Breakdown State Tournament: Class AA Top Forwards 

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Breakdown State Tournament took over Bloomington Sunday, with Henning, Caledonia, Mankato East and Park Center taking home championship honors. With most of the top teams from each respective class in attendance, there was no shortage of high-end talent on display all day long. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here were some of the standout forwards from the Class AA tournament:</span></p> <p><strong>Trevor Spindler, Esko</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Spindler put up 18 points per game a year ago for the Eskomos and he’ll be tough for opposing defenses to slow down again next winter. The 6-foot-3 combo forward has great touch from practically anywhere on the court, the size and strength to carve out space and finish in traffic and the skill to abuse bigger defenders off the dribble. And with the way Esko moves the ball, and with the amount of playmakers they’ve got, he’s going to rack up easy buckets with his ability to find openings and finish. </span></p> <p><strong>Finn Diggins, Perham</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Diggins is developing a skillset more along the lines of ‘wing’ than ‘big man’ but he still seems to do his best work from the high post to the short corner areas of the floor. Diggins is going to be the next star at Perham and he’s got a lot of tools. He’s athletic, smart on both ends and skilled. The Yellowjackets lose some foundational pieces in what has been a terrific few years, but Diggins will be a big part in why there won’t be much of a dropoff. </span></p> <p><strong>Davon Townley, Minneapolis North</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Townley is a hoss inside for the Polars and few Class AA teams are equipped to deal with his combination of size, strength and athleticism. He’s a terrific finisher in the paint, combining explosiveness and activity level to create scoring opportunities seemingly out of nothing. Defensively, he’s an excellent back-row guy and very good on the glass, which suits the generally havoc-inducing Polar defense well. </span></p> <p><strong>Calvin Sisk, Rockford</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sisk grabs your attention from the beginning if only because guys as long as him generally don’t move as well as he does. The 7-footer’s defensive prowess is built on that length as he’s an excellent shot-blocker and shot-alterer on just about anything inside the painted area. Offensively, he’s a work in progress but when he is able to establish position inside, few guys can contest him at the hoop. He’ll earn most of his scoring opportunities either on the offensive glass or as a hard roll man, but he’s a weapon on both ends of the court because he garners so much attention. </span></p> <p><strong>Carter Kulavik, Rockford</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rockford has no shortage of size up front and Sisk isn’t the only guy teams have to account for in the paint. Kulavik has the unenviable position of being the second big playing with Sisk which means he probably sometimes has to figure out how to fit in, but based on how things went Sunday, he fills a really nice role. He’s thicker and stronger than Sisk and because most teams are going to dedicate so much attention to putting bodies on his teammate, Kulavik sees his share of opportunities around the paint contending with smaller guys. And on the other end, he showed throughout the weekend that he’s capable of staying in front of smaller guys while also contributing on the boards still. </span></p>