Standouts: Moorhead vs. West Fargo

Moorhead, MN - Tonight was the home opener and game number 2 for the Spuds. This was the first game of the season for the ND Class A reigning State Champion Packers. West Fargo came in as the #2 ranked team in ND. The Spuds came in with a record of 0-1 after a tough loss at Bismarck Century on Friday. <h4>Halftime score: Moorhead 17 West Fargo 31</h4> <h4>Final Score: Moorhead 49 West Fargo 56</h4> <h3>Synopsis</h3> The Packers came out early and dominated the first half. The first part of the second half was more of the same. Moorhead went on a few mini-runs but was never very close. Late in the half, the Spuds kept chipping away, and all of a sudden we had ourselves a game. The crowd really got into it, the coaches had to burn timeouts, and there were some big possessions late. With 2:30 left in the game, Moorhead was down 12 and they eventually got it down to 6 points. They kept battling but eventually they ran out of time. It was great to see the Spuds never give up. It was easy to see that the Packers have some very nice players and they will be contenders again in the EDC. <h3>Impressive Players: Moorhead</h3> [player_tooltip player_id="1139197" first="Adam" last="Jenkins"] (2023) |6-8 PF| Stats: 16 points, one 3-pointer, 5-5 FT’s. Adam got the Spuds scoring started tonight with 2 points from the block. He looked like a different player compared to last Friday. His play of the night was off pick-n-roll action. Jenkins screened, rolled down the lane, and received a bounce pass. From there he elevated and had a powerful 2-hand poster-dunk on the defender. Now that was athleticism! In the first half, Adam was posting on the block with a defender fronting and a man doubling on the backside. Jenkins stayed physical and never backed down. He was great on the O and D glass. Adam had to have had over 10 boards. On defense, Jenkins had many blocked shots and he showed that he is a true rim protector. Adam proved that he can step out and hit the 3-point shot, his shooting form looked very smooth. I liked his physical finishes and his turnaround move from the block. Jenkins was perfect from the line on the night. Mekhi Elmore (2022) |5-10 PG| Stats: 12 pts, 8-12 FT’s. Mekhi seemed to always be attacking the paint, this is what got him to the line so many times. His slashing-AND1 finish showed great body control. In the first half, Elmore had a perfect backdoor cut and finish off a nice set. Elmore plays with great energy. On defense, he sacrificed his body and took a charge for his team. Elliot Hoff (2022) |6-5 SG| Stats: 8 pts, two 3-pointers. All his points came in the second half. In the first half, Hoff threw the great pocket backdoor pass to Elmore from the high post. Both his 3-pointers came from catching-and-shooting on the left-wing. Elliot has a high release on his jump shot, which allows him to shoot over defenders. He also had an O-board putback bucket with 9 seconds left in the game. Dylan Zimmerman (2024) |6-5 SG| 6 pts, one 3-pointer, 1-2 FT’s. You can tell he has a bright future. Dylan is a long and skilled athlete that can create shots. Zimmerman showed a nice mid-range pull-up in the second half. You could see that he wanted the ball late to try and make a play. As the year goes on, I bet that Zimmerman will be a playmaker for the Spuds. [player_tooltip player_id="1139205" first="John" last="Jenkins"] (2022) |6-5 G/F| Stats: 3 points, one 3-pointer. He is a long and rangy athlete. Jenkins scored his points in the second half with a corner triple. Karsten Stumo (2022) |6-1 G| Stats: 2 points. I was impressed with his effort early in the game when guarding the ball. There were a few possessions where Karsten totally denied the Packer players from getting into the lane. He scored his points with an O-board putback. [player_tooltip player_id="1221145" first="Michael" last="Haugo"] (2023) |6-4 F| He stood out by taking a charge on a baseline drive. It was also easy to see that Michael he is a top-notch athlete. <h3>Impressive Players: West Fargo</h3> [player_tooltip player_id="812231" first="Brett" last="Limke"] (2022) |6-1 PG| Stats: 21 pts, three 3-pointers, 4-5 FT's. He was the best guard on the court tonight. Limke picked up right where he left off last season, shooting the ball extremely well. He scored the first basket of the game with a deep, left-wing 3-pointer. A little later, Brett drilled another 3-pointer, but this time from NBA range. Throughout the game, Brett did a nice job of taking care of the ball. Limke scored with a variety of soft-floaters throughout the game. He is a crafty and smart player. [player_tooltip player_id="812219" first="Carson" last="Hegerle"] (2022) |6-3 G| Stats: 11 pts, 1-3 FT's. His backside help defense was excellent in the first half. This resulted in steals and tipped passes. Carson had a spectacular left-handed finish in transition in the first half. He had multiple AND1 finishes after he absorbed the contact and finished with strength. Carson also had an impressive full-court finish in transition where he showed off his breakaway speed. [player_tooltip player_id="1161460" first="Nick" last="Carlson"] (2022) |6-4 F| Stats: 10 pts. I liked his effort in the first half when fronting the post. Carlson showed patience throughout the game with shot and head fakes. I liked his finishes over high hands. Nick had multiple putback baskets. He also showed off a skilled lefty finish around the basket. [player_tooltip player_id="1046355" first="Parker" last="Nelson"] (2022) |5-11 G| Stats: 7 pts, 1-2 FT's. You could see right away that he is a gifted athlete. Nelson showed quick hands and feet on defense. This led to multiple forced turnovers. Parker is going to be a glue guy and a tough defender for the Packers this season. Caden Zepeda (2022) |6-1 G| Stats: 4 pts, 2-3 FT's. In the first half, Caden had an impressive AND1 finish after knifing through traffic. He cashed in the FT after taking all the contact. Caden also had a big FT late in the game with less than a minute on the clock, he helped put the game on ice.