The Best: Mpls North wins Class A title
Minneapolis North completed their dominance of Class A today with another wide margined playoff victory in the state title game. The Polars have won back to back state titles at the Class A level.
MVP. JaQuan Sanders-Smith. Scored on 10 of 15 three-point attempts including three triples giving him 24 points per game in a very efficient way. JaQuan has really improved his three point consistency as he moved to a 34-35 percent three point shooter for the season after the state tournament. Touch looks great and his ability to push the pace was a big key to the 96-49 win.
Best Offensive Player. Isaac Johnson. His stat line of 28 points on 25 shots included three shots made at the arc and nine boards. Johnson was the most physically dominant player in the game and the player that North Woods did not have a match-up for. He made 11 of 25 attempts.
Best Defensive Player. Tayler Johnson/Nasir El-Amin. The Panthers forced 24 North Woods turnovers with Johnson getting three steals and El-Amin for steals. They were just two of the many dominant athletes that North Woods couldn’t deal with. Johnson had nine points, five boards, and four assists.
Best Under the Radar Performance. George Bibeau. A 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5 forward that has size and plays an active game, Bibeau scored 13 points matching the dozen from Odell Wilson of North. George gave North Woods ten and seven every night as a senior and could be a guy you see on a Northern Minnesota college program roster someplace.
Best Underclassmen. Cade Goggleye. The sophomore scored 19 points per game this year as a 33 percent three point shooter. Cade averaged 6.3 assists per game this year as well. Today against the Polars Cade knocked out for threes for his dozen points.
Best Off the Bench. Marquis Holloman. A 6-foot-5 guard who came off the bench all year Holloman slashed his way to a double figure game scoring ten off the bench. Marquis shot 47 percent off the bench this season scoring five a game.
Best Storyline going forward 1. Minneapolis North is moving up to Class AA next year so Class A will be free of the Polar dominance. The Polars moved into Class AA where they join the section that had Breck, Brooklyn Center, Watertown-Mayer, and Annandale (who moved to 6AA). North will not be in the same section as Minnehaha Academy meaning the programs can meet at state. With Odell Wilson, Tayler Johnson, Da’Koi Hines, Eli Campbell, Da’Kei Hines, Nasir El-Amin, Zion Stanford, and maybe even middle school star Trejuan Holloman all back, they will be a top two team in Class AA entering the season.
Best Storyline going forward 2. North Woods will be very good next season, like top two or three in the preseason good. The Grizzlies bring back to junior starters (Tate Olson and Brendan Parson) and two sophomore starters (Cade Goggleye and Chase Kleppe). They are the Class A runner-up but they and Springfield suffered the same fate. It will take more research but I would guess that North Woods and Springfield will be 1 and 2 but who is where? Tough to know quite yet.
Other. Near Double-Double of Odell Wilson. Wilson is so rock solid that he gets position whenever and wherever he wants it. Had 13 points on 6-9 shooting plus nine boards in 23 minutes. Simply immovable.