By Matt Krumrie
MaxPreps.com
Fab Five1. Burnsville's Clark on a Roll: Tarrell Clark has been a leading scorer for the Burnsville Blaze basketball team all season. While the weather has been frigid and freezing in Minnesota, Clark has been heating up as of late. He scored 26 points in a loss to state power Minnetonka Jan. 8, and added 33 points in a 78-61 win over Bloomington Jefferson Jan. 11. Clark, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, took it to another level Tuesday, Jan. 15. He scored 41 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had seven steals to lead the Blaze to a 103-80 win over Rosemount. The Blaze are 5-4, and have won four of their last five games. Clark leads the team with an average of 23.9 points per game, which is 12th in the state, according to MaxPreps.com stats. Teammate Max VanOrdstrand is also playing a key role, averaging 13.3 points per game for Burnsville.
2. Simley Surprises St. Thomas Academy: St. Thomas Academy entered Tuesday's game against Simley High School (Inver Grove Heights) as the No. 3-ranked team in Class 3A. But behind a balanced attack, the Spartans upset the Cadets 66-61 in a Classic Suburban Conference clash. Thomas Sims led Simley with 11 points. The Spartans are 4-5 on the season, but have won two of their last three.
3. Kevin Noreen, Minnesota Transitions Tech & Communication Arts: It's pretty hard to improve on the season-opening performance Kevin Noreen put together on Dec. 8. The 6-8 sophomore had 58 points, 22 rebounds, 12 assists and seven blocks in a 156-33 win over Echo Charter school. But Noreen has been steady all season, and leads the state in scoring with 30.9 points per game. He also averages 13.8 rebounds and is shooting 62 percent from the field, and 51 percent from beyond the three-point line (27 of 53). He helped the Wolves to a 77-72 win over Christ Household of Faith Tuesday, scoring 25 points and adding 11 rebounds in the win.
4. Kangas a Triple Threat: At 6-5, Mesabi East guard Justin Kangas is a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches and teams. He can hurt you inside, and he can hurt you outside. Kangas currently averages 16.3 points, 16.2 rebounds and a state-leading 8.6 points per game. He has three triple doubles on the season, including Tuesday, when he scored 26 points, had 23 rebounds and 13 assists in a 86-56 win over Proctor.
5. No, Not That Okafor: Emeka Okafor is a 6-10, 252-pounf forward center for the Charlotte Bobcats. He's also a 6-7 forward on Minnesota's Champlin Park Rebels basketball team. Like the NBA namesake, the high school Okafor is also quite a talent. He is averaging 14.8 points per game and 14.9 rebounds per game for the 4-5 Rebels. There is even a blog about Okafor - the high school player that is - emekaokafor.blogspot.com/
Three to Watch
1. Wayzata: The Trojans are getting it done on the court this year, compiling a 10-1 record. Nick Rocca leads the team with 17.1points per game, while Jarrod Peterson is averaging 14.2 and Tim Paulson 10.6. The Trojans are often overshadowed in the Classic Lake by highly-ranked Hopkins and Minnetonka - and not to mention Armstrong. It's safe to say this could be among the toughest conferences in the state, despite only having five teams in the conference.
2. Scott Nystrom, Kimball: The sophomore guard is averaging 19.4 points per game and has scored 24 and 21 points in his last two games, both wins.
3. Keenan Kent, St. Paul Humboldt: Kent is in contention for the St.Paul City Conference scoring title this season, and leads the Hawks in scoringwith 21.9 points per game. Teammate Henry Jenkins is averaging 11.3 points per game, and Bobbie Hughes is averaging 10.7.
Two Hot Too Handle
1. Royce White, DeLaSalle: White, one of the most highly-recruited players in the state, scored 33 points in the Islanders' 66-64 win over Patrick Henry in a battle between Minneapolis powers. The 6-6 junior is averaging 20 points per game on the season.
2. Matt Zager, Shakopee: Zager scored 31 points in a 88-76 win over Concordia Academy Tuesday, and had 22 points in a 71-47 win over Chaska Friday. The junior is averaging 23.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the 11-0 Sabers.
Inside the Numbers
183 - Points scored in Burnsville's win over Rosemount Tuesday. The Blaze won the game 100-83.
151 - Points scored in Minnetonka's 90-61 win over Apple Valley. Anthony Tucker scored 26 points in the win.
24.1 - Points per gameby Spectrum junior Grant Spark
13.3 - Points per game scored by Simley's Alex Ewing, who helped the Spartans upset No. 3 St. Thomas Academy Tuesday.
10 - Charges taken by Michael Knight of Leroy-Ostrander, which leads the state according to the MaxPreps.com rankings
3 - Number of Simley players averaging double figures. Sims is averaging 11.6 points per game, and Kaleb Saindon is scoring 10.9.
