Takeaways from the MLK Classic at Totino-Grace
It’s the sixth year for this event, the longest-running MLK event around. Thanks again to Jeremy Miller for the continuous hospitality!
Holy Family 70, Byron 55
Outside shooting for Holy Family is certainly their forté. Seniors Lincoln Cizek and Nate Hendler have serious strokes from outside that can light a Fire (mascot pun intended) quickly. Hendler led HF with 18 and Cizek had 15, helping to push a four-point halftime lead into a 15-point victory that very clearly frustrated Byron. The seniors just stayed hot, especially Cizek at the end.
Byron Knutson did his very best in leading Byron with 27 points, almost all from inside the arc. The scholarship-offered football talent is strong and fast, and he is very effective driving at or around the rim.
Beyond Byron’s top players, there isn’t much depth. You could see that the group behind the starters was a little intimidated or nervous. Byron has a great senior core, but the maturation of the subs would go a long way towards postseason longevity.
Monticello 78, Cloquet 49
Matt Todd scored 18 points, but I was more impressed by his passing. The kid is very skilled at getting others involved and seeing the entire floor. There were multiple times when he launched the ball downcourt to find an open teammate when nobody else expected it. Add in a few fancy bounce passes and no-looks, and it was a really entertaining and effective game from Monticello’s consensus (and unsigned) floor general.
Cloquet came out in a zone defense to start the game, but it was abandoned in favor of man-to-man when the deficit began to build. Cloquet has a big man and a few other good pieces, but they looked outmatched in this one.
Monticello’s supporting cast looked good as Rezi Uzeh (14 points) and Carson Sawatzke (10 points) each took some of the scoring load. Uzeh drew comments from the crowd about his effort, energy and leadership. He’s a great kid who could play Division III somewhere, but it sounds like he will instead opt to attend a Big 10 school like Ohio State.
Orono 84, Breck 80 (double OT)
Max Bjorklund had a heck of a game, albeit flawed. The Bemidji State-committed senior had 27 points, helped out by four makes from the perimeter. His mid-range pull-up was in prime form. Oddly, the wing was called for three or four travel violations, and he also fouled out at the end of regulation, so the performance did have some down moments. But overall, Bjorklund proved himself to be very skilled.
Jarvis Omersa could have had many more than 21 points. JTO used his physicality and athleticism to tally 21 points and eight rebounds, but there were several misses around the rim that could have had him up around 30 points on the afternoon, had they gone in. His touch and finish is ever-improving, and his dunking is somehow becoming even more confident as he had a few late rim-pulls that were almost casual. Adding a floater and/or a more polished midrange game would be great for him.
The Roddy brothers were special. David and Josh scored 23 points each, leading the charge for the Mustangs. Josh is a good overall piece while David is a specimen of size, using his physical will to score buckets. David also has a pretty nice outside shot as well. His and-one bucket in the first overtime saved Breck.
Joey Ganley was so tough for Breck. Ganley was challenged all afternoon and stepped up accordingly. The Orono staff was screaming to push Joey left, and several times he responded by safely taking the ball down the floor and finishing with his off hand. He’s got a good deep ball and brings 6-foot-3 size with long arms as well. 15 points for the junior today.