Red Wing breaks down Hibbing 69-53: Five Things To Know

<p>The first weekend of the 2021-22 boys high school hoops season is complete, and with so many available live stream avenues, it’s time to catch up on games around the state - including the Red Wing tipoff tournament championship between the host Wingers and Hibbing. Here are five takeaways from the 69-53 Red Wing victory.</p> <p><strong>1. Compete with most is an understatement. </strong>Coming into the season, we had Red Wing slotted as a mid-to-bottom tier Big Nine squad with three starters back. They looked to be in midseason form against Hibbing Saturday, fluidly running their Euro ball screen continuity offense with no hiccups or stoppages. The steady handle, feel and unselfishness from experienced senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="958731" first="Deso" last="Buck"] played a big role in the team’s offensive efficiency. The Wingers got to the third, fourth and fifth sides of ball reversals, lulling Hibbing defenders to a halt and then springing an open three-pointer or middle drive for an advantage. Make no mistake, this is a big win over a 2021 State Tournament entrant with their best player returning in [player_tooltip player_id="850731" first="Ayden" last="McDonald"].</p> <p><strong>2. Welcome to the spotlight, [player_tooltip player_id="958749" first="Denval" last="Atkinson"]. </strong>Listed as a preseason All-Section 1AAA Second Teamer, Atkinson’s going to have plenty of chances to make more highlights like <a href="https://twitter.com/JaredMartyMN/status/1467881823057424388?s=20">this one</a> from Saturday throughout the season. He’s a lengthy 6-4 forward with great bounce and defensive instincts. He had two more breakaway dunks in this game because of how he attacked passing lanes, and is always aggressive to the paint with and without the ball. Might be a stock riser to check out as the season progresses.</p> <p><strong>3. McDonald’s all-around game. </strong>[player_tooltip player_id="850731" first="Ayden" last="McDonald"]’s vision, size, accurate passing and length to score by himself make him such a prime prospect for the next level at 6-foot-4. Red Wing played zone most of the game to slow his probing of the lane, but he still found the open man more often than not and would have liked to get back a few passes that just passed through fingertips near the basket. There are few constant triple-double threats in the state, but the Hibbing star is one of them. Cashed in at the free throw line a bunch and rebounded hard for some putbacks as well as his crafty penetration drives. McDonald tallied 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the loss.</p> <p><strong>4. Red Wing’s elite shooting. </strong>Let’s start here with senior guard Maddox Hanson, whose timing coming off ball screens to give himself space to shoot was impeccable all game. He smacked six triples on his way to 19 points, and not one of those makes was a rushed or forced attempt. Always has his feet set and balanced with a couple feet of space. The best high school shooters not only make hotly contested shots, they know how to manipulate their defenders into being a step or two behind for that extra space to get the shot off, and Hanson did a great job of that. Add in Cooper Chandler and his three deep makes and a three-pointer each for [player_tooltip player_id="958731" first="Deso" last="Buck"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1284209" first="Reid" last="Hartmann"], the Hibbing defense couldn’t keep up with so many shooters surrounding the arc for Red Wing.</p> <p><strong>5. Secondary options for the Bluejackets. </strong>The question of who’s next for Hibbing will need to be answered by season’s end as they search for another creator off the bounce to pair with McDonald. I liked what guard Alex Chacich did shaping to penetration beyond the arc for his eight points, and Jacob Jensrud showed flashes of getting pressure on the rim. Those are a couple of seniors who will need to step up as ballhandling threats if Hibbing wants to force teams out of playing zone against them and McDonald.</p> <p><strong>Notes</strong></p> <p>-The dirty work inside from 6-4 posts Andrew Ball and Jonah Deppe played a big part in Red Wing's shooting success. Both made hard cuts and duck ins to the paint which drew defenders and then kicked out unselfishly to open shooters.</p> <p>-Hibbing freshman Carson Brown got lots of run which will pay off down the road for his confidence. He put in a couple of jump shots and snagged two rebounds, not afraid to mix it up with the bigger and older players inside.</p>