Three Up, Three Down: Class AAAA

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What teams are on a run of really good play and deserve some notice? And who is struggling a bit right now looking to turn things around? It's Three Up, and Three Down for Class AAAA!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Three Up</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brainerd (6-0). Brainerd is traditionally a very good basketball team and they are beating teams by an average of 15 points per game right now. [player_tooltip player_id='1221113' first='Nick' last='Evanson'] recently had 25 while Johnny Pecarich had 22 points in the win over Centennial. Pecarich also had 22 when Brainerd beat the Fergus Falls Otters 78-53. Bemidji and Willmar made a run at Brainerd but nobody has been able to beat them. Things get tougher next week when Brainerd is at Eden Prairie. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mounds View (7-0). The Mustangs are winning games they should be AND they are earning victories in the close contests. Road wins at Spring Lake Park and Northfield have helped the Mustangs separate themselves. [player_tooltip player_id='1617730' first='Colby' last='Deluce'] leads the team with 21 points per game and behind him is a deep and balanced club that is playing well as an all around unit. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1284160' first='Joey' last='Fretheim'] has had a nice start to the season while [player_tooltip player_id='1220408' first='Jacob' last='Becher'] and Tyler Kahl are veterans playing well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rochester Mayo (7-0). The surprise in the south is that Mayo Defense! They'e held two opponents below 40 points, Kennedy and Byron could each score only 52, and the one team that could score on Mayo (Mankato East) put up 78 points but Mayo had 80. [player_tooltip player_id='1140142' first='Isaiah' last='Hanson'] has been fabulous for the Spartans who are also getting and [player_tooltip player_id='1392723' first='Kairee' last='Gadson'] put up 36 in that win over East! [player_tooltip player_id='1525727' first='Sawyer' last='Markham'] has been a great surprise for Mayo as well giving the team three strong scoring options. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Three Down</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shakopee (4-2). After jumping into the rankings in Class AAAA the Sabers lost a couple in a row over the holidays (to Edina and Eden Prairie). The Sabers have a very strong group of guards as junior [player_tooltip player_id='1288706' first='Jalen' last='Langsy'] is scoring 20 a game with Termaine Fulton, [player_tooltip player_id='1284142' first='Issac' last='Snell'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1454849' first='Kaden' last='Braxton'] all playing well around him. Size can be an issue but Shakopee presents so many issues with their guard play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>East Ridge (4-4). The Raptors loaded their schedule with a lot of tough opponents. Their wins list is impressive as they have beat Osseo, CDH, Irondale, and White Bear Lake who had [player_tooltip player_id='962200' first='Jack' last='Janicki']. The losses were a part of a three game streak over the break against Edina, Eastview, and Lakeville South. [player_tooltip player_id='962211' first='Alex' last='Mattes'] leads the team with 15 points a game while frosh [player_tooltip player_id='1560882' first='Cedric' last='Tomes'] is scoring 11 points a contest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Robbinsdale Armstrong (3-4). The Falcons are another team that loaded up their schedule and they started the year with nice wins over Rosemount and Coon Rapids. They have lost four games in a row although that was against Wayzata, Farmington, CDH, and Duluth East. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1284213' first='Seth' last='Newbern'] is off to a great start scoring 19 a game while sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1448601' first='Desmond' last='Ware'] is scoring 11 a contest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->