Section 5AA Semi-Finals: Top Performers

St. Michael-Albertville High School was host to two of the most entertaining blowout semi-final games that you will see and Prep Hoops was in the building to talk top performers! Minneapolis North and Holy Family are moving on!   [player_tooltip player_id='1647832' first='Isiah' last='Ayala'] of Minneapolis Edison (6'4 jr). The one spot on the floor that Edison could find to take consistent quality shots was the middle of the Holy Family zone in the high post area. And Isiah found that spot several times for 10 foot jumpers and he made a nice collection of them. Ayala is a long wing with agility that also used those physical gifts to find space around the rim later in the game when play opened up with that 30 point differential. He scored 26 points on 12 of 23 shooting mixing in that mid-range jumper with touch finishes on the move around the basket. An opening night for a player that I think could surely blossom into a solid prospect. He scored 11.7 points a game this season as a junior.   [player_tooltip player_id='1293943' first='Jordan' last='Hurd'] of Minneapolis North (6'5, jr). Hurd stepped on the floor and immediately used his long arms and huge hands to grab a board well out of his area, and put it back in for two. It was the kind of play that made people say....wow. Then two plays later he did it again. And by halftime the strong but raw talent scored three more times and was a huge part of why North a nice lead into the break. In half two Hurd rim ran to score building his total even further, and then, in the open floor, Hurd caught and threw down a one hand thunder dunk that popped the audience. And moments later he dunked in the same way. In all Hurd scored 20 points and quickly became a fan favorite.   [player_tooltip player_id='962212' first='Boden' last='Kapke'] of Holy Family (6'11, sr). The Fire completely dominated Minneapolis Edison with their size and it was Kapke that had the highlight reel plays. The most important thing Kapke did early was establish the low post with a long arm target and the footwork to move off of his post position to catch, turn and finish above the defense. This happened three or four times at the rim and put the Fire up double figures quick. As the game moved on, Kapke provided two sprint back blocks, a thunderous one hand dunk one step inside the foul line on a full sprint, and a reverse dunk in the open floor that had the gym rocking. In all he scored 22 points on 9 of 16 shooting with 14 rebounds and four swats.   [player_tooltip player_id='1617685' first='Bailey' last='Mcdonald'] of Maranatha Christian Academy (6'2, sr). It was a rough night for MCA who had their season end but one guy who was able to play a solid game in the open and down flow was [player_tooltip player_id='1617685' first='Bailey' last='Mcdonald']. MCA had trouble finding space against the Polar zone but when the ball did find Bailey he was able to make shots with feet set or using a dribble to locate space away from Polar length. His point total climbed more in the second half when the game was out of reach but his 26 points on 11 of 21 shooting did show off a shooting touch that ranks with the best in the metro senior class.   [player_tooltip player_id='1492564' first='Collin' last='Mulholland'] of Holy Family (6'11, sr). The College of Charleston signed big had a 25 point, 18 rebound, three block night highlighted by his versatility. With Kapke needing low post space to work and [player_tooltip player_id='1287442' first='Kole' last='Hanson'] hounded by a denying defender, Mulholland spent a lot of the early game at the arc handling a bit and passing the basketball without error. Defensively he got his length on players and controlled the defensive glass and as the game moved on his pretty shooting touch showed with two threes and 11 foul shots made in 13 attempts.   Larry Perkins of Minneapolis North (6'3, sr). Larry Perkins has had an excellent senior season averaging 18 points a game under new coach Ricky Davis. The senior small forward has blossomed and the games I have watched this year I would say two words come to mind, confident and active. Perkins knocked out four threes last night on his way to a 23 point game on 8 of 13 shooting, and he competes hard. Grabbed 11 rebounds. Larry has a good build and in the three games I have watched this year he is not a guy that forces a lot of shots. Impressive player all around making a huge jump from junior to senior year. Love his willingness to make the extra pass.   Zashon Rich of Minneapolis North (6'2 jr). North has an interesting depth of talent. Coach Davis has a starting five and seemingly 3-4 guys that replace the first group and play the rest of the half. Along with Perkins, Rich seems to be one of the guys that plays with both. Rich scored 13 points last night with four assists producing when the opportunities were there and but more so moving the ball so North was as efficient as they could be. What really caught the eye was the steals and deflections when MCA tried to move the ball over the top and Rich showed off that scholarship football closing speed.   Michael Richelson of Holy Family (6'2 sr). Fourteen assists! Seemingly every post entry, every swing pass, every transition look, all of them were followed by the announcer saying "assist by Richelson". I asked those around me "was that four again on the assist?" and every time the answer was "yes". These weren't dazzling Chris Paul attacks finished with wizardry, these were simple and smart plays that made life easier for his teammates. What also made life easier for Michael's teammates was the five threes he hit scoring 20 points.

St. Michael-Albertville High School was host to two of the most entertaining blowout semi-final games that you will see and Prep Hoops was in the building to talk top performers! Minneapolis North and Holy Family are moving on!