Sibley vs. Simley, or is it the other way around?

(photo caption) Henry Sibley's junior sensation Trevor Mbakwe passed the 1,000 point mark on Tuesday evening.

Whenever Sibley plays Simley, it always represents two of the most misidentified high schools in the metro area.

Similar names aside, Tuesday night's matchup at Henry Sibley was a case of dissimilar halves.

The first half saw the Simley Spartans stay surprisingly close to the more acclaimed Henry Sibley Warriors. After racing to a 10-4 lead, the Warriors could only watch as the Spartan shooters got hot, as Simley took a brief 15-13 advantage.

The two teams traded the lead with Henry Sibley taking a 26-24 advantage into halftime following three three-pointers on consecutive Warrior possessions, two by sophomore guard Peter Leslie and one from senior guard Pierre Harris.

Following the break, the Warriors quickly put some permanent distance between themselves and the Spartans, eventually building a 50-32 lead on the strength of a 7-0 run.

In the midst of the Warriors onslaught, Henry Sibley junior forward Trevor Mbakwe became only the third player in school history to reach the 1,000 point mark. Henry Sibley coach Tom Dasovich called a timeout to allow for a brief recognition of Mbakwe's achievement.

Simley wasn't finished, however, and drew close once more with a seven point string of its own closing the gap to 50-39, capped by a three-pointer from sophomore guard Kaleb Sainborn.

The Warriors proved to be too strong, however, rebuilding their lead to a game-high 19 point advantage at 58-39.

The trend held, and Henry Sibley exited the gym with a 64-51 victory.

Mbakwe's 20 points and 17 rebounds paced the Warriors, with Anders Halverson contributing another 14 points.

Sophomore Sainborn led the Spartans attack with 18 points. Senior guard Brandon Quittem added another seven points in a losing effort.

In ending their season-high three game losing streak, the Warriors improve to 9-7 overall and 5-2 in conference. Simley falls to 2-13 overall and 0-6 in Classic Suburban Conference play.


--Game Notes--
-In becoming only the third Warrior ever to surpass the 1,000 point barrier, Mbakwe also become the fastest to the mark, achieving it in his junior season.
-Mbakwe's 20 points on the night left him with 1,005 for his three year career.
-Bobby Hunter and Jon Butala, the players ahead of Mbakwe on Henry Sibley's all-time scoring list, both attend St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. Hunter and Butala are regular starters for the Oles this season.
-Mbakwe could conceivably break the Hunter's all-time scoring mark of 1,353 points this season. However, Mbakwe would have to average 31.6 points per game in the final 10 regular season games plus at least one playoff matchup.