The Class AAAA Simulation Series: Sweet 16

<p>It's another day and another round of the MN Simulation Series in Class AAAA. 16 teams remain and we run through all eight matchups today!</p> <p>For Round 1 results and stats, click <a href="https://prephoops.com/2020/04/the-class-aaaa-simulation-series-round-1-games-1-8/">here</a> and <a href="https://prephoops.com/2020/04/the-class-aaaa-simulation-series-round-1-games-9-16/">here</a>.</p> <p><strong>Game 1: Lakeville North 103, Champlin Park 77</strong></p> <p>John Oxton throws some extra playoff magic dust on this one and the Panthers are led by [player_tooltip player_id="846201" first="Carter" last="Patterson"] again (29 points in round 1) who scores an impressive 36 against a stout Rebel defense. [player_tooltip player_id="846162" first="Noah" last="Frechette"] scored 22, [player_tooltip player_id="957223" first="Cooper" last="Laufenburger"] added 17 with strong D and [player_tooltip player_id="846193" first="Josh" last="Kamara"] added 16.</p> <p>The backcourt pair of [player_tooltip player_id="549462" first="TJ" last="Moberg"] and Josh Strong scored 20 apiece to lead CP, and Francis Nwaokorie was productive inside once more with 16 points.</p> <p><strong>Game 2: Park Center 85, Prior Lake 71</strong></p> <p>The Pirates rolled again thanks to [player_tooltip player_id="846104" first="Dain" last="Dainja"] putting up his second straight 32-point performance outplaying the strong Prior Lake frontcourt. [player_tooltip player_id="846133" first="David" last="Ijadimbola"] controlled the pace on the perimeter with 20 points and [player_tooltip player_id="549408" first="Josh" last="Brown"] knocked out some triples for 17.</p> <p>All five players were in double figures for the Lakers, led by [player_tooltip player_id="532352" first="Dawson" last="Garcia"] with 22. [player_tooltip player_id="850712" first="Malcolm" last="Jones"] worked the glass for 16 and [player_tooltip player_id="721843" first="Tyree" last="Ihenacho"] used that quick first step to beat defenders for 13.</p> <p><strong>Game 3: Chaska 76, Moorhead 71</strong></p> <p>A great back-and-forth affair with individual matchups we'd love to see in real life, the Hawks of Chaska held on against Moorhead thanks to a pair of 20-point games from [player_tooltip player_id="846120" first="Zach" last="Lea"] and [player_tooltip player_id="721980" first="Mahad" last="Faisal"]. [player_tooltip player_id="532600" first="Luke" last="Strazzanti"] hit some big shots down the stretch for his 18 as well.</p> <p>Moorhead in defeat was led by [player_tooltip player_id="549379" first="Drew" last="Hagen"] with 24 points. [player_tooltip player_id="774855" first="Blake" last="Walthall"] added 19 and [player_tooltip player_id="958666" first="Donnavin" last="Hinsz"] muscled inside for 14.</p> <p><strong>Game 4: Cambridge-Isanti 84, Edina 82</strong></p> <p>The big guns came out for C-I as [player_tooltip player_id="846135" first="Henry" last="Abraham"] dropped 29 points for the Bluejackets in a close win. Ryan Cox stepped up for a big 19 points and [player_tooltip player_id="957221" first="Connor" last="Braaten"] worked for 18 against a big Edina frontcourt.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="846108" first="Jacob" last="Hutson"] poured in an efficient 24, [player_tooltip player_id="850735" first="Brady" last="Helgren"] made strides inside and out for 20 and 2022 guard Sammy Presthus orchestrated offense while scoring 15.</p> <p><strong>Game 5: Tartan 81, Maple Grove 71</strong></p> <p>Tartan's five-headed attack (no player contributed less than 14 points) was too much in the end for Maple Grove to handle. [player_tooltip player_id="721853" first="Joseph" last="Kearney"] was key down the stretch with 19 and [player_tooltip player_id="774927" first="Curtis" last="Favors"] scored 18 in the frontcourt. [player_tooltip player_id="846184" first="Langston" last="Binns"] hit tough jumpers for 16.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="721977" first="RaShaun" last="Parker"] and [player_tooltip player_id="958650" first="Jon" last="Haakenson"] made smart offensive plays off the ball to each get 18 points while [player_tooltip player_id="846211" first="Sean" last="Bergstrom"] and [player_tooltip player_id="721976" first="Lovell" last="Williams"] scored 16 and 15 points respectively. [player_tooltip player_id="774895" first="Caden" last="Boettcher"], after scoring 46 in round 1, was held to 4 points.</p> <p><strong>Game 6: Rochester Century 78, Irondale 69</strong></p> <p>With [player_tooltip player_id="549381" first="Jack" last="Fisher"] having another night under his average (scored just 12 points), Gabe Hanson stepped up for 19. Daunte Grafe added 18 and Mark Leonard scored 16 at the forward spot. The Panthers are 2-0 in the simulation thanks to role guys stepping up, a huge factor in playoff games.</p> <p>For Irondale, [player_tooltip player_id="956148" first="Kwame" last="Herzog"] used some crafty separation skills to hit all kinds of shots and score 19 points. Yeshi Dorjee might be 5-8 but he can hit from range, and he added 18. Iggy Ejiofor's athleticism and improved inside finishing helped him get to 14 points.</p> <p><strong>Game 7: White Bear Lake 82, Cretin-Derham Hall 77</strong></p> <p>In an upset nobody saw coming, the Bears pull off a huge conference rivalry win over CDH with guards Jack Janicke and [player_tooltip player_id="957215" first="Kanye" last="Raheem"] pouring in 22 apiece and [player_tooltip player_id="955873" first="Brice" last="Peters"] shooting from outside for 20.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="846138" first="Amari" last="Carter"] had another strong game leading the Raiders with 20 points. [player_tooltip player_id="850701" first="Tre" last="Holloman"] and [player_tooltip player_id="846110" first="J'Vonne" last="Hadley"] had 18 each while [player_tooltip player_id="846128" first="Curtis" last="Jones"] hit three bombs for 15 points.</p> <p><strong>Game 8: Spring Lake Park 76, Eden Prairie 70</strong></p> <p>The Panthers have been one of the hottest teams in the state and taking out possibly the best team in the last four years is no small feat. [player_tooltip player_id="846121" first="Blake" last="Remme"] took over with 27 points, [player_tooltip player_id="721857" first="Gabe" last="Myren"] scored a steady 23 and [player_tooltip player_id="774804" first="Kaleb" last="Skelly"] added 12 providing muscle inside.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="721835" first="John" last="Henry"] kept EP in it most of the way, hitting momentum-stopping threes for 26 points. [player_tooltip player_id="846109" first="Drake" last="Dobbs"] controlled the offensive flow adding 20 of his own and [player_tooltip player_id="846111" first="Connor" last="Christensen"] gave a hard-earned 16 points in defeat.</p> <p>Stay tuned for the quarterfinals:</p> <p>Park Center vs. Spring Lake Park</p> <p>Tartan vs. Lakeville North</p> <p>Cambridge-Isanti vs. Rochester Century</p> <p>White Bear Lake vs. Chaska</p>