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Offense vs. defense in Thursday showdown between Richfield and Tartan

By David La Vaque, Star Tribune Staff Writer, 01/12/11, 1:24PM CST

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Both teams are 8-1 this season

The story line for Thursday’s meeting between the Tartan and Richfield boys’ basketball teams seems obvious.

Among Classic Suburban Conference teams, Tartan allows the fewest points per game (48.4) while Richfield scores the most (80.2). So the game will be decided by the team able to play its preferred style, right?

Not so fast, said Richfield coach Omar McMillan. Yes, his team can score. But many of the Spartans’ points are generated by their defense. That means Richfield and Tartan aren’t so different after all.

“I think this game will be a lot like the Auburn-Oregon game,” said McMillan, referencing college football’s national championship game.

Most people thought 22-19 would be the first quarter score, not the final score. But both high-octane offenses were held in check.

“We take a lot of pride in our D,” McMillan said. “And we know Tartan is tenacious on D.”

Both teams are 8-1 overall. In Classic Suburban Conference games, Richfield is 3-0 while Tartan is 2-1. A victory against No. 3 Tartan would give Richfield a leg-up in the conference title race and the respect McMillan said his team continues to lack. The Spartans defeated Grand Rapids, which took runner-up at the Class 3A state tournament last season, and St. Thomas Academy, ranked No. 10 in 3A, yet McMillan continues to hear “how we haven’t played anybody.”

When it comes to getting defensive, Richfield’s pressure is a team effort. Senior captain John Johnson spent Tuesday night guarding the Cadets’ Thomas Sjoberg. Sjoberg scored 18 points, but McMillan said Johnson “forced Sjoberg into having to make tough shots.”

Jared Etienne, McMillan said, “is a tenacious rebounder” and estimated he grabbed six consecutive defensive rebounds against St. Thomas Academy.

Shawn Bear makes life difficult on opposing point guards and Erik Jimson and Lorenzo Evans make contributions.

“Those are guys who might get some of the limelight,” McMillan said. “But every night there are guys who I could talk about.”

Richfield game-by-game