Preps Game Blog: Rochester Mayo vs Austin

PREGAME BLOG

Little background on this game. Austin now plays its games in the traditional Ove Berven gym where they had so much success in the past. Fourteen years back they moved from Ove Berven into the Competition Gym that was newly built. But with really no atmosphere and having a gym like Ove Berven still there with tons of tradition (Austin was the biggest school in state back in the late 60s time and early 70's, or about that era, and had a lot of success over the years going to state 21 times total) the fans wanted the games to again be played in the old gym of tradition and the school complied…Mayo's Jordan Hicks needs ten points tonight for 1,000 in his career….Mayo coach Shaun Lang played his high school basketball in this gymnasium as he is an Austin graduate…The creativity of students. Austin has six long banners in the gym in the six colors of the rainbow and they are between these pillars on the walls of the gym. On them it says "Caring", "Respect", and well, you get the idea. Six Austin fans are at the game dressed as the pillars decking themselves out in each color from head to toe. Signs like "The Pillar of Fairness", "The Pillar of Respect", and such….

FIRST HALF

Austin up 4-0. Sophomore Connor Gunderson scores and then junior guard Steven Rizzi cuts for a bucket. Packers being patient trying to outwork the Spartans, Pack looking to score off of defensive breakdowns with hard cuts both backdoor and through the lane. First bucket was off a weave style offense and the second was on a cut down the middle, almost looked like a version of a zone rotation. Packers now up 6-0 as junior John Maxfield hits baseline jumper. Gym is loud as this place has great acoustics for a hometown crowd…

Lucas Kuipers dominating on the glass early…Packers winning 11-6 and they are up for the game while it seems that Mayo is still trying to shake the cobwebs. Austin is playing a zone and whenever Hicks drives he gets a ton of attention. Jordan opened Andrew Matsumoto for a three as he penetrated and three guys converted on him in the lane leaving Matsumoto open by ten feet…..Packer zone is very active and offensively they are playing very unselfishly with great ball rotation. They also put up shots at any time from any range. In nine minutes of game time they have taken at least ten three-pointers. But they are getting nothing on the glass with Kuipers and Hicks up front and its just starting to take a toll as Packers have gone cold…

Both teams are on a serious scoring drought. With seven minutes to go its still 15-12. Shooting has been really bad and Mayo is struggling with Austin's zone defense…Weave results in another Connor Gunderson jumper in the lane. Connor has a real soft touch and is playing big minutes for Austin as a sophomore…Kuipers gets basket inside and Hicks hits jumper but overall Austin has done a good job defending them. Kuipers is getting rare touches on the block and Hicks's drive has been taken away for the most part…Garrett Benson hits three for Mayo and game is tied…Mayo hits more jumpers moving ball through zone and Spartans take a halftime lead of 25-21. Packers are trying to make the role players of Mayo beat them and thus far they have held down Kuipers and Hicks but the Spartans have hit a number of triples. Austin is still very much in this game and came out playing hard with a good game plan….

SECOND HALF

Mayo has scored three straight field goals to start the second half and have taken a ten-point lead. Kuipers scored once with his soft touch and then Spartan senior Will Hagen showed his athletic ability with a beautiful drive and score…Hicks's shot is off tonight and every time he puts it on the floor to make progress at the bucket in the halfcourt set he has at least two guys on him. It has resulted in a couple turnovers here in the second half but Jordan just went coast to coast for a soaring jam and a 35-28 advantage…Kuipers is really struggling to find his touch…

Austin now gets a pair of three-pointers from junior Nate Justice and then Connor Gunderson goes baseline and hits another mid-range shot. Everything the Packers are scoring with is coming from the perimeter. Hicks and Kuipers are having their own block party inside…Two nights in a row now for me seeing teams play a lot of zone defense. Yuck. But I'll admit its made sense in situations…

Gunderson hits a three-pointer from the corner then junior Will Felton makes jumper and it's a two point game at 40-38, Mayo ahead….Hicks is creating shots for others later in the game as it seems he's able to get through the Austin zone now as the Packer legs start to tire…Save the Crosby-Ironton crowd, this Austin student section is more populated and into the game then any I've seen all year…

Mayo back to playing man-to-man. Hicks gets a steal and runs a beautiful break giving the ball to his teammate for an easy-lay up in transition. Great play by Hicks who has not scored much but does have several assists. Jordan with yet another steal and this time he creates for Kuipers who scores while being fouled. Kuipers has struggled with his mid-range jumper but is starting to dominate on the inside. Three buckets in the last six minutes plus he made the free throw. Now Hicks with another steal and then flies in the air for a major two-handed jam. Game is stopped to honor his 1,000 career point. Great way to get it on a sweet slam and the entire crowd is standing to give him the ovation he deserves. Nice gesture by the crowd for a player from the visiting team…Mayo wins 58-47…

POSTGAME BLOG

Kuipers scored a game high 18 points while Hicks had ten with numerous assists. Austin was led by Gunderson's 12 points and then several players were in the 6-9 range…..Close game but Kuipers and Hicks took over in the end. Both had rough nights shooting from the field but Hicks did play a very good all around game. In addition to his 10 points Jordan had eight assists, four steals, seven boards, and two blocks. Great all around game and love the way the visiting fans honored Jordan. Plus his dunks and 1,000th point were all over the nightly news down here…

Austin seems to have some nice players for the future as their group is mostly juniors and some sophomores. Small but hard working and they have several good shooters. Gunderson is going to be a nice player in the Big Nine for the next three years…Austin has only two wins on there year but they are playing tough right now. Lost to JM earlier in 2008 by a point and last Tuesday Kato West barely got by the Packers in a three point game. In section with St. Thomas, Simley, Faribault, New Prague, and Red Wing but if they play like this they are capable of improving and winning a section game or two. This section is better then it was thought to be as New Prague looks like it could really challenge St. Thomas. How good is Red Wing? They lost to River Falls in OT and then beat JM so they are at least a good average team but a top ranked team? That will be decided in conference play as Red Wing's non-conference schedule has been amongst the weakest you will find in AAA. But give them credit for winning the games they have been given and it will jus be interesting to see how they do against better competition…

Mayo is on top of their section with Farmington. The rest of the section is not all that great. Farmington plays Mayo next Tuesday at Mayo in a huge game for conference play. You have to give Mayo the edge with their senior leadership while Farmington is a little younger. Bet that all the Big Nine alum, coaches and alike are pulling for the Spartans as the top Big Nine teams have not faired so hot against city teams in recent years…Mayo is 8-3 with losses to ranked Stillwater, Tartan and Mankato West (in OT)…Conference wise it will go down to Mayo and West all year. West has the advantage by a game right now with the OT win…