DeLaSalle and Robbinsdale Armstrong don’t play in the same class, or the same conference, but the Islanders’ Sacar Anim said he felt a sense of rivalry when his team hosted the Falcons Saturday.
Anim participated in the Amateur Athletic Union with Armstrong’s Jerome Dixon and Sean Burns and played against the Falcons’ Evan Nolan at several different levels.
That familiarity stoked the flames of competition for Anim.
“I know a lot about them,” Anim said. “I knew they could shoot the ball, so going into the game, stopping that was pretty much our game plan. I know some of their tendencies, their best players -- I know what they’re going to do. I know their go-to moves, so I would say it’s definitely an advantage.”
Anim used that knowledge to help DeLaSalle build an early lead and effectively shut the door on Armstrong before the second half started in the Islanders’ 89-60 victory.
In front of a standing-room-only crowd in the gym, the senior went 4-for-5 from behind the three-point line in the first 10 minutes of the game and helped his team amass a 35-20 lead.
“It was a big momentum boost,” Anim said. “I haven’t been shooting the ball well the last two games, so to get going early was big. I expected a tougher game, but we competed well so I’m glad we got the win.”
Getting that type of success early in the game from one of DeLaSalle’s star players sets the pace for the rest of the team, Islanders coach Dave Thorson said.
“Sacar has done a great job all year of hunting for good shots,” Thorson said. “It’s not just that they were three-point shots, but they were the right three-point shots ... We do a great job of playing the right way and sharing the ball. It starts with defense and even with Sacar, I thought his defense was outstanding. I think his defense leads to good offense as well, that’s kind of the DeLaSalle way: we’re going to guard you first and create offense with our defense.”
The Islanders, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A by Minnesota Basketball News, entered halftime leading 41-29 and did not let off the accelerator in the second half, where they outscored the No. 5-4A Falcons 48-31.
Anim made six of his nine three-point attempts in the game and finished with a season-high 34 points.
Thorson said high school players tend to be a bit more competitive when they see familiar faces from AAU basketball on the opposing team.
“There’s no question that when you know guys, it makes the intensity and rivalry greater. There’s no question that happens all the time, there was definitely a little bit of that today,” Thorson said.
The other bright spot for DeLaSalle was Joshua Collins, who ended the day with 15 points. The senior stuck out from the rest of the Islanders’ squad not only because of his play, but because of his wardrobe.
The only player on the DeLaSalle roster choosing not to don black socks, Collins rocked grey socks with a bright green University of North Dakota logo to showcase his pride for his future school and basketball team.
“I have to represent NoDak,” Collins said. “I’m going to be up there next year. I wore them early in the season and stopped, but I decided to pull them out. It was a big game, and everybody was here. These are my Big Game Socks.”
Collins also offered some insight on when he plans to wear the socks again.
“You’ll see them in the state tournament,” he said.
