Do you believe in miracles? The folks at Minneapolis South do
Maybe it wasn't quite Douglas vs Tyson or the 'Miracle on Ice' but what Minneapolis South did Saturday by knocking off Wayzata 52-47 in the section 6AAAA semifinals certainly reverberated loudly throughout Minnesota basketball circles. In a seven-game series, you'd…
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Continue ReadingMaybe it wasn't quite Douglas vs Tyson or the 'Miracle on Ice' but what Minneapolis South did Saturday by knocking off Wayzata 52-47 in the section 6AAAA semifinals certainly reverberated loudly throughout Minnesota basketball circles. In a seven-game series, you'd probably pick Wayzata in five. In a one-and-done scenario, however, anything can happen which is why South will be playing Hopkins Thursday for a trip to the state tournament and Wayzata will not.
After starting the 2017-18 campaign 23-0, the Trojans ended up losing three of their last five games, a shocking end to a spectacular season. What everyone wants to know is, how did South do it? After all, the two teams had played just 10 days earlier and Wayzata cruised to a 20-point win.
“Weren't bad defensively in that first game, but everything we tried to do offensively did not work. We were just stagnant,” said Minneapolis South coach Nathan McGuire. “It felt like every possession we were just taking a shot for the sake of taking the shot. The next day in practice I added five new plays anticipating that we might get to play them again.”
This past Saturday, things went better for the Tigers at both ends of the floor. South's offense had flow, and sisters Morgan and Jade Hill were able to better take advantage of their speed. On defense, the Tigers packed it in down low and did a nice job of providing help when required. “We gambled more on staying home, and staying down to help, and then closing out hard on Mimi (Schrader) and (Jasmine) Smiley, who both have a quick release and nice shots from the outside,” McGuire said. “I think their guards were reluctant to throw it in.”
So how good are they?
We struggle every Sunday when the team rankings are updated because we never know where to put Minneapolis South. Sure, they have a nice record – 23 wins and 5 losses to date – but perhaps a dozen of those wins came against weak opponents. Very weak. Other than the North Polars, no Minneapolis City Conference team was able to give South a scare this season. In those games, Morgan Hill's night was usually done about five minutes into the second half with 30 points already in the bank. There is no scouting required, no game plan to implement, no pressure to play hard. It's not the sort of schedule that prepares a team for opponents like Wayzata and Hopkins.
“When we go up against teams that are really good we sometimes stop doing what we normally do,” McGuire said. “The first time we played Wayzata we weren't moving the ball up the floor, we weren't being aggressive. This time we really pushed when we had the opportunity and we were way more efficient on offense. The score wasn't that high but we had longer possessions. We took our time and got some really good looks. That was the key.”
With the celebrating over and done, McGuire went back to work on Monday, watching film and trying to prepare for another elite opponent. Unfortunately, the Tigers could not practice. “The snow day really hampered our preparation,” McGuire explained. “I have been in different districts where we were still able to practice on a snow day, but in Minneapolis they don't let us use the gym. When events are cancelled they are all cancelled.”
“We've got nothing to lose”
There are no secrets when it comes to Hopkins. The Royals are very good or really great in pretty much every aspect of the game. Sure South can run but the Royals can run just as fast. Certainly the Hill sisters are a handful, but nowhere near the challenge presented by Paige Bueckers. Besides trying to stop Bueckers, the key for South will be limiting the number of turnovers.
“For us it will really be about taking care of the ball,” McGuire said after watching Hopkins play St. Louis Park on Saturday. “There were two or three turnovers and all of a sudden they were down 10 in the blink of an eye. Then they would play well for a little bit and all of a sudden it's a run of two or three turnovers and Hopkins is now up 18. Fortunately, we have done a good job of taking care of the ball all season, even in the tough games.”
Bottom line? South is a longshot – a really, really long shot – to win this game. Of course, that's what we said last Saturday. “We've got nothing to lose,” McGuire said. “If we can keep the game close that puts all of the pressure on them. We don't have that pressure because nobody was expecting us to even be here. Just like the Wayzata game, Hopkins is supposed to win by 20.”