Ten Best: Mahtomedi vs. East Ridge
The final game of the perhaps the second best bracket in the Rochester Rotary Classic pitted No.7AAA Mahtomedi against East Ridge. Two of the headline names heading into the tournament were Mahtomedi’s senior forward Parker Fox and East Ridge’s sophomore…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe final game of the perhaps the second best bracket in the Rochester Rotary Classic pitted No.7AAA Mahtomedi against East Ridge. Two of the headline names heading into the tournament were Mahtomedi’s senior forward Parker Fox and East Ridge’s sophomore swingman Courtney Brown Jr.
Both guys had moments where they showed why they are so highly rated, but for the most part, it was the Zephyr role players that dominated the game.
The Zephyrs saw four players score in double figures and built up a lead of more than 25 points in the second half on their way to a 67-46 win.
An 8-3 run over the final minute in the first half gave the Zephyrs some separation and they allowed just four points in the first eight minutes of the second half to essentially put the game away early.
MVP: Andy Voyen (Mahtomedi)
Voyen was one of maybe three or four guys that could make the case for most valuable player in this one but he came up with big buckets when the Zephyrs needed them most. He scored 19 points, knocked down outside shots, cut well off the ball and helped in the defensive effort against Brown Jr.
Best Offensive Performance: Mahtomedi as a whole
It was one of those games where it felt like Mahtomedi was playing chess, while the Raptors were playing checkers. They just seemed a step behind all night. The Zephyrs moved the ball beautifully, opting to rotate the ball side-to-side while screening and cutting on the backside. The result was countless layups and open looks. Four guys scored more than 10 points and two more guys added six.
Best Defensive Performance: Shayne Frost and Lincoln Rock (Mahtomedi)
Frost and Rock were excellent on the defensive end Friday night. Marcus Haskins, Zach Bennett and Nick Christenson — the three starters on the perimeter for the Raptors — combined for just 15 points. 10 of that came from Christenson late in the game. There was just no breathing room for those guys and when Frost and Rock created turnovers, points followed.
Best Passer: Parker Fox (Mahtomedi)
This is another one that could easily just go to the whole Mahtomedi team but Parker Fox had an impressive night passing the ball. He’s the Zephyrs’ go-to guy at this point and he was saddled with foul trouble for a lot of the second half. But a guy like that could easily force his own shot a lot of the time and sacrifice ball movement. He certainly didn’t do that at all Friday. He hit guys for layups on backdoor cuts, he found 3-point shooters on double teams and he had a couple of pretty drive and kicks to the opposite side of the floor.
Best Prospect: Ben Carlson (East Ridge)
The Raptors’ go-to guy at this point is Brown. And he’s technically their best prospect as one of the best players in the 2019 class. But a guy to watch going forward is Ben Carlson. The 6-foot-8 freshman scored 11 points, knocked down a 3-pointer and showed off impressive ball skills. He’s averaging double digits for the Raptors and he’ll be a household name before long.
Best Underclassman: Courtney Brown Jr. (East Ridge)
Brown Jr. didn’t have his best game, scoring just 13 points. But he showed that he’s got all the tools to be an elite scorer. He’s incredibly quick on straight line drives and he’s got the explosiveness to not only beat guys to the edge but also finish through contact. He also flashed a motor on the defensive end trying to create steals.
Best Player off the Bench: Kaleb Siekmeier (Mahtomedi)
Siekmeier wasn’t flashy but he was effective inside for the Zephyrs off the bench. His presence inside allows Fox and Voyen to move around on the perimeter a little more without compromising spacing. And he’s a space eater in there. He stayed in his lane, set hard picks and made himself available on dump offs.
Best Shooter: Nick Christenson (East Ridge)
Christenson didn’t get going until late in the game but when he got into a rhythm, it was easy to see that he’s a guy that can fill it up in a hurry. Of the three triples Christenson knocked down in the second half, he needed very little space to get a shot up on any of them.
Best Under-the-Radar Performance: Will Tuttle (Mahtomedi)
Tuttle scored 10 points and was excellent at engineering the Mahtomedi offense in the halfcourt setting. The Raptors played a hard man-to-man style defense and tried to trap all over the court. Tuttle was one of the guards that handled that pressure really well. When the trap came, he calmly passed out of it and the result would usually be a good look.
Best Storyline Going Forward: Can Mahtomedi get through its section?
Mahtomedi looked like a team with the components to make a run and do damage at the state tournament. The Zephyrs have the high-end guy in Fox. They’ve got a host of good guards in Frost, Rock and Tuttle and they’ve got a glue guy in Voyen. They were good last year too, but were upset in the first round. Their section isn’t a murder’s row — Fridley won it last year with just 13 wins — but it does look improved. At this point it looks like Totino-Grace and Mahtomedi have separated a bit from the pack. A lot can change in a short time though.