The Apple Valley/Tyus Jones traveling road show came to the Breakdown Tip Off Classic at Minnetonka and the overflow crowd was not disappointed, as the Eagles held off Tartan, 79-69 behind 28 points and eight assists from the super sophomore.

Recruited by many major colleges, including Minnesota (which had coach Tubby Smith in the crowd), Jones showed great maturity as he was often willing to let his teammates create while he was being shadowed by Tartan's Xavier Hall and Mike Hudspeth. But Jones still found a way to hit 8-of-14 shots and dish out eight assists against just three turnovers.

Dustin Fronk (14 points), Dennis Austin (13) and Mitch Hechsel (12) also had good offensive games for the Eagles. Austin was particularly effective, hitting 6-of-7 shots from the field.  Numerous times, Jones found his teammates on length-of-the-court passes to beat Tartan's pressure defense.

Both Hall and Hudspeth were effective in slowing down Jones, although Hall did foul out with 1:35 remaining. Hudspeth showed great on-ball defense and also led the Titans with 19 points. Freshman Marshawn Wilson chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Darrion Strong was big early, scoring 10 points in the opening few minutes and finishing with 15.

Score by half: Apple Valley 33-46--79, Tartan 28-41--69

Apple Valley: Jones 28, Fronk 14, Austin 13, Hechsel 12, Horton 6, Sonie 2, Christiansen 2, Tobroxen 2.

Tartan: Hudspeth 19, Strong 15, Wilson 11, Kirkland 9, Hall 6, von Schmidt-Pauli 5, Jackson 4.

In a game that saw plenty of lead changes and one-upmanship, Spring Lake Park got the final word in an 83-71 victory over Montevideo at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic at Minnetonka. Sean Scott (33 points) and Bryce Williams (29) combined for 62 points, alternating shot-making ability that the Thunderhawks couldn't stop.

The athletic Scott was dangerous from both outside the arc and as an elevator in the paint, helping the Panthers to a 32-29 halftime lead with 15 points. But he was also in foul trouble, finally picking up his fourth with 11:27 to play and Montevideo up by a point, 48-47.

Up stepped Williams, who scored 13 points in four and a half minutes with Scott on the bench, turning the deficit into a 64-60 lead. Scott returned with 6:17 to go and the pair continued to stretch the lead from there.

Colton Vien and Brett Bergeson each scored 23 points for Montevideo, hitting numerous three-pointers from even NBA range. Both are long and athletic players with great range.

Score by half: Montevideo 29-42--71, Spring Lake Park 32-51--83

Montevideo: Vien 23, Bergeson 23, Ward 13, Douglas 10, TeBeest 2.

Spring Lake Park: Scott 33, Williams 29, Ben 7, Robinson 7, Haynus 5, Thimmesch-Slepica 2.

Even without its All-State guard, Dawson-Boyd showed it was a contending force in a 75-67 victory over Maranatha Christian at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic in Minnetonka.

With junior Nathaniel Huot watching in street clothes, the Blackjacks took control early and cruised to the victory. Joey Lee (21 points) led a balanced scoring attack that also included Zach Stelter (15 points), Michael Lee (13), Evan Robertson (12) and Jack Hansen (9). Lee was particularly effective late in the first half, as his smooth shooting helped the Blackjacks to a 15-point lead at intermission.

Maranatha Christian was ice cold from the field for much of the game, jacking up -- and missing -- numerous three-point attempts. Trailing big in the final minutes, the Mustangs finally heated up to cut into the lead but could get no closer than eight. Jamey Hammond scored nine straight points on treys over the final few minutes and finished with a game-high 23 points, while Garrison Gillard added 21 points.

Gillard paced a late flurry in the first half for MCA, hitting a short runner and then picking Lee's pocket at midcourt and driving for a buzzer-beating layup. But the momentum didn't carry over after intermission.

Score by half: Maranatha Christian 29-38--67, Dawson-Boyd 44-31--75

Maranatha Christian: Hammond 23, Ga. Gillard 21, I. Hanson 10, J. Hanson 9, Z. Goldschmidt 2, Gr. Gillard 2, Penn 1.

Dawson-Boyd: J. Lee 21, Stelter 15, M. Lee 13, Robertson 12, Hansen 9, Wager 3, Tensen 2.

Coaches love to stress that defense wins championships, so much so that it has become a standard sports cliche. Of course, when that defense is as strong as that shown by Perham Saturday afternoon at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic, it makes perfect sense. The defending Class AA state champions stymied St. Thomas Academy much of the game in a 62-54 victory.

Perham, which featured only one player taller than 6-foot-2 (lanky 6-foot-7 center Mark Schumacher) played aggressive on-ball defense and had their hands in the passing lanes all game long. At halftime, the Yellowjackets led 26-18 and forced St. Thomas Academy into numerous bad passes and traveling calls.

Schumacher was a big factor on offense, as he led Perham with 20 points. Jordan Cresap also came up big, scoring seven quick points to get the Yellowjackets going, and finished with 18 points. Mike Wiskow added 10 points, many on quick cuts to the basket that Perham executed all game long.

St. Thomas Academy made a late run to get the game into single digits after Perham led by as many as 20 in the second half, but couldn't solve the tough Perham defense. Thomas Sjoberg and Mitch Newburg paced the Cadets with 11 points each. At 6-foot-5, Sjoberg showed a willingness -- and ability -- to hit NBA-length treys. Teddy Andrews chipped in with nine points.

Score by half: Perham 26-36--62, St. Thomas Academy 18-36--54

Perham: Schumacher 20, Cresap 18, Wiskow 10, Anderson 8, Bruhn 5, Hein 2, Nordick 1.

St. Thomas Academy: Sjoberg 11, Newburg 11, Andrews 9, Johnson 6, Zimprich 4, Patt 4.

Once it got the lead, Lakeville North made sure it wasn't going to let Champlin Park creep back into it. The Panthers made 18-of-19 free throws in the second half to hold off the Rebels, 63-50, in the Breakdown Tip Off Classic at Minnetonka.

Senior Brett Rasmussen paced the North attack with 25 points, including hitting 8-of-9 free throws in the second half. His aggressive play at both ends of the floor helped North overcome the absence of two key regulars: Devin Shockley and South Dakota-bound Tyler Flack, who will miss six weeks with a broken arm. But without Flack's inside presence, Rasmussen and senior Ryan Saarela (18 points) picked up the slack. Saarela isn't as square as Rasmussen, but showed a smoothness inside and wasn't afraid to fight for rebounds.

Champlin Park was paced by Anthony Hill, who was its only scorer in double figures with 18 points. Zach Johnson had nine points as the Rebels did most of their damage from the perimeter.  Hill has a strong frame and quickness that make him an all-around threat, including great hops that allowed him to elevate over the defense for a trio of three-pointers.

Score by half: Champlin Park 21-29--50, Lakeville North 28-35--63

Champlin Park: Hill 18, Johnson 9, Smith 5, Adams 3, Garrison 3, Gibson 2.

Lakeville North: Rasmussen 25, Saarela 18, Heid 7, Oxton 6, David 4, Newell 3.

Eden Prairie pulled away in the second half to earn a 74-65 victory over Duluth East in the Breakdown Tip Off Classic at Minnetonka High School. The two teams were tied at 36-all at intermission.

Sophomore Andre Wallace (15 points) started the second-half surge with a trey from the left corner and the Eagles (2-0) never looked back. Senior guard Sander Mohn led Eden Prairie with 23 points, showing both great range from the outside on his jumper and toughness inside. Led by Mohn and rugged Jordan Peterson (14 points), the Eagles were strong on the offensive glass, getting numerous second-chance points.

Duluth East (1-2) was impressive despite the loss of two starters. All-State guard Johnny Woodard continues to miss time due to injury -- an issue the Greyhounds may have to deal with until the playoffs -- and lightning-quick guard Quinton Coleman was also absent. Senior Taylor Stafford took matters into his own hands, scoring a game-high 30 points, including a trio of three-pointers and several slashing drives to the rim. His quickness was a problem for the Eagles.

Rell Ladd (16 points) and Shaq Coleman (15 points) also scored in double-figures for East, but the 'Hounds couldn't contend with the size of the bigger Eagles.

Score by half: Duluth East 36-29--65, Eden Prairie 36-38--74

Duluth East: Stafford 30, Ladd 16, S. Coleman 15, Lochner 2, Dedominces 2.

Eden Prairie: Mohn 23, Wallace 15, Peterson 14, Shaeffer 13, Cottrell 4, Anderson 3, Rosenthal 2.