Breakdown Tip Off Classic 5 Takeaways: Perham vs. Mound Westonka

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the evening games at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic featured ranked teams in AA and AAA as the perennially strong Perham Yellowjackets took on an up-and-coming Mound Westonka squad. Perham got 45 combined points from Finn Diggins and Charlie Rasmussen on the way to a 64-43 win.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here are five takeaways from the contest</span></p> <p><strong>Charlie Rasmussen Was awesome</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rasmussen was on of the two returning starters for the Yellowjackets coming into this year. He was very much a complementary offensively player last year, ceding touches to all-time guys like Josh Jeziorski and Jenson Beachy. It’s Rasmussen’s team now and he had his fingerprints all over the win Saturday night. He scored 20 points, hauled in nine rebounds, controlled the tempo offensively and played a huge part in the team essentially taking top scorer Jameson Sexton out of the game. He won’t lead the team in scoring this year, but his floor game and two-way ability was a reason why the Yellowjackets won the game and will win a lot of games this winter. </span></p> <p><strong>Finn Diggins Is In For a Monster Year</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Diggins was the Yellowjackets third-leading scorer last year as a sophomore, averaging about 11 points and six rebounds per game. It wouldn’t be super surprising if he came close to doubling those numbers. The 6-foot-4 junior forward put up 25 points Saturday and does so in a way that makes it feel like he’s going to sustain it. Diggins is an excellent finisher around the rim, possessing the quickness and explosiveness to burn opposing big guys but also out-muscle smaller defenders. He’s great without the ball, either screening, slipping or popping in ball screen actions and he’s constantly putting pressure on primary and help defenders because of his mobility and smarts. </span></p> <p><strong>Jason Spaeth Was a Bright Spot For The White Hawks</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The White Hawks had a hard time keeping up with Perham most of the second half Saturday but a guy who was a bright spot was junior guard Jason Spaeth. Spaeth knocked down four 3-pointers on his way to a team-high 18 points. His range is legit, as he hit several deep triples, and he’s got the strength to get to the paint and score in traffic. Spaeth averaged better than 10 points per game as a sophomore and he’ll definitely be a key source of offense for the White Hawks this winter. </span></p> <p><strong>Both Teams Have Solid Depth</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Both teams have what looks like solid depth. The White Hawks saw seven players score and several more play minutes before the game was out of hand and Perham got solid contributions from complementary guys like Carter Aakre, Landon Stevens and Gunnar Anderson. Both teams certainly have their go-to guys offensively, but neither team looks like it is a one or two-player outfit. </span></p> <p><strong>What’s the Ceiling?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Perham comes away from this game looking like a legitimate top-seven team in Class AA and a state tournament caliber group again. Despite undergoing major roster overhaul, the Yellowjackets look like an easy bet to win 22-plus games and be the favorite to come out of their section. While they break in newcomers, they’ve got reliable high-enders in Diggins, Rasmussen and Elijah Morris. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The White Hawks didn’t play their best, but there’s little reason to think this team can’t push for 20-plus wins, contend in the Wright County and be a factor in Section 6AAA. They’ll need Jameson Sexton to be more impactful, as he was limited to just seven points Saturday and find more scoring beyond Spaeth, but there’s a lot of talent to work with. </span></p>