Five Takeaways: Prior Lake vs Lakeville South
Lakeville South used a young roster and threw a physical battle at the Lakers for part of the game but the ex-factors of talented size and experience pushed Prior Lake to a 75-60 victory. Here are my five take-aways from…
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Continue ReadingLakeville South used a young roster and threw a physical battle at the Lakers for part of the game but the ex-factors of talented size and experience pushed Prior Lake to a 75-60 victory. Here are my five take-aways from the game.
Dawson, Dawson, and Dawson Again. I can’t help but wish there was a Matthew Hurt vs Dawson Garcia game on the schedule. Garcia continues to a grow into a player that is closer and closer to Hurt. Last night Dawson had zone attention thrown at him and a senior 6-foot-4 Cougar face guarding him at times. There was an early struggle but Garcia just has a different fight to him. As the first half closed down Garcia scored three times in four possession including an And1. Those quick seven points took a one score game and put it in double figures and there was nothing that the Cougars could do. Garcia physically went at the rim and was fouled, and he skillfully shot over the top. Then in half two Garcia saw his team up 4-5 baskets, and put the game at close to a 20 point differential by scoring nine points in 90 seconds (two And1s – a back down and a basket cut – and a three). Game over. Garcia scored 26 on 9 of 15 shooting with two threes and 6 of 8 foul shooting. Also grabbed ten boards. Like I said, game over.
Mr Jones Owns His Space. Does Robert Jones – a top 300 national recruit headed to Denver – get overlooked when it comes to the chatter or the headlines because of the Player of the Year level season Dawson is having? Yes. But do you know who doesn’t overlook him? His teammates, his coaches, the opposing team, and the future Denver program that can’t wait to have him. Last night Jones once again controlled the glass in a way that the opponents couldn’t deal with. How do you expect any Minnesota high school wing to rotate down and box this guy out? You can’t and that is why Jones has had double figure boards in all games I’ve seen him play (four of them this year). Jones would like a few of those foul shots back (9 of 16) but he had another double-double (19/11) and shooting over him continues to be like trying to throw piece of raw meat past a lion.
Cougar Youth! Minnesota a change is coming. Lakeville South is going to be a pain in your ass for several years. First off Coach Janquart puts his defense in your face and they don’t back down. That will never change. It’s what they did at North St. Paul and it’s what they do at Lakeville South. And these young kids, Riley Mahlman had 10 points and 7 boards on an off shooting day. Yes I know he is going to be playing football for his career but let’s also enjoy his time on the court. This is one of the meanest, physical posts with a touch out there. Also, Reid Patterson, when people say he’s like a shorter Blake Hoffarber, don’t overlook that. Reid has a quick releasing torch that you just feel is money and he needs such little space. Paterson was 7 of 12 from the field last night scoring his average (17) with three treys. He’s smart (this is a state tournament proved QB as well), skilled, and you can’t change his focus. Then there is the freshmen group. Two of them (Avery Mast and Sam Fliehe) scored nine each last night and another (Maddox Alipate) came off the bench and defended Garcia without flinching. Mast and Fliehe combined to shoot 7 of 10 and both hit a three. These are skilled kids ready for the moment. Another name to watch for is Trystan Ressler, a 6-foot-2 sophomore who looked really good in the JV game.
Jacox & Nissen Leadership Inc. Anybody that has ever been on a good team knows that good players have to sacrifice some wants for the better of the team. For example, what if Sam Nissen played in a random team that is .500. If he is, he is getting more than five or six field goals a game. A Sam Nissen three would be dropping four times a night every night! But several passes and a three-foot shot from Dawson or Robert Jones is just more valuable possession after possession than anybody shooting a three. Maybe even if Reggie Miller was in a Prior Lake uniform. Sam and Jackyse Jacox know this so they make sure the basketball is moved to the point that the defense gets tired and the team takes the best shot. Nissen and Jacox combined for seven assists and pry had another seven hockey assists (the pass before the assist). Love the way these guys defend plus Sam scored 11 on his five shots and Jacox had 8 points on four shots.
Jack Leland. We talked Cougar youth by Jack Leland has all my respect. This kid fought and battled all game defensively plus pulled down eight boards fighting that Laker size. Leland is also a fantastic passer who put together at least four assists. Joe Bachinski had a tough game but he’s a 10 point per game guy as a junior right now as well. Leland and Bachinski are a couple good juniors to balance all these young pups.
Next…. Prior Lake is second in the state with just one loss and that loss was by two points to Park Center, who is undefeated and ranked in the top spot. Prior Lake is 6-1 with several league games coming up. That Lakeville North game is on the 22nd (that’s for the fans to circle and know, players worry about your next game! haha)… Lakeville South is 4-5 but they are losing games to Class AAAA monsters. Problem is the monsters keep coming (Shakopee and Eastview)! Education for the young guys who do have the talent to get one of these.