Ten Best: Lakeville North vs. Eden Prairie
Monday night was a big one for high school hoops and while the Lakeville North-Eden Prairie might not have been the biggest one, it might’ve been the most entertaining. The stars certainly came to play as Lakeville North’s Nathan Reuvers…
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Continue ReadingMonday night was a big one for high school hoops and while the Lakeville North-Eden Prairie might not have been the biggest one, it might’ve been the most entertaining.
The stars certainly came to play as Lakeville North’s Nathan Reuvers and Eden Prairie’s Owen Chose carried their teams for large stretches of the game. Ultimately it was Reuvers who came up with a few big plays late with help from guys like Ethan Igbanugo and Spencer Fossey as Lakeville North outlasted Eden Praire 81-77 in double overtime.
MVP: Nathan Reuvers (Lakeville North)
Reuvers was a two-way force for the Panthers Monday night, scoring 33 points while controlling the paint on the defensive end. The 6-foot-10 senior came up with clutch plays in both overtime sessions, knocking down free throws or scoring inside on offense and blocking a bevy of shots on the other. His offensive performance might’ve been overshadowed by Owen Chose’s, but when the game got tight late, there was little doubt Reuvers was going to come up big.
Best Offensive Performance: Owen Chose (Eden Prairie)
For a while in the first half it felt like Chose might just ultimately break the scoreboard with his offensive display. The senior guard scored 25 points in the first half, seeming upping the degree of difficulty with each passing shot attempt. He was absolutely on fire, knocking down step backs, turn-arounds and pull ups ranging all the way to the volleyball court line on the Lakeville North floor. Chose slowed down late in the game as he was dealing with a few nagging injuries, but he still finished with 37 points.
Best Defensive Performance: Ethan Igbanugo (Lakeville North)
Igbanugo had a busy night, guarding a combination of players most notably Chose. He started the game out defending Kyler Kluge before switching onto Chose and spending the rest of his night racking up miles chasing him off screens. Igbanugo gave up some points early to Chose but did an excellent job slowing him down as the game went on. His size and length is an asset for him on the defensive end and he’s quick enough to keep guys in front of him.
Best Player off the Bench: Spencer Fossey (Lakeville North)
Two of the biggest runs Lakeville North went on Monday night were ignited by Fossey. The junior guard ignited a 7-0 run in the second half after Eden Prairie had taken a five-point lead and scored six points in the second overtime session to finish with 15 for the game. He was a huge spark off the bench for the Panthers.
Best Underclassmen: Drake Dobbs/Austin Andrews (Eden Prairie) and Tyler Wahl (Lakeville North)
There aren’t a lot of teams at the AAAA level that rely on underclassmen the way the Eagles do. Drake Dobbs and Austin Andrews are two of the best freshmen in the state and both played extremely well Monday night. Dobbs scored 14 points in the second half on his way to a 16-point night and directed good offense against a terrific defensive team in Lakeville North. Andrews had his hands full with Reuvers for a lot of the evening but wasn’t fazed by the Division I big man, scoring 10 points and battling throughout the night.
Tyler Wahl is the lone underclassman in the Panthers’ rotation but it’s clear he’s going to be the guy for that team in the next two seasons. He scored 13 points in the game and was a focal point when the team wanted to run set plays not directed for Reuvers. He’s got good footwork in the post and solid handles to create his own offense.
Best Shooter: Chose (Eden Prairie)
Chose was unbelievable from 3-point range Monday night, not only showing off a beautiful stroke but the ability to get off a shot from anywhere. His quick release allowed him to take shots that looked contested for most players and his range extended beyond a hypothetical NBA 3-point line.
Best Intangibles: Will Pahl (Eden Prairie)
Pahl flew under the radar Monday night but had a terrific game on both ends. He did an excellent job defending Reuvers when the two were matched up on each other and his aggressiveness on the glass and in looking to create offense helped the Eagles throughout the second half.
Best Play: Dobbs 3-pointer sends game to second overtime
It looked like Lakeville North had the game won with Nathan Reuvers heading to the free throw line with less than 10 seconds left in the first overtime session. He hit one of two free throws which meant the Eagles would get one more shot to tie things up. The Eagles put the ball into Dobbs’ hands, and in the final seconds the freshman guard ran off a ball screen, pump-faked to get Reuvers into the air, stepped through and knocked down a shot just beyond the 3-point line to send the game to a second overtime.
Best Coaching Decision: Run smooth offense
Both the Panthers and Eagles need to get a lot of scoring from their Division I players, Reuvers and Chose. But neither team seemed to force feed either one of them at the expense of good offense. It happens a lot when a team has a good big man that it becomes a 4-out, 1-in type of offense and the sole purpose of each possession is to try to get to the ball inside. There’s not a lot of movement, rather its just four guys trying to pass it into the post. Lakeville North doesn’t do that with Reuvers. The Panthers did a great job running smooth offense and letting him get touches within the flow of the play. When he got it, he usually scored, but it didn’t feel like the team was force feeding him the ball just to do it.
The same goes for the Eagles and Chose. Chose actually spent more time off the ball running off screens than he did initiating offense. And when he was denied the ball, Eden Prairie’s guards didn’t freeze up or forget how to play basketball. They just continued with the play. It seems simple but a lot of teams become overly dependent on players like Reuvers and Chose and don’t know how to adjust when those guys are defended well. Both those guys had terrific offensive performances, but it was pretty clear that if they weren’t playing well, their teams had the ability to adjust.
Best storyline going forward: How far can stars carry their teams?
With that said, Reuvers and Chose are obviously the keys to both their team’s ultimate fate. Lakeville North has just two losses on the year — both to Apple Valley — and the Panthers are undoubtedly the favorite to get to state out of Section 1AAAA again. But to do so, they’ll need Reuvers to be dominant. And if they do indeed get to state, how well they do does depend on just how good Reuvers can play. He’s one of the three or four best players in the entire state, so the Panthers ought to feel good about where they sit.
Eden Prairie’s section is a little more muddled with Bloomington Jefferson, Chaska, Edina and Prior Lake all above .500. But the Eagles have wins over three of those teams and a two-point loss at Chaska. The Eagles have as good a shot as any team to get through that section. But if they are going to do it, they need Chose to play like he did Monday. Asking a guy to score 37 points is unrealistic, but asking him to be the best player on the floor for large stretches of a game might be what is required. If he’s healthy, he’s got the ability.