Holy Angels 62 Columbia Heights 54 – Five Things to Know
Holy Angels had a big weekend picking up back to back wins on Friday-Saturday and Prep Hoops was in the building watching the Stars beat Columbia Heights. One. All Around Standout. Forward Matt Banovetz is a way better all around…
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Continue ReadingHoly Angels had a big weekend picking up back to back wins on Friday-Saturday and Prep Hoops was in the building watching the Stars beat Columbia Heights.
One. All Around Standout. Forward Matt Banovetz is a way better all around player than I understood. At 6-foot-6 he is more than a comfortable power forward sized player, this is a skilled talent scoring 20 points a game with the ability to play some three for a team. Banovetz has shown he can shoot with comfort from the perimeter but he’s also an outstanding passer in the post as well. His ability to anticipate a teammate moving to space ranks with some of the best seniors in the state. Matt is also an aggressive rebounder with excellent anticipation. I love the way he used the bounce pass, I was a big fan of how he used his length defensively to block three shots, and he grabbed 13 boards. It was a tough day shooting for Matt (4 of 12) but with Johnson out with foul issues Matt was still the center of the offense on a rough scoring day (15 points).
Two. Introducing Bryce Boyd! One of the welcome surprises for Holy Angles this year has been junior wing Bryce Boyd who is about 6-foot-4 playing the wing. This is a longer, agile wing that scored 16 points for AHA on 6 of 11 shooting plus he has been averaging a dozen points a contest. Boyd gives the team a third scoring option, a guy that can chase down rebounds, and a long player that can defend some size, and some athletes. Bryce has quality potential to be help the Stars get back to state and 20 wins plus it will be interesting to see what he does as a 17u talent.
Three. Good Timing Muja! Midway through the game TC Hoops Czar as a player. Muja Burton is a 6-foot-4 wing for Columbia Heights that looks to be a high effort guy. Looking down at the state sheet he had four buckets early in the second half, Muja had grabbed 4-5 boards, but we were curious if he had more in him, or if it was just going to be a solid day for the team that lost. Over the next six minutes it was as if Muja heard our conversation and then took offense to it. Burton knocked down the next five shots he took, won several boards for his team in a scrum, and defensively had two deflections. Next thing you know the Stars had cut a 22 point lead down to six points and Burton had 22 points and eight boards including four threes made. Point made.
Four. Earn Some Respect. One of the best metro scorers that needs a bit more respect than he’s given is 23 point per game senior Jordan Jones. The quickness of Jones ranks with the best in the metro and he’s saved some of his best scoring nights for top opponents. Here is the list:
- St Croix Lutheran (30, 25)
- DeLaSalle (24)
- Stewartville (26)
- Hibbing (28)
- St. Anthony (25 and 28 vs Tait Nelson)
Five. Emmett Johnson, a Top Sophomore. When sophomore rankings come out in the next couple weeks Holy Angels lead guard Emmett Johnson will have a scholarship spot someplace (about the top 35) and the reason for that is his willingness to do anything the team needs to earn a victory. Johnson is in his third year of Class AAA level basketball so he competes like a veteran. Johnson is laterally following in the foot steps of his brother as a top ball pressure defender and the Emmett Johnson quickness separates him. Against Columbia Heights, Emmett’s teammates had to step up for him as he was in foul trouble most of the game but Johnson still provided five scores, five assists, and four boards in limited time.