Burnsville 76 Chaska 73: Five Things to Know

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Burnsville improved to 2-1 this evening with a victory over Chaska. A strong senior class effort led the way in what was a shot clock used contest!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>One. Blaze are 2-1</strong>. It's good to see Burnsville competitive again. Keep in mind, two years ago they were winless in 19 games and last year it took them two months to get their second win. This season they've already defeated STMA and Chaska which is a big step forward. The Blaze play a get down hill and go type game and guys like [player_tooltip player_id='962223' first='Khalif' last='Bettis'], [player_tooltip player_id='1226375' first='JT' last='Thornton'], and [player_tooltip player_id='962309' first='Henry' last='Saykeo']. I'm not sure how this season will go over the four month stretch but it's simply good to see that Blaze has a chance to win or at least battle their opponents each evening. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Two. Underclassmen Report</strong>. We are diving in quick with this one. Eighth grader Tyler Forest is a name to commit to memory. Tough to tell watching the game on a live You Tube feed but he looks to be about a 6'0 point guard. He was the main ball handler for the Hawks and I thought he did a nice job of mixing delivery with using the dribble to open plays up. Tyler scored 14 points on 5 of 12 shooting as he has a nice touch on the move and a really nice second move in penetration after separation. Also grabbed nine boards. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chaska sophomore Tray Lanzen also made a big impact. He looks to be about a 6'5 wing that can shoot the ball very well. Had a quick three threes to get Chaska back in the game after they fell behind double digits early. By my count the sharp shooter had 17 points which was a team high. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chaska also used sophomore Jimmy Codigan off the bench. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Burnsville sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1617729' first='Charlie' last='Pettis'] came off the bench to score ten points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Three. The Blaze Seniors</strong>. Bettis got the team off to a great start with a quick ten points in four minutes time (two threes and four foul shots). Bettis also scored a three, a pull-up and a lay-up later in the game helping Burnsville hold off the Hawks. Between there he had a tough stretch missing a number of shots and turning the ball over several times but when at the times when his team needed big plays for him (big start, finishes late) Bettis was there. Grabbed seven boards too. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thornton had the ball in his hands more than I have ever seen him in a game. He was constantly in motion so everything he did was on the move: attacks, scores off the ball, transition, and even jumpers on the move. JT scored 14 points with eight rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The guy that I think secretly helped Burnsville a lot was point guard [player_tooltip player_id='962309' first='Henry' last='Saykeo']. A very sneaking rebounder that grabbed eight boards plus a key chunk of his 14 points was hustle baskets late in the second half. Throw in eight boards and five assists and Henry had a great showing. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Four. Chaska Shooters</strong>. I would guess on the nights that Chaska wins or pushes teams to the limit it will be evenings where they are hitting shots from the perimeter. Teams have to keep Forest in front of them and he has Lanzen, Max Rain, and Dawson Reif all as three point threats that the defenses must contest. Rain and Reif each scored a dozen points with Rain hitting four threes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Five. A Plea</strong>. With four kids in this house I often have to watch games online during the week. Therefore having rosters helps a ton and most teams do it. But some do not. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have high school coaches all over the place that mess with AAU guys for this and that, but yet your high school program can't get a roster online? I was able to point out most of the Burnsville guys myself but not all of them. And Burnsville not having a roster on the Hub, on MSHSL, or on their own basketball site it makes it tough. And if it makes it tough for me, it likely makes it tough for those at home watching which is likely family but could also include college coaches. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And Chaska, if my stats were off I am blaming you. Black numbers on dark purple jerseys? Come on guys! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Extra. Shot Clock.</strong> Need to point out, I don't mind the shot clock coming to our game at all. I just didn't see it as a big need. When I say need I mean extra money spent for this and that, and I mean our game in Minnesota which is much much more fast paced than any other high school games I watch in other states. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tonight at the 8 minute mark the buzzer went off and I think Burnsville completely forgot they were using it tonight. When I heard the sound I said "what the hell?" and then saw the official tapping his head. The next time we heard the buzzer was with about five minutes to go in the contest when Burnsville had an airball late in the clock and Chaska got the ball just before the buzzer. Not sure if it should have sounded or not, not sure if the play should have stopped or not. Everybody seemed uncertain. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That was it for the buzzer sounding. And this game was so fast paced I would guess the clock hit single digits about six times all night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->