Class AA State Tournament X-Factors

Matt Bigelow

March 19, 2019 @ 12:03 PM

The Class AA State Tournament tips off Wednesday at Williams Arena. Here are some players that could help tip things in their respective teams’ favor: Omar Brown, Minneapolis North Brown is one of the keys in Minneapolis North’s ultra-aggressive, high-octane defense. He’s a non-shooter from the perimeter but he’s excellent in transition and attacking the rim. With so much of North’s offense coming from its defense, Brown’s ability to cause havoc, get steals and help turn turnovers or misses into scoring opportunities will be critical. Payton Wefel, Esko Wefel takes more than seven 3-pointers per game and knocks them down at a 42 percent clip. In a game where the Eskomos won’t have a size or athleticism advantage, they’ll likely need to knock down triples and avoid turnovers to stay in the game. Minneapolis North loves to pressure, trap and play a frenetic style. If Wefel can get lost in that chaos, and if his teammates can find him, he could burn the Polars. Jake Wohlers, Lake City The Tigers play a slow pace and grind teams down defensively similar to Virginia in college basketball. In a low-possession game, there is less margin for error and in such an instance, guys who can go on mini spurts can be extra valuable. Wohlers averages eight points per game but knocks down better than 40 percent of his 3-point attempts. With defenses likely dedicating a whole lot of attention to Nate Heise and Reid Gastner, Wohlers could have opportunities to shine. Adam Helmin, Melrose Helmin won’t stand out in the box score but he’s one of the team’s best defenders and could spend quite a bit of time on either or Lake City’s stars. He a role player on the offensive end as Melrose gets most of its scoring from its main three guys but he moves the ball and does a good job helping free those guys up. Carter Cresap, Perham Cresap’s a multi-year starter for the Yellowjackets and a rock solid player. Most of the hype with Perhams starts with Jenson Beachy and Josh Jeziorski but if the Yellowjackets are going to win multiple games, Cresap’s 3-point shooting (47 percent on 4.5 attempts), steady ball handling and strong defense will be a big key.