Game Capsule: The Island is upended by Polars

<p>On Friday night, an unexpected upset occurred on The Island. North St. Paul came into DeLaSalle’s gym and defeated the Islanders 79-74 behind under-the-radar performances from Polar starters. Here’s the game capsule from Minnesota’s Elite 25 number one falling for the third straight week:</p> <p><strong>The finisher. </strong>A large part of North St. Paul staying ahead of DeLaSalle all game was the play of senior guard Dajuan Carter. The line: 39 points (11-22 shooting, 15-17 FTs). Carter is not afraid to shoot the ball when he catches it; he was firing from long range early on and then found his aggression to the rim in the second half (2-11 from deep, but 9-11 on two-pointers). He drew fouls all game and created a pace to the game that fit him well.</p> <p><strong>The starter.</strong> If Carter was the finisher, junior guard Shaheed Muhammad was the starter—the 6-footer netted five treys on his way to 20 points for the game, and the Polars held as big as a 14 point lead in half one thanks to three straight bombs from Muhammad. He ran to a spot every transition possession and the Islanders couldn’t locate his quick trigger shot. I expect his stock to rise as his name spreads throughout this year.</p> <p><strong>Regular day at the office.</strong> Jamison Battle decided after his 40-spot last Saturday that he could and should keep doing what he was doing. A 34-point, 10-rebound performance will do just fine in that regard. Without Tyrell Terry for the foreseeable future, Battle’s hand will be in every offensive set in some shape or form, and will be relied on not only for finishing possessions, but for creating them too. He was outstanding inside and out, and I am more and more impressed with his willingness to bang around in the paint every time I watch him.</p> <p><strong>The glue. </strong>Namely, Brenden Lankford-Johnson of North St. Paul. The junior is really what makes the Polars go at a consistent rate. He’s a 6-foot-3 hoss who can handle the ball and make great accurate passes. Lankford-Johnson played four positions on Friday and his roles included the following: primary facilitator (dished assists on four of Muhammad’s five treys), rebounder (tied for the team lead with six), talker (vocally directing on both ends) and big-assignment defender (guarded Battle down the stretch and forced him into hurried attempts giving up four inches). That’s a heck of a resume to build on while defeating the top-ranked team in Minnesota.</p> <p><strong>Plethora of Islander pests.</strong> No Julian Wright was another unfortunate missing piece for De on Friday, but Keijuan White, Drew Irvin, Amir Whitlock and Semaj Hart all contributed in tangible ways defensively. That’s a rotation of guards you can rely on for effort and speed and quickness throughout a whole game. This team might be shorthanded right now but you don’t want to see them at full strength playing their best ball in March.</p>