The Monday Night Standouts

<p>Tuesday and Friday will always be the big nights for high school basketball but this season big games are being played on every day but Sunday.  And last night there were some big games so today day we look at who won those big games and the players that led their team. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Minneapolis South 58 Minneapolis Southwest 56. </span></p> <p>MVP - <strong>Jerome Williams Jr</strong> - 5’9 Freshman PG from Minneapolis South</p> <p>One of the more aggressive, skilled playmakers among Minnesota underclassmen right now is Jerome Williams Jr.  Jerome scored 26 in his first game at South drawing up comparisons to the explosive Amar Miler from Minnetonka about five years back.  Two things I really like about Williams are his natural feel for creation, and his ability to making a play after his separation.  There was a play last night (I’ve been able to look at a portion of the game on NFHS so far) where Williams came to a loose ball versus an opponent and his body control to collect and advance versus a hard charging opponent grabbed my eye. Jerome was thinking next play, the opponent was just thinking "get ball". Also, after Williams separates with a crossover, or spins off his man, notice the plays he instantly makes taking advantage of that space.  While the defender is still trying to recover from the separation, Jerome is already into a balanced or body controlled shot/delivery.  Great feel. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mounds View 57 Woodbury 53.</span></p> <p>MVP - <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="774923" first="Cole" last="Sorenson"]</strong> - 6’0 Senior PG from Mounds View</p> <p>The Mustangs have faced a fairly tough schedule to start this season and they have conquered all tests so far.  Winning close games against CDH, Forest Lake, WBL, and now Woodbury. A big reason for that has been the steady play of [player_tooltip player_id="774923" first="Cole" last="Sorenson"].  Make no mistake, this is a team effort and everybody deserves credit. But a team can not have the balanced offensive attack unless the delivery of the lead guard starts the offense in the right spot and Cole is doing that consistently.  He’s also taking advantage of his 7-8 shots a game and delivering at the foul line giving the Mustangs four offensive options they can count on.  [player_tooltip player_id="774870" first="Evan" last="Kim"], [player_tooltip player_id="850723" first="Dylan" last="Wheeler"], and Kobe Kirk will grab the headlines but Sorenson has been a huge part too.  Scored a team high 17 last night. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Park Center 76 Maple Grove 68.</span>  </p> <p>MVP - <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="774885" first="Dawson" last="Rudolph"]</strong> - 6’3 Senior Wing from Park Center</p> <p>The Pirates earned a really nice win over Maple Grove with three players scoring 14 points (Rudolph, [player_tooltip player_id="836689" first="Jalen" last="Cook"], and [player_tooltip player_id="850710" first="Braeden" last="Carrington"]).  Last Friday Dawson dealt with foul trouble so he couldn’t provide what he wanted scoring wise but he did grab ten boards.  Last night Dawson chased down 11 boards, took two charges, and with the game on the line late he went after a loose ball and earned the Pirates possession.  That was one of the biggest plays of the game plus Dawson supplied the 14 points.  Rudolph has to be one of the most improved players in the state.  If you are looking at this in video game terms, his offensive skill score, his defensive score, his work rate score, and his confidence score are all two to three times higher than last year. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Lester Prairie 76 Heritage Christian 71.</span></p> <p>MVP - <strong>Zack Jackson</strong> - 6’3 Senior SF from Lester Prairie</p> <p>In a big conference match-up the Bulldogs improved to 4-1 on the year behind another quality game from Jackson.  Zack is his team leader in nearly every category and he does everything on the court efficiently.  Even more, Jackson leads by example never asking a teammate to do something he won’t do himself.  Jackson had 21 points, 8 boards, 5 assists, and 3 steals in a key win.  He’s taking 4-5 threes a game this year and knocking nearly half of them!  A guy who will step into a college program and become a leader as well as an all around player.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Maranatha Christian 74 Cristo Rey 46. </span></p> <p>MVP - <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962236" first="Bailey" last="McDonald"]</strong> - 6’2 Sophomore PG from MCA</p> <p>After a rough opener against St. Croix Prep, MCA has rebounded with three convincing blow out wins.  They beat Nova, surprisingly doubled up New Life Academy, and then ran away from Cristo Rey last night.  Leading the way has been playmaking lead guard [player_tooltip player_id="962236" first="Bailey" last="McDonald"].  Bailey had a season high 18 points and he continues to rank with the best young players in the state when it comes to creating shots for others on the move, especially in transition.  McDonald looks stronger and his play has been more consistent now as a sophomore.  A name to certainly watch each night. </p>