Henry Sibley-Bloomington Jefferson Preview

Henry Sibley led Minnetonka last year in the Class AAAA title game before falling 68-59 to the Skippers. The second-seeded Warriors are hoping to return to the title game, but they must first get past Bloomington Jefferson, who bounced back after losing in the first round of section playoffs last season to knock off top seed Eden Prairie this year. The following is a preview of the 2:00 game.

Bloomington Jefferson won Section 2 as a third seed to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2007. The Jaguars have won six straight games and five or their seven losses have been five points or less.

Jefferson is led by the Alipate brothers. Moses, who signed with Minnesota to play football, is averaging 13.3 points per game. Sophomore guard Marcus is an outstanding outside shooter who leads the team with 15.0 points per game. Chad Gilmer is the third double figure scorer, contributing 11.8 points. The Jaguars have good balance with four other players averaging six or more points per game. Jefferson has good perimeter play, but their lack of size could hurt them against Henry Sibley, who has four players over 6-foot-7.

Second seed Henry Sibley, who finished runner-up in Class AAAA, returned three of their top five scorers. The Warriors have one of the top front courts in the state, led by Wisconsin signee Mike Bruesewitz, who is averaging a team-best 17.3 points per game. He was named the Minneapolis Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year and is one of five Mr. Basketball finalists. Valparaiso signee Chris Halvorsen is averaging 15.2 points per contest and sharpshooter Maurice Hernandez adds 14.6 points. However, Hernandez has been hobbled with an ankle injury. Six-foot-7 junior Mike Rostampour, who has offers from North Dakota State and Wisconsin Milwaukee, is averaging 8.3 points, and 6-foot-11 junior center Jake Kreuser, who has an offer from Santa Clara, is contributing 5.9 points. Their two losses were to Hopkins, the top seed, and Wisconsin state champion Madison Memorial.