DeLaSalle overpowers Minnehaha 70-30

<p>Well, who expected that? 2 top 10 teams, and running time? I mean, sure, DeLaSalle is Class AAA and they were at home. Minnehaha is Class AA and playing on the road. Still, running time? Bottom line: DeLaSalle was hungry after losing 4 of 6 in the past 2-and-a-half weeks. And maybe Minnehaha wasn’t, coming in with 5 straight wins.</p> <p>Or, maybe there’s a better explanation. DeLaSalle was simply too big, too strong and too athletic. The Islanders won the battle of the boards 36-19 according to my unofficial stats, and 14-3 on the offensive end. De scored 19 2nd chance points, the RedHawks zero. Yes, that’s right, 19-0. And De forced 17 Minnehaha turnovers while committing only 7 of their own, and they scored 26 points off those RedHawks turnovers while Minnehaha scored just 2 points off DeLaSalle turnovers. Taking 2nd chancers and points off turnovers together, the Islanders won those battles by a mind-boggling 45-2.</p> <p>Also, as a result of all those O-boards and Minnehaha turnovers, DeLaSalle got off 29 more FG attempts than Minnehaha. DeLaSalle shot 11-of-36 FG in the 1st half—again, that’s according to my unofficial numbers. Minnehaha shot 11-of-36 for the game.</p> <p>Perhaps most amazingly, it was just 29-24 after Minnehaha scored the 1st 5 points of the 2nd half. After that, it was 41-6. 41-6.</p> <p>DeLaSalle’s 3 stars were Elaina Jones, Ayanna Gardner and, ah, Nurjei Weems. Jones scored 17 points, slashing to the rim with and without the ball, in the half court and in transition. Always a great defender and rebounder, Jones’ offensive game continues to mature. Gardner scored 15 2nd half points, both 2s and 3s, to go with 3 rebounds and 4 steals. Weems helped Jones, Oliva Travis and Mary Claire Francois dominate inside with 8 points, 7 boards, an assist and 2 steals. Dacoda Speidel put the icing on the cake with 4 3s for 12 points.</p> <p>The only real bright spots for Minnehaha were Mia Curtis, who scored 12 1st half points, and Avery New, who had 8 rebounds and a block.</p> <p><strong>Looking Ahead</strong></p> <p>My 1st impression was that Minnehaha’s lack of size and strength is a real limiter on its potential post-season success. But, where and when, exactly, are they going to run into a team like DeLaSalle in Class AA? In a state semi, maybe? But in Section 4AA, the ability of Curtis and Terra and Taytum Rhoades to run the floor will take the RedHawks a good long way. They didn’t have much success doing that against the Islanders, but that will change starting later this week.</p> <p>Meanwhile, DeLaSalle has reasserted its claim as a contender for a section and a state title after a rocky previous month. If they play with the same sense of purpose over the next 3 weeks that they showed last night, well, I don’t want to play them.</p>