Ten Best: Robbinsdale Cooper vs. Lake City
Robbinsdale Cooper and Lake City met up for the championship game of the Rochester Rotary Classic Friday. Both teams picked up surprise wins on the way to the title game as the Hawks beat Rochester John Marshall by 20 and…
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Continue ReadingRobbinsdale Cooper and Lake City met up for the championship game of the Rochester Rotary Classic Friday. Both teams picked up surprise wins on the way to the title game as the Hawks beat Rochester John Marshall by 20 and the Tigers came from behind to beat Rosemount.
It was evident early in the game that the Hawks’ length bothered the Tigers. Behind a harassing defense and superior athleticism, the Hawks got 16 points from Damien Gordon and 13 points from Beijan Newbern wearing the Tigers out in a 70-38 win. Cooper outscored the Tigers 44-15 in the second half and ended the game on an 18-0 run.
MVP: Damien Gordon (Cooper)
In a game where the entire Cooper team stood out, the guy who had the biggest impact was senior forward Damien Gordon. Gordon was the Hawks’ go-to guy in the halfcourt early in the game and his defense on the perimeter was very excellent.
Best Offensive Performance: Gordon (Cooper)
Cooper feasted on Lake City turnovers and scored a lot against an unset defense. But in the halfcourt, the guy the Hawks went to was Gordon. The 6-foot-4 forward punished defenders inside and out, scoring with a variety of pretty post moves while also knocking down a pair of 3-pointers.
Best Defensive Performance: Robbinsdale Cooper
This was a total team effort. The Hawks forced 24 turnovers in the game and held a high-scoring Lake City team to just 38 points. Because their defensive style involved so much switching and trapping, there wasn’t really one guy assigned to any one guy on Lake City. So this one goes to the whole team. And the performance was impressive.
Best Shooter: Nathan Heise (Lake City)
Just a freshman, Heise looks like he’s going to be a special player for the Tigers. The 5-foot-11 guard knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, displaying picturesque form and a quick release.
Best Underclassman: Reid Gastner (Lake City)
Another freshman in the Tigers’ starting five, Gastner is another guy who looks like he’s destined for big things. Gastner scored six points and grabbed six rebounds and didn’t look fazed against a bigger and strong Cooper squad.
Best Player off the Bench: Jalen Justice (Cooper)
A big storyline in this one was the overall depth of Cooper simply wearing a thinner Lake City team down. Jalen Justice was a big part of that effort off the bench for the Hawks. Justice scored 11 points and hit two triples while playing harassing defense all over the court.
Best Under-the-Radar Performance: Mitch Marien (Lake City)
Like most of the Lake City guards, Marien had his share of difficulty dealing with the length and tenacity of the Cooper pressure defense. But when he did get into the halfcourt, he was one of the few guys who made something happen offensively. At just 5-foot-8, Marien is going to be undersized in almost every game. But he’s strong, knows how to use his body and changed speeds effectively on his way to 16 points.
Best Intangibles: Zach Bremer (Lake City)
Bremer’s role with the Tigers is to rebound and play solid defense and he did both of those things well Friday night. The 6-foot-5 junior hauled in 10 rebounds while scoring six points off dump offs underneath.
Best Strategy: Havoc (Cooper)
The Hawks had an athletic advantage and more players and they put it to good use with relentless pressure defense. Robbinsdale Cooper forced 24 turnovers in the game and wore the smaller Lake City team out.
Best Storyline Going Forward: Ahead of schedule
Robbinsdale Cooper picked up two really good wins in Rochester and it looks like the Hawks are ahead of schedule in terms of competing in the Metro West and Section 6AAAA. With just two seniors in the rotation, the Hawks are young and will continue to get even better.
Despite the blowout loss, the Tigers should feel good about what they did in Rochester too. A team that lost almost all of its players from last season, Lake City looked like it might be headed towards something of a rebuild season. To this point, that hasn’t been the case at all. The Tigers start two freshmen and play a lot of juniors as well. They look like a top team in Class AA already.