Minnetonka coach Tom Dasovich was not satisfied with his team’s intensity in its last two games, a loss to Eden Prairie and a win over North St. Paul. 

"Our energy hadn't really looked good in the Eden Prairie or the North St. Paul game, forget the win or loss," Dasovich said. 

So Dasovich asked his team to crank up the intensity on both ends of the floor for Monday's game against Totino-Grace, and the Skippers responded with one of their best games of the season.

Minnetonka routed Totino-Grace 98-44 behind the Skippers’ high-energy performance and a record-setting night from Amar Miller, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career. The junior guard increased his total to 1,001 points after scoring 27 against the Eagles.

Miller didn't know he achieved the milestone during the game and found out afterward, he tweeted.

Minnetonka’s intensity, however, was apparent from the start. 

Justin Moes, who finished with 18 points, knocked down a three-pointer to start the game, and Minnetonka never looked back.

"The best thing about our team is sharing the ball," Miller said. "Everybody on our team can score. Everybody's going to have big nights, but sometimes like tonight, we all had a big night knocking down shots, which is great."

Minnetonka, ranked fourth in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, started the game on a 19-8 run and scored 54 points in the first half.

The Skippers put on a show after halftime. Minnetonka opened the second half with a 35-9 run that resulted in officials evoking the mercy rule with 9 minutes to play.

"I think (tonight) was the best energy we've had so far this season," Miller said. "As long as we keep it like this, we should roll through the rest of December and January and into February for playoffs."

One key to staying on a roll is a plethora of outside shooters. The Skippers were 16-for-28 from three-point range Monday night.

"We kind of do live and die by (our three-point shooting), but we work on it a lot," said Miller, who knocked down four three-pointers. "Everybody in practice gets up those shots, so we're all prepared and if not, we're working on it the next day."

The Skippers feature three players averaging more than 15 points per game in Miller (20.5), Moes (17.6) and Seth Coatta (15.6), and average 84.2 points per game as a team.

It's the defense, however, that Dasovich and the Skippers want to improve as the season continues. Minnetonka gives up 75.0 points per game to the opposition.

Dasovich said Monday was a step in the right direction for his 8-2 squad.

"I think we're a quality team but to play at a championship level, we still got a lot of work to do, especially on the defensive end," Dasovich said. "Tonight was a little bit better because I think we were a little bit more inspired on the defensive end."

Amar Miller scored 27 points as Minnetonka routed Totino-Grace 98-44 in a nonconference game Monday night at Totino-Grace High School.

Miller, a 5-foot-10 junior guard, scored 16 of his 27 points in the first half. Senior guard Justin Moes added 18 points and junior Seth Coatta and senior Peter Weiss each chipped in 13 points.

Minnetonka, ranked fourth in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, led 54-25 at halftime and used a 35-9 run at the start of the second half to widen the gap before the mercy rule took effect. The Skippers improved to 8-2 overall and posted their highest point total of the season. The previous high was 95 points in 95-90 win over Rogers on Dec. 16.

Totino-Grace sophomore Nathan Kavolak  scored 10 points for the Eagles, who fell to 1-7 on the season with the loss.

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