2011 MBI Champions

The 2011 Mr. Basketball Invitational featured 44 prep boys all-star teams from nine states. Hickory came out on top finishing the tournament undefeated for the Mr. Basketball title. Congratulations to all the players for a job well done!

Like Hoosier, Hickory crowned Mr. Basketball champs

By SETH BLANK, Hub Sports Writer

07/1/2011

KEARNEY — Ravenna’s nickname and jerseys weren’t the only things that gave the Mr. Basketball Invitational championship game a Hoosier-type feel.

Nicknamed Hickory and dressed in jerseys similar to those worn by the small-town champion in the movie “Hoosiers,” the 2011-12 Ravenna High School team raced out to a 9-0 lead and never trailed against Denver Red Shield — a team consisting of Denver metro area players — en route to a 66-59 victory Sunday night at the Health and Sports Center.

It’s the first time a team consisting of players from one high school has won the tournament in its 20-year history.

The victory capped a perfect 8-0 tournament record for Hickory in its final summer tournament. The tourney was the fourth this summer for Hickory, and was their best according to coach Paul Beranek.

“The whole week we played awesome. We played some very, very good teams. We played great today — probably some of the best basketball we’ve played all year long,” Beranek said.

Theison Anderson scored Hickory’s first seven points and finished with 14. His early scoring helped Hickory build a 20-4 lead. Anderson also had nine rebounds and three blocks and was part of Hickory’s big three who accounted for 55 of the team’s points.

Beranek said a lot of times Anderson is a key piece in the puzzle of whether Hickory plays well or not.

“Theison maybe doesn’t get the attention that maybe Connor and Trevor do, but when he gets on like that it makes it really tough for us to guard,” he said.

Connor Beranek recorded a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Trevor Cyboron had 13 points and seven assists for Hickory. Beranek scored Hickory’s first 13 points to start the second half. The final two gave Hickory a 44-29 lead with 9 minutes, 59 seconds left in the game.

Connor Beranek, Cyboron and Anderson all chose not to play select basketball this summer with hopes of improving Ravenna’s high school team.

“They just made a commitment saying ‘Hey, we just want to make our team better this year so maybe we can make a run at a state championship’ because that’s what it’s really about,” Paul Beranek said.

But Javon Taylor made sure Red Shield didn’t go quietly.

Taylor scored 20 of Denver’s final 30 points. The guard made back-to-back 3s with under 2 minutes left to give Denver a chance. His final 3 with 1:03 remaining pulled Red Shield within 62-57. All 22 of Taylor’s points came in the second half.

Hickory held an 18-4 edge in made free throws and a 46-23 rebounding advantage against a taller Red Shield squad.

Paul Beranek said Hickory’s had success this summer. They went 3-0 in a small tournament at Kearney Catholic, went 2-2 at a Las Vegas tournament, and placed in the Top 8 at the Mr. Basketball Dakota Showcase. Hickory also lost games to Norfolk, Omaha Central, and Sioux City East at a tournament in Norfolk. They played Omaha Central — the two-time defending Nebraska Class A champions — to within 12 points.

“That’s helped us to understand what these teams will bring,” Paul Beranek said. “Those three games with Sioux City East, Omaha Central, and Norfolk really helped us.”

Final Score: Hickory 66, Denver Red Shield 59

HICKORY

Trevor Cyboron 4-14 5-5, Alec Chramosta 0-0 0-0 0, Theison Anderson 6-12 1-3 14, Sid Teichmeier 1-1 2-2 5, Connor Beranek 8-13 10-12 28, Mark Chramosta 1-4 0-0 2, Trace Armstrong 0-3 0-0 0, Lucas Wilke 2-6 0-2 4. Totals 22-53 18-24 66.

DENVER RED SHIELD

Anthony Murray 0-1 0-2 0, Solamon Yon 2-6 0-0 4, Treyvon Andres 2-4 1-2 5, Eric Andres, Jr., 4-6 2-3 10, Karamoko Cisse 1-1 0-0 2, Rodney Perry 0-2 0-0 0, Jevon Taylor 9-16 0-0 22, Jay Nelson 5-20 1-1 12, Roderick Bernstine 2-4 0-0 4, Deandre Kary 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-60 4-8 59.

Halftime — Hickory 32, Denver Red Shield 21.

3-point goals — HIC 4-12 (Beranek 2-4, Anderson 1-1, Teichmeier 1-1, Cyboron 0-4, Armstrong 0-1, Wilke 0-1), DRS 5-19 (Taylor 4-7, Nelson 1-7, Perry 0-2, Yon 0-2, Bernstine 0-1). Rebounds — HIC 46 (Beranek 11), DRS 23 (Taylor 4). Fouls — HIC 10, DRS 20. Fouled out — Andres, Jr., Bernstine. Technical fouls — None. Assists — HIC 11 (Cyboron 7), DRS 8 (Nelson 3). Turnovers — HIC 18, DRS 8. Blocks — HIC 4 (Anderson 3), DRS 4 (Bernstine 2). Steals — HIC 3 (Anderson 3), DRS 12 (Andres, Jr., 3, Murray 3).

©Kearney Hub 2011