A smile crept over Apple Valley coach Zach Goring’s face after hearing his point guard had grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds in the Eagles’ 92-66 win over Lakeville North on Tuesday night.

“Did he really?” Goring said. “Wow.”

Tre Jones, Apple Valley’s 6-foot-2 sophomore starting point guard, has developed into a game-changing player for the defending Class 4A champs.

No easy feat on a team with the Eagles' star-power.

“(Jones) is such a complete guard,” Goring said. “Scoring, assists, rebounds - he’s constantly around triple-double numbers. I don’t think he’s gotten there yet, but he’s been pushing it quite a few games.”

Along with his performance on the boards Tuesday, Jones scored 21 points, dished out five assists and had five steals. Games against opponents like Lakeville North create even greater opportunities for Jones to fill the stat sheet.

The Panthers feature 6-foot-10 forward Nathan Reuvers, who scored 23 points Tuesday night, which meant Apple Valley seven-footer Brock Bertram had to spend more time than he’s used to defending on the perimeter.

That opened up space down low for Jones to snag all the rebounds.

“You just don’t see that in high school basketball, where guards like that have 14 rebounds in a game and control the game,” Goring said.

But the Eagles aren’t like most high school basketball teams, either.

Apple Valley features a potent lineup highlighted by star Gary Trent Jr., who averages 28.6 points per game. With Trent, Jones, Bertram (a Buffalo commit) and Cam Kirksey all on the floor, the Division I talent-heavy Eagles put up 87.9 ppg.

That’s not to say Apple Valley doesn’t have its issues. Take Tuesday’s game, where the Eagles led just 39-35 at halftime but erupted in the second half, outscoring the Panthers 53-31.

“In the first half, we came out pretty slow, almost like we weren’t ready for the game, and they smacked us in the mouth right away,” Jones said. “We woke up at halftime and came out with a better attitude to start the second half.”

“I thought Trey was unbelievable and just dominant in the second half, in all parts of the game” Goring said.

All the dominance is leading to lots of minutes, especially with the Eagles lacking some depth they have become accustomed to on past teams, and especially with the departure of senior Jordan Bolton, who quit the team last Monday after averaging 10.9 ppg in 11 games.

Is the do-it-all sophomore Jones wearing down at all?

“I’m staying fresh,” Jones said. “It’s not too long of a season, and we’re young. We’re used to playing lots of games, lots of minutes. But we’re bringing some young guys with us and hopefully getting them ready and more comfortable now, so at the end of the year, they’re ready to play in those big games.”

Gary Trent Jr. scored a game-high 30 points as Apple Valley defeated Lakeville North 92-66 in South Suburban Conference action on Tuesday night.

The Eagles (14-1, 5-0), ranked No. 2 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, also received 21 points from Tre Jones, who also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.

The No. 6-4A Panthers (10-3, 4-2) were led by Nathan Reuvers with 23 points. 

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