Bluestreaks help Bob McDonald earn 900th career win; Twin Cities standouts putting up big numbers; Watch out for Worthington.
By Matt Krumrie
MaxPreps.com
Starting Five
1. Milestone Win For McDonald: Chisholm High coach Bob McDonald keeps on coaching and keeps adding to his win total. McDonald earned his 900th career victory Tuesday with a 72-40 win over Nashwauk-Keewatin. He is the first coach in Minnesota history to reach 900 wins. McDonald has coached the team since 1962 and is 27 wins ahead of Bob Brink of Rocori on the all-time leaders list. McDonald is in his 52nd year as a coach. As for his Bluestreaks – they aren’t so bad either. They are 12-1 and ranked third in the state in Class A.
2. Big Time Players, Big Numbers: There have been some impressive individual performances in the last week. Tuesday, Shakopee’s Matt Zager set a school record with 50 points in a 72-51 win over Farmington. On the same night, Isaiah Thomas (not the former Detroit Piston or current University of Washington freshman sensation) of Fridley scored 46 points in an 82-75 loss to Columbia Heights. It was the second straight game Thomas scored 46 points – he did the same in a 100-75 win over St. Louis Park last week. Not to be outdone, LeSueur-Henderson’s Tyler Schmidt also scored 46 points in an 83-77 win over Montgomery-Lonsdale. In losing efforts, Woodbury’s Nick Quicksell scored 41 points in an 89-85 loss to Hastings and Simley’s Thomas Sims poured in 33 points in a 92-77 loss to Mahtomedi.
3. Helping Hand: While the players above were scoring seemingly at will, there are always players who help lead to those points. Players like Buffalo’s Erik Olson, who has a state-leading 110 assists for the Bison. Olson averages 12.4 points per game and 10 assists per game. His favorite targets are Brock Korbel (15.1 points per game), Brooks Beilke (12) and Aaron Duske (10).
4. Worthington Worthy: Worthington has emerged as a team to watch in 3A. The Trojans are 10-1 on the season and ranked No. 6 in the state. In a recent 87-65 win over Jackson County Central, five players were in double figures for Worthington, led by Travis Meinders (23) and Matt King (20).
5. Let’s Hear it for the Hornets: The Classic Lake Conference is home to Hopkins, the top team in the state, as well as Minnetonka, the defending Class 4A state champs. So it’s no surprise a team like Edina might get overlooked – at least at the start of the season. But at 11-1, the Hornets are no longer able to surprise anyone. Ranked No. 10 in the state in Class 4A, the Hornets are led by William DeBerg (17.7 points per game), Ben Biewen (16.7) and Jim Hill (11).
Three to Watch
1. Moses Alipate, Bloomington Jefferson: The athletic Alipate, who is expected to sign with the University of Minnesota to play football Feb. 4 after a stellar career as the Jaguars’ quarterback, scored 23 points in a 64-57 win over Eastview in Lake Conference action Tuesday. Jefferson improved to 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the Lake with the win. Alipate is scoring 12 points per game, while Marcus Alipate leads the team with an average of 16 points per game. Teammate Chad Gilmer is scoring 12.9 points per game for Jefferson.
2. Mike Muscala, Roseville: Muscala poured in 35 points to lead Roseville to a 78-65 win over Forest Lake in Suburban East Conference action. Muscala is scoring 23.2 points per game for the Raiders, 6-6 overall and 4-2 in conference action.
3. Kevin Nelson, St. Michael Albertville: Nelson is among the state’s leading scorers, averaging 24.6 points per game. He has made a state leading 52 3-point attempts and is shooting 42.1 percent from downtown.
Two Hot Too Handle
1. Ernie Mang, Harding: Mang scored 34 points to lead Harding to a 77-75 win over Minneapolis Southwest Tuesday. Mang nearly quadrupled his scoring average of 9.2 points per game entering the game and helped the Knights to their first win of the season.
2. Codi Gunnink, Edgerton: Gunnink scored 28 points, hauled in 16 rebounds and blocked four shots to lead the Flying Dutchmen to a 63-60 win over Westbrook-Walnut Grove Tuesday night. It was the first loss of the season for WWG, who was rated No. 6 in the state in 1A.
Inside the Numbers
188 – Rebounds Ashby’s Kurtis Mickelson has on the season – tops in the state.
78 – Points West Central Area scored in a 78-54 win over Ashby Tuesday. Logan Pfingston led WCA with 20 points, while Sam Richards added 18 points and 9 rebounds in the win.
21 – Points Kurtis Mickelson had in that loss to WCA Tuesday
21 – Rebounds Kurtis Mickelson had in that same game, giving him a double-double of 21 points and 21 rebounds
18 – Points both Brian Tjepkes and Danny Parsley scored in Adrian’s 79-19 win over Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin. Tjepkes added four assists and four steals and Parsley had six rebounds in the win.
