Class 4A quarterfinals
WEDNESDAY
At Target Center
Tap on the game for a postgame summary or live scoring if the game is in progress
[5] Cretin-Derham Hall 57, [4] Farmington 56
[3] Minnetonka 83, Coon Rapids 36
Class 3A quarterfinals
WEDNESDAY
At Williams Arena
[1] Totino-Grace 57, Stewartville 48
[5] DeLaSalle 70, [4] Orono 64
[2]Mankato East 80, Chisago Lakes 41
[3] Alexandria 72, Minneapolis South 70
Class 2A quarterfinals
WEDNESDAY
At Williams Arena
[5] Minnehaha Academy 63, [4] Pequot Lakes 47
At Target Center
[2] Albany 87, Jackson County Central 66
[3] Lake City 72, Pelican Rapids 61
9:46 p.m.
Lake City finds separation in overtime
Lake City, after a regulation game in which neither team led by more than six points, surged in overtime to defeat Pelican Rapids 72-61 in the Class 2A quarterfinals at Target Center.
The third-seeded Tigers scored the final 12 points in overtime. Hunter Lorenson gave the Tigers a 62-61 lead early in overtime. The Vikings never got back into it.
"In overtime, it's whoever scores first and gets that little cushion," Vikings coach John Gullingsrud said. "They were able to hit a couple buckets and got us in scramble mode. They took control from there."
Both teams had their moments in the final minutes of regulation.
The Vikings (24-6) completed a 6-0 run to take a four-point lead with 2:57 left. The Tigers (25-5) answered to tie the score with 53 seconds left.
The Vikings reclaimed the lead on a layup by Timmy Guler, but Lorenson tied the score on the next possession with two free throws on Guler's fifth foul.
"We didn't really have a play drawn up," Lorenson said. "The goal is to just go into attack mode and get to the free throw line."
Guler led the Vikings with 18 points, and Lorenson led the Tigers with 19.
JOE GUNTHER
9:22 p.m.
Minnehaha Academy turns back Pequot Lakes
Minnehaha Academy, which entered its eighth consecutive state tournament with a .500 record, advanced to the Class 2A semifinals with a 63-47 victory over fourth-seeded Pequot Lakes.
The next stop for the Redhawks (15-14) is top-ranked Breck in the semifinals Friday.
"We've been an underdog before and we're just going to rely on gaining confidence from the fact that we've done this before," Minnehaha Academy coach Lance Johnson said. "Having said that, Breck's tough, and we're going to have to play the best game that we've played all year long."
Defense controlled Wednesday's game, with the Redhawks shooting 41.2 percent and the Patriots (26-5) shooting 32 percent.
The missed shots hastened the pace of the game, and Lorenzo Levy of Minnehaha Academy capitalized, scoring a team-high 18 points with 10 rebounds and four assists. The Redhawks made a halftime adjustment to take on Pequot Lakes' zone defense.
"We were talking about getting the ball in the middle and attacking the rim," Levy said.
Minnehaha Academy led as much as 18 and as few as eight in the second half.
Pequot Lakes leading scorer Harrison Kennen was hampered by foul trouble.
"They were physical all the way through … and they played way bigger guys than we have," Kennan said.
THEO FRANZ
7:36 p.m.
Albany catches and passes Jackson County Central
Zeke Austin got hot in the second half to propel Albany to an 87-66 come-from-behind victory over Jackson County Central in the Class 2A quarterfinals at Target Center.
Austin scored 20 of his game-high 32 points in the second half as Albany erased a 13-point halftime deficit.
"It's fun. 'Let it fly' is our mindset when we are hot," Austin said.
Albany (29-2) made 21 of 29 shots in the second half and held Jackson County Central to 7-for-22 shooting.
"We got looser in the second half. The first half we were really timid. We didn't really come out and play our game," Austin said. "The second half, we met their physicality, shot really well and ran the floor really well."
Jackson County Central (21-8) finished the first half on a 26-13 run and led by as much as 15 in the half.
"They're a youthful team that came out flying, guns a-blazing," Albany coach Cory Schlagel said. "Shots were dropping in for them pretty much the whole first half. [They] threw up a three at the end of the half, it bounced straight up and goes in. That was their half."
Roman Voss and Grant Freking led Jackson County Central with 19 points each. Jackson Voss, Jackson County Central's leading scorer, was forced out of the game with 3:09 left after picking up his fifth foul.
JOE GUNTHER
7:16 p.m.
Breck rolls against Waseca
Daniel Freitag took a step away from his usual scoring and helped four Breck teammates reach double digits in a Class 2A quarterfinal.
Freitag contributed 10 of the team's 24 assists in a 76-42 victory over unseeded Waseca. It was top-seeded Breck's first state tournament game since 2006.
"When we're all working together, there's no one that can hang with us," Freitag said.
Freitag, committed to Wisconsin, finished with 10 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots.
Waseca (20-11) came in confident on offense, attacking the paint and pulling up for three-pointers, but Breck stayed in the way, holding the Blue Jays to 8-for-32 shooting in the first half.
"You just can't simulate in practice the things that they do, the ball pressure they can put on and the flat-out individual efforts they can give," Waseca coach Seth Anderson said.
Breck (29-1) didn't shoot much better, going 0-for-7 on three-pointers until Teddy Koch made one with less than nine minutes left in the half.
From there, Breck found the stroke and cashed in six of its next seven three-pointers.
"We gave up a few O-boards, which slowed us down in transition," Breck coach Harry Sonie said. "So once we started rebounding better and getting those clean stops, we were able to play at our pace."
Waseca's deficit continued to grow well into the second half. Anderson said his players weren't intimidated, just outplayed.
"I don't think anybody was intimidated, by any stretch of the imagination," he said. "They are more scared of their moms than they were of Breck today."
THEO FRANZ
6:17 p.m.
Warned, Minnetonka routs Coon Rapids
Minnetonka coach Bryce Tesdahl didn't have to look far to find just the right message for his players.
The No. 3-seeded Skippers had watched Eagan pull off the biggest shocker of the Class 4A quarterfinals at Target Center, upsetting Park Center.
If ever a coach was handed a vehicle get his message across, that was it.
"I told these guys right before that anything can happen and they needed to stay locked in," Tesdahl said.
The Skippers took it to heart, routing unseeded Coon Rapids 83-36.
It's not as if Minnetonka (23-6) needed the warning. Last year's memory, a painful, close loss to Eastview in the quarterfinals, had not yet reached its expiration date.
"I kind of missed the layup to win it last year," guard Greyson Uelmen recalled with a wince. "It's been on my mind since last year. It was really nice to get back here and win a game."
High-flying guard Jordan Cain said the big victory established a foundation for the rest of the tournament.
"I would say that's the best two halves of basketball we've played in a while," said Cain, who scored 19 points. "Usually we play one good half, either the first half or second half. But this game we played two great halves. And we had good results."
Kenny Jones, with six points, led Coon Rapids (16-14) in scoring.
JIM PAULSEN
5:26 p.m.
Alexandria stands too tall against Minneapolis South
Poet Davis brings plenty of drive and self-motivation to the court. He epitomizes what coach Joe Hyser seeks for Minneapolis South's program.
The senior guard and his fellow Tigers just couldn't match Alexandria's distinct height advantage — 6-9 senior forward Grayson Grove, who has signed with the Gophers, and 6-8 junior forward Chase Thompson.
The twin towers scored 23 second-half points and Grove came up with a key blocked shot with seven seconds remaining, leading the No. 7-ranked Cardinals to a 72-70 victory in the Class 3A quarterfinals Wednesday at Williams Arena.
"We made enough plays to win the game," Alexandria coach Forrest Witt said. "I thought Chase and Grayson were great inside."
Hyser didn't bother drawing up a play for the Tigers (21-6) on their final possession.
"There is no play you can run against a team with that size," Hyser said. "We wanted to drive and make something happen."
Senior guard Jamari Stewart Scott drove the lane but couldn't get his shot over Thompson. It was his fourth block of the game.
"I don't think a lot of people gave us a chance today," Hyser said. "I knew we weren't going to lay down."
Not with Davis running the show. He had 15 of his 23 points in an electric first half in which the No. 4-ranked Tigers matched the Cardinals 40-40. He also finished with six assists and four steals.
Grove and Thompson took over in the paint, scoring the Cardinals' first 17 points of the second half. They both finished with a double-double, Grove at 26 points and 15 rebounds and Thompson at 18 points and 12 rebounds. Thompson also had eight assists.
"I'm still looking for that first triple-double," Thompson joked. "I've been close a couple of times."
Tigers senior guards Jumarion Weh (18 points), James Underwood (12 points) and Kevaughn Fields (11 points) also scored in double digits.
"I have to give credit to Minneapolis South," Witt said. "We had a difficult time containing them. They have a tremendous, tremendous team."
RON HAGGSTROM
4:05 p.m.
Eagan topples second seed Park Center
A little talk with himself was all Alex Schroepfer needed.
An Eagan senior guard, Schroepfer was spending a lot of time at the free throw line as the Wildcats were trying to hang on to an unanticipated lead. Few expected Eagan to be in the position it was in, leading No. 2-seeded Park Center as the minutes dwindled in a Class 4A quarterfinal.
But there he was, a 6-4 sophomore and one of two players Eagan coach Kevin McKenzie entrusted with the ball in his hands facing Park Center's speed and defensive ball pressure.
Good choice. Schroepfer made 12 of 15 free throws, including eight of 10 in the game's final minute, to help Eagan fend off a late charge by Casmir Chavis and the Pirates and win 73-70, the most unexpected result of the first round of the Class 4A bracket.
Schroepfer admitted that the circumstances made him nervous — repeated spotlight trips into the limelight with the biggest game of the season on the line, against a team few believed unseeded Eagan (17-12) could beat.
"I had doubts. I was watching the film and I was like, 'This is gonna be something we've never seen before. Just knowing like their reputation, I was a little scared at first," Schroepfer said. "But once I got into the game, I just told myself to believe in my teammates and my team and I felt all my nerves just go away."
Schroepfer was one of four Eagan players who scored in double figures against Park Center (25-4). McKenzie said he wasn't surprised Eagan competed well, considering its trying South Suburban Conference schedule.
"I am happy for the guys who haven't been on the big stage before, but I think we've played better. We play in a tough league," McKenzie said. "But we haven't seen that kind of pressure.
McKenzie called his decision to lean on his two ballhandlers, Schroepfer and Liam Madigan, crucial. "Against that pressure, Alex and Liam Madigan really took care of business," he said.
Park Center coach James Ware said he was always convinced his team was going to find a way to win.
"Down to the very last second," Ware said. "It's very disappointing."
Help came from all over for Eagan. Owen Bockenstedt, a 6-5 senior who broke bones in his back while playing Ultimate Frisbee and was cleared to play basketball in August, scored 15 points, all in the second half.
After playing mostly a defensive role in the first half, Eagan leaned on Bockenstedt for offense after halftime. Park Center big man Chiang Ring was out with a foot injury, and Bockenstedt took advantage. He punctuated his effort with a three-pointer as the Wildcats were gaining second-half steam.
"I think I did a decent job of playing defense in the first half, but I'm gonna be honest, I was feeling a little nervous, being on this biggest stage," Bockenstedt said. "I've never experienced something like this before."
At halftime, he asked himself why he was nervous. "I realized there's no need to be nervous," he said.
"Just hitting that [three-pointer] was a big mood swing, for the team and myself, and it really felt good. I think this was my best game of the season."
JIM PAULSEN
3:20 p.m.
Mankato East trounces Chisago Lakes
Patrick Rowe was overwhelmed.
Mankato East used a suffocating defense to shut down Chisago Lakes' one-man show, rolling to an 80-41 victory in the Class 3A quarterfinals at Williams Arena.
"We loved our defensive intensity," Mankato East coach Joe Madson said.
Rowe, a 6-7 senior forward who was an All-Metro second-team pick, was held scoreless in the first half, when the No. 2-ranked Cougars (27-2) built a 40-15 lead. He went 0-for-4 from the floor, turning the ball over eight times and picking up three fouls. Rowe finally made his first basket for the Wildcats (22-8) nearly four minutes into the second half.
"It was challenging," said Rowe, who finished with six points on 2-for-16 shooting, with seven rebounds, five assists and nine turnovers.
Junior guard Brogan Madson, the coach's son, had 15 points and stymied Rowe.
"When I got that first charge on him, I could see he didn't like what was going on," Brogan said. "It put pressure on the other players."
Brogan, on the other hand, had plenty of help. The Cougars had five players in double figures.
"We had a lot of guys contribute," Madson said. "We can play with everybody."
RON HAGGSTROM
1:51 p.m.
Cretin-Derham Hall defeats Farmington with late three-pointer
Cretin-Derham Hall edged Farmington 57-56 in Wednesday's second Class 4A quarterfinal at Target Center.
A Miles Bollinger three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining provided a lead the Raiders did not relinquish.
Questionable shot selection had added to Cretin-Derham Hall's woes down the stretch, and Bollinger's shot seemed likely to continue the trend of unsuccessful forced shots. He stumbled as he released it.
"I was kind of falling to my left, but I was in rhythm and I was kind of feeling it, so I let it go," Bollinger said.
A defensive stop sealed the victory.
"We're battle-tested because we've played in a lot of games like this," Bollinger said. "We got stops on defense as our guys dug in."
No. 5 seed Cretin-Derham Hall (25-4) advances to Thursday's 6 p.m. semifinal at Williams Arena and will face Wayzata, the defending Class 4A champion.
Cretin-Derham Hall led 31-28 at halftime. No. 4 seed Farmington (23-7), in the state tournament for the first time since 1937, led 52-51 with 3:44 remaining in the second half.
Joseph Mitchell III, a Star Tribune All-Metro third-team selection from the Raiders, fouled out with 1:10 remaining and a game-high 23 points.
DAVID LA VAQUE
1:29 p.m.
Freshman propels DeLaSalle past Orono
DeLaSalle's Jaeden Udean is a freshman. He doesn't play like it.
The 6-2 guard stepped out and buried a three-pointer from between the college three-point line and the large "M" at midcourt with 6 minutes, 14 seconds remaining. He didn't celebrate. He calmly ran back to a defensive position, albeit not very far.
Udean's 23 points carried No. 5-ranked DeLaSalle to a 70-64 victory over Orono in the Class 3A quarterfinals Wednesday at Williams Arena.
"He hit some shots that lit a fire under us," DeLaSalle coach Todd Anderson said. "His threes are like dunks. They are going in."
Udean finished 5-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Junior guard Richard Apiagyei added 10 points for the Islanders (21-9). Five other teammates had between six and eight points.
"We love to share the ball," said Islanders senior Ray James Jr., who finished with six points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals. "When somebody cools off another player steps up."
The Islanders didn't have to worry about that at the free-throw line. They went 16-for-17, all but one coming in the second half.
"They hit some big free throws at the end," Orono coach Barry Wohler said.
Junior guard Nolan Groves had 18 points against an always-switching Islanders man-to-man defense, pacing four Spartans (19-11) in double figures.
"We missed some shots we normally hit," Wohler said. "We had some good opportunities in the second half that we missed. We came up short, but it wasn't because of a lack of effort."
RON HAGGSTROM
10:43 p.m.
Wayzata dispatches Rogers
Making quick work of Wednesday's Class 4A boys basketball state tournament quarterfinal, top seed Wayzata ran away for a 77-64 victory against Rogers at the Target Center.
Jackson McAndrew, the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year, tied Isaac Olmstead for his team's lead with 17 points. Olmstead had six assists.
Christian Wagner-Walthall led Rogers (21-9) with 14 points.
Wayzata (28-1) shot 59.2 percent, going 29-for-49 overall and 7-for-16 on three-pointers. The Trojans outrebounded the Royals 32-25.
Wayzata, the defending 4A state tournament champion, led 38-27 at halftime. The Trojans advance to Thursday's 6 p.m. semifinal at Williams Arena to face Cretin-Derham Hall.
DAVID LA VAQUE
10:29 a.m.
Totino-Grace surges late past Stewartville
Discipline. Zone.
Two words that can pose problems for Totino-Grace.
Senior Isaiah Johnson-Arigu used his experience to bail out the Eagles on Wednesday. The 6-7 forward scored seven points and dished out an assist, igniting a late 11-point run over a seven-minute stretch as the two-time state champion Eagles rallied to beat Stewartville 57-48 in the Class 3A quarterfinals at Williams Arena.
"Once I got settled in, I focused on winning," said Johnson-Arigu, who finished with 13 points, 11 coming in the second half. "It was our first game. We had to get used to the pressure."
The top-ranked Eagles (25-5) trailed 42-39 when junior guard Chace Watley scored on a layup with just over eight minutes remaining. Johnson-Arigu, a first-team All-Metro pick who has signed with Miami (Florida), took over from that moment on, scoring on an offensive rebound and fast-break layup, passing to Dothan Ijadimbola for a layup and sinking a free throw before ending the run with another driving layup.
"Our defense turned into offense," Eagles coach Nick Carroll said. "We wanted to make the game faster."
Totino-Grace's defense held the Tigers (26-4) without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes, from 11.02 remaining to 1:28 left.
"We got stagnant," said Stewartville senior guard Henry Tschetter, who scored 15 points, the lone Tigers player in double figures. "We didn't move the ball like we did all game."
The Tigers, ranked third in the state, used a well-executed game plan, a disciplined cutting offensive attack and three defenses, to open a 41-36 lead on Tschetter's layup with 11:02 remaining. They rotated among a trapping 2-3 zone, a 3-2 zone and man-to-man defense.
"We were a little confused," Johnson-Arigu said. "We got used to it through the game."
Watley added 13 points and junior forward Tyler Wagner 12 for the Eagles. Wagner scored their last eight points of the first half, finishing with an alley-oop dunk on a pass from Ijadimbola.
"These guys have been through the ringer," Carroll said. "I don't care if we score eight or 85 points, a win is a win."
RON HAGGSTROM
Class 1A quarterfinals
THURSDAY
At Target Center
Russell-Tyler-Ruthton (23-7) vs. [1] Cherry (28-2), 11 a.m.
[5] Nevis (23-7) vs. [4] Mountain Lake Area-Comfrey (27-3), 1 p.m.
Heritage Christian (21-7) vs. [2] West Central Area (27-3), 3 p.m.
Goodhue (18-13) vs. [3] Fertile-Beltrami (25-6), 5 p.m.
. . .
TV and tickets
Ch. 45 will televise the semifinals and championship games starting Thursday. Quarterfinal and consolation round games are available for a fee on NSPN. Tickets to the event range from $11 to $22 and are available at mshsl.org/tickets.
. . .
Semifinals
THURSDAY
At Williams Arena
Class 4A
Wayzata vs. Cretin-Derham Hall, 6 p.m.
Class 3A
Totino-Grace vs. DeLaSalle, noon
Mankato East vs. Alexandria, 2 p.m.
FRIDAY
At Williams Arena
Class 2A
Breck vs. Minnehaha Academy, 6 p.m.
Class 1A: Noon and 2 p.m.
Championship games
SATURDAY
At Williams Arena
Class 1A: 11 a.m.
Class 3A: 1 p.m.
Class 2A: 5 p.m.
Class 4A: 8 p.m.
. . .
Tournament brackets
Class 4A | Class 3A | Class 2A | Class 1A
. . .
Star Tribune coverage
The Star Tribune will be publishing stories and other content related to these state championship games and more this week. Keep up by checking startribune.com/preps each day. Thank you for reading and subscribing.
. . .
