Robbinsdale Armstrong coach Greg Miller hopes opponents continue to focus on stopping Falcons’ senior Sean Burns.

"That's good because we've got shooters," Miller said. "We want people to double team (Burns). He's a good passer and I think it'll open things up (on offense)."

Robbinsdale Armstrong has not fully capitalized on the game plan this season despite averaging 84.3 points per game. 

"That's one thing about our season so far, we haven't shot the ball very well,” Miller said. 

That trend continued for the Falcons against Northwest Suburban Conference rival Totino-Grace on Friday night, but Burns made sure Robbinsdale Armstrong wouldn’t go down. The 6-foot-5 forward battled through double teams and shouldered the scoring load, recording a season-high 19 points to help the Falcons eke out a 60-59 victory over the Eagles.

Burns, who leads the team with a 15.2 points per game average, is considered one of Minnesota’s top 30 recruits and has drawn interest from Minnesota-Duluth, South Dakota State, Souix Falls, Green Bay and Nebraska-Omaha, according to several websites. Rivals.com reported Burns also has received an offer from Long Island University-Brooklyn.

Burns has led Robbinsdale Armstrong to a 4-0 overall record and a 2-0 mark in league play, and his play has helped the Falcons earn the No. 5 ranking in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News.

Totino-Grace, however, seemed unimpressed as the Eagles stayed within four points either way for most of the game against a Robbinsdale Armstrong team that blew out its first three opponents by a combined score of 253-146.

Miller was pleased with the challenge.

"I told (my players) I wanted a good game because this is what makes you better for playoffs," Miller said.

Playoffs and a state tournament bid are exactly what the players and coaches at Robbinsdale Armstrong have in the back of their minds. The Falcons haven't made the state tourney since 2007, and Miller said his players have the right focus after undefeated start to the season.

"In their mind, this is their year," Miller said. "We've been close the last couple years ... our guys all believe that, even though (playoffs) are a long way off, if we stay and keep getting better, than we'll have a shot in the end."

Robbinsdale Armstrong senior Sean Burns scored 19 points to lead the Falcons over Totino-Grace 60-59 in a Northwest Suburban Conference matchup at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School on Friday night.

Fellow senior Evan Nolan notched 14 points to help the Falcons, ranked fifth in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play.

Totino-Grace got a game-high 26 points from senior Maxwell Walker. The Eagles fell to 1-1 with the loss.

Spotlight Game Coverage