The Weekend Menu

Are you a basketball fan in Minnesota?  Are you looking for some good games to see Friday night and Saturday?  Here are the appetizers, specials, main course, and deserts of the upcoming weekend! 

Tasty Appetizer.  For those of you that like to hit up an early Thursday game then head over to another after the first one is done, the 6pm tip off in the metro is Stillwater at Fridley.  Fridley is 2-3 on the year and being led by a nice senior story in Yoal Ruei, a slender hard working 6-foot-4 wing scoring 18 plus a game for the Tigers.  Some of you may remember Yoal having some good games with the Minnesota Heat. The Ponies are 2-2 and have a freshman that many in the state of Minnesota are soon going to be made aware of and that is Max Shikenjanski, the 6-foot-1 son of former Gopher Jim Shikenjanski.  Max is coming off of a 22 point game against White Bear Lake.  

Specials.  The Bemidji Invite.  If you are looking for a good back to back set than up in Bemidji they have Hermantown taking on Big Lake followed by St. Paul Johnson battling the host team Bemidji.  Hermantown is a potential state tournament team that is 3-1 led by UMD committed Peter Soumis.  Soumis is getting quality help from Kevin Thomas and Kaden Kucza. Johnson is off to a rough start but junior Julian Hodges is a player to watch.  Big Lake is 2-1 with an emerging frontcourt of 6-foot-4 Wyatt Windhorst and 6-foot-6 Jack Iverson.  They take on 2-3 Bemidji who still has Quincy Wilson, a talented six foot scoring guard.  

Main Course. Eden Prairie at East Ridge.  The biggest game of the upcoming weekend is #1 ranked Eden Prairie traveling to play at #6 East Ridge who is 4-1.  The Eagles are senior packed group that has beaten Eastview, Prior Lake, and Cretin-Derham Hall already while East Ridge has lost to Prior Lake but knocked Park Center out of the top spot two weekends ago.  Does EP have a player that can slow down Ben Carlson who will be bigger than anything they put on him?  Does East Ridge have the depth/experience to counter everything that EP will throw at them?  

Dessert. Minnehaha Academy vs Onalaska.  Minnehaha Academy is once again the host of a multi-game event and this weekend there are four games on the Redhawks court.  The big one is Minnehaha Academy - second ranked in Minnesota's second biggest class - against Onalaska - second ranked in Wisconsin's second biggest class.  Onalaska is a balanced team led by seniors Tyrell Stuttley and Carson Arena as well as juniors Sam Kick and Gavin McGrath (all four are top 35 level players in the state of Wisconsin).  The Redhawks of course are led by nationally ranked talents Jalen Suggs, Chet Holmgren, and Prince Aligbe but Chet is hurt and the Redhawks have already lost two games.