Next up Brainered

The Rebels travel up north on Friday to face the Warriors who are currently on a 4 game losing streak. The team features 3 sport star guard junior Kyle Crocker who is their leading scorer and has twice as many points as any player on their team. Crocker is shooting 37% from the arch. It will be a homecoming for head Mark Tuchscherer who played his high school basketball at Brainerd High School.

Champlin Park Is Taking On Irondale In The Second Game Of The Anoka Tournament

Steven's Sports Report

In the second game of the day, it is Champlin Park taking on Irondale. This is the first time that I have seen either of these teams this year.

Jeff Munneke who works for the Minnesota Timberwolves has a son, Tyler, who plays for the Champlin Park team and he is here today watching his son play in this game.

As this game gets underway both of these teams are looking to get the ball up the court. Champlin Park has been able to get the ball out of the basket and both of these teams have been trading baskets early here in this game so far.

Irondale has started out in this game playing zone defense. They have been able to close out on the shooters. Scott Theisen has just come down and hit a nice jump shot here for this Champlin Park team. He has played well so far in this game today. He has played with great poise here today.

Both of these teams are trying to get the ball up the court here in this game. Irondale continues to play tough strong aggressive defense here. Irondale is also playing in the half court. They are not putting on the defensive pressure in the full court as of yet.

Both of these teams are really getting after it here in this game. They have been on the floor going after the loose balls in this game.

De’Andre Williamson for Champlin Park is really going after the ball here. He is also going after the rebounds here on both ends of the court.

This has turned into a physical game here as the officials have let the players play there style of games here today. Champlin Park is looking to trap the ball here. Irondale has had trouble bringing the ball up the court here in this game today. They have been a few times that they have not made it across the half court line.

Jasper Duberry is playing well for the Rebels. He is playing good tough defense. On the offensive end he is very vocal and telling his players where they are supposed to go.

At halftime, Champlin Park has a 44-23 lead over Irondale.

Irondale can’t get too down on themselves here in this game. Even through that they are down here at the half they still have to come out and compete here in the second half.

As this second half gets underway here both of these teams come out fired up we will have to see what team comes away with it here down the stretch.

Scott Theisen has played well here today. He has been able to find the basket here today as he is not afraid to get his teammates in to the game as he has done a nice job passing the ball to the open man. Jasper Duberry has knocked down a couple of three point shots here in the second half.

Champlin Park has been able to find the basket in this game. Champlin Park’s coach has done a nice job in the substitution patterns here as he has been able to keep his players legs fresh.

Irondale’s Rayveen Banks has just put on some nice dribbling moves here. He was standing out in the middle of the court and dribbling the ball in between his legs trying to beat his defender off the dribble. He also has made some nice passes here as he has good court awareness.

With 11:49 left to go in regulation the score is Champlin Park 64 and Irondale 34.

Irondale is now playing half court man to man defense. In most cases they will have Rayveen Banks pick up his man at half court.

With 8:29 left to go in regulation the score is Champlin Park 66 and Irondale 39.

Both teams are playing hard here this entire game neither team is backing down here as they know that this game. This game has gotten sloppy for a couple of plays here as both of these teams have fumbled the ball here in this game.

With 3:50 left to go in regulation the score is Champlin Park 71 and Irondale 45.

As this game has come to a conclusion each of these teams played really well but Champlin Park has come away with the victory in this game. The final of the game was Champlin Park 78 and Irondale 50.

CP 78 - Irondale 50

The Rebels when this one in a cake walk. The team races out to a 44-23 halftime lead behind Theisens 19 points and never look back. Both teams empty their benches with about 5 minutes left.

The Box:
Theisen - 25
Duberry - 13
Zimmermann - 11
Williamson - 11
Hager - 5
Reibling - 3
Davis -2
Okafor - 2
Sanstad - 1

Walker - 1

? - 2

Of Note:

• Scott Theisen finds his range and knocks down seven 3's.
• Duberry knocks down - 3's.
• Team makes twelve 3's.
• Marquardt sprains his ankle getting a dead ball.
• Hager sees more minutes because of the Marquardt injury and plays well.
• Munneke returns after missing yesterdays game against Hopkins.

Next up ... Irondale

The Rebels take on this section foe.

Hopkins 90 - Champlin Park 71

A much anticipated game, not for a competitive reason, but for the Rebels fans to have an up close look at the states #1 team which is also ranked nationally. The Royals starting five are all D1 players. The Rebels come out and match the Royals intensity early which was very important for them. The Rebels keep it close for the first twelve or so minutes as all of the starters are scoring. The Royals get a couple of breakouts and runs and lead at the half 53-32.

The Rebels continue to play with the Royals and actually go on a couple of runs which make it interesting for flashes of the second half. Both teams empty their benches with about 4 minutes left and let their JV players mop this one up. I didn't see it but I heard the JV team beat Hopkins earlier in the day.

Hopkins is a very solid team up front and their best overall player looks to be Raymond Cowles. He is a SOLID player and I think he is the ONE that makes it all work for them. Lockett was fun to watch as Sundufu showed his DEEP shooting range.

The Box:

Zimmermann 15
Theisen 13
Duberry 12
Williamson 10
Walker 4

Of Note ...

• The Rebels take a couple of heavy weight runs from the Royals and try to answer back.
• Zimmermann continues to play bigger than his size.
• All five starters score in double digits.
• Theisen with 8 rebounds.

Next Up Hopkins

The Rebels take on the #1 team in the state on Tuesday at 7pm. The Royals defeated Irondale 95-52 in their opening game of the tournament.

Champlin Park 74 - Wayzata 85

Good game, the final score has no reflection of what type of game this was. The Trojans go into the locker room up 11, 41-32, off of a late run. The teams play the second half pretty evenly (actually 44-42 Wayzata) with a lot of questionable calls that I think were evened out by games end. the Trojans are just to long and strong up front and their bigs make the difference. Pella and Zimmermann (one, both or the other with another double double) play well and do what they can but the Trojans are just to deep up front. The Rebels start to use their abundance of quick guards and tie the score at 68 off of their ball pressure. Rebels have a couple of turnovers and missed shots and before you can blink the Trojans are up 8 with a minute left.

The Box:

Theisen 12
Duberry 10
Williamson 6
Munneke 5
Marquardt 3
Zimmermann 2
Reibling 2
? - 16 points are unaccountable per the score sheet ... I would say most are Zimmermann's

Of note ...

• The dynamic defense guard duo of Marquardt & Hager (classic example of no points don't matter)
• Rebels get back in game and play effectively with 3 guard alignment
• Still no Dittrich

Prep metro holiday tournament schedules

ANOKA TOURNAMENT

Games Monday

• Hopkins vs. Irondale, 3 pm

• Champlin Park vs. Wayzata, 5 pm

• Anoka vs. St. Paul Como Park, 7 pm

Games Tuesday

• Anoka vs. Irondale, 3 pm

• Wayzata vs. St. Paul Como Park, 5 pm

• Hopkins vs. Champlin Park, 7 pm

Games Wednesday

• Hopkins vs. St. Paul Como Park, 3 pm

• Champlin Park vs. Irondale, 5 pm

• Anoka vs. Wayzata, 7 pm

BETHEL TOURNAMENT

Quarterfinals • Saturday

• Maple Grove vs. St. Anthony, 1 pm

• Minnehaha Ac. vs. Henry Sibley, 2:45 pm

• Eden Prairie vs. Mounds View, 6:30 pm

• SP Johnson vs. Minnetonka, 8:15 pm

Games Monday

• Semifinals, 6:30 and 8:15 pm

Games Tuesday

• Championship, 8:15 pm

• Third place, 6:30 pm

CATHOLIC SPIRIT TOURNAMENT

Quarterfinals • Monday

• Park Center vs. St. Bernard's, 3 pm

• Armstrong vs. Woodbury, 4:45 pm

• Roseville vs. Hou. St. Thomas, 6:30 pm

• Holy Angels vs. Cretin-D. Hall, 8:15 pm

Games Tuesday

• Semifinals, 6:30 and 8:15 pm

• Consolation semifinals, 3 and 4:45 pm

Games Wednesday

• Championship, 6:15 pm

• Third place, 4:30 pm

CHISAGO LAKES TOURNAMENT

Semifinals • Today

• Andover vs. North St. Paul, 6 pm

• Esko vs. Chisago Lakes, 7:45 pm

Games Saturday

• Championship, 6 pm

* Third place, 4:15 pm

DASSEL-COKATO TOURNAMENT

Semifinals • Monday

• Zimmerman vs. St. Francis, 6 pm

* Detroit Lakes vs. Dassel-Cokato, 8 pm

Games Tuesday

• Championship, 8 pm

• Third place, 6 pm

EDINA TOURNAMENT

Semifinals • Monday

• Waconia vs. Chaska, 6 pm

• Kennedy vs. Edina, 7:30 pm

Games Tuesday

• Championship, 7:30 pm

• Third place, 6 pm

FOLEY TOURNAMENT

Semifinals • Monday

• Becker vs. Rockford, 6 pm

• Sebeka vs. Foley, 8 pm

Games Tuesday

• Championship, 8 pm

• Third place, 6 pm

GATORADE SHOOTOUT

Saturday, Jan. 3 • At Target Center

• Cloquet vs. Pelican Rapids, 10 am

• Osseo vs. Sioux Falls Roosevelt, noon

• H. Sibley vs. Madison Memorial, 2 pm

• Hopkins vs. Lake Geneva Badger, 4 pm

• Cooper vs. Eden Prairie, 6 pm

• SC Tech vs. Manitowoc Roncalli, 8 pm

Next Up Wayzata ... again

The Rebels play the Trojans for the second time in two weeks. They lost to the Trojans 65-59 in their first contest. With the Rebels down 61-59 with seconds to go, Jamar Franks makes a steal on Duberry at half court. Duberry races him down and gets a phantom intentional foul call, game over. Ought to be an interesting game.

Hopkins favored in Anoka

The state's top-ranked team will be the team to beat in a strong field at the Anoka tournament.

By DAVID LA VAQUE, Star Tribune

Last update: December 25, 2008 - 2:09 PM

BOYS' BASKETBALL

Anoka tournament

Anoka will be the latest team to discover that it might be your gym, but it is all about No. 1 Hopkins. The Royals' Mike Broghammer (pictured), Raymond Cowels, Trent Lockett and future Gopher Royce White steal the show wherever they go.

Fighting for some spotlight will be No. 9 Wayzata, led by Jarrod Peterson (16.3 points per game) and Nolan Odland (15.5).

Rayveen Banks, who just missed a triple-double earlier this season, will lead Irondale. Scott Theisen averages 19.7 points per game for Champlin Park, and Bernie Ward (15.4) is the top scoring threat for host Anoka.

St. Paul Como Park, which reached the Class 3A state tournament last season, fills out the bracket.

Champlin Park 67 - White Bear Lake 57

Pictures courtesy of Terri Johnson
The Rebels stay ahead of the Bears pretty much the entire 1st half behind the inside game of Kyle Zimmermann 13 points & 14 rebounds who notched his first double double of the year. They go into the locker room up 34-28 at the half. The Rebels continue to run the court well in the 2nd half as the Bears can not get up and down with them.

Their defense in the 2nd half stops the Bears in a couple of 3 minute stretches. With Hager and Marquardt in at the guards and applying relentless pressure, the Rebels don't allow a shot in 5 straight possessions at the 5 minute mark to pull away for the win.

The Rebels have four players in double digits. Spencer Cummings led the Bears with 16 points.

The Box:
Pella 20
Zimmermann 13
Theisen 12
Duberry 11
Munneke 9
Williamson 2

Of note ...

• Hager - plays more meaningful minutes and his defense in a 2nd half run help the Rebels pull away.
• Theisen - never finds his range and forces up some bad shots.
• Duberry - consecutive made free throw streak ends at 14, restarts and goes to 5)
• Zimmermann - season high 14 rebounds.
• Munneke - good all around game (4 rebounds, 2 assist & 3 steals)

Tourney time busts into December break

Article By Nick Clark
(Created: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 6:42 PM CST)

It's holiday break time on the prep schedules, but while school may be out, holiday tournament time is most definitely on.

At least that is the case at Champlin Park High School next week, where three different teams will take the ice and hardwood.

The Champlin Park girls hockey team will take it's stock of talented juniors and head to New Hope for the annual Channel 12 Holiday Classic.

Eight teams will gather on Dec. 27 and play for a championship that will be decided at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12 at the New Hope Ice Arena. Both the North and South rinks will be used in the arena, and all of the games played on the North side will be televised live on Channel 12.

That will give the Rebels at least one game on TV, as they open with Cooper at 5:15 p.m. on the North rink, and a win in the opener would guarantee Champlin Park of playing each of it's three tournament games on the same sheet of ice.

"That would be nice, but first we have to get through Cooper," said head coach Bob Grander. "I know they will play well defensively, and if you make a mistake they have some players that will capitalize and I know the goalie will be solid. We'll have our work cut out for us if she is on her game. We can't take anything too lightly against Cooper."

Onalaska, Wisc. and Henry Sibley will play in the quarterfinal opposite Champlin Park, and the other side of the tournament bracket consists of Buffalo, Maple Grove, Moose Lake and Armstrong.

"I think it's going to be a good field this year," said Grander, whose team placed fifth in the tournament last winter. "It is always a good tournament to participate in."

The boys hockey team will also be in action over break, taking part in the Boys Silver Division of the Schwan Cup.

Click here for their website.
Champlin Park opens up the tournament with Cretin-Derham Hall at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 29 at Aldrich Arena. Burnsville, Benilde-St. Margaret's, Duluth East, Breck, Brainerd and Wayzata are also in the field.

The tournament semifinals are all scheduled for Dec. 30. The seventh place game, consolation final and third place game will be held Dec. 31, while the champion will be crowned Jan. 1 at 6 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center. Fox Sports North will televise the final.

On the hardwood, the boys basketball team will be the only other representative from Champlin Park taking part in a tournament next week. The Rebels will be in Anoka for an appearance in the Anoka Holiday Classic that, with a new format this year, will pit the boys up against a pair of top-10 teams in Class 4A, as well as a possible section opponent.
Abbreviated picture do to size.
The round-robin tournament - it's been played under the more classical bracket format the last few years - will situate Champlin Park up against No. 9 Wayzata at 5 p.m. Dec. 29, No. 1 Hopkins at 7 p.m. Dec. 30 and then Irondale at 5 p.m. Dec. 31.

The Rebels already faced Wayzata this year, losing 65-59 Dec. 16, and Hopkins will start four Division I signees when the two teams meet next Tuesday.

"They are better than most M.I.A.C. college teams," said head coach Mark Tuchscherer. "That will be an unbelievable test for our guys."

The girls basketball team won't be taking part in a tournament, but the Rebels will get in a game over break. They were scheduled to Irondale at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 30.

Maresh cleared to play for Gophers

Sam Maresh at practice during last year's football season at Champlin Park High School.

Former CP linebacker will return six months after heart surgery
BY NICK CLARK

Like he has most for the better part of the last six months, Sam Maresh stood inside the University of Minnesota football practice facility Wednesday, Dec. 17 biding his time.

But this day was nothing like any other.

Just six months removed from an open-heart surgery procedure that replaced his aortic valve, Maresh was given the go-ahead to resume football related activities.

He got that news Monday, Dec. 15, and even on Wednesday, he was still taken aback by the fact that his playing days would officially continue.

"It blew me away," said Maresh, who was reached by phone while he was watching the Gophers go through one of their tune-ups for their Dec. 31 Insight Bowl game against Kansas.

"You always have to have that faith that you will recover as fast as possible, but it still is a good feeling to go in there and have them say you are ready to go after six months. I can't really explain it."

Maresh was given the news at the Mayo Clinic, and he'll return to Rochester for one final test before the Gophers start their spring practice in March.

In January, he'll begin taking college classes at Minnesota - he didn't enroll for the first semester so he could concentrate his efforts on the rehabilitation process - and he'll also begin working out within the Gophers winter workout guidelines then as well.

That also means he will continue to get an up-close look at the construction of TCF Bank Stadium, where the Gophers will begin play Sept. 12 against Air Force.

Maresh said he gets the "shivers" even thinking about that day. Chances are, more than a fair share of his family and friends will get that same feeling when he takes the field.

"I can't wait," he said. "It all starts with a lot of motivation. You have to be motivated enough to get after it and accomplish what the goal is, and that was for me to get back out there as soon as possible and to play in that stadium. I just took baby steps and did what the doctors told me and it all worked out."

Next Up White BearLake

The Rebels host the White Bear Lake Bears at home on Tuesday December 23rd at 7pm. The Rebels lost their game with the Bears last year 58-56 in over time when they where not able to convert on the free throw line.

The Bears are lead by junior post player Spencer Cummings and senior Mitch Fiereck.

Champlin Park at Buffalo Thoughts

The Czar goes east metro to a special west of the metro trip with the Caveman to Buffalo for their tilt with Champlin Park. Hard to figure what league Buffalo is in as this is their 4th straight game vs the NW Suburban. They beat Coon Rapids and are coming off back to back losses to Elk River and Maple Grove. Buffalo has a very nice building too. Good place to watch a game despite the fact that the friendly concession stand person gave me Diet Pepsi instead of regular Pepsi. How am I going to maintain my girlish figure on 0 calories?

I was psyched for the Jasper Duberry (CP) vs Eric Olson (Buffalo) matchup but Olson isn't in the starting lineup and the 1st 3 Buffalo subs don't include him. But Olson finally makes his entrance at 12:32. Lefty Brock Korbel enters as well and sparks an 8-0 run in just over a minute with back to back triples on his 1st 2 touches. 13-6 Bison at 13:26. Buffalo very deliberate with their 5 man open post motion. Korbel with another triple and Olson on the board with a layup to make it 20-14 Buffalo at the 10 minute mark. Korbel not bashful about shooting it when he's got any daylight. Scott Theisen with a triple and a Josh Pella layup brings Champlin Park within 22-19 at 8:48. Thiesen picks up his 2nd foul at 6:04 and he has to sit out the rest of the half. The Rebels now going 1-3-1 trapping the corners. Olson with a free throw, a triple and then he finds Brooks Beilke for a layup. That's 6 in a row for Buffalo and they're up 30-24 with 2:50 left in the half. CP not rebounding in the zone so they're back man. Pella and Zimmerman trade assists to each other and get the rest of the 1st half points for CP. 33-31 Champlin Park at halftime after a 8-1 run over the last 2 minutes. Theisen with 10 points before the 2 fouls. Pella with 8 and Zimmerman with 6. Korbel with 9 for Buffalo on his 3 triples. Olson and Beilke with 6 each.

Champlin Park determined to play inside in the 2nd half. Kyle Zimmerman with the scoring there. Korbel with a couple of buckets for the Bison to keep it close. 41-39 CP at 12:45 and Zimmerman has 6 in the half and all the points for CP are inside. Zimmerman then with 2 FTs and a layup that bookend a 7-0 CP run that makes it 48-39 CP with 10:40 left. Eric Olson back in after a rest as Buffalo needs him on the floor to stop the bleeding. He finds Chase Liska to break the run but picks up his 4th foul at 10:15. Will Buffalo survive? Beilke with a 3 point play cuts it to 4. DeAndre Williamson with another inside hoop for CP. Brandon Stevens with a 3 to cut the CP lead to 50-47 at 8:50. Zimmerman with another post hoop but then he leaves after appearing to tweak his back (an injury that kept him out most of the fall) at 8:17. Beilke makes 2 bonus FTs and another FT to cut the lead to 53-50 at 7:45 and Olson is back in the game. Zimmerman returns and finds Tyler Munneke for a triple on the inside out look. Beilke hot with a triple and then a J cuts it to 56-55 CP at 6:25. Zimmerman with a free throw and then a nice pass ahead to Pella that yields another free throw. Pella gets a steal and finds Duberry for a layup 60-55 CP at 5:15.

Bielke with another triple and then he steals the inbounds for 2 and the foul. He makes the foul shot and in the blink of an eye, Buffalo is back on top 61-60 with 4:30 to play. Duberry drives and banks one home at 4:10, CP by 1. Olson gets a steal at the 3 minute mark and in the process of driving to the basket on Duberry, he pushes off on him and gets called for the offensive foul. (good call) That's the 5th foul on #3 Olson and he's gone. But wait, the zebras and the scorer's table (and frankly the CP bench too) mess this up horribly and the foul is credited to #33 Beilke and Olson by some miracle is still in the game. I'm speechless. Duberry makes 2 FTs off the resulting possession and CP leads 64-61 with 2:38 left. Olson then makes 1 of 2 after a phantom holding call on Duberry. The ref right on the play sees nothing and then out of nowhere the official on the other side of the court calls the hold. Wow. 1:45 to go CP by 2. They take time and kill almost a minute of clock with a dribble weave type delay but Theisen on the bounce pushes a guy over (good call) at 49.9. CP stays with the 1-3-1. Beilke makes a hard cut down the left side of the lane gets the ball on a nice feed and goes up. Pella appears to block the shot cleanly but there's the whistle and that's Pella's 5th foul. Beilke makes both with 37.7 left and we're tied at 64. Out of a timeout, CP looking to quickly run a screen the screener play for Theisen rather than playing for 1 shot. Zimmerman gets fouled off the ball as that's happening. He makes 1 of 2 with 21.7 left, 65-64 CP. Out of a Buffalo timeout, CP stays 1-3-1. Olson gets in the top gap and in the lane. He finds Beilke underneath but he can't convert. Theisen rebounds and gets fouled with 4.3 left. He makes 1 but misses the 2nd. Buffalo rebounds and calls their last timeout at 3.6. They show the play and then CP calls timeout before the inbound. Buffalo tries to find Olson curling near midcourt but he is forced into the backcourt. He never touches it and Buffalo doesn't get a look at the final shot. 66-64 Champlin Park in a fun game with some strange officiating late.

For Buffalo, they fall to 2-3. 1-3 vs the NW Suburban. They finish their tour of the league when they host Osseo on Tuesday. Eric Olson with 6 points but he was the guy who got them into their sets and found open people. This was especially true of his penetration for good looks vs the 1-3-1. Brock Korbel is instant offense off the bench. he got his 11 points in 2 quick bunches. Brooks Beilke was coming off 2 quiet games, but he went off for 25 tonight. He had 19 of Buffalo's 33 in the 2nd half despite that last tough miss inside. 2 triples and 7 of 8 from the stripe. Monticello appears to be the favorite in the Mississippi8. STMA just moved into the rankings so they'll be there. I look for Buffalo and Cambridge-Isanti, despite their current struggles to be next in line. CI has a brutal 3 game stretch after the holidays where they host STMA and Buffalo followed by a trip to Monticello in a 6 day span.

For Champlin Park, they get their 1st win of the year after tough losses to Minnetonka and Wayzata (no shame there). Kyle Zimmerman with 15 in the 2nd half and a total of 21 for the game. CP was able to throw the ball down to the block to him to get points whenever they wanted in that 2nd half. With the assists added in, he had a part of at least 19 of the 33 CP 2nd half points. This may be the only time all season where you see CP as the dominant team inside scoring post up buckets. Scott Theisen with only 4 2nd half points after 10 in the 1st half. They're not deep as they really only play 7, and you could say 6 as DeAndre Williamson may or may not be part of the critical rotation. Size obviously an issue and in their 1-3-1 they didn't rebound well in it and they weren't active in it. But if they played man, Buffalo's execution would have gotten to them. Tough spot to be in. They'll also need to address the backup point spot and they really don't have a good way to get Jasper Duberry a rest.

X and O of the Day
The final play for Buffalo was something like this (at least the apparent intent, not the result). Ball on the end line on the right side of the basket for the offense. 1 guy around the top of the key in the backcourt. 1 guy at center court. 1 guy at center court on the left side line. Olson was on the left side near the far hash mark. The idea here is to have Olson curl around the screens of all 3 guys or any set of them and catch the ball on the move going toward the basket (or at least not backwards) and in the natural direction of his dominant hand (an under estimated part of this) up near center court or at least above the top of the key. You tell a player how many dribbles he has by calculating 1 dribble per second. So he'd have 3 dribbles with 3.6 left. They'd be clear because no one wants to foul him in a 2 point game. That would put him at the foul line extended area on the right wing with a chance to knock down the winning 3 at the horn.

Click here to visit the Czar's site.

Champlin Park 66 - Buffalo 64

The Rebels use the free throw line to secure their first win of the season. Duberry knocks down two with two muntes to go and then Scott Theisen and Kyle Zimmerman each hit a free throw in the final seconds to lift the Rebels over the Bison. Zimmermann led Champlin Park with 21 points (6 rebounds & 3 blocks) and Theisen had 14. A solid performance (8 rebounds) by Josh Pella who fouled out with 40 seconds left when he cleanly blocks a shot on the block that was called a foul.

Won't get to deep into this one as the Czar was there and he will break it down better than I can.

The Box Score:

Zimmermann 21
Theisen 14
Munneke 9
Pella 9
Duberry 8
Marquardt 2
Williamson 2
Hager 1

Of Note ...

• Zimmermann continues to impress
• Hager sees some meaningful 1st half minutes (gets his first basket). I was told he couldn't play the 2nd half because of his minutes in the prior JV game. Look for that to possibly change.
• The Rebels give up another late game changing run but are able to weather it this time with some clutch free throw shooting (4 of 6)
• Duberry stays perfect from the free throw line (14 for 14 for the season)
• The officials with more bizarre calls

Rebel boys to be tested

by Nick Clark
Champlin Dayton Press
(Created: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 2:56 PM CST)

The idea was intentional, and it will be far from easy for the Champlin Park boys basketball team, but that was what head coach Mark Tuchscherer was looking for.

The Rebels will play a schedule as difficult as any team in the state this winter, and that's just in the first seven games.

Champlin Park opened its season last Friday night with a 80-72 loss to defending state champion and fifth-ranked Minnetonka.

Before the calendar flips to 2009, the Rebels will play ninth-ranked Wayzata twice and face top-ranked Hopkins, which is just what Champlin Park wanted.

"We have a beefed up schedule, but that is by design," said Tuchscherer, who was scheduled to take his team into that brutal stretch with a home game vs. Wayzata Dec. 16 before visiting 2007 state champion Buffalo Dec. 19.

"The thinking with these non-conference games was let's play some of the best teams in the state and get prepared. Win-lose-or-draw you are ready for the conference."

A year ago, that is exactly what took place. Champlin Park opened up with three straight losses, but was better for it by seasons end, finishing with a 15-12 overall record and a second place finish in the Northwest Suburban Conference.

This year, the expectation is to be right back in the NWSC race, which on the front end should include Osseo, Blaine, Maple Grove, Centennial and Champlin Park.

For the Rebels to stay in that picture, they will likely have to shoot their way to the front. Size isn't something they posses, but they have the shooters.

"We are small, but we are pretty tough, athletic and quick, so it is going to be a different style," Tuchscherer said. "We are going to run and gun on offense, and we have the players to do that."

Junior Scott Theisen heads that list. He averaged 13.1 points per game as a junior and opened his senior season by dumping 31 on Minnetonka Friday.

"Scotty is lights out," Tuchscherer said. "If he is given time, there is a good chance it's going in. On the flip side, defenses are going to be aware of him and going to be after him, but hopefully we have some things in play where that will create other options for other people then."

Against the Skippers, Jasper Duberry did that with a 16 point performance, and the Rebels also got eight points from Kyle Zimmerman, seven from Ty Munneke, six from Josh Pella and two from Brandon Marquardt.

Duberry and Zimmerman both started last year as sophomores, and the latter will join Pella and D'Andre Williams in providing some sort of presence down low.

"We don't really have size in the post this year, but we are crafty with Zimmerman and Pella and Deandre Williams," Tuchscherer said. "That will be nice for us, because if they decide to come out and double the shooter, then hopefully we can get some easy buckets down low."

Support Our Team!

Sammy Perrella’s Pizza and Restaurant has teamed-up with the Champlin Park High School Boys Basketball Team for a delicious day of food and fundraising. Supporting our students has never been easier or tasted better!

All you need to do is stop by Sammy Perrella’s on the date of Sunday, December 21st, present this flyer, and 15% of your entire purchase will be donated back to the team. This offer is good all day and can be used for dine-in, take-out, delivery purchases, alcohol and desserts.

Please take advantage of this opportunity to support our team and enjoy great food and drink in the process!

Sammy Perrella’s is located just north of Hwy. 610 on Zane Ave.
Hours are from 11:00 a.m. to midnight
763-493-5920

Next Up Buffalo

The Rebels travel to Buffalo on Friday for their first road game of the season to take on the Bison at 7:30pm. The Bison won their first 2 games and then dropped their last two for a 2-2 record. They are led by Brock Korbel and Brooks Beilke.

I believe The Czar will be in attendance.

Wayzata Run Defeats Champlin

December 16, 2008
Michael J. Much

MinnesotaPreps.com Publisher

Jarrod Peterson put up 18 and Nolan Odland added 15 in this evening's Wayzata 65-59 win over Champlin. Jamar Franks and Eren Cur also scored double digit for the Trojans. This game was much closer that the final score indicates. Champlin Park looked as if they might win following Jasper Duberry's trip to the line to make three solid free throws very late in the game.

Click here for the rest of the story, pictures and video.

Jump over to http://www.mnphotonet.net/ to view over 200 high resolution game prints which can be ordered for home delivery.

Champlin Park 59 - Wayzata 65

The game starts out with Zimmermann not starting but replacing Williamson after 2 minutes, he scores immediately. Peterson knocks down a 3 pointer to give the Trojans a 12-8 lead at the 14 minute mark as the Rebels go into a 1-3-1 zone. The teams continue to trade baskets as Franks hits a 3 to end the first half 29-28 Rebels. Zimmermann with 7 points.

Christmas comes early for the Trojans ... here is the last 5 minutes.

Game turning point ... with the Rebels up 53-49 with 5 minutes left Franks is called for fouling Duberry while shooting a 3, an absolutely HORRIBLE call, Duberry makes all 3 to push the Rebel lead to 56-49. With in a matter of seconds Duberry is sent to the bench with his 4th foul for holding Jarrod Peterson (18 points) while the Trojans where setting up there offense, another HORRIBLE call by the SAME official. It was very clear that this was a make up call.

The Trojans go on an 8 point run to take the lead 57-56 and the Rebels are force to call a timeout. The Rebels finally score again on a Pella put back to make the score 59-58 Trojans. Theisen is fouled while going to the basket and makes 1 of 2 free throws to tie the score at 59 with 40 seconds left. Kellen Taylor cuts to the basket for a lay up to give the Trojans a 61-59 lead and Rebels call timeout.

The Rebels take the ball out at half court, Wayzata's Jamar Franks (12 points) reaches in and steals the ball from Duberry and races down court. Duberry runs him down and attempts to foul Franks on the floor. Instead, the official (guess which one) calls an INTENTIONAL FOUL. This has got to be the worst call I have ever seen in my entire basketball life. He rules Franks shot good on a continuation and awards the Trojans two free throws and the ball. Franks makes both to complete the incredible 4 point play and Wayzata wins the game 65-59.

The Box Score:

Zimmermann 15
Duberry 14
Theisen 14
Pella 8
Munneke 4
Marquardt 2
Williamson 2

Of Note:

• Officiating - the official who made the intentional foul call at the end was the same official who made SEVERAL bad calls for the last 5 minutes of the game. A video of the intentional foul call is currently on MN Preps at: http://minnesotapreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=890394
• Zimmermann - played great and seems to be getting his bounce back. He was able to get to the basket and finish as well as knock down short jumpers.
• Theisen - goes 0 for 6 from the arch.
• Duberry - struggled with bad passes and unforced turnovers.
• Energy - the Rebels never had five players at the same time on the floor with it.
• Rebounding - great improvement.
• Runs - for there second straight game the Rebels play well for the majority of the game and then give up a game losing run late in the game.
• Future - the two teams play again in the Anoka Christmas tournament.

The myth of the scholarship: A sliver of pie

Kevin Kray, with his parents, Dana and Ann, hoped to get a full-ride scholarship to play baseball at the University of Minnesota. But the former Osseo High School pitching star was surprised to find out the Gophers baseball program has only 11.7 scholarships available, which it splits up amoung up to 35 players.

Most scholarship athletes don't get full rides to college. In fact, many of them get just enough to cover their books and fees.
By JOHN MILLEA, Star Tribune

Next Up Wayzata

The team host the 2-0- Trojans Tuesday night at 7pm.
The Rebels lost to the Trojans twice last year.

Champlin Park 72 - Minnetonka 80

The Rebels hit the court for their home opener against the Skippers and one of the biggest story's before the game was whether Prior Lake sophomore transfer Tor Anderson was going to play. Here is what I saw … Tor played the JV game and sat on the bench for the varsity game. WORD has it that he will play on the JV team this year and then be eligible for varsity next year.

The Rebels started Theisen, Duberry, Williamson, Pella and Munneke. The teams come out trading baskets with Duberry getting the first 9 points for the Rebels while Tonka’s junior phenom Cole Stefan (22 points) answering with 4 of his own. Brandon Marquardt who replaces Duberry is the first other Rebel to score. Their first combined 11 points is a clear indication that the two are too quick for the Tonka guards. Pella picks up a foul and is quickly replaced by Zimmermann who has just finished recouping from an injury.

Theisen who missed his first 4 shots knocks down a couple of long range 3’s and Zimmermann adds a basket to give CP a 19-17 lead. The Skippers go on a late run and take a 43-36 lead into the locker room.

Theisen gets the Rebels back in the game with a couple of 3’s. Tyler Munneke knocks down a 3 to tie the game at 46 and force Minnetonka to call a timeout with 15 minutes left as Duberry goes to the locker room to get treatment for his groin muscle injury.

The Rebels retake the lead at 49-48 behind a long 3 by Theisen and go into a 1-3-1 zone. Duberry returns and hits a deep 3 and the Rebels call timeout down 54-52 with 11 minutes left. Theisen ties the score on the game restart inbound play. The Rebels do not score on their next 5 possessions as Tonka goes up 62-54. The Rebels trade baskets with the Skippers and don’t get any closer and go on to lose 80-72.

Of note …

• Champlin Park unveiled it's brand new scoreboard. The new scoreboard displays points and fouls.
• Sophomore guard Dillon Hager saw some early action in the first half. Dillon is a solid defensive guard who has a relentless nose for the ball.
• Theisen starts the season where he left off last year, dropping 3's, he had 5 and took 24 shots.
• Zimmermann returns to play in his first game in over two months. He looked a little rusty but had a couple of solid moves to the basket, look for his production to go up as he gets his game body back.
• Pella with 11 rebounds and 6 assists
• Duberry who was moved to the point had a number of turnovers but his pushing the ball and ball pressure on the defense resulted in a number of easy transition baskets and assists.
• The smaller Rebels rebounding by committee (Pella, Zimmermann & Dittrich) was not to bad but gave up a number of second chance opportunities to the bigger Taylor Nelson.
• Time Machine - the Champlin Park Jr's (Dittrich, Duberry, Hager, Marquardt, Pella and Zimmermann) last played Minnetonka as 7th graders in the semi-final game of the state tournament in which they won and went on to win the state championship.

The Box score:

• Theisen 31
• Duberry 16
• Zimmermann 8
• Munneke 7
• Pella 6
• Marquardt 2
• Williamson 2

Lady Rebels feel they have something to prove

Champlin Park senior Ali Schmidt drives past Mounds View's Jacy Christenson in the Rebels 55-49 win Thursday, Dec. 4 at Champlin Park High School. The win was Champlin Park's fourth straight to begin its year. BILL JONES
SUN NEWSPAPERS

Champlin Park Rebels Open Their Season Against The State Champs

Champlin Park Rebels

vs.
Minnetonka Skippers

Friday, December 12th, 2008

7:00PM

@

Champlin Park High School

Duberry Creating Interest @ St Norbert College

Champlin High Seeks Money For Makeover

Champlin Park High Principal Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed talked with senior Connor Moore outside class. “Sometimes, when you go into the academic wings, it’s just brick walls and open doors,” said Mhiripiri-Reed.

The school is hoping to find donations to fund the kinds of decorating touches that officials feel can make it unique.
By NORMAN DRAPER, Star Tribune

Last update: December 2, 2008 - 11:37 PM

BSTM December 2008