West metro residents exiting Target Center had little trouble finding their way back home Saturday. All they had to do was follow the victory parades.
In succession, Providence Academy, DeLaSalle and Hopkins all won Class 2A, 3A and 4A girls' basketball titles, putting a fancy bow on the seasons locally.
Appearing in their inaugural 2A championship game, it is the first team title for Providence Academy.
Lions coach Ray Finley said he found a lucky penny on the street prior to the game, so even when his team trailed by seven in the second half, he remained confident until the end of the 46-40 victory over Sauk Centre.
Mostly.
"I'm watching the girls brick free throws left and right," he said. "I finally relaxed with about a minute left."
Meanwhile, the Islanders and Royals added trophies to an already-packed case.
"This one is probably means lot more," said DeLaSalle's Mariah Adanene, who missed a chunk of the season while recovering from a fractured skull but scored eight points and pulled down 11 rebounds in a 65-45 victory over Richfield. "God blessed me. I'm a fast healer and I have great, supportive teammates. I'm so thankful for all of this."
En route to its second consecutive big-school title and fourth overall, Hopkins withstood an early, powerful punch from an Osseo team that came out with a fury.
"We were like, 'We're going to step it up right now. We're going to step on their throats,' " Taylor Anderson said of falling behind 8-1 early.
They did, going on a 19-2 run that helped put the game back in the champions' hands for an eventual 77-55 victory.
"After a while we got out of synch and we couldn't get it back," Orioles coach Joey Waters said. "Once you get down by 15 or 20 to a team like them, it's very hard to come back."
BRIAN STENSAAS
