Tip Off Classic 5 Takeaways: Perham gets defensive in win over Caledonia
In what figured to be one of the best games of the day, neither team disappointed as Perham picked up a signature win, beating Caledonia 66-61 thanks to 19 points from Carter Cresap and stifling defense. Here are five takeaways…
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Continue ReadingIn what figured to be one of the best games of the day, neither team disappointed as Perham picked up a signature win, beating Caledonia 66-61 thanks to 19 points from Carter Cresap and stifling defense.
Here are five takeaways from the contest:
Jenson Beachy had a man’s game on the defensive end of the floor
Beachy is Perham’s all-time leading scorer and has been a scoring machine at the varsity level for three years. In a game that provides a true litmus test for how good this team can be this winter, Beachy made the biggest impact of the game on the defensive end of the floor Saturday. He spent the afternoon matched up on Caledonia junior guard Noah King and while King finished with 17 points, Beachy made him earn every bit of it. King is one of the best offensive players in the state as he’s got a terrific outside shot combined with elite size and strength for a combo guard. Beachy battled him all game, contested shots, kept him from establishing deep position inside and disrupted everything from the outside. He spearheaded a truly terrific defensive effort for the Yellowjackets.
Perham matched Caledonia’s physicality
Caledonia has been one of the best football programs in the state for forever. It shows on the basketball court. The Warriors are tough as heck and field a roster with a bunch of aggressive, hard-nosed kids who bully people all over the court. It’s worked well and led them to a lot of wins, conference titles and state tournament appearances. Few teams match that. Perham did on Saturday. The game was haywire at times but the Yellowjackets showed their maturity and toughness, fighting through their own offensive struggles by getting consistent second-chance opportunities, winning a bunch of a 50/50 plays and grinding on the defensive end of the floor.
The Warriors won’t be as explosive offensively as they were the previous few years
Caledonia’s won a lot because of toughness. It’s also won a lot because of ridiculous talent particularly on the offensive end of the floor. Owen King was the engine in an explosive and efficient offense the last few years. The Warriors had a number of very good scorers along with him which made them consistently one of the most high-powered teams in Class AA. That might not be the case this year. The Warriors will still score because Noah King and Eli King are capable of putting up points even on off nights, but the Warriors don’t have an overabundance of offensive talent. They’ll still win 20-plus games I’d assume. But it might be quite as pretty as they’ve grown accustomed to.
Perham’s got depth few teams in Class AA have
Perham’s top two players – Beachy and Josh Jeziorski – combined to score 28 points Saturday. I’d submit that even though Jeziorski scored 15, he struggled offensively. He missed a number of shots in the paint that he usually converts and while Beachy does a great orchestrating, 13 points is going to be on the low-end for an individual game from him by the end of the season. The Yellowjackets are going to be really tough because even when those guys might not take over a game on that end of the floor, they can get contributions from a number of other guys. Carter Cresap’s been a varsity regular but isn’t known for his scoring. He dropped 19 and knocked down some huge shots late in the game. Charlie Rasmussen scored 14 points and does a great job playing off those stars. Finn Diggins was quiet Saturday but he’s capable of scoring 6-10 points on any given night. John LaFond and Elijah Morris are capable of making impacts on both ends of the floor too.
State rematch?
This game could very well be a state tournament rematch. Both teams are going to win 22-ish games this winter and be among the favorites in their respective sections. The Yellowjackets have been the top seed in their section the last two years but come up short against Breckenridge while Caledonia marched through Section 1 last year on the way to a state runner up finish. Both teams play in tough sections, but it would be highly entertaining if we got to see these two teams match up again in March. It’s certainly plausible.