Monday, 3/3/08 @ SLP H.S.
Freshmen vs. Benilde
Park came from behind Monday to beat a strong Benilde team in thrilling fashion.
Park trailed 30-21 at the half, with TJ Gist leading Park with 10 points, Shai Hillman tossed in 4, Chris Ederer 3, Andrew Dahlke 2, and Dominique Hodgkins 2. Bobby Otto’s shot was off in the first half, but he would find his stroke in the second half!
Ederer scored in the opening seconds of the second half on a drive, then Asher Michels-Allen hit Otto with a backdoor pass for a layup to cut the lead to five, 30-25.
Ederer found Otto on a fast break, Ederer hit a three-pointer, and Michels-Allen found Otto for a backdoor layup again to cut the lead the three. Otto hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to two, then Allen-Michels hit Gist-you guess it-back door, and the score was tied, 37-37, with seven minutes left in the game.
After a Benilde basket, Allen-Michels scored on a putback of an offensive rebound, but Benilde went on a run and led by six, 45-39.
Otto scored a basket-and-one, and Allen-Michels scored on a jumper from the free throw line to cut the lead back to one.
With 4:30 left, Otto hit a three to tie the game, 47-47, and, after a Benilde basket, Dahlke made a nice scoop shot to tie the game, 49-49, with 2:36 remaining.
Gist was fouled and hit both free throws to put Park up by two, Dahlke scored on a nice up-and-under move, was fouled and made the free throw to five Park a five point lead, 54-49, with two minutes left.
Benilde couldn’t buy a basket in the closing minutes, and resorted to sending Park to the line down the stretch. Otto hit 4 of 4 free throws, Gist hit 3 of 4, and Dahlke iced the game with a steal in the final seconds.
Otto scored all 19 of his points in the second half, Gist scored 10 of his 20, and Ederer and Michels-Allen were the key playmakers of the game, with several great passes each.
Stats:
TJ Gist-20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Bobby Otto-19 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Andrew Dahlke-7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
Chris Ederer-5 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Shai Hillman-4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Asher Michels-Allen-4 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Dominique Hodgkins-2 points
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Friday, 2/22/08 @ Home
Freshmen vs. Spring Lake Park
Park won, 58-50, Friday afternoon, with all nine players denting the stat sheet.
For the second game in a row, Park dug itself a hole early in the first half, and trailed 10-0 before all the fans got comfortable in their seats.
Chris Ederer got Park on the scoreboard with a nice right-handed layup (Ederer is a lefty), followed by three Bobby Otto threes and one by TJ Gist, and the Panther lead was cut to four, 18-14.
Park’s next six points came from the line (4 of 4 from Gist, 2 of 2 from Dominique Hodgkins), and Shai Hillman nailed a jumper from the free throw line, and the half ended with Park trailing by four, 26-22.
The second half was dominated by the duo of Gist and Ederer, who each scored 13, with Otto adding 5, Hodgkins 3, and Dylan Vosika 2.
Ederer scored on a drive to start the half, then fed Gist for a layup “and one” to pull within a point. After a 5-0 Panther run, Otto nailed a three, then made a steal and layup and again pull Park within a point, but this time the Panthers didn’t go on a run. Park did.
Andrew Dahlke hit both Gist and Vosika for layups, and Ederer did a little “shake and bake” en route to a layup, and Park led 38-33.
The Panthers scored the next five point, followed by a Gist layup, a Gist three-pointer, and a Hodgkins three-pointer, and Park started to pull away.
Ederer hit a layup with five minutes left in the game, and Gist scored a layup “and one” off an Ederer assist to give Park a 51-43 lead with time running out.
The Panthers made a frantic run over the next two minutes to pull within three, 53-50, with 42 seconds left, then put Ederer on the line on Park’s next three possessions. With the pressure on in the one-and-one, Ederer hit both ends twice, and one of two on his last trip to the line to ice the game, 58-50.
Gist (20), Ederer (15), and Otto (14) carried the lion’s share of the scoring burden, but all nine players contributed in different ways. Asher didn’t score a point, but led Park with 7 rebounds, with Hillman adding 6, Vosika and Otto 4. Ederer led Park with 4 assists, but Dahlke added 3, and Gist, Otto, Hodgkins, and Hillman each dished out 1.
Vosika responded to a rare starting assignment with 4 big rebounds and big second half basket.
Stats:
TJ Gist—20 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Chris Ederer—15 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 block
Bobby Otto—14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 1 block
Dominique Hodgkins—5 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Shai Hillman—2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist
Dylan Vosika—2 points, 4 rebounds
Asher—7 rebounds, 1 steal
Andrew Dahlke—1 rebound, 3 assists
John Gallice—1 rebound
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February, 2/19/08
Freshmen vs. Irondale
Park’s Freshmen lost to a strong Irondale team, 59-65, Tuesday afternoon.
In the opening seconds, Bobby Otto hit a jumper and TJ Gist hit a three, but Park couldn’t buy a basket afterwards, and trailed, 27-5, eight minutes into the game.
Dominique Hodgkins hit two free throws to break the cold streak, and Chris Ederer scored on back-to-back drives to cut the lead to 16, 27-11.
Gist hit a free throw, Otto nailed two threes, and Ederer found Gist in the corner for a wide open three, and all of a sudden it was a game again, 34-21.
Just scored five straight points on a three and two freebies, and with 40 seconds left Otto’s three cut the lead to single digits, 39-31. In the final seconds, Gist hit two free throws, and Park felt good to be trailing by only six points at the half, 39-33.
The hot hand in the second half belonged to Ederer, who scored 15 points, most on strong drives to the basket.
Ederer hit back to back drives to open the half, followed by a Gist three, but Irondale couldn’t seem to miss, and pushed the lead back up to 14, 54-40, before Ederer hit two driving layups and Shai Hillman nailed a three to cut the lead to 11.
Gist scored on a drive, Ederer hit a three, Gist hit Adrew Dahlke with a pass while rolling on the floor for a layup, and Ederer scored on two more strong drives to cut the lead to six with a minute and a half left.
Unfortunately, Park had only four team fouls, and by the time they put Irondale on the line there wasn’t enough time for a comeback, and Dahlke scored the game’s last basket for a 65-59 final.
Stats:
Chris Ederer—19 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals
TJ Gist—18 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Bobby Otto—11 points, 2 rebounds
Shai Hillman—5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 1 assist
Andrew Dahlke—4 points, 1 rebound
Dominique Hodgkins—2 points, 1 steal
Asher Allen—4 rebounds
John Gallice—1 rebound
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Wednesday, 2/7/08 @ SLP HS
Park Freshmen vs. Fridley
The Park Freshmen exploded in the second half to blow out Fridley, 55-38.
The first half was close, with Park never able to build a large lead. With the score 17-15 Park, John Gallice scored inside, followed by a nice pass from Chris Ederer to a cutting TJ Gist for a layup to push the lead to six, 23-17. After a Fridley basket, Ederer hit two free throws after being fouled driving to the hoop, then scored on a nifty drive to push the lead back to six. Over the final 3:02 of the half, though, Park only scored a single point (a free throw by Gist), and lead by only five, 26-21, at the half.
Gist led Park at the half with 11 points, Bobby Otto 8, Ederer 5, and Gallice 2.
Park took control of the game early in the second half, led by Gist and Otto’s shooting, and the passing of Ederer. Gist scored 12 points in the second half, many on strong drives to the basket, and Otto nailed a free throw and three long bombs for 10 second-half points. Gist and Ederer led Park with 5 boards apiece, Otto added 4, Gallice 3, Michels-Allen and Hillman 2.
Park is possibly playing their best ball of the year, and recent games have shown that if Coach Cade’s crew can keep the game close at the half, they usually make the necessary adjustments to take control in the second half. Additionally, the Park bench has been very valuable of late, with Shai Hillman, Gallice, and Dylan Vosika making the most of their minutes.
*Note: Though Vosika had only one assist, he did have another fine pass to a teammate whose layup rimmed out. Sorry, Dylan.
Stats:
TJ Gist—23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
Bobby Otto—18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
Chris Ederer—5 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal
Asher Michels-Allen—4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 1 assist
Shai Hillman —2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
John Gallice—2 points, 3 rebounds
Dylan Vosika—1 assist
Andrew Dahlke—1 rebound
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Tuesday, 2/12/08
Freshmen vs. St. Francis
The Park Freshmen won a physical battle against St. Francis, 51-40, Tuesday afternoon.
John Gallice got Park on the board with a three-pointer, followed by a three by Asher Michels-Allen. Chris Ederer found TJ Gist for a layup and an early 8-3 lead.
Two Gist free throws, a Dominique Hodgkins layup, and three-pointers from Andrew Dahlke and Bobby Otto pushed Park’s lead to 18-9. Ederer hit one of two from the line to put Park up 19-9, but St. Francis went on a 10-0 run to tie the game at 19 with under a minute left in the half. Gist scored on a nice slicing move to the hoop, and on St. Francis’s next shot Gist grabbed the rebound, went coast-to-coast, and hit a layup just before the buzzer.
In the second Asher hit a jumper from just inside the arc, and two Gist threes gave Park a 31-25 lead. Ederer scored on a nifty drive, Otto hit a three, Ederer scored off a nice TJ pass, Gist hit a jumper off the glass, and Shai scored on a drive to give Park a 42-25 lead with 7:00 left.
A seven point St. Francis run cut Park’s lead to 10, 42-32, but that’s as close as they would get. Gist scored off a nice pass from Otto, Otto hit two of three free throws after being fouled shooting beyond the arc, Ederer hit a free throw, and a moment later on a drive, and Shai hit a layup to end Park’s scoring, and seal the 51-40 win.
Stats:
TJ Gist—18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Bobby Otto—10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Chris Ederer—8 points, 1 steal
Ahser Michels-Allen—5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks
John Gallice—3 points, 3 rebounds
Andrew Dahlke—3 points, 1 steal
Dominique Hodgkins—2 points, 1 rebound
Shai Hillman—2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist
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Tuesday, 1/29/08 @ SLP H.S.
Freshmen vs. North Branch
This game was an ol’ fashioned whoopin’. Park out-hustled, out-rebounded, out-ran, and out-played North Branch, and won in convincing fashion, 77-45.
The game was never really in doubt, as Park ran to an early lead. TJ Gist was hot early, hitting a layup and three-pointer in the opening minutes. After John Gallice hit a three, and Gist hit two more, the score was 17-10, and Park never looked back.
Dominique Hodgkins kissed a jumper off the glass, then hit a layup a moment later to push the lead to 21-10. Chris Ederer hit two of two free throws, and fed Domique for a layup to push the lead to 25-16, and after North Branch made a mini-run and cut the lead to five, 25-20, Bobby Otto hit three 3-pointers and Gist hit an “and one” layup, and Park led 42-26 at the half.
The second half was a track meet, and North Branch wasn’t invited. Park dominated the defensive glass and released players up-court for lay-ups, and even when they had to run their half-court game they still ended up with lay-ups or short jumpers.
Gist continued his hot shooting with 11 second half points, and Hodgkins added 10. Ederer, who had three points in the game, all from the line, was Park’s big playmaker, collecting 9 assists.
Dylan Vosika scored in the paint to end Park’s scoring at 77.
Stats:
TJ Gist—30 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block
Bobby Otto—18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Dominique Hodgkins—16 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
Chris Ederer—3 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
John Gallice—3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Asher—2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist
Dylan Vosika—2 points, 1 rebound
Shai—2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
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Friday, 1/25/08 @ Benilde H.S.
Park Frosh vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s
The Park Frosh came from behind to win a thrilling game Friday afternoon, beating cross-city rival Benilde, 51-44.
Benilde went on a 19-6 run to start the game, with Park ’s only baskets coming from an Asher Michels-Allen basket in the paint and two TJ baskets off nice drives.
Bobby Otto hit a three-pointer to pull Park to within 10, 19-9, then Michels-Allen hit another basket in the paint to make the score 19-11. Benilde scored the next six points to go up 25-11, but Andrew Dahlke broke the string with a lay-up and two free throws to make the score 27-15. Gist scored Park’s last four points, both on nice inside moves, and the half ended with Benilde up 29-19.
Gist led all Park scorers at the half with 8, Michels-Allen and Dahlke each had 4, and Otto had 3.
Benilde scored the first three points of the second half before Otto hit a three-pointer to make the score 32-21. A Gist block led to another Otto three, and a Michels-Allen free throw pulled Park to within 10, 36-26.
Dahlke grabbed an offensive board and fed Gist for a layup to pull Park within eight, and Chris Ederer made a nifty pass to Dahlke for an easy basket and the lead was down to six, 36-30.
Otto scored a layup off a give-and-go from Dominique Hodgkins to cut the lead to four, but Benilde hit a jumper to push the lead back to six. With 6:36 left, Gist hit one of two free throws to make the score 38-33, and Hodgkins nailed a three to cut the lead to two with 5:49 left.
After a Benilde basket made the score 40-36, Michels-Allen grabbed an offensive rebound and hit the put-back to cut the lead to two, 40-38. Benilde hit a shot inside, and Hodgkins nailed another three to pull Park within a single point, 42-41 with 3:37 left.
After a Park timeout, Dahlke hit a layup off an inbounds pass, and Park had their first lead of the game!
Benilde took the lead back with a short jumper, but an Otto three gave Park a two-point lead with 55 seconds left.
Benilde missed a jumper from the wing, and immediately fouled Otto who made one of two to push the Park lead to three, 47-44.
Down the stretch, Benilde couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean, and Otto was fouled twice and made all four free throws to make the final score 51-44.
Stats:
Bobby Otto—19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
TJ Gist—11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 1 block
Andrew Dahlke—8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block
Asher Michels-Allen—7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal
Dominique Hodgkins—6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
Shai Hillman—1 rebound
Chris Ederer—1 assist
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Asher Michels-Allen Comes off the Park Bench to Spark Team to Win!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008 @ SLP H.S.
Park Boys Freshmen vs. Cooper
Park caught fire in the second half against Cooper, and blew out the visitors, 59-40.
The first half was closely played, with Bobby Otto’s four three-pointers keeping Park close. Midway through the half, a Dominique Hodgkins three-pointer pulled Park to within three, 18-15, and an Andrew Dahlke drive and basket cut the lead to one. With 3:50 left in the half, TJ Gist scored on a nice drive to tie the game at 20-20, and with 26 seconds left, Gist scored again on a drive to five Park a 26-22 lead. Cooper scored seconds later and the half-time score was Park 26, Cooper 24.
Shai Hillman hit a long three-pointer to open the second half, but Cooper battled back to tie the game at 29-29. Chris Ederer had a steal and assist to Hodgkins to put park up, but again Cooper came back to tie the game.
Gist nailed a three, but Cooper scored on back to back possessions to take their first lead of the second half at 35-34. Gist tied the game with a free-throw, and Dahlke grabbed an offensive rebound and fed Hodgkins for a three-pointer to put Park back up by three, 38-35.
Asher Michels-Allen came off the Park bench and played an inspired game, hitting back to back jumpers from the free-throw line, and Hodgkins hit Gist for a back-door layup to put park up eight, 46-38.
Down the stretch, Cooper couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean, and Park couldn’t miss. Michels-Allen hit two of two free-throws, and a nice put-back in the final mintues, and grabbed one rebound after another.
Otto, who had 12 first half points, was held to 2 in the second half, but he grabbed 5 second half boards.
Gist hit 7 of 8 free throws in the second half, 8 of 10 in the game, to lead Park with 16 points.
Stats:
TJ Gist: 16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Bobby Otto: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals
Asher Michels-Allen: 13 points, 7 rebounds
Dominique Hodgkins: 11 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal
Shai Hillman: 3 points, 1 rebound
Andrew Dahlke: 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
Chris Ederer: 1 steal, 1 assist
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Friday, December 21, 2007 @ St. Louis Park Sr. High
St. Louis Park Freshman Boys vs. Columbia Heights
In a nip and tuck game, Park’s late comeback attempt fell a bit short as they lost to a strong Columbia Heights team, 48-42.
The first half was very low-scoring, with Park trailing at the break, 19-15. Down 4-0, Park got on the board when Chris Ederer found TJ Gist for a lay-up, and Park took the lead a few moments later when Bobby Otto nailed a three-pointer. After a Heights basket, Otto found Gist down low, who hit the shot to give Park the lead 7-6. Andrew Dahlke found Dominique Hodgkins inside, he was fouled, and hit both free throws to put Park up 11-8. After a brief Heights spurt, Park tied the score at 13 when Dahlke scored in the paint. Over the last two minutes of the half, Heights outscored Park 6-2, with Park’s only basket coming on an Otto basket off a nice Dahlke pass. At the buzzer, Heights led by four. Gist led Park at the half with 6 points, Otto added 5, Hodgkins and Dahlke added 2 points each.
The second half was a wild one, with the lead changing several times. Park instituted a full-court press to start the half, and it had mixed results. Columbia Heights, on the other hand, employed a top-heavy zone, daring Park to try to force the ball down low; when Park did get it inside they scored easily, but any passes that weren’t perfect, Heights picked off and raced down-court for easy baskets.
Hodgkins pulled Park to within a basket when he hit a jumper, and after a Heights basket Hodgkins pulled the Orioles within two again when he hit Dahlke in the paint for a lay-up. Gist tied the game at 23 on a runner, then tied the game again a moment later when he was hacked and hit both ends from the charity stripe. After a Heights hoop, Hodgkins nailed a three to put Park ahead, 26-25, for the first time since the score was 11-10.
With 6:30 to play, Heights went on a run, and built up a 37-30 lead. With 5:55 left, Gist cleaned up an offensive rebound and was fouled on the put-back; he hit one of two free throws to make the scored 37-31. Otto scored on a drive to pull Park to within four, then Heights went on a 6-0 run to lead by 10, 43-33 with 2:20 left.
Park was patient on their next possession, swinging the ball around the perimeter, and found Gist alone for a moment and he hit a three to pull Park to within seven. Heights responded with a short jumper, and Otto hit two threes around a Heights free throw to make the score 46-42 with 30 seconds left. Otto dove on the ground for an errant in-bounds pass, stole the ball, but was called for traveling on a questionable call while he was rolling on the ground. Heights scored one more basket as the clock ran out, making the final 48-42.
Stats
Scoring: Gist 14, Otto 13, Hodgkins 7, Dahlke 8
Rebounds: Dahlke 8, Otto 6, Gist 5, Ederer 3, Hodgkins 2, Shai Hillman 2, Asher Michels-Allen 1
Assists: Gist 3, Otto 3, Hodgkins 3, Dahlke 2, Ederer 2
Steals: Hodgkins 2, Gist 2, Dahlke 1, Otto 1, Ederer 1
Blocks: Gist 1
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Friday, December 14, 2007 @ SLP High School
St. Louis Park Boys Freshman Basketball vs. Totino Grace Eagles
Reported by Ryne McNary
The Park Frosh took one on the chin, falling to Totino Grace, 59-44.
Park got down 6-0 early, and seemed to be clawing back the entire game. TJ Gist grabbed a rebound and went coast-to-coast for a lay-up to get Park on the board, but the shooting slumped most of the first half. Down 18-11, Otto hit a fee throw and a lay-up, and Chris Ederer hit a nice reverse-layup on a pass from Gist during a mini-run, but Totino scored the last 10 points of the half, including a three-point buzzer beater, ending 31-16. Otto was Park’s leading scorer of the half with 6 points, and Gist, Dominique Hodgkins, Ederer, Asher Michels-Allen and Shai Hillman each added 2.
Despite the score, Park showed plenty of life in the first half, with Hodgkins diving for a loose ball and Gist blocking three shots in defiant style, but the ball just wouldn’t go in the hole.
Park played hard coming out of the break, and cut the lead to thirteen, 45-30, midway through the half. Gist, who was held to a basket in the first half, had a great second half, scoring 13, making several key passes, steals and blocks. Ederer was also key in Park’s inspired play, with 7 second-half points on one three-pointer and two drives to the basket. Hodgkins nailed a three, Hillman hit a lay-up off a nice Otto pass, and Andrew Dahlke also scored off an Otto pass, but Otto, though he passed great in the half and had several rebounds, couldn’t find his shooting touch and was scoreless in the second half.
Gist, a tremendous rebounding guard, led Park with 7 rebounds along with his game-high 15 points, Ederer ended with 9 points, Otto 6, Hodgkins 5, Hillman 4, Michels-Allen 2 and Dahlke 2.
Tre Munson grabbed a rebound and also played fine defensively. Jack Bordewick and Dylan Vosika, both injured, did not play.
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