Ten Best: Minnehaha Academy vs. Orono
Typically the best game of the day in big jamboree events is the last one. Minnehaha Academy and Orono set the bar at an unattainable height with a classic. Folks in Monticello got an up close look at the next…
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Continue ReadingTypically the best game of the day in big jamboree events is the last one. Minnehaha Academy and Orono set the bar at an unattainable height with a classic.
Folks in Monticello got an up close look at the next big-time prospect in Minnesota as freshman-phenom Jalen Suggs dropped 42 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and the Redhawks overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to beat Orono 94-88 in overtime.
MVP: Jalen Suggs (Minnehaha)
Wow. The show Jalen Suggs put on over the final 18 minutes (including overtime) was absolutely incredible. The Redhawks trailed Orono by 16 points with less than 12 minutes to go in the game and Suggs put them on his back and got them an overtime win. He piled up points in massive bunches and distributed well, feeding open shooters. That will draw a lot of attention. But perhaps the most impressive part of his performance was the job he did defensively on the press. Suggs dominated against one of the best teams in the state. That’s impressive for anybody, let alone a freshman.
Best Offensive Performance: Suggs
Suggs dropped 42 points and made it look easy. He did it all. He hit 3-pointers, he scored in transition, he showed off a spectacular drive game that ended with a variety of finishes or pull up jumpers. Suggs showed off his impressive physical gifts, slicing and dicing his way to rim and finishing over length with ease.
Suggs filled it up in a big way. But he also didn’t force a lot of bad shots. Part of that is probably because he’s so athletic that he could get whatever shot he wanted, but he rarely seemed to take ill-advised shots and it didn’t feel like he ever settled for bad looks.
He also dished out eight assists, breaking down his defender and finding open shooters on the perimeter or at the rim.
Best Defensive Performance: Lorenzo Smith (Minnehaha Academy)
Lorenzo Smith had a very good day, scoring 15 points and hitting several big shots late in the game. But it was his effort defensively on the press that really ignited the Minnehaha comeback. Smith was a pest against the Orono guards and his intensity on the ball was a huge factor in getting the game to overtime. It just felt like he wore the Spartans’ guards out by the end of the game.
Best Play: Suggs saves it, Smith dishes to Johnson (Minnehaha)
Down by a point with less than 15 seconds left, Suggs tipped the inbounds pass and made a diving save to keep the ball alive before Smith picked it up, dribbled and kicked out to Kaden Johnson for a 3-pointer. Johnson drilled it, giving Minnehaha a two-point lead with eight seconds to go.
Orono would go on to tie the game with a pair of free throws to send the game to overtime.
Best Shooter: Griffin Sage (Orono)
One of the key transfers for the Spartans, Sage had a terrific offensive day in his own right. The 6-foot-3 wing scored 25 points, knocking down six 3-pointers. He scored 17 points in the first half, helping the Spartans get out to an 11-point halftime lead. He slowed down in the second half as the defense tightened up but when he got space, he connected on shots.
Best Intangibles: Jarvis Thomas (Orono)
It feels a little odd putting one of the top prospects in the entire state into the “intangibles” category but aside from ridiculous bounce, the thing that stood out with Thomas was his willingness and ability to impact the game without scoring. He protected the rim, he stood in and took a charge and he set screens to free up Orono’s guards.
For a guy as hyped as Thomas, accepting that role might not always be easy. But Thomas did it extremely well Saturday. He’s got some work to do when it comes to producing points beyond dunks and garbage buckets but he’s a guy who will always be a plus player because of his ability to dominate a game without touching the ball.
Best Underclassmen: Kaden Johnson (Minnehaha)
Suggs was technically the best underclassmen and no amount of text can do his performance justice. But in the spirit of spreading the love, a guy who made a big impact was fellow freshman Kaden Johnson. Johnson certainly doesn’t play like a freshman and saved his best play for late in the game. Johnson hit the 3-pointer to give Minnehaha the lead late and scored four points in overtime to finish with 11.
Best Under-the-Radar Performance: Max Bjorklund (Orono)
Bjorklund might lead the Spartans in scoring this season, so he’s hardly an under-the-radar player. But considering the amount of raw talent on the floor, Bjorklund did kind of fly under the radar for a while.
The junior guard had a fantastic second half, doing his best to keep the Redhawks at bay by matching Suggs shot for shot. For a while late in the second half, it looked like the crowd might be in for a Suggs v Bjorklund show before Bjorklund fouled out. The 6-foot guard finished the game with 23 points, using an impressive drive game to finish over length while also knocking down several jump shots.
Bjorklund won’t be an under-the-radar player for the Spartans. But for Saturday, he just got a little lost in the Suggs-craze.
Best Big Man: JaVonni Bickham (Minnehaha)
Bickham won the Bickham vs Thomas matchup, scoring 15 points and controlling the paint in a big way. Bickham knocked down a couple of jumpers from the perimeter but he’s at his best when he’s using his big frame and bullying people inside.
Best Aspect of the Environment: February feelings
The tension in the gym could’ve been cut with a knife. It didn’t feel like an early December basketball game. The coaches didn’t coach it like an early-December basketball game and the players certainly didn’t have the intensity that is typically seen in an early-December basketball game.
It felt like a section final game. Every possession felt monumental and every call felt like it carried major implications. In the long run, these games won’t matter a whole lot. The players, coaches and fans missed that memo. And it led to an electric environment.