By Matt Krumrie
MaxPreps.com
STARTING FIVE
1. Hopkins vs. Minnetonka, Round 1: The most anticipated game of the season played to a sellout crowd Friday as top-ranked Hopkins defeated No. 3 Minnetonka. It was everything fans expected, close throughout, and down to the wire. Hopkins outscored the Skippers 39-38 in the first half and 40-37 in the second half to earn the win. Mike Broghammer led Hopkins with 22 points, while Raymond Cowels had 19. Anthony Tucker led Minnetonka with 22 points and C.J. Erickson had 19. Minnetonka made 10 three-pointers, and was 9 of 16 from the free line. Hopkins made five three-pointers and was 18-of-27 from the free throw line.
2. Century Mark For Osseo: Osseo, the No. 2 team in the MaxPreps.com poll, scored 109 points in a 109-69 win over Centennial. The Orioles are 21-0 on the season. Five players scored in double figures for Osseo, led by Carrington Tankson with 24 points, Ryan Spading with 18, Sam Dower with 17, Dan Brown with 16 and Zack Peterson with 12.
3. Milestone for Benilde’s Battle: Benilde-St, Margaret forward Armond Battle, a 6-foot-7 senior who will play at Tulsa next year, set the Red Knights school record for rebounds last week. With 12 boards in a win over Columbia Heights Battle set the school record of 649 career rebounds. BSM is 18-3 (13-1 in conference) and in first place in the North Suburban. Battle ranks fifth in the Twin Cities in scoring at 23.1 points per game. Battle’s teammate Jordan Taylor has committed to Wisconsin.
4. Sibley Standout Gives Verbal to Wisconsin: Speaking of the Badgers, Henry Sibley 6-8 junior forward Mike Bruesewitz has made a verbal commitment to Wisconsin. Sibley is ranked No. 9 in the state in the MaxPreps.com poll, and Bruesewitz is averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds per game.
5. In the State Rankings: Top-ranked teams according to the Minnesota Basketball News poll: Hopkins (4A) 3A: Benilde-St. Margaret’s (3A), Crosby-Ironton (2A), Marantha Academy (1A)
THREE TO WATCH
1. Josh Rowe, Leroy-Ostrander: A 6-3 junior, Rowe is averaging 16.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Cardinals. Rowe has been a bright spot for a Cardinals team that has lost seven of its last eight games. Teammate Michael Knight averages 13.5 points per game and Jordan Rosedahl is averaging 11.8
2. Tony Johnson, New Prague: Johnson is averaging 20.2 points for a Trojans team that is 16-5 and 5-4 in the Missota Conference. The Trojans had won four in a row and were in a close battle in the race for a conference title, but back-to-back losses to Prior Lake and Shakopee have knocked them back.
3. Dacid Hanson, Marantha: Hanson is a big reason why Marantha is the top-ranked small school team in the state. He’s averaging 24.3 points per game and has scored over 20 points in 10 of his last 11 games.
TWO HOT TOO HANDLE
1. Josh Figini, Chisago Lakes: Figini had 29 points and 12 rebounds in a 64-61 loss to Spring Lake Park, and 34 points and 16 rebounds in a 78-75 loss to Columbia Heights.
2. Bloomington Kennedy: Kennedy has won four of its last five games and has moved into the No. 10 spot in the MaxPreps.com rankings. The Eagles are 14-5 overall and 12-3 in the Lake Conference. Carlton Starr leads a balanced lineup with 16.2 points per game. Bobby Fong is averaging 15.7 points per game, and Alfred Jaryan and Hakeem Bourne-McFarlane both average 14 points per game.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
203 – Combined points scored in Four Directions (Minneapolis) 112-81 win over Fond du Lac Ojibwe Ogichida. Cory Oquist scored 28 points, Gerald Christianson 27 and Romaine Johnson 20 in the win.
84 – Combined number of wins for the four top-ranked teams in the state (Hopkins,BSM, Crosby-Ironton, Marantha).
18 – Points scored by Orono’s Pat Boerner in a 68-58 win over Delano. He added 10 rebounds and nine assists to just miss the triple double.
15.4 – Points per game average of New Prague teammates Danny Geiger and Adam Michel.
13 – Charges taken by Centennial’s Austin Mohr – tops in the MaxPreps.com statistics.
11.2 - Points per game average of Marantha’s Josh Hanson.
10.3 – Points per game average of Marantha’s Tyler Campion.
3 – The total number of losses by all four top-ranked teams. BSM has all three losses.
