Jack's Week 13 Breakout Performers

Playoffs are around the corner! Here are the seven prospects that stood out to me in the final week of the regular season! Wayzata (82) vs Minneapolis North (80): [player_tooltip player_id="1167554" first="Hayden" last="Tibbits"] of Wayzata (5’11” Guard - 2023) Hayden took over in Monday’s comeback win! His finishing at the rim was incredible, making layups over multiple defenders at times. No one on North could seem to stay in front of him as he was using different combinations of moves to blow by his opponents and get to the rim with ease. When he is at the rim, he can finish with his right or his left hand, making it very hard to block. Tibbits is also a great defender, coming away with numerous steals for easy baskets at the other end. He finished the win with 21 points, adding to an unbelievable junior season. Wayzata is 22-4 and the #2 team in AAAA headed into sections. [player_tooltip player_id="958670" first="De’Meiko" last="Anderson"] of Minneapolis North (6’0” Guard - 2022) Anderson could not miss on Monday, scoring a game-high 33 points. Most of his baskets came from deep, as he was knocking down some very tough shots off the dribble. A lot of the looks he was getting were created by himself, showing off his speed and shiftiness. The pick & roll was also a key part of Anderson’s success, either passing it off to open teammates or finishing it off at the rim himself with a tough finish. Meik was a scoring machine this past week, scoring 30+ points in three out of North’s four games.   Bloomington Jefferson (73) vs Orono (70): [player_tooltip player_id="1151197" first="Daniel" last="Freitag"] of Bloomington Jefferson (6’2” Guard - 2024) Tuesday night was a perfect example of why Daniel currently holds three power five offers and is ranked as the top sophomore in Minnesota. The Jefferson guard scored a career-high 41 points, shooting 70% from the field. Freitag’s versatility is what makes him so hard to contain, he can blow by defenders for acrobatic finishes at the rim and he can also knock down contested shots from the perimeter. That elite outside scoring ability resulted in Daniel connecting with six three-pointers, many of them coming down the stretch in clutch situations. The Jaguars head into sections with a 19-6 record and their first conference championship in twenty years. [player_tooltip player_id="958656" first="Jacob" last="Farrell"] of Orono (6’3” Forward - 2022) Jacob is a very unique prospect in this 2022 class. He is not your typical big man at 6’3”, but he is one of the best rebounders I have seen this season averaging roughly ten boards per game. Farrell possesses great athleticism and uses that to his advantage, rising over opposing players and grabbing rebounds that look out of reach. Jacob can score from both inside and outside, finishing the game with a team-high 21 points. He knocked down three three-pointers from the corner and had some tough finishes inside. Orono heads into sections as the #1 seed in 6AAA. [player_tooltip player_id="962230" first="Kyle" last="Kallenbach"] of Orono (6’0” Guard - 2023) Kyle was very efficient on Tuesday night. The junior guard provided a spark for the Spartans scoring 14 points, over half of those coming on a 8-0 run by himself at the beginning of the second half. Kallenbach has a pure jump shot and was making defenders pay for giving him too much space in both off the dribble and in the catch-and-shoot. Despite the Tuesday loss, Kyle and Orono look to make a state tournament appearance with the #1 seed in their section. They will play Bloomington Kennedy on Wednesday, who they have already beat twice this season.   Park Center (45) vs Rogers (88): [player_tooltip player_id="958659" first="James" last="Spencer"] of Park Center (6’6” Forward - 2022) Friday was the best performance I have seen from James all season. He finished the win over Rogers with 16 points, tying his season high. He caught fire from beyond the arc, making four three-pointers. Spencer was also out-muscling opponents for rebounds and loose balls all game, dominating the inside area. Along with that, he threw down a posterizing dunk in the second half off of a great pass from Cash Chavis. The Pirates are on a roll right now and are the clear-cut favorites in class AAAA. [player_tooltip player_id="958739" first="Peyton" last="Belka"] of Rogers (6’1” Guard - 2022) Despite the tough matchup with Park Center, Payton showed flashes of what he can do with the ball in his hands. The senior guard is very crafty and did a great job creating opportunities for himself and for his teammates, taking on a large portion of the facilitating duties for the Royals. Belka is also a knock down shooter from the outside, connecting with a pair of three-pointers. On one of those shots, he used a fantastic ball fake to free himself for an open look off the dribble. Payton and Rogers matchup with Sartell for their section quarterfinal game on Wednesday.