Dylan Rodriguez: This kid can score points!

By Jason Olson Of the Sportsweek Staff One game after setting the new single-game scoring record, Blaine senior Dylan Rodriguez came up short this past Tuesday night (Feb. 17) at Champlin Park. So did his team by the score ofI 83-70.

Rodriguez was one of three starters to foul out in this Northwest Suburban game. His night ended with nine minutes remaining and a modest 16 points. Rodriguez and the Bengals were riding high after an emotional and season-high 81-63 win over rival Anoka the preceding Friday (Feb. 13). “We can’t score in the high 70s and 80s and expect to win,” he said. “We’re one of the two-three lowest scoring teams in the conference but we are one of the better defensive teams.”

Not only was it senior night and a game with community bragging rights on the line, but the UMD-bound senior forward set a new single game scoring high of 42 points. He passed Ben Kreklow’s 41 points (set against Maple Grove in 2006) when he hit a soft floater. “Dylan is a great kid who really deserves it,” said coach Ted Critchley. “It was a big decision to leave him in there, instead of pulling him out of the game, but once we found out he had 37 points we made the decision to get him the ball.” Critchley said he called a time out to let the mostly junior varsity players on the court know of the situation. “We told them to look for Dylan,” he said. “Kids passed up lay ups and they wanted him to see him reach the milestone as much as him.” Blaine's Dylan Rodriguez will continue playing basketball next season at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Photo by Jason Olson. Rodriguez was confident his senior season was going to be a big one. He’s averaging 19.5 points per game and has scored at least 20 points 10 times. Rodriguez credits the time he put in during the off season at 43 hoops, an AAU program for preparing him for his final prep season. “They really helped round out my game,” he said about the off-season program organized by former Timberwolf Chris Carr. “They really helped me learn how to put the ball on the ground and polish my post game.” He’s now looking forward to joining the UMD Bulldogs basketball team on a full scholarship next fall. As far as a major, he’s still trying to make a decision between engineering and business. After losing 10-of-11 games between December and January, the schedule for the remainder of the season was looking rather grim. But lately Blaine has found a resurgence, winners of five of six before Tuesday’s Northwest Suburban Conference loss at Champlin Park. “We definitely have a history, or something,” he said about weak starts followed by very strong finishes. “Or its just me.” Blaine (9-12) lost by two points to the Rebels on Jan. 13, but Rodriguez scored 34 points in the loss. Blaine struggled to keep up Tuesday with the Champlin’s up-tempo offense down the stretch forcing the Bengals to foul. The result was an over abundance of free throws for the Rebels as the visiting Bengals committed 31 fouls (32 including Critchley’s technical foul in the second half, with the game out of reach). With five games left in the regular season, Critchley said the race for section seedings is still wide open, at least for the second through eighth spots” “Forest Lake is the only clear cut No. 1 team in the section,” he said. “It’s going to be a dog fight with everyone and it will come down to finding the right situations and match ups....”