Eden Prairie 78 Minnehaha Academy 64 - Five Things to Know

In the much anticipated #1 vs #1 match-up, the Eagles were victorious holding the Redhawks to one field goal over the final nine plus minutes. Here are Five Things to Know. One. Outstanding Presentation. TCO Night at Minnehaha Academy was a big success. You have to hand it to both Eden Prairie and Minnehaha Academy for coming together and giving fans the opportunity not just for this game, but for everything offered. The contest was only five dollars for adults (that's as cheap as games are these days) and free for students. TCO offered free pizza (awesome pizza by the way) and they added a bunch of extra chairs behind the basket to allow more fans to watch. Great job Minnehaha Academy, great job Eden Prairie. And Thank You. Two. Talent Starts Hot. The energy in the Minnehaha Academy Redhawks filtered into each player and when the most talented team in the state gets going there is little anybody can do to stop it. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jalen-suggs/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jalen-suggs/">Jalen Suggs</a></a> jumped a passing lane for a dunk, <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/chet-holmgren/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/chet-holmgren/">Chet Holmgren</a></a> went baseline for a score plus blocked shots, Hercy Miller attacked to score and hit jumpers, and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/prince-aligbe/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/prince-aligbe/">Prince Aligbe</a></a> showed off his jumper plus his defense slowed <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/john-henry/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/john-henry/">John Henry</a></a> to six misses in his first seven shots. The Redhawks had a 25-14 lead and everything was looking good for the home team. Before we move on let's make this very clear, Minnehaha Academy did not play their best game and Eden Prairie was the better team Tuesday night, but the Redhawks talent level is still something that needs to be celebrated and enjoyed. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jalen-suggs/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jalen-suggs/">Jalen Suggs</a></a> and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/chet-holmgren/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/chet-holmgren/">Chet Holmgren</a></a> are five star talents, <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/prince-aligbe/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/prince-aligbe/">Prince Aligbe</a></a> is a top 50 sophomore, Kaden Johnson and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/terry-lockett/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/terry-lockett/">Terry Lockett</a></a> are Big Ten football players, Hercy Miller looks like Minnesota's top junior PG prospect, Donovan Smith is a top Minnesota shooter, and Isaiah Davis is one of the most improved players in the state. Enjoy watching them when you can, while you can. Three. A 4-0 Run That Changed the Game. Late in the half <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/john-henry/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/john-henry/">John Henry</a></a> was fouled and he made one of two free throws and then the next time down he hit a three pointer. It was a 4-0 run but Lance Johnson rightfully called a timeout as he hoped to stop a potential run. The timeout did slow the Eagles for a moment but <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/john-henry/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/john-henry/">John Henry</a></a>'s wrist put two scores in the basket shaking off earlier struggles and this may have been the most important point of the contest. Henry had that feeling and was ready to burn nets. Four. The Switch. In reviewing the halftime numbers I noticed that Minnehaha Academy was 13 of 24 from the field, but <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/chet-holmgren/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/chet-holmgren/">Chet Holmgren</a></a> had taken only two shots, the wing shooting combo of Donovan Smith and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/terry-lockett/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/terry-lockett/">Terry Lockett</a></a> had only taken a couple attempts combined, and over half the shots came off the hands of Hercy Miller and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jalen-suggs/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jalen-suggs/">Jalen Suggs</a></a>. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/prince-aligbe/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/prince-aligbe/">Prince Aligbe</a></a> had made three of five buckets in the first half but he would only shoot twice more. The Redhawks spent most of the first half being very active as a team but that started to slow before the first half buzzer. What you started to see from Minnehaha Academy players was less movement at the four spot, less movement from the shooting position, and less movement from non ball handlers. There was more ball watching as guys looked like they simply didn't expect to see a pass their way. With less movement the well positioned defense of Eden Prairie sunk a bit deeper in help position and spent less energy on defense. Whenever Miller or Suggs attacked they often did beat the first defender but those secondary Eagle defenders were in perfect help position to cut off any type of attack for a high percentage attempt. That led to some turnovers, some misses on difficult shots, and only one Minnehaha Academy field goal the final nine minutes and thirty-seven seconds (thanks for the stat TC Hoops Czar!). Back the other way Redhawks players were becoming more frustrated and less disciplined as they retreated on defense. And when that happened the superb ball movement of Eden Prairie sliced the Redhawks defense possession after possession. First <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/will-foster/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/will-foster/">Will Foster</a></a> and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/drake-dobbs/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/drake-dobbs/">Drake Dobbs</a></a> found <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/john-henry/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/john-henry/">John Henry</a></a> for seven threes, then Dobbs started attacking for some buckets, Foster tied the game at 59, and then with Redhawks scrambling all over the court, non-available low post attempts were widely available for <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/austin-andrews/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/austin-andrews/">Austin Andrews</a></a> and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/connor-christensen/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/connor-christensen/">Connor Christensen</a></a>. It was a documentary of how when talent mixes with team basketball it can beat anybody. A 30-7 run ended the game, Eden Prairie wins. Five. The Best in the State. Right now Eden Prairie has proved that they are the best team in the state of Minnesota. This doesn't mean they will win all the rest of their games or all section games, or even all the games at the state tournament. What it does mean that against a very difficult schedule the Eden Prairie results have been perfect so far. It's a testament to what experience and hard work can lead to. Several of these Eagles have been playing together since grade school and when many of them were making spring/summer basketball choices many stuck together. Now they are 24-0 on the season with wins over every team considering a top team within these borders (they have beaten the teams ranked 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th in Class AAAA plus they have wins over the best two teams in Class AAA). <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/DRN4LF52qp0" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>