Prep Hoops Live: Teddy’s Saturday Daytime Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1638427' first='Michael' last='Cooper'] Drops 41 Points Over D1 MN - Coker</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After an impressive 20+ point performance last night, [player_tooltip player_id='1638427' first='Michael' last='Cooper'] put on an outstanding scoring performance over D1 Minnesota. He dropped 41 points and just wouldn't stop scoring. Hitting shot after shot in all areas of the floor and never lost confidence. Cooper has been the player to watch over at Island Lake Elementary during the Prep Hoops Live. What a performance and one of the best scorers from the heartland.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Full-Team Effort for 2024 Northern Lakers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Everyone was touching the ball and contributing early for the Northern Lakers, as they pulled off to an early 13-7 start. But it was MN Crossfire Point Guard [player_tooltip player_id='1284144' first='Isaiah' last='Ronning'] who caught my attention early. He displayed superb ball-handling abilities and knocked down an early three. His quickness up the floor was something to note too. If there's one player who flashed tons of potential in this contest, it's him. It's just a shame that he didn't have help around him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Northern Lakers, it was 6'3” F Abe Soumis who controlled the interior. He's smaller for a forward, but shows a smooth touch and solid footwork with the ball. In addition, his rebounding and&nbsp; defensive shape were excellent. Then there's 6'5” F Isaiah Kastern, the 2024 Wisconisn native blocked a pair of shots in the opening half and had a dunk on the low block. While Zander Gabel woting and hitting three's with tons of confidence. Even Kastern showed off some range in the second half with a three of his own. You also saw [player_tooltip player_id='1456173' first='Jacion' last='Owens'] making great plays the ball. A pass-first guy with great awareness, but can also shoot and score from all three levels. It was surely a full-team effort as the Northern Lakers cruised to a 52-24 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MN Fury sends down team LOE (Texas) 2025's</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Team Loyalty Over Everything came up from Texas to play this weekend and faced Minnesota Fury Saturday morning. Defense was heavy to start. Only four baskets were scored in the first nine minutes. But it was the Fury who jumped off to an early lead. 6'3” CG James Fager knocked down two outside shots and displayed terrific vision in transition with five assists in a row. This was all part of a massive scoring burst which gave Minnesota Fury a huge lead before the break. Much of the scoring was thanks to point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1428992' first='James' last='Martin'] III who had 13 in the first half and showed off a burst to the hoop like no other. They remained up big with some stellar play down low from [player_tooltip player_id='1575346' first='Jack' last='Frigstad'], who also showed some range of his own with two corner threes</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Game so far was West Central vs Teague 2025 Hilliard </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was the best game i've watched so far this weekend. From the tip, it was point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1586881' first='Henry' last='Bethel'] who really shined for West Central United. He hit two three's in the opening minutes and was an excellent facilitator with the ball. Got all his teammates involved early and even finished a layup through two bigger defenders. WCU had an early lead, but Teague wasted no time coming back. Damion Green, [player_tooltip player_id='1749499' first='Tavion' last='Williams'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1934014' first='Nathan' last='Smith'] made big plays defensively and turned that into some big-time plays on offense. Both Green and Jamier Davis have above-average wingspans as forward and took advantage of it with countless blocked shots in the first half. By halftime, almost everyone on the was touching the ball and finding opportunities to make plays. The score was tied at halftime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1586881' first='Henry' last='Bethel'] continued to impress on both ends in the second half. Got to the line and made a really nice feed in the corner. He then sent a shot back on defense. But it was Jamier Davis who really stepped up late in the contest. He made two huge second-chance buckets to tie the game and frustrated opponents defensively. An and-one conversion from Bryce Harris, his third of the game, gave Teague a lead late. But WCU tied the game and forced OT. After a floater by bethel toed it, [player_tooltip player_id='1749499' first='Tavion' last='Williams'] followed it up for a floater of his own to give Teague the lead. On the final play, [player_tooltip player_id='1934014' first='Nathan' last='Smith'] forced a turnover to seal a 66-64 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>WI Blaze 17U Handles TNT Basketball White</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>My final game of the daytime slate was WI Blaze vs TNT Basketball from Columbia, MO. Wisconsin Blaze blazed off to a 21-3 start warly on, with 6'4” wing Landon Thomer hitting two three's and filling the lane for two easy layups to give him 10 early points. Thomer's has tremendous size and physicality to be a very productive player at the college level. Eventually, Blaze led 42-11 at halftime with Nathan Deprez contributing more with buckets from all three levels. 5'11” G Ryan Elhert displayed excellent ball-handling skills and court awareness while hitting a pair of threes in the contest. The biggest thing about this team was the pace they played with. TNT could not keep up with their pace as they cruised to a demanding 71-24 win. Nathan DePrez led the way with 21 points while Landon Thomer added 16.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->