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Eden Prairie wins in scrappy showdown

By Andrew Baker, Special to the Star Tribune, 02/13/11, 12:00AM CST

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The Eagles built a 15-point second-half lead and held off a South rally

In a much-anticipated Class 4A showdown, No. 1 Eden Prairie and No. 4 Minneapolis South did not disappoint as Eden Prairie got away with a 50-41 victory.

South looked dead early in the second half, but its senior point guard and scoring leader, Sattoria Rule, would not go down quietly. She finished with 28 of her team’s 41 points, including six three-pointers — five of which came in the second half.

“Sattoria Rule is probably the best girl that we’ve played against all season long,” Eagles coach Chris Carr said.

The game was scrappy from the opening tip, with Eden Prairie using a combination of pressure and traps to harass Rule and the Tigers.

“That’s the way we defend all the time,” Carr said. “When you catch a group like that, that’s got a girl that’s making shots, that makes it a little bit tougher.”

South defended aggressively as well, but the Eagles exploited the Tigers’ zone defense by repeatedly dumping the ball to junior forward Jackie Johnson, who scored 16 points.

Eagles senior guard Morgan Van Riper-Rose finished with 14 points.

Eden Prairie started the second half with an 8-0 run, finally ended by a three-pointer from Rule, sparking her furious second-half effort. Before she made the shot — which caused an uproar from the home crowd — the Tigers trailed 33-18, but they clawed back, twice cutting the deficit to four behind Rule’s shooting.

South had no answer for Johnson though and relied almost exclusively on Rule for offensive production.

It didn’t come without a price: Senior guard Aubrey Davis and junior forward Becca Sparkman both left the game because of injuries.

Andrew Baker is a student reporter from the University of Minnesota on assignment for the Star Tribune.

Preview


Eden Prairie's Jackie Johnson is among the many players South will need to stop

The record, a perfect 21-0, is there, as is the presence of a superstar. The coach is one of the most respected girls' basketball coaches in the state. The program he heads has the pedigree -- three recent trips to the Class 4A state championship game, with a victory in 2009 with the top-scoring girl in state history leading the charge. So how is it that Minneapolis South goes into to Saturday's gargantuan matchup at home against Eden Prairie as undervalued as an afternoon nap?

The No. 4, Class 4A Tigers, paced by the nearly unstoppable Sattoria (Tori) Rule, have the chance to put a significant smudge on No. 1, 4A Eden Prairie's ever-improving season. But it will take their best performance of the season to do so.

Eden Prairie may be the deepest, most battle-tested team in the state. Most teams are fortunate to have one elite-level player on their roster; the Eagles have three: Jackie Johnson, Morgan Van Riper-Rose and Shayne Mullaney. With fellow starters Taylor Uhl (the 2010 Star Tribune girls' soccer Metro Player of the Year) and Aubrey Davis, coach Chris Carr has what many believe is the most talented starting lineup, top-to-bottom, in the state.

Their recent results are a reflection of that skill. After losing twice in December -- to No. 1, Class 3A Hill-Murray and Lake Conference rival Hopkins -- Eden Prairie has reeled off ten victories in a row, gaining a helping of revenge with a 71-65 victory over Hopkins on February 1.

"It will be a tall task for any team in the state to stop them," said South coach Ahmil Jihad. "Chris does a nice job of preparing them and keeping them focused."

That's not to say that Jihad and the Tigers lack confidence going into the game. They've stepped out of the Minneapolis Conference to play a strong non-conference schedule, highlighted by victories over Minnehaha Academy, Wayzata, Bloomington Kennedy and St. Paul Humboldt. But even Jihad did not expect to be undefeated at this point of ther season.

"[We] never did expect any of this. We enjoy the position we're in, but we're not satisfied," he said.

The biggest reason for South's success has been the play of Rule, an explosive scorer who plays with an edge, versatile enough to score from outside or create her own shot in the lane if the opportunity arises. Perhaps the best player South has had since Tayler Hill, Rule has been remarkably consistent en route to averaging 21.8 points per game.

"Tori is a gym-rat type of kid who's constantly playing basketball," Jihad said. "Those kids are all special because they eat and sleep basketball. She's always been that way and takes great pride in what she does."

South is far from a one-player team, however. The Tigers got a boost with the additon of Diamond Lane, a transfer from DeLaSalle, who is second on the team in scoring at 13.8 points per game. South also benefits from a deep bench, which allows it to use its trademark pressure defense.

While Saturday's game has little effect on the postseason -- the teams are in different sections -- Jihad is refreshingly candid about the game and does not downplay it's importance.

"This game is pivotal," he admitted. "The winner could definitely claim that pre-March momentum swing that every coach craves this time of year."

– Jim Paulsen, Star Tribune

MPLS. SOUTH LEADERS

EDEN PRAIRIE LEADERS

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