Midwest Live: Saturday Night Take Five
The level of play in South Dakota at 16U is excellent. Find out more at Prep Hoops as South Dakota Attack moves on to the Final Four.
Take One. Two weeks ago we watched South Dakota Storm blow their way through many of the best teams in the Upper Midwest to win the Comets Shootout. Now down in Iowa, the South Dakota Attack just beat the top Kingdom Hoops squad battling their way into the Final Four. Wins over SW Iowa Select, Team KC, and Kingdom means the Attack will face the KC Spurs tomorrow with a chance to play Thunder Elite (Nebraska) or All Iowa Attack in the final.
The Attack was in a tight game with Kingdom Hoops but the experienced play of the well schooled bunch gave them an 81-69 victory. Sawyer Schultz (who won a state title at the Class B level this year) simply picked Kingdom apart slicing the defense with the right pass (transition or halfcourt set) time and time again. Schultz pushed to the perfect position to move defenders and then sent the right pass to teammates for high percentage late scores. Six-foot-6 Brookings big Drew Cole was often the benefactor hitting top gear on his cuts to complete plays (three times down the stretch).
The catalyst is often Noah Freidel (another state champ, Noah won a title with Tea Area) and that was once again the case. Attack and Kingdom were separated by a point late but Freidel gave his team three scores of separation that included a pull-up 15-footer and a breakaway finger roll. The highlight for me though was a post-up catch and finish where Noah completely staggered the defense with his power deep. That was followed by a catch, fallaway, and a beautiful swish. Not many 16U kids playing on the Kingdom Courts could make that shot which is likely why Augustana and Sioux Falls were on hand for all of the Attack games.
Take Two. The EYBL in Des Moines. No the EYBL is not making a stop in the Midwest this year but Des Moines has MoKan and Indy Heat EYBL teams both of which will play in tomorrow’s 17U semi-finals. MoKan Elite EYBL will play the Iowa Mavericks while Spiece Indy Heat EYBL takes on Wisconsin Academy. Guard Brandon Newman of the Indy Heat is a special playmaker, maybe the best in the 17U tournament. Power forward Tyem Freeman of MoKan was definitely the most explosive finisher in Des Moines. His two hand alley-oop finish will not be topped by anybody anywhere. It was like two of Thor’s sledge hammers coming down on the contesting defender.
Take Three. Timmerman was the Undertaker. The Iowa Mavericks handed 43 Hoops their first loss of the season and it was Peter Timmerman, a 6-foot-7 power forward from Wahlert Catholic, that put 43 Hoops away. Timmerman knocked down two late treys after the score was tied than ran the floor, collected an o-board, and made two foul shots that put his team up ten. A rugged four man with a touch like that likely had his name written down by several of the schools watching on the balcony.
Take Four. Mike Jones!!!!! As in Michael Jones of Woodbury. The gutsy Woodbury/Minnesota Fury sharp shooter opened Fury’s quarterfinal game by making three quick threes which changed the way the Heat defended. With defenders all over him in the second half Jones first made his fourth three, and then spent the half moving hard to the rim with the dribble or on the cut to catch and complete. In all the 6-foot-4 Jones scored 21 points touching in shots while being hacked and D2 schools looked on praying that D1s don’t offer (Northern Iowa watched Friday and a handful of D1s are expected to see Michael on Sunday)
Take Five. WOTN excitement wears on everyone. First off you couldn’t help but root on Dalton Kubista as he routinely went at a defender from Kingdom Hoops 2 who continually talked trash and continually had Kubista physically going at him and scoring And1s.
Wear Out the Net beat Kingdom 2 and they had many contributions. Owen Blascziek knocked out multiple threes with a nice stroke, Caden Freetly was consistently adding to his scoring and rebounding totals (he could be a big number producer at Farmington next year), and the steal into a behind the back fake transition finger roll from Bryce Phillips was beautiful. Bryce did a nice job balancing and steading the WOTN club in this win.