Henry Sibley Comes Up Short at "Shootout"

(photo caption) Linn-Mar sharpshooter and University of Wisconsin recruit Jason Bohannon. (photo courtesy of Media.Scout.com)

Minneapolis, Minn.

One night after a potentially season-defining victory over St. Thomas Academy, the Henry Sibley Warriors ran into an immovable force in the form of Linn-Mar (Marion, Iowa) Lions and their juggernaut, senior guard Jason Bohannon, falling 76-63 Saturday night Jan. 14 at the Gatorade / Timberwolves Shootout.

Bohannon, son of former Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Gordy Bohannon, dominated the matchup early and often, scoring on drives and from behind the three point line at will. With a basketball scholarship awaiting him at the University of Wisconsin next year, Bohannon demonstrated the skills that earned him such accolades, scoring 23 points, including 12 by way of the three pointer.

Though playing the role of combination guard for Linn-Mar this season, the 6'4" Bohannon looks to immediately become one of the more skilled shooting guards (or "two guards") in the Big Ten next year at Wisconsin.

Bohannon's play drew praise from Henry Sibley coach Tom Dasovich. "(Bohannon's) really smooth, isn't he? He did anything he wanted to out there tonight, and we weren't really able to do anything about it," said Dasovich.

Bohannon's display overshadowed another immense performance from Sibley's standout junior forward Trevor Mbakwe. Mbakwe achieved his stated goal of "slamming on the same basket as Kevin Garnett" in route to 29 points and 12 rebounds. Unfortunately for Mbakwe and Sibley, they committed 18 turnovers on the night, displaying an uncharacteristic sloppiness which would doom their chances in the game.

Linn-Mar senior forward Jordan Printy, another sharpshooting Division I recruit, added 20 points for the Lions, as he and Bohannon combined for more than half of Linn-Mar's output.

Sibley junior forward Anders Halvorsen and sophomore guard Peter Leslie each added 10 points in the losing cause for the Warriors, who are now 8-5 overall and 4-0 in the Classic Suburban Conference.

Game Notes:
--St. Thomas Academy played without their star, senior center Bryce Webster, in another Timberwolves Shootout game earlier in the evening, losing to Kathleen High School (Flor.) by a count of 70-56. Webster, a University of Minnesota recruit, injured his ankle with four seconds remaining in the Cadets' loss at Henry Sibley on Friday night and was unavailable Saturday. His status for this week's games should be determined early this week.
--Minnesota teams were a combined 4-2 versus their out of state opponents at the Timberwolves Shootout.
--Minnesota schools Minnetonka, Benilde-St. Margaret's, and Cretin-Derham Hall have committed to Shootout for 2007. There is talk the Shootout could expand in both size and duration for next year's event, possibly extending to two days.
--Scores from the 2006 Timberwolves Shootout: Duluth East 62, Sioux City (Iowa) East 45; Hopkins 78, Webster Groves (Missouri) 49; Bloomington Jefferson 56, James Madison Memorial (Wis.) 54; Braham 78, James B. Dudley (N. Car.) 74; Kathleen (Flor.) 70, St. Thomas Academy 56; Linn-Mar (Iowa) 76, Henry Sibley 63.