Elk River Gives Anoka a Game

Ryan Schmidt February 6, 2025 @ 10:58 AM

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D54H35dBeQI </div></figure>   <p>You got that right, Elk River gave Anoka a competitive game as the Tornados came into this contest 16-4 ranked 9th both in Prep Hoops rankings and QRF on Wednesday evening but Elk River may have caught them off guard playing one big man ([player_tooltip player_id='1560841' first='Dominic' last='Webster'] sprained an ankle in practice and is in a walking boot).</p>   <p>The final score ended with Anoka coming out with the victory 69-54 despite Elk River keeping much of the game close. With under 9 minutes to play the game was still a 3 point margin although there was a momentum shift happening. Over the next three or four minutes the Elks were held scoreless and Anoka was up 57-48. The Tornadoes finish the game on a 12-6 run to close the game out.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1560831' first='Levi' last='Harris'] paced the Elks in the first half with four 3-pointers and scored 16 of Elk River's 30 first half points. The Elks 2026 junior [player_tooltip player_id='1560879' first='Jackson' last='Boll'] gave them a huge boost on the glass grabbing 9 offensive rebounds and ended with 14 total boards as the six-foot-three-inch forward used his body size to make a difference. Brody Thompson who stepped into the starting line-up gave the Elks 11 points while senior [player_tooltip player_id='1579923' first='Max' last='Spanier'] made some timely buckets to score 13 points.</p>   <p> Anoka was a much more balanced attack throughout with Peyton Podnay leading the charge setting up [player_tooltip player_id='2121367' first='Dre' last='Ellis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1288713' first='Trey' last='Borchers'] for multiple scores as the Anoka trio combined for 43 points with Ellis leading the way with 17 points on 6/14 shooting. While Ellis made just two 3-pointers on nine attempts, he scored at the basket a few times as he kept being aggressive throughout. Ellis was a standout playing his past summer with [program_tooltip program_id='2078859' first='Starks' last='Elite'] and that confidence he played with on the circuit has carried over Anoka.</p>   <p>Bemidji State football commit Borchers did his damage at the rim making five shots inside and Podany, the six-foot-three-inch 2025 guard did just about everything on the floor. He grabbed seven rebounds, dished out four assists, and nabbed four steals.</p>   <p>B-Squad Game Notes:</p>   <p>Anoka guard [player_tooltip player_id='2275838' first='Kalvinn' last='Oyori'] shot the ball incredibly well from beyond the arc and scored at least 30 while playing most of the game. Oyori is a five-foot-ten-inch 2027 sophomore. Elk River's [player_tooltip player_id='2842087' first='Thomas' last='Schoenert'] had a strong performance for the Elks. He is also a 2027 sophomore guard.</p>   <p>Blake Sieben a 2027 sophomore guard was also very effective for Anoka driving to the basket and being aggressive with the ball in his hands. </p>   <p>Kai Guse a 2027 sophomore guard for Elk River was very effective for them shooting from the outside making three 3-pointers. He finished with 11 or 13 points.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M3hxN6vLZk&ab_channel=StreetHistoryVideos </div></figure>