The past two weeks have been quite eventful in prep basketball. There were outstanding performances by three St. Paul City Conference teams; a former St. Paul City Conference great coach led her girls’ basketball team to victory; three metro-area alums played in an important collegiate match-up; and two Minneapolis City Conference rivals played a game that ended in overtime.
Saturday, December 17
(Mitchell Palmer McDonald)
Amitri Collins-Westland scored 29 points, Dreem Kelley Jabbar added 28 points, and Victor Minefee added 13 as host St. Paul Highland Park came back from a 39-28 halftime deficit to defeat Henry Sibley 96-76 in a nonconference boys’ basketball game.
Rieshaun Satar’s 23 points led Henry Sibley. Jack Korte added 18, Jacqi Cotton-Flowers had 14, and Malik Spearman chipped in 10.
Saturday, December 10
Lu’Cye Patterson led the way with 26 points as Brooklyn Center defeated Milwaukee Vincent, who got a 28-point performance from Justin Brookins.
Patterson, a sophomore guard, had help. Devanta Prince added 19 points, Adreone Sprinkles chipped in 17, and Rudwan Tahir had 14 for the victorious Centaurs.
Friday, December 9
Cornell Chandler’s 18 points led St. Paul Como Park to a 67-54 victory over Grand Rapids. Trey Clark added 17 and Kyrin Woodard chipped in 12 for the Cougars.
Thursday, December 8
(Mitchell Palmer McDonald/MSR News)
Aja Wheeler and Ty’neecia Longs scored 11 points each and Kierra Wheeler added 10, leading Robbinsdale Cooper — coached by former St. Paul Central and University of Minnesota great Kiara Buford — to a 48-45 nonconference girls’ basketball victory over Minneapolis South.
Morgan Hill and Jade Hill led South with 17 and 12 points respectively.
Wednesday, December 7
Former Minneapolis Washburn sharpshooter Chuckie Smith scored 15 points and guard Henry Sonie, who starred for Apple Valley, had 12 in Augsburg’s 91-74 loss to St. John’s in MIAC men’s basketball competition.
Jubie Alade, who starred at Robbinsdale Armstrong last season, had 13 points for the victorious Johnnies.
Two games I missed
Saturday, December 17
(Mitchell Palmer McDonald/MSR News)
Kyle Lee’s 19 points led St. Paul Johnson to a 72-70 overtime win over Prairie Seeds Academy (PSA) in a nonconference matchup.
PSA — coached by former St. Paul Johnson great Quincy Caldwell — was led by Brian Robinson’s game-high 31 points. Devon Gibson added 16 and Jamar Robinson chipped in 10.
Shemar Tucker-Adams had 14 and Justin Yang added 11 for Johnson.
Tuesday, December 13
Morgan Hill scored a game-high 31 points and Rose Lutz added 16 in Minneapolis South’s 78-77 overtime win over City Conference rival North.
North, with Alani Pettis leading the way with 22 points, overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to force the extra period.
Monique Wooten, Serena Ballard and Luul Yusuf scored 12 points each, and Alex McNeill added 11 for the Polars.
Mitchell Palmer McDonald welcomes reader responses to mmcdonald@spokesman-recorder.com.
Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald is a contributing columnist at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.