2010 Shootout Game Recaps
By Eric Meyer
Writer
Timberwolves.com
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The Orono Spartans took on the Grand Rapids Thunderhawks to kick off the “2010 Timberwolves High School Shootout.” The two teams set the pace by taking the game into overtime, when the Spartans overpowered the Thunderhawks and pulled away, going on a 14-5 run in OT to come away with a 74-65 win.
The two teams went shot for shot going into the half. Both teams shot just short of 40% in both the first and second half. The difference came in overtime when the Spartans got white hot, shooting perfect from the field (4-4) and making all but one free throw (5-6). On the flip side, the Thunderhawks went ice cold, missing all of their field goals in the OT and were only able to muster five free throws.
Jordan Smith, a junior guard for the Spartans, dominated the game by leading all scores with 25 and was one board away from a double-double. Junior Jeremy Borg accentuated Smith by adding another 19 points. Those two were the only Spartans in double digits. Their bench also helped with 14 points compared to the Thunderhawks’ 4.
The Thunderhawks had a more balanced attack, winning in points on the paint with 36 to the Spartans 28. They had four players in double digits, including Eric Stark who led the Thunderhawks with 18. Kevin Rabbers also had a good game by posting 10 points and 11 boards, the only player in the game to have a double-double.
In the end the youth of the Spartans prevailed along with their ability to shoot the long ball. The Spartans shot 37.5% (6-16) while the Thunderhawks shot 18.8% (3-16). With only one senior, the Spartans were able to get the tough win over the Thunderhawks and prevail to 5-3 on the season.
Game # 2 (12:00pm) Staples-Motley vs. MN Transitions
The second game of the Shootout was headlined by two of the best all-around players in the state, Kevin and Kyle Noreen. The Noreen brothers dominated on both sides of the floor leading the Wolves to easy victory of 58-36. Kyle had 15 points in the first half, outscoring the Cardinals in total, which only had 14 in the half.
The Cardinals were able to keep it close in the beginning of the game, but midway through the first half the Wolves pulled away and never looked back. The Wolves shot 54.1% (20-37) compared to the Cardinals shooting just 30.4% (14-46). Also, the Wolves were able to capitalize on the free throws, making 76.2% (16-21) compared to the Cardinals shooting just 54.4% (6-11).
Kevin Noreen had another dominant game, leading all scores 24 points while shooting a sterling 71% from the floor (10-14). He also led the game with 11 boards, the only player in the game to record a double-double. All in all the Wolves had three players in double digits with DeAngelo Potter scoring 10 and Rodney Owens with 13. Kyle Noreen had a quietly nice game, adding 7 points, 6 boards, 2 blocks and 1 steal.
The Cardinals struggled on the offensive end and did not have a single player in double digits. They were unable to capitalize from the three point line, shooting a dismal 11% (2-17). Senior center Jon Bristow lead the Cardinals with nine points and seven boards. Jordan Riewer led the game with three blocks.
With this win the Wolves will go to 7-1 on the season as Kevin Noreen, who has committed to Boston College, looks to become the states' all time leading scorer. The Cardinals fall to 5-2.
Game # 3 (2:00pm) Crosby-Ironton vs. Plainview-Elgin-Millville
The third game of the High School Shootout featured the undefeated Crosby-Ironton Rangers taking on the Plainview-Elgin-Millville Bulldogs. The Bulldogs and Rangers battled to the last seconds, but the Bulldogs were able to hold off the Rangers behind a monster game from senior forward Cole Olstad. Olstad led all scorers with 23 pts, 7 boards and 6 steals.
The Bulldogs were able to come away with the lead at half 27-21 behind Cole Olstad’s 16 first half points. Coming out of half the Rangers look re-energized, going on a 6-1 run to bring the score within one. The Bulldogs picked up their game with help from Cole Olstad and his older brother Clay (who is committed to Concordia in St. Paul). Clay also had a nice game with 7 pts, 6 reb, and 4 dimes.
Both teams were plagued with turnovers; the Bulldogs were able to come up with the win despite having 22 turnovers, including three backcourt violations. The Rangers had 19 in the game, with Mark Hoge accounting for nine of them.
Cole Olstad, with 23, was the only player from the Bulldogs who scored in double digits while the Rangers had two players in double figures. Senior forward Mark Hoge was the only player to record a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards. Brock Tesdahl also had a solid game with 10 points and two blocks.
The big difference in the game came from the hard defense from the Bulldogs and their ability to hit their free throws down the stretch. The Rangers went to the line just twice, and made 2 of 4 possible free throws while the Bulldogs went to the line 10 times and made 7 of them. Another big impact was the Bulldogs ability to score in the paint. They had 30 points in the paint compared to just 10 by the Rangers.
The Rangers get their first blemish in the season, falling to 8-1 while the Bulldogs will go to 8-2 on the season.
Game # 4 (4:00pm) North Lawndale College Prep (IL) vs. Henry-Sibley
The fourth game of the High School shootout featured some of the best big players in the state of Minnesota and one from Illinois. 7’0” senior center Jake Kreuser and 6’10” senior forward Mike Rostampour headlined the game for the Warriors in a losing effort to 7’0” senior center Paul Bunch and the NLCP Phoenix. The Phoenix were able to come away with a 62-54 win.
The Phoenix went into half with a five point lead thanks largely in part to Stephen Thorpe’s 7 first half points. The Warriors looked re-energized out of half, and after shooting 15.4% (2-13) from beyond the arc in the first half, they decided to attack the basket. They went on a 7-0 run to regain the lead.
The Phoenix called a quick time out, re-focused and there was no doubt from there on out. The game came within three points a couple of times, but the smart ball control and high percentage shots put the game out of sights for the Warriors who fall to 4-5 on the season.
The Warriors struggled all game from the field, shooting an abysmal 13% (3-22) from behind the arc and just 27.5% from the field (19-69). The Phoenix on the other hand shot a healthy 45.1% from the field (23-51) and only attempted three 3-point shots all game. It also spoke the depth of both teams as the Warriors had only two points off the bench while the Phoenix had 32.
Both Krueser and Rostampour knotted a double-double each in a losing effort. Krueser finished with 15 pts 14 boards and 3 blocks. Rostampour finished with 12 pts, 14 boards and the sole steal for the Warriors. Jordan Jackson also had a good game, with 12 points.
Jermaine Winfield of the Phoenix led all scorers with 18 points and 13 boards. Paul Bunch was the only other Phoenix player with double digits with 11 points and 9 boards. The Phoenix may only have had two players in double digits but had 12 different players with at least one point compared just six by the Warriors.
Game # 5 (6:00pm) Linn-Mar (IA) vs. Minnetonka
The fifth game in the High School Shootout featured two very potent offenses with the Linn-Marr Lions squaring off against the Minnetonka Skippers. The Lions were able to beat the Skippers 88-71, even with Senior guard Cole Stefan having a monster game (40 pts), but silenced him in the waning minutes to secure a victory.
Going into half the Skippers were up 36-31 behind Stefan's 17 first half points, but coming out of the half the Lions went on a 17-6 run. After that the Lions took high percentage shots and outscored Minnetonka in the paint 38-16. The Lions would end up scoring 57 points in the second half. The Skippers were held to just 35 points, 23 of which were made by Stefan.
The Lions shot a sizzling 60.7% (34-56) from the field, and 50% (6-12) from behind the three point line. Though the Skippers also shot well, 52.1% (25-48) from the field and 43.5% (10-23) from three point land, they were beaten in almost every other aspect of the game in the second half. They were outrebounded 18-7, had 8 second half turnovers and zero fastbreak points compared to the Lions 6.
Even with the loss, Cole Stefan was able to put up a huge game. He had 17 points in the first half, 23 in the second, shot 61% (16-26) from the field, including 57% (8-14) from the arc. Tor Anderson was the only other player for the Skippers with double digits; he had 14 points of 5-7 shooting with 3 steals.
The Lions woke up in the second half, putting on an offensive clinic, four Lions scored in double digits, including two with 20 or more points. Marcus Paige finished with 20 points and 6 assists while his teammate Matt Bohannon finished with 26 points, 3 assists and 2 steals. The other two Lions in double digits were Shane Benton, who had 17 points and Josh Montague with 12 points.
With this loss the Skippers will fall to 5-5, though four losses were against ranked teams. The Lions will go to 7-1 and will look to win the AAAA Iowa state title for the first time since 2007.
Game # 6 (8:00pm) Champlin Park vs. Hopkins
The sixth and final game of the night featured two teams that look poised for a state championship. The experienced Champlin Park Rebels faced off against a relatively young Hopkins Royals. The Royals were able to squeak by the Rebels by a score of 74 - 69
The first half was dominated by the Rebels, who connected on six three point buckets while the Royals struggled from beyond the arc, and were only able to make one on seven attempts. Senior guard Jaspar Duberry led the charge with 12 first half points, including two three pointers. The Royals shot just 62.8% (5-8) from the charity stripe that led to their first half deficit.
The second half was nothing like the first half as the Royals stormed back from a 10-point deficit and went on 14-2 run. They were able to take the lead early in the second half and hold on to that lead thanks to their swarming defense. The Rebels committed 6 turnovers in the second half.
Though they brought it within three points, for the most part the Rebels were dominated on both sides of the ball in the second half. They shot an abysmal 34.3% (24-70) and went 6-24 behind the three-point line.
The Royals were led by the stellar performance from Joe Coleman who had 24 pts scoring 15 in the second half. His impeccable second half was key in the Royals victory. Marvin Singleton also had a good game and was the only player to record a double-double, putting up 20 pts and 11 boards. DJ Peterson and Jeremiah Tolbert also scored in 10 points each.
Even in the loss the Rebels had a many players with good games. Jasper Duberry led the Rebels with 17 points and two steals. All in all the Rebels had five players in double digits including Josh Pella with 14, Brandon Davis with 13, Kyle Zimmerman with 12 and Jordan Reibling with 11.
The Royals improved to 8-1 on the year, going an impressive 39-1 in their last 40 games. The Rebels fall to 5-3, but look to rebound with a strong showing here tonight.
Top Performers in Today’s’ High School Shootout
Jordan Smith – Orono Spartans
25 points and 9 boards
Eric Stark – Grand Rapids Thunderhawks
18 points 7 boards and 4 assists
Kyle Noreen – Minnesota Transitions Wolves
24 points, 11 boards and 4 assists
Jon Bristow – Staples-Motley Cardinals
9 points and 7 boards
Mark Hoge – Crosby-Ironton Rangers
17 points and 10 boards
Cole Olstad – Plainview-Elgin-Millville Bulldogs
23 points and 7 boards
Jermaine Winfield – North Lawndale Prep College Phoenix
18 points and 13 boards
Jake Kreuser – Henry-Sibley Warriors
15 points, 14 boards, and 3 blocks
Matt Bohannon – Linn-Marr Lions
26 points, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
Cole Stefan – Minnetonka Skippers
40 points (record for fourth most in the High School Shootout)
Jaspar Duberry – Champlin Park Rebels
17 points and 2 steals
Marvin Singleton – Hopkins Royals
20 points and 11 boards.
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