Tuesday Night Match-Up: South Suburban Clash

Ryan James January 4, 2022 @ 10:20 AM

Tuesday Night Match-Up breaks down the feature game of the evening plus runs you through some other key individual/team match-ups on Tuesday evening! Game of the Night: Lakeville North is back in the Tuesday night match-up. Their schedule is as tough as they come (the Panthers also face Wayzata this week) and tonight it’s 5th ranked Eastview. The Panthers are 6-1 on the season and have yet to lose a game with [player_tooltip player_id="962214" first="Nolan" last="Winter"] on the court. And the schedule has been tough (Austin, Lakeville South, Park of Cottage Grove, Minneapolis South) but none of those teams have the combination of depth, talent, guard play, size, and athletic ability that Eastview has. The Lightning are 7-1 with wins over Cretin-Derham Hall, Woodbury, Minnehaha Academy, Maple Grove, Eden Prairie, and Chaska (lost to Minnetonka). Like the Panthers, Eastview has taken on a tough schedule and been successful. Even with their varsity coaching staff out a few games (leaving the B squad coach and football coach to lead the team) the Lightning still prevailed to get a couple wins along with the loss to the 3rd ranked Skippers. All that said, Lakeville North will have the best combination of depth, size, and talent that the Lightning have likely played this season. Here are the projected line-ups: PG: ([player_tooltip player_id="958669" first="Kenji" last="Scales"]) vs (Will Drake). [player_tooltip player_id="958669" first="Kenji" last="Scales"] is one of the elite guards in the state and the Lightning can use him on or off the ball. He’s a 21 point per game scorer and a guy that I think will start to earn more Mr. Basketball finalist talk if the Lightning continue to play the way they are. Drake is a steady hard working senior who plays his role well. Not sure how much time he will spend on Scales but their paths will cross. Two: (Sammy Bolger) vs ([player_tooltip player_id="1139350" first="Hudson" last="Vaith"]). One of the best kept secrets to a top ten team this year has been the strong play of Eastview senior combo guard Sammy Bolger. He scores 4/5 baskets a game, can handle it, and plays a smart floor game. Vaith is bigger than Bolger but a junior with a bit less experience. They are different players but both are key role players. Three: (Kaysen Hassan) vs ([player_tooltip player_id="1226375" first="JT" last="Thornton"]). Another one of the best stories of the season? Kaysen Hassan. After watching Henry Shannon III go from the JV to signing with UMD in less than a year, we now have the highly active Kaysen Hassan scoring 14 a game and playing as hard as anybody. He moves well enough to defend the three so the Lightning can start a big frontline. Thornton has started to emerge and he’s a lot like Hassan in that he is active, agile, and plays hard. Four: ([player_tooltip player_id="1140498" first="Chet" last="Kloss"]) vs ([player_tooltip player_id="1284147" first="Jack" last="Robison"]). Different players but both are skilled at around 6’6/6’7. Robison will handle the ball more which means when Eastview goes to the bench he will likely see Hassan as well. Both can shoot the ball, Kloss will do a bit more in the paint. The Panthers rely on Robison a lot more as he is scoring 17.5 points a game and playing a lot of roles. Five: ([player_tooltip player_id="1143863" first="Jamal" last="Ambrose"]) vs ([player_tooltip player_id="962214" first="Nolan" last="Winter"]). Winter is scoring 18 a contest since returning from injury and he scores those points within the flow of the Panther offense rarely taking a bad shot. Nolan is one of the state’s most skilled players and one of the top prospects. Ambrose is scoring 10 points a game and is surely moving better. His shooting touch must be contested. I would expect that Ambrose is always in the game when the Panthers use [player_tooltip player_id="962208" first="Jace" last="Hernandez"] and will of course start the halves against Winter as well. 6th: ([player_tooltip player_id="1139192" first="Dylan" last="Omweno"]) vs (Sam Nolan). Omweno is a double figure scoring threat that can handle and playmake off the bench. He can push the pace and allow Eastview’s production to stay at a high level. Nolan is a three point weapon that must be located. Recently scored 23 points against New Prague. 7th: ([player_tooltip player_id="1140493" first="Mario" last="Adams"]) vs (Brayden Manning). Manning is a hard working forward that comes off the bench and gives all out effort. Adams will play a similar role spot wise and activity wise. Manning is a big stronger, Adams the more explosive athlete.   Other Tuesday Options Sartell at #4AAA Princeton. Big game just north of the metro, the Tigers are a force once again. [player_tooltip player_id="958662" first="Haydn" last="Stay"] might just be the toughest frontcourt player in the Class AAA top ten outside of what Totino-Grace has. Sartell has a top senior talent in [player_tooltip player_id="958683" first="Mason" last="Lund"] that should be getting some Mr. Basketball top 20 looks. #3AAAA Minnetonka at Osseo. Both teams have scheduled a tough slate of games. The Skippers have been at their best where as Osseo has dropped a few lately. There will be good guards and wings all over. Andy S and El-Amin against Bernard and Waits, [player_tooltip player_id="1220406" first="Trey" last="Smith"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1284143" first="Isaiah" last="Johnson"] versus the Cains, good stuff. Southwest Christian at #9AA Rockford. Sneaky good game. Love the [player_tooltip player_id="960333" first="Sam" last="Zilmer"] vs [player_tooltip player_id="1143876" first="Nick" last="Burke"] battle.