevon Walker, and the 14 points from Jordan Thompson.
MVP: Jordan Horn. Horn took the game over late with a key three and foul shots to put the game away. His 23 points led his team.
Best Offensive Performance: Race Thompson. The 6-foot-8 Thompson had 25 points and 13 rebounds on 8 of 13 shooting for his 25 points. What was most impressive was that Race led his team’s top scoring run with several jumpers down the stretch including a pair of treys.
Best Guy Off the Bench: Quinn Smith. The 6-foot-5 Armstrong junior came into the game and hit three treys and scored 11 points. Smith is an agile, long armed combo forward it seems based on this game.
Best Under the Radar Performance: Calvin Green. Green was the second guard starter and he scored 14 for the Falcons. Green and Isaiah Rollins are a nice backcourt combo and Green looks like he will be a consistent player for Coach Miller.
Best Underclassmen: Antwan Kimmons. Antwan is the only non senior that plays for Tartan meaning he is a trusted guard on both ends. Antwan is a sophomore but tough and matured.
Best Story to watch Moving Forward: Does Tartan lose more than 2 games? Looking over their 25 game regular season schedule the only league teams that will give them a run are Mahtomedi and North St. Paul. And Tartan has the experience, depth, and talent edge in those games. How about non league games? They should be favored in their tournament, vs Edina, and against Whitefish Bay.
Best Aspect of the Game: The Coaches. Watching Coach Greg Miller and Coach Mark Klingsporn not just coach but interact with one another and with the officials. It made the game even more fun.
Don’t Forget!: Joevon Walker. Joevon’s back to the basket game is so good there aren’t too many teams on the schedule that have a guy strong enough and long enough to stop him from getting quality low post moves to complete. He had 15.
Others: Names that stepped up included King Myles making plays late, Jordan Thompson giving and explosive 14 points, and Isaiah Rollins controlling the ball and scoring 14.