Five Takeaways: Totino-Grace holds off Roddy, Breck 64-59
A Saturday afternoon matinee brought me to Fridley for a matchup between Eagles and Mustangs. David Roddy was his usual force for Breck but his big game was not enough against the even distribution and defensive effort from Totino-Grace. Eagles…
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Continue ReadingA Saturday afternoon matinee brought me to Fridley for a matchup between Eagles and Mustangs. David Roddy was his usual force for Breck but his big game was not enough against the even distribution and defensive effort from Totino-Grace. Eagles win 64-59 after being down by as many as 11 in the first half. The takeaways:
Consistently resilient Eric Krieger. The 6-1 shooting guard couldn’t find the bottom of the bucket early in the game, missing some point blank attempts that would keep the Eagles close. But he had six straight points to end the first half and carried it over into the next frame, finishing with 21 points to lead the way. He’s been the most consistent scorer for T-G this year getting to the hoop.
Double-double machine. David Roddy almost never goes up against someone who can physically match up with him, and Saturday was no different. Roddy had a monster game of 36 points and 21 rebounds, and he did it all inside. Putbacks and free throws were the main course of scoring, and he didn’t settle for perimeter shots. That’s how Breck will win games—smart play from Roddy that allows him to do the bulk of his work efficiently near the rim, and his gravity pulls in other defenders for his teammates to have open looks.
Young core plays big role. We’ll talk about the sophomores on this T-G squad once again. Devin Burger was first half MVP knocking down four treys with ease. He’s a 6-foot-6 stretch 4 with lots of room to grow in his skills—he already has the shooting part down. He finished with 17. Carter Weierke was super duper solid as the de facto point guard; he’s moved into a starting role and is as consistent as they come, making extra passes and not turning the ball over. He’ll make a college program happy with those traits in a few years. So even though Krieger and Riley Burger will graduate, the future is in good hands down the road.
Missing a key. Joey Ganley was the expected second scorer for Breck coming into the season but he’s been out all season; the 6-3 shooting guard had a nice summer with Heat and the Mustangs miss his floor-stretching and length on defense. Without him, point guard Jaren Morton has taken second-fiddle opportunities and done well attacking the basket. But the subtraction of Ganley’s threat on both ends has been a definite hole in Breck’s game plan.
What’s next? T-G adds to the win column before Christmas. They’ll ramp up Northwest Suburban play in the New Year and I expect them to be very competent across the league with their strong play of late. Breck has played a lot of quality teams so far and beaten a top 10 AA squad in Lake City. The highlights coming up will be two matchups with Minnehaha in the next 6 weeks. I bet they’ll finish second in the IMAC.