Ten Best: New Prague vs. Prior Lake
The New Prague Trojans and Prior Lake Lakers got together for a Highway 13 battle Saturday night. Offense was at a premium for both teams, but the Lakers got 22 points from senior forward Trent West to eventually pull away…
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Continue ReadingThe New Prague Trojans and Prior Lake Lakers got together for a Highway 13 battle Saturday night.
Offense was at a premium for both teams, but the Lakers got 22 points from senior forward Trent West to eventually pull away from the Trojans, 51-49.
Jacob and Jared Milinkovich combined to score just 14 points while Zach Hanson led the Trojans with 18. Jacob Washa added 11. Without Brian Sitzmann, the Lakers got defensive and played at a methodical pace and got enough offense to pull out the win.
MVP: Trent West (Prior Lake)
In a hotly-contest game, West was the difference. The 6-foot-6 senior forward scored 22 points and helped key an excellent defensive effort for the Lakers.
Best Offensive Performance: West (Prior Lake)
West was fantastic offensively. He scored a game-high 22 points. He hit 3-pointers, got to the offensive glass and he even hit a pretty one-dribble pullup contested jumper. West didn’t dominate the ball, rather he scored in the flow of the Lakers’ offense. He was impressive.
Best Defensive Performance: Casey Gustina (Prior Lake)
This one could probably go to any number of Lakers including the coach who designed the gameplan. The Lakers’ defense was terrific Saturday night and the way they mixed up their defenses kept the Trojans from getting into any rhythm. A big part of that effort was also the ball pressure Casey Gustina put on the Trojan guards. His ability to prevent penetration was big key in the game and he played a big part in holding the Milinkovich brothers to a combined 14 points.
Best Interior Player: Zach Hanson (New Prague)
Hanson is a rough-and-tumble big man who excels playing through contact. He finished the game with 18 points, most of which came on duck-ins and drop-offs from drives. He’s a strong finisher in traffic and has plenty of lower-body strength to establish post position inside. The Lakers played a lot of zone, which meant Hanson didn’t have great opportunities to score on the post, but he made a big impact regardless.
Best Shooter: West (Prior Lake)
West was on fire from distance Saturday night, hitting four 3-pointers in the game. He was clearly an identified shooter on New Prague’s gameplan but his ability to play off the ball made him tough to guard. His length gives him an advantage against smaller defenders but he also had a smooth, quick release.
Best Under-the-Radar Performance: Alex Preston (Prior Lake)
Preston scored 10 points in the game but with Trent West doing a lot of the damage in bunches, it felt like he was kind of a forgotten man in that regard. Preston was excellent on the defensive end for the Lakers, helping shut down the New Prague perimeter scorers and his ability to break down the defense was a big key for the win.
Best Underclassman: Dawson Garcia (Prior Lake)
Just a freshman, Garcia was the only non-senior starter on either team. He didn’t do much in the game in terms of putting up stats. He finished with two points and had a few rebounds. But at that age, its more about displaying projectable skills and tools and he’s got an awful lot going. At 6-foot-7, Garcia is extremely mobile and agile. He’s very long as well. Garcia’s got some work to do in terms of building strength but there’s a good foundation for an excellent player down the road. He’s having a good year as it is, averaging about eight points per game. He could be special.
Best Aspect of the Environment: Full house
For a Saturday night affair, the gym at New Prague High School was well-attended. The weather Saturday was weird and with all the fog, visibility was awful. That would’ve been an easy excuse not to head out for a good game of hoops, but that wasn’t the case at all as the student section filled up a good chunk of the bleachers and both teams were well-represented.
Best Other Thing: Shot clocks
There are a number of stipulations attached to using a shot clock, one of which is that the game has to be a nonconference bout. The two teams agreed to give it a whirl and honestly, it didn’t seem to have any sort of big impact on the game. There was one shot clock violation in the first half. But for those who think the shot clock is going to make the scores go up, this game isn’t be a great testament to that notion.
Best Storyline Going Forward: Highway 13 Rivalry
Prior Lake and New Prague are both solid basketball programs in close vicinity right on Highway 13. This was the first time the two teams had played since the 2011-12 season. They are in different conferences of course, but it will be interesting to see if these two teams get together and start making this a yearly affair. Judging by the crowd Saturday night, it would make for great entertainment.