10 Best: Des Moines North (65) at Hoover (61)
Des Moines — It’s tough to put into words exactly how insane this game was. So we’ll do it with tweets.
It started with Hoover getting some easy buckets and jumping out to an early lead. More specifically, it started with Doug Wilson slamming home everything he got his hands on. Three first quarter dunks for Wilson.
ICYMI @polarbearsbball and @DMHooverHoops played ABOVE the rim tonight!
Another classic in this rivalry!@XxDouglasJrXx @jalbijiek1 pic.twitter.com/XnBFQqZpOK— Jordan Furbee (@JordanFurbeeTV) December 10, 2016
Then North settled in — behind a very strong effort from Tyreke Locure — and eventually took control of the game. The Polar Bears led 24-21 after the first half, and 40-34 heading into the fourth. Strangely enough (you’ll see why), Doug Wilson hit a 3 at the third quarter buzzer — his first 3 of the year — to cut the lead from nine to six.
North dominated most of the fourth, and with 32 seconds to play it led by eight. It was over, right? Wrong. Marcus Edwards and Aldreias Campbell hit some clutch 3s for Hoover, there was a steal in there somewhere. And after all of the frenzy we got to this: Doug Wilson at the line, Hoover down three, with 1.4 seconds left to play.
Doug Wilson misses first of two, will have to miss this on purpose & hope for a Hoover rebound and 3. North up 55-52, 1.4 to play #iahsbkb
— TJ Rushing (@TjRushing) December 10, 2016
And, HE DID!
And this just happened. Is it good? #iahsbkb @polarbearsbball @HooverHuskies pic.twitter.com/jr4kI31YFe
— TJ Rushing (@TjRushing) December 10, 2016
With Locure fouled out, it was up to Jal Bijiek to catalyze some overtime swagger for North. And catalyze he did. This monster jam put the Polar Bears up four with just over a minute to play.
@jalbijiek1 pic.twitter.com/HqW94fduS2
— akai (@kaiv0ng) December 10, 2016
North would not look back after the Bijiek rim-rattler, and it came away from this wild game with a 65-61 win. It was the Polar Bears’ second straight win, they’re 2-2 after a brutally difficult four-game stretch to start the season. Hoover drops its third straight, it’s 2-3.
North beats Hoover 65-61 in overtime. Amazing game #iahsbkb pic.twitter.com/FnVDbw9t66
— TJ Rushing (@TjRushing) December 10, 2016
Team Scoring
North: 8 16 16 15 OT 10 — 65
Hoover: 11 10 13 21 OT 6 — 61
Individual Scoring
North: Tyreke Locure 21, Jal Bijiek 18, Lino Malual 13, James Deng 8, Gatdoar Bijiek 3, Dariq Myles 1, Jaihon McCaleb 1.
Hoover: Douglas Wilson 29, Kenny Quinn 10, Aldreias Campbell 10, Marcus Edwards 4, Devonte Thedford 3, Jasion Shade 3, Jones Sabastiano 2.
MVP: Douglas Wilson (Hoover)
Yes, his team lost. But Hoover would have been nowhere near competitive without Wilson on the floor. Tryeke Locure has a fair argument for this distinction too. But Wilson was the guy who stood out most tonight.
Play of the Game: Jal Bijiek OT Dunk
This game had a wealth of stunning plays, and the most stunning was Wilson’s 3 at the buzzer off of a missed free throw to send the game to overtime (catch your breath). But Bijiek’s monster slam, baseline, in overtime was the basket that more-or-less sealed the deal. And he skied high.
Best Offensive Performance: Tyreke Locure
Wilson scored more than anyone (29 pts), but Locure has a lot more scoring options on his team, and scored his 21 in a variety of ways. Whether it was off the bounce pulling up for a mid-range, getting to the rack, or hitting at the line, Locure put on a dazzling display of offensive versatility tonight.
Best Defensive Performance: Tyreke Locure
There were a lot of great defenders in this game; Wilson, Kenny Quinn, Bijiek, but Locure — as great as he is on offense — is an absolutely special talent on the defensive end. He came up with several deflections and steals tonight, and was his usual game-changing self on the defensive side of the ball.
Best Underclassmen: Tyreke Locure
Ya, he’s just a sophomore – scary.
Best Shooter: Aldreais Campbell
The corner 3 is his thing, and he got one to go in the first half. But he can hit form other spots too. That will be Campbell’s role this year for Hoover; knock down open 3s. And his triple with under 30 ticks to go from the top of the key was crucial to the Huskies’ overtime push.
Best Rebounder: Douglas Wilson
He came into the game averaging a 4A best 15.5 boards per game, and it was clear tonight why. He was challenged some by North’s athletic wings, but Wilson is the best rebounder in the state, hands down.
Best Player off the Bench: Gatdoar Bijiek
The younger brother of Jal, Gatdoar was forced to play some critical minutes in overtime due to his brother and Locure fouling out. And when a sophomore with minimal crunch-time experience could have choked, Gatdoar flourished, knocking in three of his four overtime free-throw attempts.
Best Intangibles: Tyreke Locure and Doug Wilson
We hate not picking just one, but it’s impossible with these two. They are certainly two of the most uncanny players in the state, if the the two most, and they both had their basketball instincts on full display tonight. They’re both 10s in the intangibles category.
Story to Watch: Doug Wilson’s Future
It’s clear by now that he’s a Division I-caliber player, whether that’s low major, mid, or even high-major is more unclear. He is the best player in Iowa that does not have a Division I offer, and whatever JuCo may get him is in for a treat. Whatever D1 gets him after that is also in for a treat.