Minnehaha Academy Earns Third Straight Title
Each year the challenger changes but the result has stayed the same, Minnehaha Academy as the Class AA State Champion. Three-Peat. Minnehaha Academy finished the season at 29-2 with the only losses coming at the hands of Hopkins (who is…
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Continue ReadingEach year the challenger changes but the result has stayed the same, Minnehaha Academy as the Class AA State Champion.
Three-Peat. Minnehaha Academy finished the season at 29-2 with the only losses coming at the hands of Hopkins (who is playing for the Class AAAA title this evening). Next year the Redhawks will opt to play at the Class AAA level so they will join DeLaSalle, Mankato East, and Waseca as the favorites. They’ve accomplished what they needed to in Class AA earning the hardware yet again. Today’s game with Minneapolis North was more physical than the last year’s 73-60 victory over Caledonia but in the end the Redhawks had too many game changers.
Redhawks Defense. Chet Holmgren blocked a dozen shots. The stat keeper only gave him ten blocks but he had at least a dozen plus Holmgren changed countless other North attempts. With Chet taking away nearly everything at the rim the Polars were forced to attack to draw fouls or to connect on jumpshots. It wasn’t enough. Holmgren used a Kevin Love style outlet pass after North makes or his collection of defensive rebounds to ignite countless fast break attempts. Several times North would score igniting their crowd only to see Chet throw a baseball pass to a teammate instantly scoring in the other direction.
Holmgren Triple Double. I continue to believe that on a local and national level that people just don’t understand how rare Chet Holmgren is. A seven foot shot blocker with incredible timing that changes the way his team plays AND the way the opposition has to approach the game. The best Minnesota shot blocker in twenty years who rarely fouls an attacking opponent as he always has two long arms up with his opponent in front of him. Holmgren has the skills to handle the ball against size in transition and he has range out to the arc. He’s an excellent passer and an aggressive finisher. The sophomore finished the game with 16 points on 8 of 10 foul shooting and 4 of 8 makes form the field. Chet grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out four assists, and I counted a dozen blocks but the stat keeper give him ten.
Next Up. Next up is Prince Aligbe. Prince is an aggressive, quick off his feet finisher who continues to improve his shooting touch each year. Aligbe made all six of his foul shots and 7 of 11 field goal attempts. Prince put together a key second half sequence with a back to the basket short hook followed by power move score between two Polars. The final tally was 20 points and seven boards. Today with Jalen Suggs being hounded by North guards and Chet Holmgren spending more time at the arc moving the ball, Prince stepped into a bigger scoring role and delivered.
North in 19-20. The Polars will lose Omar Brown, Eli Campbell, Nasir El-Amin, and Josh Hodges. Four key components. Willie Wilson, Davon Townley Jr, and Clifford Brown III are all capable of stepping in and filling their shoes meaning the North Polars will continue to be among the top teams in Class AA. There is a deep freshmen group at North that will supply depth. Guys like Chester Watley, Meiko Anderson, Jacob Butler, and Mario Sanders.
The Combo Guys. For Jalen Suggs, Kaden Johnson, Craig McDonald, Siegel Howard, and others this makes a state title in football and basketball this year. An amazing accomplishment for a collection of outstanding athletes. Suggs was smacked and smashed leading to some frustrating turnovers but he was calmly able to step to the line and make ten foul shots (half his points). Johnson always does the job stepping to a top opponent and limiting them in production.