The Minnesota Hoops Weekend

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's Breakdown Tip Off Classic weekend at Hopkins High School. Sixteen games matching the best teams in the state of Minnesota, the single biggest day of talent on the Minnesota high school basketball schedule!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Friday Metro Combo</strong>. Glencoe-Silver Lake. Calling Glencoe-Silver Lake the metro is a monster stretch but with so many good teams not playing Friday because of the Saturday events at Hopkins (Tip Off Classic) and Benilde-St. Margaret's (Southside Showcase), the Friday schedule is quite light when it comes to good teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At Glencoe-Silver Lake there is a double header matching top ten Class AA squad Eden Valley-Watkins versus Belle Plaine, and then host team GSL versus Lester Prairie. You get preseason all state players [player_tooltip player_id='1434977' first='Noah' last='Stommes'], [player_tooltip player_id='1284132' first='Eli' last='Ehrke'], and Trever Schauer plus Belle Plaine star sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2118474' first='Ethan' last='Martin'] all in the same spot for a great evening of games. It's the GSL holiday event. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Weekend's Best</strong>. This is number one against number one. You have Totino-Grace, who beat Hopkins without two of their main rotation players (Brands and Wagner) against Wayzata who beat Maple Grove big (MG lost to Park Center by 15 and then lost to Wayzata by 35 in quite different games). Here are the match-ups based on Wagner getting back on the floor tonight (but not Briggs, and I don't see that [player_tooltip player_id='1227246' first='Ben' last='Shaffer'] has played yet for Wayzata). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1574227' first='Chace' last='Watley'] (TG) vs Isaac Olmsted (W). You have one of the best junior lead guards in the state against one of the best sophomore point guards in Minnesota. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1560835' first='Tian' last='Chatman'] (TG) vs [player_tooltip player_id='1560867' first='Christian' last='Wiggins'] (W). It's two top five freshmen in the state of Minnesota getting a chance to play against one another. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1288748' first='Tyler' last='Wagner'] (TG) vs [player_tooltip player_id='2296650' first='Brayden' last='Sandmann'] (W). Wagner is a top five junior in the state, Sandmann is the latest Wayzata product to step into varsity play as a senior and have an impact. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1560740' first='Dothan' last='Ijadimbola'] (TG) vs Drew Nepsted (W). Dothan is the nationally ranked sophomore with the big upside against Nepsted, the tough senior forward who does a lot of different things for the [program_tooltip program_id='2075965' first='Trojans' last=''].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1284143' first='Isaiah' last='Johnson'] (TG) vs [player_tooltip player_id='1287438' first='Jackson' last='McAndrew'] (W). It's the Miami signed Johnson who is playing all over the floor for the young Eagles (two seniors and the injured Brands is one of them) taking on McAndrew, the leading candidate for Minnesota player of the year. Two nationally ranked versatile talents going head to head. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bang For the Buck</strong>. Tip Off Classic is the biggest bang for your buck event on the entire Minnesota high school basketball calendar. It's nine of the top ten Class AAAA teams, 7 of the top ten class AAA teams, four of the top five Class AA teams, four match-ups between teams ranked in the top three in state, and all three of the top three Class A teams! All in one place. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As I said, biggest bang for your buck event of the season!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Ten Weekend Games</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>1AAA Totino-Grace vs 1AAAA Wayzata at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic (at Hopkins), Saturday</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>2AAAA Park Center vs 3AAAA Lakeville North at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic (at Hopkins), Saturday</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>2AAA Alexandria vs 1AA Breck at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic (at Hopkins), Saturday </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>2AA Holy Family vs 1A Cherry at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic (at Hopkins), Saturday </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>2A Cass Lake-Bena vs 3A Dawson-Boyd at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic (at Hopkins), Saturday</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>4AAAA Lakeville South vs 5AAAA Minnetonka at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic (at Hopkins), Saturday </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>7AAAA East Ridge at 8AAAA Hopkins at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic, Saturday</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9AA Lake City vs 3AA Albany at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic (at Hopkins), Saturday </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>8AAA Delano vs 6AAA Stewartvlle at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic (at Hopkins), Saturday </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>4AAA Mankato East vs 9AAAA Buffalo at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic (at Hopkins), Saturday</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list -->