STARTING FIVE
1. 2,000 Points For Jett: Jordair Jett of St. Bernard’s went over the 2,000-point mark for his career Tuesday night in a 73-59 win over Minnehaha Academy in the 2A, Section 4 semifinals. Jett scored 26 points to lead the third-ranked Bulldogs. Also in double figures for St. Bernard’s were Averey Duncan (18) and Trent Davis (17). St. Bernard’s plays Holy Family in the Section Final Friday.
2. Grand Rapids Gets it Done: Eric Stark and Jared Sutherland each scored 17 points to lead Grand Rapids to a 65-51 win over Cloquet Tuesday night in a battle of two top teams in the state’s northern region. The win sealed the Section 7AAA title and a second straight trip to the state tournament for the Thunderhawks (25-3). Michael Johnson and Matt Sjostrand each scored 10 points for the winners, while Matt Leslie added nine.
3. Hopkins Goes Green: The state’s top-ranked team celebrated St. Patrick’s Day Tuesday by wearing green socks – quite the contrast to its blue and white uniforms. The Royals also celebrated a Section title by defeating a strong Wayzata team, ranked No. 8 in the state, 88-68 in the 4A, Section 6 title game. As usual, a plethora of players led Ken Novak’s Royals, who are now 28-0. In this game Trent Lockett added 15 points, Mike Broghammer 12, and Marcus Williams and Ray Cowels 11 each.
4. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Wins: WEM advanced to the 2AA title game with a defensive-minded 53-38 win over Montgomery-Lonsdale Tuesday. WEM’s Chris Kaplan led all scorers with 23 points and WEM’s Jordan Gregor was credited for holding 6-9 ML center John Trnka to only 8 points in the win. Gregor also added seven rebounds. WEM (19-9) advances to the Section 2AA title game Friday against Triton.
5. All-Star Seniors Selected: Forty of the top seniors in the state of Minnesota were selected to play in the Minnesota Basketball Coaches’ Association Senior Boys Basketball Series April 3-4 at St. Cloud State and Macalester College. Click here for complete rosters.
THREE TO WATCH
There are some great Section finals set for Friday. Take your pick and enjoy some great high school hoops. Among the intriguing match-ups:
1. Cooper vs. Osseo: Cooper, led by Minnesota recruit Rodney Williams Jr., takes on Osseo and Gonzaga recruit Sam Dower in the 5AAAA title game. While these big names headline this event, there are many other stars, like Cooper’s Joe Bright, who scored 33 points in a 82-73 overtime win over Champlin Park Tuesday. For Osseo, players such as Nick Djerf and Bobby Fischer, who combined for 24 points in a 71-54 win over Roseville Tuesday, will be counted on. Oh, and so will that 6-9 Dower guy, who had 26 points in the same win.
2. Tartan vs. Henry Sibley: East metro basketball rivals square off in 4AAAA title game. Tartan’s Marc Sonnen, a Northern Iowa recruit, faces a big task against the talented and loaded Sibley lineup, led by Mike Bruesewitz, Chris Halvorson and a number of other top players.
3. Buffalo vs. St. Cloud Tech: Tech has been one of the top teams in 3A all season, while Buffalo is led by Eric Olson, who has 242 assists going into Thursdays Section final, an average of 8.5 per game – second in the state.
TWO HOT TOO HANDLE
1. Tyler Pendleton, Cedar Mountain/Comfrey: Pendleton scored 21 points to lead CMC to a 68-60 win over Buffalo Lake-Hector Monday. Dalton Kleinschmidt added 12 points and seven rebounds and Gavin Maurer had 8 points and 8 rebounds in the win. CMC improved to 23-3 with the win
2. Spring Lake Park: The Panthers went over the century mark in a 105-69 win over Minneapolis Henry Tuesday. The duo of Trey Scott and Shaun Jensen combined for 62 points (35 for Scott, 27 for Jensen). SLP plays Columbia Heights for the 3AAA title Friday.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
74 – Total points scored by Southwest Minnesota Christian in a 74-47 win over Marantha Academy in the 4A semifinals. Caleb Palkert totaled 20 points to lead SMC in the win.
31 – Combined point totals for Sibley’s Bruesewitz and Halvorsen in a 68-63 win over Sibley Tuesday. Bruesewitz totaled 18 and Halvorsen 13. Bruesewitz is attending Wisconsin next year, Halvorsen, Valparaiso.
29 – Points Tartan’s Sonnen scored in a 57-49 win over Woodbury Tuesday in the 4AAAA semifinals.
11 – Points St. Michael-Albertville defeated Annandale by in the 3A, Section 5 semifinals. Kevin Nelson leads STMA in scoring at 21.4 points per game and has made 102 3-pointers on the season.
