In a thrilling matchup, your #1 ranked Wayzata Trojanboys’ basketball team emerged victorious with a 96-80 win over Shakopee tonight. The score may not fully capture the intensity of the game, as it remained a close three-point difference with just 6.5 minutes remaining before the Trojans unleashed a decisive run.
Key players stepped up, with Jackson McAndrew leading the charge with an impressive 27 points, complemented by Isaac Olmstead and Christian Wiggins contributing 13 points each. This win extends Wayzata’s undefeated streak to 6-0 for the season.
The atmosphere was electric, drawing an unofficial attendance of 9,871 enthusiastic fans. The Trojans’ performance showcased their prowess on the court and solidified their standing in the season.
The Wayzata Boys Basketball Team looks poised to play some great basketball all season long and make a deep run into the State Playoffs in March.
Jackson McAndrew and Head Coach Bryan Schnettler at signing day. Image courtesy Wayzata Boys Basketball on Twitter.
Saturday December 8th the defending 4A State Champion Trojans took on the defending 3A State Champions Totino Grace.
Wayzata‘s Jackson McAndrew scored a last second floater over a Totino defender while notching 38 points and 11 rebounds in the contest. Wyatt McBeth had 11 points, and Isaac Olmstead had 7 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists.
Creighton’s highest recruit Jackson McAndrews hit a game winner tonight. Oh, and he had 38 points. pic.twitter.com/hrbWZs79cN
Watch for Christian Wiggins to make a big impact on this season as well. The transfer from Benilde St. Margaret had 10 points against Maple Grove including a 3 pointer and a subsequent free throw, and a couple of alley-oop dunks during the contest as the Trojans dominated the Crimson in all aspects of the game.
Head Coach Bryan Schnettler was pleased but still saw some room for improvement from the squad after the Maple Grove game, “Our defense has been good to start the year. There are still a lot of things to improve on, but the guys have played with great effort and that has been fun to see.”
The Boys host Shakopee Tuesday December 12th and travel to Prior Lake on Friday December 15th.
This team is going to be fun to watch this season!
Want more coverage emailed to you including videos, photos, states, quotes and more? Visit Wayzata.com/subscribe.
Wayzata 75, Maple Grove 40 as Trojans move to 2-0 on the season
Your Wayzata TrojansBoys Basketball Team looks like a squad ready to make a deep run into the state basketball playoffs. It’s the first week of the season.
Christian Wiggins scores a 4 point play for Wayzata.
Everyone is talking about the offensive weapons that Wayzata has as they enter the season, including but not limited to Jackson McAndrew and Christian Wiggins. The thing that stuck out tonight to this sports reporter was the Trojans defense–it was stifling.
Early in the contest Wayzata kept Maple Grove from getting comfortable with that stifling defense. The Trojans hardly relented the whole game.
Isaac Olmstead dishes to Jackson McAndrew on a fast break in the first half.
The Crimson had 3 field goals and 10 free throws for their scoring in the first half. Fans in attendance who looked up at the scoreboard at halftime read Wayzata 41, Maple Grove 16.
Seemingly every pass from Maple Grove player to Maple Grove player was tipped or threatened to be tipped. Wayzata players closed out with hands extended while chopping their feet to prevent a drive past by the offense. The Trojans switched from player to player in what can only be characterized as a finely tuned defensive machine.
.In the same way almost every pass was deflected or contested, almost every shot attempt by Maple Grove was contested or deflected. There was seemingly always a hand up in the shooting path of the Crimson. All these actions made the visiting team alter their shots and kept them from scoring.
126 Benton in Wayzata is nearing completion, built by Custom One Homes.
Of course there was offensive prowess on display tonight as well. Two dunks from Jackson McAndrew and two dunks from Christian Wiggins that brought the crowd to its feet–all four times.
There was also very good shooting, passing, and moving with and without the ball throughout the night. Wayzata players also cheered for each other throughout the whole game, which was awesome to see.
Leaders for the team tonight included Jackson McAndrew with 26 points, Christian Wiggins with 12 points, Brayden Sandmann with 8 points, Drew Nepstad with 8 points, and Evan Johnson and Wyatt McBeth with 5 points a piece.
Head Coach Bryan Schnettler was pleased but still saw some room for improvement from the squad after the game, “Our defense has been good to start the year. There are still a lot of things to improve on, but the guys have played with great effort and that has been fun to see.”
The Wayzata Basketball team cheers during a play.
Up next for the Trojans is a visit to Hopkins to play Totino-Grace (1-0 on Saturday December 9th. Totino defeated Hopkins 79-75 last Tuesday.
This team is going to be fun to watch this season.
In a stellar kickoff to the 2023 season, the reigning 4A champions, the Wayzata boys basketball team, secured an impressive 88-46 triumph over Champlin Park. Head Coach Bryan Schnettler commended the team’s exceptional performance, emphasizing the players’ enthusiasm to return to the court. Thanks to Channel 5 for the video.
Coach Schnettler expressed, “The guys played with great energy in game 1, and they were excited to get back on the floor. There is still a lot to improve at this time of year, and we are excited to see this group grow together.”
Key contributors to the victorious start included standout performances from:
Jackson McAndrew: 25 Points, 10 Rebounds
Isaac Olmstead: 16 Points, 5 Assists
Christian Wiggins: 13 Points, 3 Steals
With this resounding victory, the Wayzata boys basketball team sets the stage for an exciting season. The Trojans now turn their attention to their home opener on Thursday night against Maple Grove, promising fans another thrilling display of Wayzata basketball prowess. Stay tuned for more exciting moments from the courtside as Wayzata aims to continue their winning streak.
After clinching the Class 4A state championship last season, the Wayzata boys’ basketball team aims for another title this year. Despite the loss of four key starters, the Trojans boast the talent of 4-star recruit Jackson McAndrew, a standout high school player committed to Creighton men’s basketball.
Returning contributors Ben Shaffer and Drew Nepstad, along with newcomer Christian Wiggins, a sophomore guard transferring from Benilde-St. Margaret’s, further strengthen Wayzata‘s lineup. The Trojans kick off the season on December 5th against Champlin Park.
Before any games were played this season, the Wayzata boys basketball team knew it would have to find a way to beat the Hopkins Royals if they wanted a chance to play in the state tournament.
Unfortunately for the Trojans, they like every other team that has faced the Royals this season, were sent home with a notch in the loss column. On Tuesday night the Trojans saw their season come to end with an 88-68 loss in the section 6AAAA final at Osseo High School.
The Trojans actually hung around in the first half as they made their first six shots from the field and led 18-15 with nine minutes remaining in the first half.
The Royals countered and finished the half on a 17-5 run to take a 32-23 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The intermission didn’t stop the Royals’ momentum as they came out on fire in the second half to basically put the game out of reach in the first couple of minutes.
The Royals hit their first five shots of the second half including three pointers by Raymond Cowles and Marcus Williams to take a 44-27 lead.
Things got out of hand from there as the Royals enjoyed a lead of 20 points or more for a majority of the second half.
University of Minnesota recruit Royce White put an exclamation point on the Royals’ victory with back-to-back slam dunks including one of the alley-oop variety to put the Royals up 79-49.
Lost in the Royals brilliance was a spectacular second half effort by Trojans’ senior Kellen Taylor. Taylor finished the game with 21 points, including 19 in the second half on 9-10 shooting.
Wayzata seniors Nolan Odland and Jerrod Peterson each finished with 14 points, while senior Jamar Franks added eight points.
White led five Royals in double figures with 16 points on 7-13 shooting from the field. Trent Lockett also had a superb night with 15 points on 7-10 shooting. Mike Broghammer, Cowles, and Williams also finished in double figures with 12, 11, and 11 points respectively.
The Royals shot exactly 50 percent from the field as they hit 34-68 shots from the field. The Trojans shot 47 percent from the field by hitting on 28-59 shots.
The Trojans finish the season with a record of 20-7. Tuesday night’s game was the last in a Trojans uniform for Taylor, Peterson, Franks, Odland, Eren Cur, and DeShawn Thurman.
Box Score
Hopkins: Royce White 16, Trent Lockett 15, Mike Broghammer 12, Raymond Cowles 11, Marcus Williams 11, Moses Sundufu 9, Joe Coleman 6, Marvin Singleton 5, DJ Peterson 3
Wayzata: Kellen Taylor 21, Jerrod Peterson 14, Nolan Odland 14, Jamar Franks 8, Eren Cur 6, Aaron Roth 3, Chris Kroeten 2
It was a little slower week in Wayzata compared to most, and one has to wonder if staring out the windows at clear blue skies and 40+ degree temps kept people and their brains from working last week. Spring doesn’t arrive until Friday, but don’t tell people from the Wayzata area that. Spring was here this weekend with a beautiful day expected today.
Make sure you take your lunch outside or go out to lunch so you can open your moonroof, roll down your windows, or stroll with the sunshine on your face, if only for a couple of minutes. Whatever you do make sure you get an opportunity to be outside today, particularly at or around the noon hour.
It made our Top 5 last week, but the Wayzata Bay Redevelopment Company Announced at least a one year delay for the the new Bay Center Construction. It is worth mentioning again as the economy of the nation and the retail environment in Wayzata meet on Lake Street as store after store continues to close. Add in the vacancies for retail properties all over town, and these are challenging times for those who own businesses dependent on shopping on Lake Street and or those seeking to develop more retail space.
The Wayzata Math team won the State Tournament on the smarts provided in part by sophomore Rohit Agrawal, sophomore Gaurav Singh, sophomore Brian Tu, senior Minna Chen, junior Terry Lee, senior Arpit Panda, and junior Denise Chen, proving once again that not only does Wayzata compete in athletics but we are top notch in academics in the state as well. Congratulations!
Senior Jamar Franks scored 19 points and senior Jerrod Peterson added 16 points as the Wayzata boys basketball team advanced to the section 6AAAA final with a 69-67 victory over Classic Lake Conference rival Robbinsdale Armstrong in a semifinal game on Friday night.
The Trojans led by six at halftime and were able hold on in the second half for the victory. As has been the case in a majority of their games this season, the Trojans had four players score in double figures. Besides the contributions from Franks and Peterson, senior Eren Cur scored 13 points and senior Kellen Taylor chipped in with ten points.
The Falcons got major offensive production from senior Damarius Cruz and sophomore Marquel Curtis, but didn’t have enough weapons to upset the Trojans. Curtis scored a game high 26 points while Cruz scored 22, which is one point below his season average.
The victory sets up a section final between the Trojans and the state’s number one ranked team from Hopkins. The Royals had no trouble advancing in their semifinal game against Minneapolis North as they cruised to a 102-55 victory.
The Trojans and Royals met twice during the regular season with Hopkins winning both contests by margins of 27 and 31 points. Can anyone challenge the Royals and their star-studded line-up full of division I recruits? A look at the available data and most high school basketball followers would say no.
The Royals are 27-0 this season. They have scored 100 points or more eight times. Their closest game was a 63-55 victory over St. Bernard’s in their third game of the season on Dec. 18. They have won by a margin of 30 points or more in 17 of their 27 games.
The Trojans and Royals will battle for a spot in the state tournament at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 17 at Osseo High School.
The season will be on the line tonight when the Wayzata boys basketball team takes the court in the section 6AAAA semifinals at Osseo High School. The second seeded Trojans will be looking for a spot in the section final when they face the third seeded Robbinsdale Armstrong Falcons at 8 p.m. tonight. Top seeded Hopkins and fourth seeded Minneapolis North will play in the first semifinal game at 6:30 p.m.
The Trojans split a pair of Classic Lake Conference games against the Falcons this year, winning 76-58 on Feb. 13 and losing 80-76 on March 3. The Trojans come into tonight’s game with a 20-6 record, while the Falcons sit at 13-14.
The make-up of the two teams is slightly different in that the Trojans are more balanced offensively than the Falcons. The Trojans have five players who averaged between 11 and 16 points per game with senior Nolan Odland leading the way at 15.9 points per game. The Falcons rely heavily on three players to provide a majority of their offense. Senior Damarius Cruz leads the way with 23.0 points per game. Sophomore Marquel Curtis and junior Andy Siedlitz average 16.0 and 14.3 points per game respectively.
Probable Starting Line-Ups:
Wayzata G Jerrod Peterson G Jamar Franks F Kellen Taylor F Nolan Odland F Eren Cur
Armstrong G Damarius Cruz G David Weber G Marquel Curtis G Andy Siedlitz F Ryan Virnig
They needed two extra sessions to do it, but the Wayzata boys basketball team was able to beat the Edina Hornets 86-84 on Friday night in the final tune-up before the postseason begins for both teams.
Trojans senior Kellen Taylor made a pair of free throws down the stretch in the second overtime to put his team over the hump. The win bumps the Trojans record up to 19-6 overall.
Senior guard Jerrod Peterson led all scorers with 26 points. Taylor and senior guard Jamar Franks each finished with 16 points. Senior forward Eren Cur also finished in double figures with 14 points.
The Trojans will find out where they are seeded in the section 6AAAA tournament sometime this weekend. Quarterfinal play in the section is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, March 10.
The teams in section 6AAAA include fellow Classic Lake Conference teams Hopkins, Minnetonka and Armstrong along with St. Louis Park, Minneapolis South, and Minneapolis Southwest.
Check back to Wayzata.com for the section pairings once they are announced.
By Matt Thomas, 
You must be logged in to post a comment.