ST. PAUL CENTRAL 82, HOPE ACADEMY 30
Monday night options generally are limited. When you factor in AAAA teams the available games become even more narrow. Tonight, was a case in point. But the score did not reflect that narrowness. AAAA St. Paul Central traveled to Class A Hope Academy and got a running time win in the process. The Minutemen overwhelmed the hosts almost right from the start. SPC led 11-2 after the first three minutes. The theme of second chance points and transition were in full effect at that stage with Central scoring seven of their first eleven off second chances, and the other four points coming on layups/transition. There was no mystery in the storyline arc. By half time Central had enough to win for the night 44-11. Ten of the eleven Central players scored. SPC had eight players in the range of seven to ten possessions.
Neither team was stellar at the line. Central’s anemic 42.85 looked positively robust to the skimpy 16.67 for Hope.
This was my first foray to Hope Academy, which is in South Minneapolis on 24th and Chicago. The gym appears to be a recent creation. There is one side of bleachers, the benches and score table opposite. Hope Academy is the “Lions” and has a giant Lion head on center court.
This was not my first charting of Hope Academy. Last year they played a more appropriate class—AA on a journey to Mounds Park Academy. But the results were almost 180 degrees different than this evening with a 78-39 victory. The difference in a year? Ella Pritchard no longer is at Hope Academy. She is now at Cristo Rey Jesuit. Pritchard had 21 points last year. The other four starters are back and they combined for 51 points then. This showcases the difficulties scheduling across classes. This is the Goldilocks theorem: You need to get the porridge (or in this case schedule) just right—not too hot and not too cold.
On Friday night my team was up at half 44-11 in a strange coincidence.
I am now at 50% of the AAAA teams. 31 teams remain.
| ST. PAUL CENTRAL | HOPE ACADEMY | |
| POINTS | 82 | 30 |
| REBOUNDS/OFF | 58/25 | 56/27 |
| TURNOVERS | 18 | 36 |
| 2FGA/% | 67/43.28 | 44/25.00 |
| 3FGA/% | 16/37.50 | 23/8.69 |
| FTA/% | 14/42.85 | 12/16.67 |
| PP100 | 97.6 | 36.1 |
| TOP SCORER | Alayjza Campbell 17 | Abby Carlisle 8 |
TRENCH PLAYER: Alayjza Campbell with 17 points, 188.9 pp100, and an exact member of the 31 Club with 31.