Ten Best: Apple Valley vs Mpls North
Apple Valley was able to force the Polars into a halfcourt game and when that happened the Eagles were in total control. Minneapolis North had control of the game early and it became an honest wonder if the Eagles were…
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Continue ReadingApple Valley was able to force the Polars into a halfcourt game and when that happened the Eagles were in total control.
Minneapolis North had control of the game early and it became an honest wonder if the Eagles were going to be able to get enough good shots. The North Polars turned every turnover and long miss into a transition score that Isaac Johnson or JaQuan Sanders-Smith would finish the other way. It was some of the best defense the Polars will play as the Eagles simply had no angle to score.
With about six minutes to go in the second half everything changed. After a dead ball the Eagles put together some ball movement that became Mohamed Kone and Luke Martens threes. Tre himself was attacking past the first defender and frustrating the Polar defense. The Eagles earned a 42-35 halftime lead the question became, can they continue to control the pace?
Tre Jones controlled the pace. He controlled the defensive end. Jones pushed for open floor baskets, he attacked guards that weren’t able to deal with his strength, he moved the ball to open shooters for threes, and finished the game with a triple double at 29 points, 13 boards, and 11 assists. Martens and Kone had 15 and 10 points off the bench respectively while Nathan Macho scored 10. North received 21 from Isaac Johnson on 22 shots and 20 from Jaquan Sanders-Smith on 19 looks.
MVP: Tre Jones
The next two categories after this are best offense and best defensive and let’s be very clear, Tre Jones was both. He controlled both sides of the game and his strength allowed him to keep North attackers away from the rim and Tre used that strength to get into space even when North was in defensive position. He was the best at nearly everything on the floor. When the Polars gained some momentum the expression of Jones never changed.
Best Offensive Performance: Luke Martens/Odell Wilson
Martens came off the bench for the Eagles and scored 15 points. Luke was injured in football so he is being brought along slowly but he made a big impact off the bench. Luke is tough defensively (and noticeably stronger) plus he hit a couple treys.
Wilson was the third leading scorer for North (by only two points) but he was the most efficient and should have had way more touches in the post. North had too many no pass possessions where bad shots were taken so Wilson didn’t get the touches he should have. When Odell did touch the ball the Eagles couldn’t stop him from getting in balanced position to finish.
Best Defensive Performance: Mohamed Kone/Luke Martens
Kone and Martens did a great job of keeping Isaac Johnson in front of them limiting Isaac to difficult contested shots for three-fourths of the game. The Western Illinois signed wing shot 8 of 22 and Kone and Martens were a big part of the second half misses.
Best Guy Off the Bench: Kone and Martens
Not only did these two defend in a big way they also both hit for double figures and made multiple three-point attempts.
Best Coaching Decision: Coach Goring Going Small
We’ve talked a lot this off-season about the decent size that Zach Goring has but in reality they played Spencer Rolland at the five with Kevin Totusek backing him up. Outside of that the Eagles played with Tre at lead guard and three guards/wings running with him. This helped the Eagles defend the Polars because whenever the top Polar scorers tried to attack there were multiple help defenders in their face.
Best Under the Radar Performance: Spencer Rolland
Spencer didn’t score much, he barely even took shot attempts. What Spencer did do was collect nine rebounds and play excellent help defense when the Polars attacked. Rolland took care of the paint well.
Best Underclassmen: Eli Campbell/Mark Possis
Eli and Mark are both sophomores and they were the only underclassmen to play at all. Neither played that much or had a big impact but the fact that they played on quality teams like this is worth a note.
Best Story to watch moving forward: North Defense
North looked in full control of the game early and it was because they played really good halfcourt defense. Every single time the Eagles attacked of the dribble the help was there along with an initial defender. Every Eagle reversal was met with an in position defender. And Apple Valley had turnovers and long misses that the Polars turned into constant transition scores. But when the Eagles started playing well, all the North discipline on defense went away and the game changed. If North can play as a disciplined team defense for longer they will by very tough to defeat, by anybody.
Best Stat: Eagle D on top Polars
The Eagle wings limited Isaac Johnson and Jaquan Sanders-Smith to 41 points on 41 shots. When you think of the percentages of that, the Eagles did a nice job defensively.
Best Aspect of the Environment:
Both teams had excellent support. The Eagles parents must of brought all of their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents because they had a nice group in brown despite having no students in attendance. The North fans brought a ton of excitement and energy so the atmosphere of the game was fantastic no matter who was leading.