MYAS 17U/19U Invitational

MYAS 17U/19U Invitational - Champlin, MN

Hosted by: Minnesota Xplosion

April 5-6, 2008

3rd Place Finish

Minnesota Xplosion was the host for this weekends MYAS Invitational. While working clocks, doors and concessions all day both days, the team found time to work in a couple games a day by playing up in the 17U/19U bracket. This tournament is also the final tournament the Xplosion play in before they start the AAU circuit with a mix of high exposure out-state tournaments and very competitive in-state qualifiers.

Game 1 against Milaca-Princeton finished up 59-41. Jordan Reibling had 20 points, including 4 three balls. Rick Starck contributed 8 points while Blair Dittrich and Anthony Webber both chipped in 6. Josh Pella crashed the boards for 7 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. A quick start put Xplosion up early and they never looked back.

Game 2 started off rough. The Blaze from Chatfield Minnesota showed just how strong and physical they could play. By working the ball down low to their big man, Xplosion found themselves either giving up points in the paint or fouling. In the first half, Xplosion had 15 team fouls and was down 27-43. Adjustments were made and the second half showed it. A much tighter defense lead by Dillon Hager and Michael Rovansek along with some better offensive output by Josh Pella and Blair Dittrich brought the Xplosion to within 2 points with just a minute left in the game. The Blaze forced the Xplosion to foul to get the ball back and they were able to hold their lead by hitting free throws down the stretch. The Blaze won a close one 74-67. Josh Pella was high scorer with 14 followed by Blair Dittrich and Michael Rovansek's 12 points.

With the previous loss, Minnesota Xplosion needed a win in Game 3 to get to the 3rd place game. The GFW - Thunderbirds would be their opponent and they would have the same goal in mind. Both teams battled hard and Xplosion went into the halftime down by a bucket, 18-20. Again, adjustments were made and the defensive battle continued. Brent Walker worked his offensive game and led all scorers with 12 points. As the game moved into the final minutes, free throws would prove to be the deciding factor. Michael Rovansek hit 5 free throws in the 2nd half alone and the Xplosion escaped with a 44-42 win advancing to the 3rd place game.

The 3rd place game against the Lakers was over early. Xplosion blew up early and gained a 20 point lead 8 minutes in. Halftime score was 43-24. The "X" never looked back in the second half and won 3rd place with a final score of 73-57. Dillon Hager had a season high 14 points. Rick Starck also had a great offensive display with 13 points. Jordan Reibling finished with 11 and Blair Dittrich had 10.

Next up Minnesota Xplosion will be playing in the Mall of America Classic at Minnehaha Academy located in Minneapolis, Minnesota April 12-13.

Bracket with scores from all games

(click image to enlarge)