Park boys’ basketball reigned victorious against Park Center Dec. 14. The game took place at Totino-Grace High School at the Big Stage Classic and was Park’s fourth game of the year. The game started with both teams battling for the lead with the first half being close. During the second half, Park picked up the pace and ended up with a 90-67 win.
Assistant coach Rob Griffin said the highlight of the game was a stretch in the second half where Park shined defensively.
“(A highlight for me was) the six or seven minutes in the second half where we decided to turn it up defensively and apply pressure against Park Center’s offense,” Griffin said.
Senior Cleo Mulfinger said the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the game was Senior Micah Curtis due to his explosive defense, which translated into a skillful offensive throughout the game.
“If I had to name an MVP, it would be Micah Curtis. During the game, he had an amazing defense and when you have a good defense, it leads into a good offensive,” Mulfinger said.
Senior Rashad Kimber said the game’s highlight was his performance in keeping the ball away from the other team and defending.
“My defense was really strong this game. I played really well, especially keeping the ball with our team and not letting up,” Kimber said.
Mulfinger said the highlight of his game was assisting Park in scoring and enabling them to put up points in a high-scoring game despite their slower start.
“Being able to help my team keep scoring throughout the game was definitely my highlight, especially since we started off kinda slow,” Mulfinger said.
According to Griffin, the MVP of the game was senior Rashad Kimber who excelled in hustling for each point and due to his ability to work well with his teammates.
“Rashad (was my MVP) due to his on-ball defense and finishing at the rim today. We always got the twins (Micah and Marley Curtis), so it’s always important to have somebody that compliments them during every game,” Griffin said.
According to Kimber, he is hoping Park’s boys basketball team brings home a state championship. He said if they continue to perform the way they did against Park Center, they have a shot at it.
“What I want most from us this year is winning a state title. We have a great team this year, and if we keep playing as we did today, I think we could do it,” Kimber said.
Griffin said what he wants to see this season is continuously building off their moment to reach their high goals. He said the team hopes for more success in the future with the possibility of a state title being brought home to Park.
“We know at the end of the day our goals are high,” Griffin said. “We aren’t just trying to have a good record and that be the end of it, we want to come home with some hardware.”
Mulfinger said he hopes the team works to play good defense for the rest of the season. He said this will contribute to limiting points scored on behalf of other teams and playing all-around good basketball.
“I want us to continue playing well as a team. We have been playing good defense, and I’d like to keep it that way and make sure other teams can’t score on us,” Mulfinger said.
According to Griffin, he is looking forward to playing against the best teams and evaluating what they need to work on so they can continue to enhance their abilities.
“Getting to play against the best teams, we get to find out where we are and what we need to work on,” Griffin said. “Whether we win or lose, we will continue improving, so when we see the teams again when it matters, we will walk away with wins.”
Pak boys’ basketball will face off next against Wayzata at 7 p.m. on Dec. 17 at home.
