5 Takeaways: Lakeville North edges Eastview in South Suburban tilt
It may not have been the biggest game in what turned out to be a packed Tuesday slate around the state, but the Lakeville North-Eastview game was certainly an important one in determining the power structure in the South Suburban…
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Continue ReadingIt may not have been the biggest game in what turned out to be a packed Tuesday slate around the state, but the Lakeville North-Eastview game was certainly an important one in determining the power structure in the South Suburban Conference and Class AAAA. It was a nip-and-tuck affair throughout with neither team gaining much separation but it was the experienced Panthers earning a hard-fought 55-53 road victory thanks to a late go-ahead 3-pointer from Tate Staloch.
Here are five takeaways from the contest:
Lakeville North goes as Tyler Wahl goes
It’s not exactly breaking news to say a team will be as good as its Division I star allows it to be but usually Lakeville North isn’t entirely reliant on one guy like this Panthers team seems to be with Wahl. He’s really good and his value is exacerbated by the Panthers lack of scoring talent after him. He is the pulse of the offense as he’s one of the few guys that can go get his own shot and create for others. He was saddled for much of the second half in this one with foul trouble and the Panthers struggled without him.
Tate Machacek and Steven Crowl are two-way studs
Crowl and Machacek didn’t have great offensive days but they both showed in spurts what kind of players they can be at this level and at the next level down the road. Crowl, a 6-foot-10 junior, already has an advanced post game thanks to very good footwork and patience. He’s a good perimeter shooter and skilled passer. Machacek may benefit greatly long term from playing with Crowl even if things may be clunky at times because the two both excel on similar areas of the floor. He does a great job though of letting offense come to him. He is active inside and has good skills in the mid and high post areas. His greatest impact on the game may be on the defensive end though where he’s a terrific athlete and can defend high school bigs and wings effectively. Wahl had by far his lowest scoring output of the season and Machacek’s job on him was a big reason why.
Tommy Jensen has to be good for the Panthers
Jensen didn’t have a field goal for about 30 minutes to start the game and only scored a handful of points. The Panthers got just enough from other guys like Tate Staloch and Josh Kamara to make up for it but if they are going to compete in the SSC and win 20-plus games again, Jensen has to be an all-conference caliber guy. My guess is that he’s still getting his legs from a lengthy football season but when he’s right, he gives the Panthers some much-needed scoring juice.
Both teams can win with their defense
Here’s an obvious one given the final score was 55-53 but given that both of these teams may inevitably go through some ups and downs offensively, being able to rely on strong defenses is going to be crucial in clawing out wins against strong competition.
Eastview will probably see some zone defense throughout the season
The game seemed to really turn in Lakeville North’s favor when the Panthers dabbled with some 2-3 zone in the second half. Eastview struggled to handle it for a big chunk of that time. Some of that is the Panthers have a whole bunch of big, strong, athletic kids and most teams struggle against them. Some of that was the Lightning struggling to move the ball and hit shots. With Crowl and Machacek inside, they’ll probably see their share of zone defenses throughout the year and will need guys like Ryan Thissen (who was terrific Tuesday night) and Jaylen James to provide production.