8 SUNDAY GAMES FROM THE SUNS TOURNAMENT
The weather outside was more reminiscent of the winter high school season, not the spring club season, unless you are in Nome, Alaska. And with the snowflakes falling the sun was blocked out. But the MN Suns held their early tournament this year, not at SLP, but at StLP. Previous years the event was at Spring Lake Park. In 2018 St. Louis Park was the host. I spent my time on court one, the feature court with mostly 2019s in action. Already there is some shifting of power. And the Suns have improved up and down their teams. I was in the house of the rising Sun as my friend Eric Burdon would say.
As for the day, in games I charted, the MN Stars won three times. MN Stars Amundson won the Big 10 division, the 2019s. The Suns won twice with MN Suns Jefferson, behind a last second drive by Jada Hood, knocked off MN Stars Nelson in pool play. The WI Lakers won twice and MN Fury 2020 Gauntlet won a game. The 2020 should give you an indication they were playing up.
GAME 1: MN Stars Buerman 55, High Impact Turner 51
Lindsey Reps broke a 51 tie with a free throw, and the next possession added another to help MSB edge out HIT.
GAME 2: MN Stars Amundson 61, MN Fury 2020 Gauntlet 53
MSA got a late kick in the first half to lead MF20G by 11 at half (30-19). With 11:35 left they were flirting with the 20 point mark (41-22). The Fury had a furious comeback narrowing the gap to 56-50 with 1:45 left. Courtney Crouch, formerly in the Fury program, then stuck a dagger in the game with three (59-50) with 1:14 left. Time slipped away for any more heroics for the Fury.
GAME 3: WI Lakers 2019 White 84, High Impact Turner 38
GAME 4: MN Fury 2020 Gauntlet 58, MN Suns Kietzer 38
GAME 5: MN Suns Jefferson 49, MN Stars Nelson 47
The only time MSJ led in this game was when the clock showed 0.00. Jada Hood, channeling Arike Ogunbowale, hit a driving lay up to give the Suns their only lead and the win. The Suns trailed by as many as eight in the second half (33-25). Two straight 3s, one by Hood and one by Bailey Reardon narrowed that gap quickly to 33-31. MSN still was able to keep separation, but their offense went bone dry the last 2:19. The Stars then led 47-44. Hood tied it with a three from the right side. Twice in the last minute MSN missed a lay up. The Suns rebounded, through it to the Stars, but the Stars also misfired on a pass setting up Hood’s heroics.
GAME 6: MN Suns Fassett 69, North Iowa Fire Ciochetto 47
MSF knocked down twelve 3s on the day.
GAME 7: WI Lakers 2020 White 49, MN Suns 2020 Bluestar 47
The Suns got off to a fast start holding a 13-4 lead thanks to the hot hand of Zhane Thompson who knocked down two 3s and had eight of the points in the first five minutes. The rest of the game Thompson had six points. The widest the Suns’ lead got came at 21-9. The Suns offense “set” at that point as they only managed two more points the last six minutes of the first half. The Lakers led at the break 27-23. The Lakers would continue to lengthen their lead in the second half out to 47-40. Overall the Lakers enjoyed a 38-19 surge. The Suns caught their second wind and managed to slice into the lead to 47-46 with 1:42 left. The Lakers went into a delay suffocating any momentum and survived the comeback attempt.
GAME 8: MN Stars Amundson 56, MN Suns Jefferson 51.
MSA won the Big Ten (2019) title holding off another late surge by MSJ. Twice in the first half MSA led by double digits. MSJ cut it to five at half (29-24). MSJ took a 47-46 lead after a Hood lay up with 6:45 left in the game. Brienna Smestad put MSA back in front two possessions later on a dish from Kacie Borowicz. For the next six minutes MSA milked the time off the clock and held MSJ at bay preventing a repeat of the MSN game.
Category | MN Stars Buerman | High Impact Turner | MN Stars Amundson | MN Fury 2020 Gauntlet | WI Lakers 2019 White | High Impact Turner | MN Fury 2020 Gauntlet | MN Suns Kietzer |
Points | 55 | 51 | 61 | 53 | 84 | 38 | 58 | 38 |
Rebounds | 54 | 35 | 31 | 26 | 41 | 20 | 43 | 22 |
Turnovers | 22 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 7 | 16 | 14 | 14 |
2FG% | 32.5 | 32.4 | 55.6 | 42.4 | 67.6 | 21.9 | 57.1 | 31.0 |
3FG% | 13.3 | 21.4 | 16.7 | 35.7 | 50.0 | 30.0 | 10.0 | 26.3 |
FT% | 75.0 | 78.6 | 75.0 | 90.9 | 84.6 | 46.2 | 38.9 | 71.4 |
Bench | 17 | 10 | 15 | 35 | 22 | 10 | 29 | 13
|
Category | MN Suns Jefferson | MN Stars Nelson | MN Suns Fassett | North IA Fire Ciochetto | WI Lakers 2020 White | MN Suns 2020 Bluestar | MN Stars Amundson | MN Suns Jefferson |
Points | 49 | 47 | 69 | 47 | 49 | 47 | 56 | 51 |
Rebounds | 29 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 23 | 28 | 38 | 37 |
Turnovers | 16 | 16 | 14 | 27 | 17 | 19 | 10 | 18 |
2FG% | 48.4 | 39.4 | 50.0 | 50.0 | 54.5 | 40.0 | 44.4 | 21.9 |
3FG% | 31.3 | 33.3 | 35.3 | 37.5 | 36.8 | 35.3 | 12.5 | 45.0 |
FT% | 50.0 | 65.2 | 69.2 | 40.0 | 57.1 | 66.7 | 90.9 | 71.4 |
Bench | 17 | 14 | 38 | 1 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 12 |
Team | PP100 | scorer | Distributor | D stops |
MN Stars Buerman | 77.5 | Veronica Quinn 10 | Lindsey Reps 6 | Anna Schultz 10 |
High Impact Turner(1) | 70.8 | Allie Negen 19 | Macy Savela 5 | Eve Turner 12 |
MN Stars Amundson (1) | 96.8 | Tori Nelson 14 | Kacie Borowic 7 | Tori Nelson 10 |
MN Fury 2020 Gauntlet (1) | 85.5 | Two with 11 | Two with 4 | Two with 5 |
WI Lakers 2019 White | 150.0 | Caroline Strande 18 | Three with 6 | Three with 8 |
High Impact Turner(2) | 70.4 | Kia Tower 15 | Four with 3 | Macy Savela 5 |
MN Fury 2020 Gauntlet (2) | 98.3 | Molly Mogenson 11 | Lauren Frost 6 | Alyssa Ustby 8 |
MN Suns Kietzer | 64.4 | Solana Cushing 10 | Abby Mackenthun 5 | Jennifer Schaible 6 |
MN Suns Jefferson (1) | 89.1 | Jada Hood 13 | Shayla Miller 7 | Bailey Reardon 10 |
MN Stars Nelson | 87.0 | Destiny Oberg 12 | Blake Greer 5 | Two with 6 |
MN Suns Fassett | 103.0 | Ella Berg 14 | Megan Diggan 5 | Two with 8 |
North IA Fire Ciochetto | 70.1 | #12 18 | #3 6 | #12 7 |
WI Lakers 2020 White | 87.5 | Kate Richmond 14 | Phoebe Frentzel 5 | Phoebe Frentzel 7 |
MN Suns 2020 Bluestar | 77.2 | Two with 14 | Zhane Thompson 5 | Two with 7 |
MN Stars Amundson (2) | 83.6 | Macy Nilsen 12 | Kacie Borowicz 9 | Two with 9 |
MN Suns Jefferson (2) | 76.1 | Shyanne Loiland 16 | Cheyenne Carter 7 | Shyanne Loiland 13 |
TRENCH PLAYERS:
Game 1: Lindsey Reps
Game 2: Tori Nelson
Game 3: Caroline Strande
Game 4: Lauren Frost
Game 5: Jada Hood
Game 6: Megan Diggan
Game 7: Kate Richmond
Game 8: Macy Nilsen
PLAYER OF THE DAY: Jada Hood