Alex Conover
Special to Timberwolves.com
Several sequences during the Maple Grove/Iowa City West looked more like a wrestling match — or gladiator battle — than a basketball game.
Missouri-signed center Reed Nikko had to plug a bloody nose early. Iowa City West’s Alex Henderson took a hard fall in the paint and got kicked in the head on the way down. Charges were drawn and blocks were dished out.
But at the end of the game, Maple Grove was the victor in the third game of the 2016 Timberwolves Shootout, winning 70-57 over a quality opponent.
“We started off a little slowly,” Maple Grove head coach Nick Shroeder said. “I didn’t think we were as patient as we needed to be. Then Reed got going, Tywhon had an awesome game, and I was happy with our overall team effort.”
Maple Grove held a one-point lead at half, 27-26, as both teams were largely neck-and-neck. But an excellent game from Tywhon Pickford (25 points on 10-14 shooting) and a monster effort from Nikko (9-11 from the field for 18 points, 8 rebounds and 7 blocks) helped Shroeder earn his 100th career win in just six seasons as head coach.
When asked if this was his most talented team yet in his six years coaching Maple Grove, Shroeder gave a different answer.
“I’ve coached a lot of really good kids who I would trust watching over my own kids. That’s how I judge things right now, is when these kids come back and see me, what kind of person have we become. Talent-wise, yeah this team is probably deeper than most. But character-wise, this team ranks right up there with a lot of teams I’ve had.”
And for Maple Grove, a team that is considered a heavyweight contender in Class AAAA, they saw this opportunity as a warm up for March.
“Getting the opportunity to play on this floor — where we could potentially play a state tournament — that gets a head start on things,” Shroeder added.
Iowa-signed junior Connor McCaffrey, who played despite illness, led Iowa City West with 20 points; Devontae Lane pitched in 15.