Section Scout: 8AAAA Finals
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Off to the gym where northwest dreams are made reality for the Section 8AAAA championship. A rematch of last year’s game between Maple Grove and Buffalo took place and the Crimson prevailed again in the playoffs with a 77-64 victory…
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Continue ReadingOff to the gym where northwest dreams are made reality for the Section 8AAAA championship. A rematch of last year’s game between Maple Grove and Buffalo took place and the Crimson prevailed again in the playoffs with a 77-64 victory and a berth in the State Tournament.
The Game
Maple Grove once again got off to a nice start with Kyle Dreyer sparking from deep for three triples. Buffalo outmuscled the Crimson frontcourt to take a 13-8 lead with 12 minutes left, but a 20-4 run over the next four minutes made it 28-17 and a double digit lead for the high seed. A buzzer beating triple from Rashaun Parker made the score 45-28 Crimson at half.
Then the Bison stormed back with help from every spot. Brandon Maatz hit a key triple to make it a 9 point game and then Matt Willert got to the line for some free throws. All of a sudden it’s 57-50 and the Buffalo faithful are rocking the visitor bleachers. The Bison couldn’t inch any closer despite throwing tough traps at the Maple Grove guards and by the three-minute mark the game would be sealed by Nate Adams’ free throw shooting and main Buffalo facilitator Tony Dahl fouling out. An incredible atmosphere, confident skill and a great coaching battle were all on display. 77-64 final.
Player Evals – Maple Grove
Jared Rainey (PG, 6-1, Sr.) – Led the way with 23 points on an efficient 8-11 from the field. Maple Grove’s whole rotation gave some kind of positive production this game and Rainey again assumed the role of closing ballhandler, securing possessions against Bison traps and letting time run off. His acrobatic finishes at the rim leave you wondering how he even saw the basket while attempting the shot. Love him for an NAIA or MIAC.
Caden Boettcher (SF/PF, 6-3, So.) – Get his name on your 2021 list! Boettcher stepped into the starting 4 spot this year and has been very solid. He guarded Tony Dahl, one of the best point forwards around, and drew two charges to swing momentum. He scored 12 points with two big three-point makes as well and displayed nice interior passing to Crimson paint cutters. I would assume his guard skills will develop and he’ll become even more of a wing threat. Just a sophomore.
Nate Adams (SG, 6-3, Sr.) – Closed things out with multiple trips to the free throw line late (shot 8 for 8 from the stripe on the game) and finished with 16 points and six rebounds. Another aggressive game from Adams getting to the mid-paint area and showing off his floater touch. Had a sense of leadership on Thursday night and stepped into the big moments without hesitation.
Rashaun Parker (SG, 6-0, Jr.) – Parker is a huge piece of the Crimson guard rotation because he can come in and hit a bunch of set-feet treys in a matter of minutes. He attacked the glass hard for offensive chances and knocked down a couple threes (Maple Grove was 9-19 from the arc overall) on kickouts to extend leads.
Player Evals – Buffalo
Brandon Maatz (SG, 5-10, Jr.) – Buffalo shot 3-13 from downtown on the game and all three makes came from the hands of Maatz, an incredibly confident off guard who doesn’t need a ton of space despite his size — his release is high above his head and quick enough to get past contesting hands. Scored 11 total bringing energy to the Bison early.
Tony Dahl (SF, 6-3, Jr.,) – He missed a few inside looks he’d like to get back, but on the boards he was relentless drawing fouls and utilizing some pretty footwork for angles to score. Dahl picked up two charges in 90 seconds to force him off the court with four fouls and eventually grabbed his fifth late in the game. Nevertheless, another game where is offensive IQ was on display. 13 points, five rebounds, a few assists doing a bit of everything for the Bison.
Matt Willert (SF, 6-4, Jr.) – A pretty quiet first half for Willert turned around pretty quickly when he got aggressive to the front of the rim for free throw attempts. Scored 14 on the game and hit a couple nice fadeaways that contributed to the Buffalo comeback try midway through the second half.
Antonio Bluiett (PG, 5-9, Fr.) – The shifty freshman point guard was a gnat on defense and made some impressive attacks in the halfcourt offense. Though he did get a bit handsy guarding the ball (four fouls, all for contact on the arms) his aggressiveness can be polished over time. His feet are super fast and he has the potential to be an all-defense type of guy going forward.
Postgame Reflections
Buffalo falls to 22-7 and their season comes to a close. They have as talented a starting five as any in the Mississippi 8 this year and now they will move to the Lake next season — that might sound scary at first glance but the Bison return every key player. Dahl, Maatz, Willert, Bluiett and Aidan Bouman are all back in the starting lineup and I believe they will strongly compete with a stellar 2020 Lake Conference class next season. They could be the sole favorite in Section 8 next year, too.
Maple Grove advances to their fourth straight State Tournament with a 23-6 record. The senior class of guards (Rainey, Adams, Dreyer) has been on fire in the playoffs and if the Crimson can get off to a hot start in the Target Center they could be a tough out as an unseeded team. Congratulations to the Crimson, who are now 2 for 2 in proving wrong my Section 8 predictions.