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Caledonia hangs on in second half to defeat Esko

By Trevor Squire, SportsEngine, 12/10/16, 7:15AM CST

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The Warriors dominated the first half to secure a 63-54 win against the Eskomos.


Caledonia guard Noah King (21) during his team's Tip Off Classic game against Esko Saturday night in Hopkins. King had 20-point first half in the victory. Photo by Korey McDermott, SportsEngine




Caledonia head coach Josh Diersen with his team during a timeout Dec. 10 against Esko at the Breakdown Sports Tip Off Classic. Photo by Korey McDermott, SportsEngine


Three games into his second season as a starter for Caledonia, freshman Noah King has already earned himself the moniker “Vinnie,” a reference to Vinnie “The Microwave” Johnson, who was a member of the Detroit Pistons' “Bad Boys.”

Johnson was well-known for his hot streaks on the court and sank the game-winning buzzer beater in the 1990 championship that led the Pistons to their repeat as NBA champions.

Like “The Microwave,” King took little time to heat up as he scored 20 of his team-leading 26 points in the first half, which put the game out of reach early for Esko as the Warriors went on to win 63-54 Saturday evening in the Breakdown Sports Tip Off Classic at the Lindbergh Center in Hopkins.

King matched his career-high in the first half and sank two three-pointers in the second as Caledonia, who’s ranked the top-team in Class 2A by Minnesota Basketball News, struggled to execute and let Esko back into the game late.

“The second half we turned the ball over, made some mistakes and let them back in the game,” King said.

Adam Trapp, a 7-foot-2 center for No. 5-2A Esko (4-1), presents a glaring problem to many teams that require two—or sometimes even three—players to cover him in the post.

“He’s big that’s for sure,” King said of Trapp. “We were trying to poke the ball away and make other guys beat us outside.” 

King’s 200-pound frame mixed with perimeter skills made him one of many Warriors tasked with smothering Trapp along with his teammates who forced Trapp to the free-throw line where he was 5-for-14.

“(King) bangs and isn’t afraid to go inside or outside.” Caledonia coach Josh Diersen said. “We asked him to do a lot (in last year’s state tournament) we had a 6-foot-5 guy and he was our other post at 6-foot as an eighth-grader.”

The Warriors starting five, fresh off their repeat as state football champions, sported buzz cuts after trimming their bleach-blond hair from the fall, a tradition that the team does annually entering the playoff stretch.

King’s dad cleaned both Noah and his brother Owen's scalps free from blond streaks, but many members of the team still have remnants of bleach, hoping to carry those highlights onto the hardwood this winter after being upset in the state quarterfinals last year by Jackson County Central.

“We just don’t want to have that feeling again,” King said. “We’ve gotten to state the past three years, but just haven’t gotten that state championship. That’s definitely our goal this year.”

Caledonia (3-0) has asserted itself as a football powerhouse, winning seven of the past 10 Class 2A football championships, and will be seeking to start an era of dominance on the basketball court by winning its first state championship since 1997 after proving their ranking Saturday.

“We have great kids who are competitors. You come down to Caledonia and they compete in everything. Great kids, great parents and they want to see their kids succeed,” Diersen said.


Esko's Adam Trapp (45) attempts a jumper against a Caledonia defender. Trapp finished with 21 points in the loss. Photo by Korey McDermott, SportsEngine

First Report

Freshman Noah King posted a career-high 26 points to lead Caledonia to a 63-54 win over Esko Saturday night in the Breakdown Sports Tip Off Classic at the Lindbergh Center in Hopkins.

King tallied 20 of his points in the first half as the Warriors (3-0), who are ranked No. 1 in Class 2A by Minnesota Basketball News, sped to a 42-24 lead at halftime.

Esko (4-1) used an 11-point run in the second half to come within four points of Caledonia, but couldn’t close the remainder of the difference.

Adam Trapp posted a team-high 21 points for the No. 5-2A Eskomos.



Esko head coach Mike Devney questions a call during his team's game against Caledonia. Photo by Korey McDermott, SportsEngine

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