Dylan Petersen
It was another star studded matchup at the Twin Cities Pro-Am on Monday night. Players like Marcus Carr, Jackson McAndrew and Tyus and Tre Jones were all suited up to put on another show for Minnesota hoops’ fans. It was a thriller but Team Tyus would eventually go onto win 120-118 in a very back and fourth matchup, I will go over how it all went down in this article.
Game Recap
First Quarter: Former Gopher star, Marcus Carr (Team Strictly BBall) showed why he was one of the top point guards in all of college basketball last season. He showcased his great shot creating skills and knocked down a few threes to get the game going. He also had some really nice passes to set up his teammates for some easy buckets. Another former Gopher, Sean Sutherlin (Team Strictly BBall) was flying to the hoop for some nice finishes around the rim. As always, Tre and Tyus were making it look easy by starting off the game with a few deep threes. After quarter one the game was tied 31-31.
Second Quarter: Kelby Kramer, a senior for Minnesota State Mankato gave Team Tyus a nice spark off the bench. The seven footer was unstoppable in the paint to start the second quarter. Then Jackson McAndrew subbed in for the first time and he made his presence felt right away. He started off hot with a few tough isolations to the hoop and than he showcased why he is one of the top high school shooters in the country after he hit a catch shoot three from NBA range. Sean Sutherlin continued to hustle and soar to the rim for some acrobatic layups for Team Strictly BBall. I could tell after the first half that this game was going to be a close one Team Tyus finished off the half with a 64-63 lead over Team Strictly.
Third Quarter: Mohamed Kone (Team Tyus) used his lightning speed to score from everywhere on the court during the third quarter , his defenders struggled to keep up with him. Kyle Johnson, a former De La Salle standout also started out scorching hot from 3 for team Strictly BBall after he nailed three straight triples in a row.
The intensity was really starting to turn up in this game now. Then Tyus jones threw an alley-oop too Daniel Oturu and he finished the dunk on former gopher standout Reggie Lynch. This dunk had the crowd going crazy and now the Twin Cities Pro-Am was buzzing, The pick and roll game with Tyus Jones and Daniel Oturu continued to work throughout the third and Team Strictly Bball had no answer for it. Team Tyus would go onto finish the quarter up 95-92.
Fourth Quarter: Tre and Tyus Jones took over the fourth quarter, they were not going to allow the upset by Team Strictly BBall to happen. Both brothers were taking turns getting buckets, they were hitting deep threes, mid ranges, and layups. This surge from the Jones brothers gave Team Tyus a comfortable lead.
The target score to win this game was 120 and it looked like Team Tyus was going to pull away and take the win until Team Strictly BBall started clawing back. Team Strictly BBall came all the way back after Marcus Carr made 2 free throws to tie the game up 118-118. After Carr made his free throws Team Tyus inbounded the ball to Tyus Jones and Sean Sutherlin mistakenly fouled him. This foul put Team Tyus in the bonus and Tyus jones would go onto ice the with his two clutch free throws making it 120-118. Team Tyus hit the target score and they defeated Team Strictly BBall.
Sadly this amazing game ended on free throws but that is how a lot of basketball games are won. This game was a thriller and the offense was clicking for both teams. It was great to watch some Minnesota legends like Tre and Tyus Jones, Daniel Oturu, and Marcus Carr all compete against each other. As always I had a great time at the Twin Cities Pro-Am and I see why it is one of the fastest growing Pro-Am’s in the country.
612 Hoops Blog 