Preps Game Blog: Hopkins vs Minnetonka

PREGAME BLOG

B-Squad

It's 5:30 and this place is pure packed already. Sold out…Joe Coleman, Minnesota Gopher Dan Coleman's younger brother, put up some good numbers in the B-Squad game which was 87-75 with Hopkins winning. Eighth grader Siyani Chambers has showed extreme poise handling the basketball and creating shots for others. This kid is a real general on the floor…Leonard Glass, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, is very impressive in this B-squad game and he'll also be playing in the JV contest for the Skipper. He's a name to watch as is Andrew Latzke's younger brother who hit a ton of shots in this game…

JV Game

It's JV time and this place is packed. If kids across the metro are not playing games they are here watching including players from CDH, BSM, and New Prague…JV game opened up with a vicious dunk from Hopkins freshman Marvin Singleton. At 6-foot-4 Marvin also had an immediate lay-in and a made 12-footer. But Tonka would then blitz the Royals after Singleton's early exploits. Taylor Nelson and Cole Stefan played both halves in the JV game and having their experience, size, and ability gave the Skippers a huge advantage and a win…Andy Chadwick had about ten lay-ups in the second half as Minnetonka crushed Hopkins in the JV game…

Student crowds in here are crazy and there are way more people in here then there is room for people…Kris Humphries from the Toronto Raptors has come home for this game and Crunch from the Timberwolves is in the building…The student sections are nuts and the Tonka kids are extremely loud. The atmosphere in this building is amazing…The Tonka crowd just did their stretches in the stands and their counts were very loud…

FIRST HALF

Rough start for Trent Lockett who misses the game's first shot which is a two-foot lay-up and then he airballs a 16-footer. Meanwhile, CJ Erickson gets a monster dunk and this place goes bonkers. You do not get a crazier high school atmosphere then this…UT Udo gets the start for Tonka likely for his defense and he gets a quick lay-in…Mike Broghammer off to a nice start with a elbow jumper and he runs the floor for a three-point play…

Raymond Cowels also off to a nice start. He just drove and scored strong at the rim followed by a drive and dish to Anthony Diloretto. Raymond then sunk a triple …Udo continues to play well as he just had a nice dish and scored twice going at the cup. His second and third field goal already as UT has stepped up….Anthony Tucker gets his first make at the 11:25 mark…Tucker makes a three then CJ gets a steal for a lay-in and its 25-17 with Tonka up. The bench guys at Hopkins are struggling some early and the experience of the Skippers is really showing in this built up monster game…

Six minutes left in the first half and this game is being played at a very quick pace. No time-outs yet and there have been some good defensive plays as well as a lot of nervous jumpers that have either crushed the iron or missed it all together…The stars starting to come out as Tucker hits another three and CJ Erickson reverses the ball very unselfishly to give Andy Burns the look which is drained. But Cowels scores strong around the cup and then Broghammer backs down the defender and gets a three-point play. Tucker comes back with a three, which was contested hard, but Broghammer keeps dominating down low. Scores for the third straight possession in the paint…37-30 with Tonka up…

Hopkins would take the lead for the half going up 38-38…Broghammer scored again underneath and that extended his streak to four straight possessions with a score. Mike has a great touch inside and I haven't seen anybody this year that can seal as strong as he does on the block…Marcus Williams ripped Kyle Risinger for an easy lay-in, Diloretto hit a pull-up jumper in transition, and Williams created a three-pointer for Raymond with his penetration….The Royals really began to hurt the Skippers with their size underneath as Minnetonka was playing behind Broghammer and Diloretto, and the Skipper bigs couldn't do anything but get scored on. Taylor Nelson may get some time in the second half as he couldn't play in the first half due to playing the entire JV game…

SECOND HALF

Diloretto has played a real nice game. He just scored with a very strong move under the basket and when Tonka has put the ball in the paint guys either can't shoot over Anthony, as they get blocked, or they won't shoot out of fear. He has been a good post presence against Tonka…Lockett, the Arizona State commit, has been defended by Tucker, the Iowa commit. Lockett just now scored his first bucket that I recall and its two minutes into the second half. Trent's low numbers have been a combo of Anthony playing decent defense, Trent not being aggressive after the early misses, and Hopkins having other players getting it done. Trent's lay-up gives Hopkins the 47-40 lead in the second half…

The Tonka coaches have given CJ Erickson the opportunity to take the Hopkins big guys off the bounce in the second half and he is now doing it. CJ missed a lay-in and was fouled in those opportunities off the wing…Here comes Taylor Nelson into the game early to give some size but big Diloretto beats him off the block as well…51-43 with Hopkins up…

CJ Erickson has played very well in the second half. He is one of the state's best defenders and he's played well on that end again tonight. CJ's helpside defense is tremendous because he is such a presence for shot blocking and getting deflections. Plus he just hit a three and makes Hopkins call a time-out…Huge shots from Risinger and Burns and this is a one-point game. The crowd is insane right now…

Marvin Singleton with two buckets here to help Royals. Both shots were inside and this kid is a great looking young athlete….Anthony Tucker with an amazing play! He splits the defense, goes behind the back on somebody, and then goes at cup leaving his feet, floating under a shot blocker then finishing with a gorgeous finger roll. What an amazing play and one of the best I seen all year…But Hopkins is up 63-58 as Broghammer has scored in the paint the last two possessions…Six minutes left…

Anthony Tucker has struggled with his deep jumper tonight and it's a combination of he just not being on and a very good defensive effort from Raymond Cowels…Marvin Singleton has had a very good second half and has scored with Brogahmmer sitting in foul trouble. He's played so well that Hopkins hasn't needed to put Broghammer back in…Lockett has not had a great offensive game but he's made some hustle plays down the stretch that have helped Hopkins maintain a ten point lead. Down the stretch Hopkins just hung on because they are playing very good team defense right now. Williams is a premier on ball defender, Diloretto has been a huge presence inside, and Cowels has worked his tail off to defend Tucker…79-75 is final score…

POSTGAME BLOG

This is the first of two match-ups and if things go as expected they will play three games this year. Being the first contest this game is not as big as the make-up of it. But every person in these communities, every basketball fan, and every player has known when this game was going to be played since the start of the year and it was exciting. But there is at least one more to come, and if they play in sections that game will be even more intense…The atmosphere was incredible and Hopkins stays undefeated…

Coaches in the crowd last night included staff members from St. Louis and Northwestern. It's a safe bet that they were evaluating Cowels and Broghammer. Coaches will continue to watch Lockett but he looks all Arizona State wearing their gear in pregame. And while I'm on it, Jordan Taylor proudly supported Wisconsin as part of his attire, Michael Floyd had the Notre Dame gear on, and John Nance was wearing his Minnesota stuff...

Anthony Tucker and Mike Broghammer had a game high 22 points. Raymond Cowels scored 19 while CJ Erickson put up 17. Erickson was also big defensively and on the glass. Despite the loss I think this was one of the more impressive showings for CJ and Evansville is really getting an intelligent basketball player...