Osseo 61 Maple Grove 56: Five Things to Know

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Osseo knocked off neighborhood rival Maple Grove 61-56 tonight led by the play of DeMari Larkins. The Orioles will play Park Center for the 5AAAA section title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>One. Larkins Leads</strong>. The ex-factor of this game was Osseo junior lead guard DeMari Larkins. DeMari's ability to beat the first defender with a quick first step often got him to the second level and once there Larkins continually found a way to score with touch makes over the Crimson help that was often in their spots around the rim. In the clutch Larkins was able to put the game away with several clutch foul shots keeping the Orioles a possession ahead despite some late Crimson threes. Larkins shot 7 of 13 from the field and 12 of 14 from the foul line. I also felt that Larkins has really taken a nice step forward as a physical ball pressure defender. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Two. Henry's Touch</strong>. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1293966' first='Henry' last='Stang'] of Maple Grove played a big role in the Crimson stepping away from their mid-season lull and earning the section two seed. He had 22 against Blaine, 18 versus Armstrong, and 19 versus Coon Rapids as Maple Grove went on their winning streak. Stang can handle but he's also a sharp shooter and when the Crimson made their run Henry hit five of six attempts including four threes. Stang set himself up nicely for his 17u season and a nice senior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Three. The Balance and Battle</strong>. Osseo played ten guys this evening and at the half they had five guys with two field goals. The Orioles have three old school centers that set massive screens ([player_tooltip player_id='1228563' first='Aaron' last='Smith'], Jerome Williams, and Bryce Hawthorne) and they have some very active defenders that battle in Temi Denado an Alvin Jones. Mix in [player_tooltip player_id='1220406' first='Trey' last='Smith'] who is getting healthier and playing a bit better (scored eight tonight) and Osseo has a deep team with a lot of different pieces that could push the Pirates. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Four. RV3</strong>. There were a lot of interesting things said during the Maple Grove broadcast but one that stayed with me was the play by play guy saying RV3 several times. RV3 is [player_tooltip player_id='1158739' first='Raoul' last='Vaidya'] who went for 22 points tonight hitting three threes. Stang and RV3 brought the Crimson back from down double digits to within a score as Vaidya scored on four of his last five attempts plus three late foul shots for his team high 22 points. Vaidya is coming off of an outstanding 17u year as an all around playmaking lead guard, but tonight we also saw him in the go to scorer role and he gave his team a chance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Five. The Atmosphere at Home</strong>. A long work day getting teams for spring and summer Prep Hoops events left me behind schedule so I had to watch this game at home. Thanks to Jared Martinson for sending me a link to the free broadcast - thanks Maple Grove and thanks Chik-fil-a - which helped a ton. You can't beat being in the building but the broadcast showed a jam packed arena that was full of color, full of noise, and full of March Madness atmosphere. Even sitting at home it was a fun environment to take in. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->