The Midweek Rundown: The Full Court Press

<p>What has happened in Minnesota high school basketball this week?  We put on The Full Court Press by providing a midweek rundown. </p> <p>The Full Court Press.  The Minnesota high school basketball newspaper that was the catalyst to me wanting to share my basketball thoughts and get paid for it.  Had a subscription from the time I was in 7th grade until they changed the name and later shut it down.  Have to always honor that newspaper.  It was awesome.  </p> <p>So, what has happened in Minnesota high school basketball so far this week?  We break it into four categories:</p> <p><br /> <strong>Surprising Upsets</strong></p> <ul> <li>The sophomore class might have a new name to know!  The athletic Mason Carrier of Detroit Lakes is 6’3 and very explosive!  He made headlines with a nasty dunk on his way to a game high 25 point helping DL get their 7th win of the season at the expense of a really good Crosby-Ironton team 94-77. Chris Breeden hit five threes for DL as well. </li> <li>Irondale improved to 14-6 on the season with their second win over CDH this year.  The first time it was a one point win, tonight it was an Irondale win.  Is it an upset?  To those paying attention not really as Irondale is 14-6 and has done this twice now.  That said, many will think it is based on program traditions.  Either way, huge night for the Knights! </li> <li>A true upset is Eden Prairie being beaten by STMA!  The Eagles were on the verge of a top ten ranking but another group of Knights stopped those ideas.  Colton Demarias had another big game scoring 21 for STMA. </li> <li>Prior Lake earned a nice win beating Lakeville South 46-43. </li> </ul> <p><strong>Surprising Beatdowns</strong></p> <ul> <li>I had my eyes on the Minnehaha Academy vs Hiawatha game to see if the Redhawks are truly a force or if Hiawatha has what it takes to be in that contender spot.  The Redhawks won 78-52 and truly look like a Class AA force for March Madness.  [player_tooltip player_id="850702" first="Prince" last="Aligbe"] is playing the best basketball of his life. </li> <li>Having lost 12 of their last 13 I did not expect Spring Lake Park to beat Maple Grove 69-51.  [player_tooltip player_id="1180206" first="Payton" last="Thomsen"] had 26, [player_tooltip player_id="1139741" first="Logan" last="Kinsey"] 24.  </li> <li>Fertile-Beltrami improved to 18-3 with a 83-64 win over Sacred Heart who came into the game 17-2.   In a monster Class A clash the game was controlled by the Falcons.  </li> <li>Orono crushed Waconia 78-54 by a barrage of threes. </li> <li>Maple River over LCWM 79-49?  Did not expect that at all in terms of total Eagle control.  </li> </ul> <p><strong>Big Game Success</strong></p> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="850702" first="Prince" last="Aligbe"] scored 35 as Minnehaha Academy earned a really nice win against Buffalo 67-62.  The Redhawks are coming, 10-8 now. </li> <li>Mankato Loyola junior [player_tooltip player_id="1341717" first="Simon" last="Morgan"] just missed a double-double (25 points and 9 boards) as Loyola knocked off top ten ranked Martin County West 63-60 on Monday.  Loyola is ready for a bump! </li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="850704" first="Elvis" last="Nnaji"] had a monster 31 points in the middle against the small Tonka frontline BUT Hopkins couldn’t defend the many Tonka guard/wing options as [player_tooltip player_id="962205" first="Jalen" last="Cain"] and [player_tooltip player_id="962207" first="Ibrahim" last="El-Amin"] combined for 54 with El-Amin scoring 28 points and five threes according to The Czar.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Top Performances</strong></p> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="962256" first="Buay" last="Koak"] scored 34 points with eight rebounds despite taking an early seat during running time as his Lyle/Austin Pacelli squad beat Alden-Conger 106-41. </li> <li>Junior standout [player_tooltip player_id="962228" first="Owen" last="Leach"] took two dribbles into a game winning three at the buzzer allowing DGF to beat Thief River Falls 74-71.  </li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="796956" first="Justin" last="Wohlers"] had 27 points on five threes and multiple dunks last night as Lake City continues their AA run with a 30 point win over Lourdes</li> <li>Ja’Sean Glover lead Madelia to a win over WEM with 41 of his team’s 77 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, and five steals.  One of the top unsigned players in the state. </li> <li>The Islanders are short handed so [player_tooltip player_id="962218" first="Nasir" last="Whitlock"] exploded for 40 points and 8 assists in the DeLaSalle 78-60 win over Richfield. </li> </ul>