The Big Stage: Game by Game Rundown

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What did each The Big Stage game/result mean in our eyes? Here is our breakdown!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Robbinsdale Cooper over Champlin Park.</strong> It's a third example that Cooper is once again a tough team and a bit better than people expected. They've had three good results so far and senior [player_tooltip player_id='1638427' first='Michael' last='Cooper'] has been one of the great surprises of this young season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hopkins over Maple Grove</strong>. Another example of a team being better than expected is Hopkins. [player_tooltip player_id='1550877' first='Jayden' last='Moore'] and Anthony Smith have been excellent together, [player_tooltip player_id='1345987' first='Vincent' last='Hillesheim'] has been a top post in Minnesota, some young talent is playing well in roles, and honestly the Royals lost some talented guys but they are playing better team basketball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Minnetonka over St. Cloud Tech</strong>. This was a needed win for the Skippers who have dropped a couple games and needed to get a win on the board against a good team. [player_tooltip player_id='1284162' first='Jordan' last='Cain'] was good while [player_tooltip player_id='1288767' first='Greyson' last='Uelmen'] continues to be another surprise player of the season. On two ends. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DeLaSalle beat Stillwater</strong>. This was one of two games that we thought would be closer. The Islanders just had more depth than the Ponies, [player_tooltip player_id='962218' first='Nasir' last='Whitlock'] got the edge on [player_tooltip player_id='962206' first='Max' last='Shikenjanski'], and the Islanders were simply the better team which meant they earned a controlling win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cretin-Derham Hall defeated Robbinsdale Armstrong</strong>. I would say this was the upset of the day. Armstrong has the more talented group but CDH played the better team basketball that day and they had a more balanced group on the court. [player_tooltip player_id='1139382' first='Jake' last='Little'] continues to be a name that surprises this 2022-23 school year plus [player_tooltip player_id='1284086' first='Anthony' last='Knight'], [player_tooltip player_id='1220383' first='Adam' last='Tauer'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1288789' first='Luke' last='Jacobson'] were solid with Little. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eastview over Osseo</strong>. The Lightning just overwhelmed Osseo with everything. Eastview is the longer team, the bigger team, the more explosive team, the more experienced team, and the more talented team. All of that overwhelmed Osseo in a 20 point game, and it was a balanced effort. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Benilde-St. Margaret's beat Andover</strong>. The Red Knights just got by Andover in a great game. The young BSM squad overcame a rough first half to earn the victory. [player_tooltip player_id='1572689' first='Jalen' last='Wilson'] kept the team in the game, [player_tooltip player_id='1572691' first='Jaleel' last='Donley'] then took the game over in the second half. Andover is a veteran team and they are a tough out, but the young talent of BSM was too much. That said, [player_tooltip player_id='962246' first='Ben' last='Kopetzki'] once again scored in ways that I didn't know that he could.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Park Center over Lakeville North</strong>. The Pirates and Panthers lived up to the billing. The 1 vs 2 match-up was played in front of a loud and packed crowd, all of the talent had their moments, and the game had the perfect amount of swings to entertain the crowd. Park Center's ball pressured was the difference in the game and [player_tooltip player_id='1172835' first='Casmir' last='Chavis'] was the best player on the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->