Osseo Maple Grove Basketball Association

Heading into the holiday season, the Crimson got back to work in a big way in the St. Francis tournament. The tournament was a good opportunity to see new teams. The weather created some havoc on the roads, but some big surprises were in store for the fans and coaches.

Game 1- Park Center

The Pirates found themselves with only four players as the game began. The Crimson adjusted and played four on four basketball for the first time since third grade. Maple Grove jumped out fast led by AJ Miller who ran the court and scored four of his team high 14 early.

“I really thought that group started quick.” Said Coach Doug Erlien “No one plays with more energy than AJ. It was great to see him running the floor in control and getting points early.”

Maple Grove dominated the entire game and outworked the Pirates and led at half 38-18.

Graham Schroeder continued to dominate inside scoring a team high 14. Jacob Schutz scored 10 in the win for Maple Grove.

“We shot real well from the field and for the first time at the line as well” noted Erlien, “You are going to win games if you shoot well from the line.”

Game 2- Blaine

Faced with a zone defense and a flex offense, the Crimson went into the semi-final contest with Blaine knowing a solid effort was needed to advance to the championship game.

Jacob Schutz would take matters into his own hands. Working the baseline, finding the soft spots in the zone, Jacob earned trips to the free throw line on the games first few possessions and made the Bengals pay scoring seven quick points.

“The game is so much about recognition and making adjustments. Jacob proved today the player he is” said coach Doug Erlien “The first unit did a good job of recognizing where the holes in their zones were.”

Schutz ended the game with a season high 17, 12 in the first half and helped the Crimson to a two point halftime lead. The second half would prove to be dramatic and a new hero would step out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

Mitchell Dickerson hit two huge three pointers late in the second half to give the Crimson the lead.

“Doc hit two big time shots late to put us over the top” said Erlien “It has been fun to watch our kids extend defenses with the range of their shots. They are not afraid to take the three, which will continue to be a big part of the game.”

Maple Grove would win the game 38-35 and move on to their second championship tilt of the young season.


Championship Game- Zimmerman

Herb Brooks once said “Great moments are made from great opportunity.” Nothing could have been more true as the Crimson looked to face Zimmerman in the championship game.

The Crimson jumped out early led by Mitchell Rekstad’s quick seven points. Maple Grove outworked the Thunder defensively and cruised to a 33-19 half-time lead.

“I thought our kids came out with great intensity early” said Doug Erlien “We got good balance from both groups and for two quarters outplayed them.”

The second half proved to be a bot more of a challenge as the Thunder worked hard and actually outscored Maple Grove 15-13 in the second half.

“This game should be a wake up call to our kids. You can’t quit doing the little things well after a half. We played our best half of the season in the first and went into sleep walk mode in the second.”

The Crimson won the contest 46-34 and improved its record to 8-4.
 

Eden Prairie Tournament Recap

The Crimson entered the Eden Prairie tournament with a 4-2 record on the season. The squad faced two tough Eden Prairie teams and a familiar foe in Chanhassen.

Game 1- Eden Prairie

The Eagles defeated the same Eagan team that outworked the Crimson earlier in the season. Maple Grove jumped out to a 22-13 halftime lead and created several turnovers en route to a solid 38-27 win.

The Crimson were led by Mitchell Rekstad’s 11 points and Graham Schroeder’s 7 points and 9 rebounds. Jack Dahl-McGlone poured in 8 points and Jonathan Burk helped clean the glass with 8 rebounds.


Game 2- Chanhassen

Facing the Storm of Chanhassen for the second time this season, the Crimson looked to move on to the championship game of a very tough draw in Eden Prairie.

The Crimson trailed early to a tough Storm defensive unit. Graham Schroeder tried to keep the Crimson in it scoring 7 of his team high 9 points in the first half. They would go to halftime trailing 21-17.

The difference would be in the details of the game as the Crimson were hit with two technical fouls for not having two names in the official scorebook. The miscues cost Maple Grove four points and the game as the Storm won game two between the teams 36-34.

“It really is a game of details. As coaches, we need to be sure we take care of our end as well.” Said coach Doug Erlien. “Our kids did everything they needed to do to win the game. We let them down.”

Mitchell Rekstad continued his impressive play with 9 points.

The Crimson would move on to play for third place against Eden Prairie (the other one).

Third Place Game- Eden Prairie

After losing to Chanhassen, the Crimson earned the right to play in the third place game. Standing in the way of more hardware, the Eden Prairie Eagles. The Crimson started fast as Nick Erlien hit 3 of his first 5 shots including a three pointer to pace the squad with 9 points.

The game was tied at 21 as the teams headed to the halftime break.

The second half turned into a defensive struggle as both teams found scoring difficult. Graham Schroeder scored four of his 8 points. The Eagles proved to be too much and won the contest 37-34.

The Crimson fell to 5-4 on the season.
 

Maple Grove dropped to 4-2 on the season and will play in the Eden Prairie tournament in two weeks.