After playing five out of six games on the road to open the season, plenty of potential pitfalls have come Shakopee’s way.
The biggest yet came Wednesday evening, though the Sabers managed to dodge trouble to down South Suburban Conference rival Lakeville South 78-51 in Lakeville.
The Sabers (6-0) have held all opponents to 58 or fewer points this season and are tops in points allowed in the South Suburban at a tidy 45.8 points per game.
Offense may come and go for a team that graduated its top three scorers from a 23-win campaign a year ago, but Shakopee coach Jake Dammann has been able to consistently rely on the other side of the equation for winning results.
“Early on, it’s been a process to get our offensive motion concepts and some of those things clicking, and some of that chemistry has taken a little bit to develop just with how many new guys we have with this group,” Dammann said. “We’re seeing progress with some of that today, but I really think all that offensive success was fueled by what we did defensively.”
Shakopee, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, opened the game with nine straight defensive stops and never looked back, seizing an 11-0 lead in the game’s first five minutes.
Shakopee’s patented lockdown defense has proven successful all season, and Tuesday it kept the Sabers unbeaten as they came away with a 78-51 victory over Lakeville South in Lakeville.
The Sabers, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, opened the evening with an 11-0 run in the first 4 minutes, 49 seconds of the game.
Reid Patterson broke the scoring drought for No. 7-4A Lakeville South and later closed the first half by sinking a three-pointer as time expired to cut Shakopee’s lead to 42-29. Patterson, a senior guard, had 14 of his game-high 19 points in the first half.
Throughout the night, the Sabers (6-0) moved the ball efficiently to get open looks on offense, keeping the Cougars (4-2) from locking in on any one threat. Junior guard Yonis Mohamud and junior forward Sam West led Shakopee with 15 points apiece.
The Sabers’ lone senior in the rotation, forward Mick Wherley, added 13 points, followed by Cade McGraw, who had 11 points, and Nick Katona who also added 11 points — all in the second half.
With the victory, Shakopee earned its fifth road win this season. The Sabers have so far held every opponent to 58 or fewer points per game this winter.
The MN Basketball Hub poll is for entertainment purposes only.