Ten Best: Champlin Park vs Maple Grove
Champlin Park defeated Maple Grove this evening 70-60 led by the 24 point performance from McKinley Wright. The Rebels maintained their number one ranking. MVP. McKinley Wright. The Rebel guard did more than anybody on the court. Defense? He was…
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Continue ReadingChamplin Park defeated Maple Grove this evening 70-60 led by the 24 point performance from McKinley Wright. The Rebels maintained their number one ranking.
MVP. McKinley Wright. The Rebel guard did more than anybody on the court. Defense? He was going at Brad Davison all game long and forced some tough shots out of the Badger commit. Rebounding? Always. Wright never gives up. Transition? Every Crimson turnover or long miss seemed to be pushed by Wright for scores. McKinley also attacked to use his pretty pull-up and kicked to teammates for production. Scored 24 and was the best player on the floor tonight.
Top Offensive Performance. Brad Davison. Davison fouled out with 25 points and left the game frustrated. Brad had a decent night keeping his team in the game with some hotly contested makes and some crafty finishes attacking defenders around the cup. His strength allows him to muscle into space and he can stay balanced to make shots that most high school players don’t have the feel, skill, or strength to even attempt. Had ten boards too.
Top Defensive Performance. Marcus Hill. Marcus is known for his defense and he did an excellent job teaming with McKinley to make sure the Tywhon Pickford and Brad Davison shots were hotly contested. Hill spent a lot of time on Pickford forcing some settles plus Marcus scored a dozen points which was second high on the team.
The Ex-Factor. Theo John. Theo’s shot blocking made all the difference. He had three first half blocks plus there were about three more occasions were attacking Crimson players settled instead of attacking further. Theo’s block of the Davison shot off the glass was likely the most exciting highlight of the game. If it wasn’t that it was Theo’s two monster dunks. He continues to improve as a low post passer too. Nine points, seven boards, and two blocks but it was all important.
Top Underclassmen. Bennett Otto. This was a game for experienced veterans but there was room for the Rebel sophomore who made a key shot in the second half when he sprinted to the corner in transition, caught after three Rebel passes, and hit a three. This was one of his two threes for the game.
Top Sixth Man. Bench didn’t have a big role in this game. Otto hit a couple big shots, Maple Grove had some players bang with Theo and Gare Ewefada did some good things for the Crimson. Not much at all from the bench besides the big Otto shots when it comes to impact plays.
The Coaches in the Stands. That was Northern Iowa Head Coach Ben Jacobson and assistant Erik Crawford were in the stands watching Tywhon Pickford. It was a solid game for Tywhon who scored 20 points and continued to rebound with all out effort. He also defended Wright which tells you a lot about what his coach things of him. Tywhon is a true wing and his coach had him guarding one of the fastest players in the Midwest.
The Storyline. Mr. Basketball. This was a big game for the Mr. Basketball award as McKinley and Brad have been the favorites. McKinley defended Brad and did a solid job. Wright’s team won the game and he was all over the glass again. Wright had 24, Davison 25 but Brad had to take some tough shots against the Wright defense. With the win Wright into the driver’s seat with about eight weeks to go before state.
Best Aspect of the Environment. The Atmosphere. Do a quick search of one of the key player names and look at all the media that covered the game. To actually get in you had to buy a ticket and be there nearly an hour before tip off. The broadcast from CCX Sports was fantastic. Just a great night of high school hoops.
Who is Number Two? Is it Maple Grove? They have the losses to CP and Park Center. Apple Valley? They have two losses and Maple Grove beat them. Wayzata? They only have one loss but haven’t played any of these other teams in the conversation while most of them have played each other. Lakeville North? They need to hold on against EP right now and they lost to AV already. I would say that is the clear top five right now and my gut says…..well, find out tomorrow when we release the rankings.