Five Things to Know: Maranatha Wins 8th Straight
Maranatha Christian Academy defeated Lester Prairie last night 76-48 to win their 8th straight game. The Mustangs have four games in six days and they started the run with a win.
One. The 14-0 Run. The Bulldogs hung with Maranatha for part of the first half but then a 14-0 run that was a mix of full court pressure and some shots made at the arc turned the game into a blowout. The Mustangs are 14-5 on the season with wins over Holy Family, Mounds View, and the rest of their league. The MCA losses have come at CHOF, Edina, Jefferson, Jordan, and Mayer Lutheran. Now the team is in the middle of the four games in six days run that started with a win over the Bulldogs that allowed MCA to rest several of their players. Maranatha has Minnetonka tonight, PACT on Friday, and then Breck this Saturday. They are looking at about a four seed in their section of 4AA (section includes Holy Family, Breck, Brooklyn Center, and Minneapolis North).
Two. Beijan’s Jumper. Beijan Newbern is an athletic wing that is known for his explosive first step, defensive ability, and activity off the ball that leads to active scores and lots of putbacks. We’ve seen Newbern hit shots at the arc over the years and last night any chance that Lester Prairie had at winning the game went away when Newbern started the second half with three quick threes. Beijan scored a team high 17 points even though he played about half of the game. Newbern averaged 21.4 points per game shooting 52 percent from the floor.
Three. Stepping Up. Guard Justin Mason and forward Ben Lechtenberg are two of the several quality role players around Beijan and both stepped last night in a big win. Mason knocked out four threes when Lester Prairie was playing a zone and taking away the penetration scoring 16 first half points. Lechtenberg knocked out a pair of first half threes as well scoring ten active points. These two were able to hurt the Bulldogs zone when MCA needed them to.
Four. Others. The Mustangs have a lot of of different guys that play their role, not just Mason and Lechtenberg. Hakim Daniels is the second leading scorer on the team, Clarence Daniels is the best rebounder on the team, Travaricks Ricks is a high percentage finisher, and one of the three Christian Davis dunks last night was a nasty leaner that had the bench bouncing off their feet. The best part of all this talent is that it’s all back in the future besides Newbern.
Five. Bulldog Fighter. Lester Prairie forward Parker Bayerl totaled 17 points and seven rebounds and all of his baskets were a combination of effort and active intelligence on the court. When it comes to moving behind the defense or rolling off a screen Parker does it as well as anyone. Bayerl is a junior who is undersized in the frontcourt but strong and able to finish on balance. Parker has a great connection with Michael Ziermann and the two connected several times against MCA.