Boys State Basketball ends Winter Sports Season

MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE

2017 BOYS BASKETBALL STATE TOURNAMENT RECAP

 

MINNEAPOLIS NORTH, MINNEHAHA ACADEMY, DELASALLE, APPLE VALEY CAPTURE CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

Four champions were crowned during the Minnesota State High School Leagues 2017 boys basketball state tournament. The tournament, held annually since 1913, was played at Target Center in Minneapolis, Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus and at the Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia (St. Paul) campus.

 

Minneapolis North and DeLaSalle were repeat champions during the tournament.

 

Minneapolis North won the Class A crown for the second consecutive season, and DeLaSalle won the Class AAA championship for a state best sixth year in a row.

 

Minnehaha Academy won the Class AA title for the first time since 2013 and Apple Valley claimed the Class AAAA crown for the third time in the past five seasons.

 

CLASS A

Minneapolis North added to its rich tradition of boys basketball success with the seventh state championship in program history following a 96-49 victory over North Woods in the Class A final Saturday at Target Center.

 

Four players helped fuel the Polars’run to a successful Class A title defense. Senior guard Isaac Johnson scored 28 points and had nine rebounds while senior guard JaQuan Sanders-Smith had 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field.

 

Junior center Odell Wilson IV was a powerful presence in the low post for the Polars (32-2) with 12 points and nine rebounds. Senior reserve guard Marquis Holloman had 10 points in 12 minutes of play. Minneapolis North’s championships in boys basketball span four decades.

 

The program won its first state championship in 1980. More followed in 1995, 1996, 1997, 2003 and the past two seasons in Class A. The Polars were also state runner-ups in 1933, 1938, 1984, 1985 and1990.

 

North Woods (31-2), located on the west side of Lake Vermilion outside of Cook, was on an upset binge entering the state championship game. The Grizzlies upset No. 3 Central Minnesota Christian in the quarterfinals and then upended No. 2 Goodhue in the semifinals.

 

Minneapolis North made sure the spree didn’t continue in racing to a 48-21 lead after the first half. The Polars’ pressure defense created 24 North Woods turnovers, including 13 in the first half. Junior forward Tate Olson led the Grizzlies with 14 points and five assists.

 

Senior center George Bibeau had 13 points and five rebounds while sophomore guard Cade Goggleye had 12 points, two blocks and two steals.

 

Minneapolis North won’t return to the Class A field in 2018 to defend its championship. Because of enrollment, Minneapolis North will move into the Class AA field for the next two school years.

 

With the victory, Minneapolis North head coach Larry McKenzie became the first coach in Minnesota high school history to win multiple titles at two schools. From 2000-03, he led Minneapolis Patrick Henry to four consecutive Class AAA championships.

 

In the third-place game, Goodhue used late free throws to record a 51-47 victory over Springfield at the Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia (St. Paul) campus.

Freshman forward Sam Opsahl made a free throw with 39 seconds left to give the Wildcats (30-3) a 50-45 lead. Teammate Jacob McNamara, a senior center, put the outcome out of reach with another free throw with two seconds left. He finished with17 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Junior guard Tanner Vogel scored 13 points for Springfield (29-4) and senior guard Kale Meendering had 12. Top-seeded Minneapolis North raced a state championship berth following its 100-56 victory over Springfield in the Class A semifinals.

 

The Polars (31-2) earned a chance to repeat as the Class A champion behind 29 points and 10 rebounds from senior guard Isaac Johnson and 22 additional points and 12 rebounds from junior center Odell Wilison IV. Minneapolis North, which has scored at least 100 points four times during the postseason and three other times during the regular season, was off and running again against Springfield (29-3), the 2011 champion.

 

The Polars raced to a 56-32 lead at the break and didn’t slow from there while putting the game into running time in the final minutes because they had built a 35-point lead. Junior guard Tayler Johnson scored 19 points and JaQuan Sanders-Smith added 16, including the 1,000thpoint of his career on a layup with 13 seconds remaining in regulation.

 

Sophomore guard Isaac Fink scored 18 points for the Tigers and junior guard Tanner Vogel added 17.In the consolation final,senior guard Jamie Cook made a three-pointer with nine seconds remaining in regulation to give Red Lake a 56-

55 victory over Central Minnesota Christian at the Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia (St. Paul) campus.

 

His game-winner came seconds after senior forward Ethan Brouwer gave Central Minnesota Christian (27-5) the lead. Senior guard Rob McClain, Jr., led the

Warriors (27-5) with 16 points and seven rebounds. Brouwer had 21 points for the Bluejays.

 

 

CLASS AA

 

Minnehaha Academy established itself as the Class AA power to beat in the

coming seasonsafter completing a championship season with a 47-36 victory over Crosby-Ironton in the title game Saturday at Target Center.

 

Freshman guard Jalen Suggs triggered a late surge to finish with 22 points and

freshman guard Terry Lockett added 12 points and four rebounds to send the top

-seeded Redhawks (26-5) to their second ClassAA title and first since 2013.

 

Minnehaha Academy’s roster had just three seniors and 10 underclassmen, including three freshmen, an eighth-grader and a seventh-grader. Crosby-

Ironton (30-3), which was looking for its first state championship in six title-game appearances, slowed Minnehaha Academy’s high-tempo offense to a seeming crawl throughout until the Redhawks ended with a flurry that set off a celebration of players and fans.

 

Minnehaha Academy’s 11-3 run to end the game was triggered by two consecutive defensive plays by Suggs that were capped by layups from him. Suggs punctuated Minnehaha Academy’s championship season with a dunk with seven seconds left in regulation.

 

Senior center Noah Gindorff had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Rangers, who pulled to within 36-33 with 4:48 remaining in regulation. Senior guard Jack Silgen had 10 points and nine rebounds and senior forward Trey Jacobs contributed seven points and three rebounds.

 

In the third-place game, Annandale used an 8-0 run in the final minutes to record a 68-60 victory over St. Cloud Cathedral at Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia (St. Paul) campus.

 

Junior forward AJ Hinz scored 20 points for Annandale (28-5) and junior forward Nick Bieniek added 14. Junior forward Michael Schaefer had 14 points for St. Cloud Cathedral (26-7).

 

The teams combined for 18 three-pointers; five for Annandale and 13 for the Crusaders. To earn a berth in the Class AA championship game, Minnehaha Academy used an eye-popping second-half blitz to record a 76-44 victory in the Class AA semifinals.

 

Freshman guard Jalen Suggs led the way, scoring 16 of his 23 points in the decisive run that sent the Red hawks (25-5) into the Class AA championship game for the second time since 2013.

 

Suggs was 9 of 15 from the field, had six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and five steals in making an impact nearly everywhere on the court for the Redhawks, who outscored the Cardinals 47-19 in the second half.Junior forward JaVonni Bickham scored 16 points, including a dunk with 3:38 remaining in regulation thatgave the Redhawks a 72-41 advantage. He also had nine rebounds.

 

In the other semifinal, No. 3 Crosby-Ironton used a 53-42 victory over No. 2 St. Cloud Cathedral to fill out the other spot in the championship game. The

Rangers have been in a boys basketball state championship five times, and in each appearance theyhave finished as the runner-up. Those occasions were in 1944, 1947, 1987, 2008 and in 2010.

 

Senior center Noah Gindorff scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to

help give the Rangers another chance at a championship. Crosby-Ironton (30-

2), making its 21ststate tournament appearance since 1932, also got 17 points from senior forward Trey Jacobs, who reached the 1,000-point milestone during the game. Senior guard Jack Silgen added 13 points and eight rebounds.

 

St. Cloud Cathedral (27-5), making its third state tournament appearance and first since 2000, was averaging75 points. Crosby-Ironton is 20-0 when holding its opponents to 50 points or fewer.

 

Junior forward Michael Schaefer led the Crusaders with 15 points and junior center Mitchell Plombon added 14 points. In the consolation final, New Richland-

Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva recorded a 77-66 victory over Lake City at the Gangelhoff Center on the campus of Concordia (St. Paul).

 

Senior guard Oakley Baker ended his prep career on a memorable note, scoring 40 points for the Panthers (30-3) and reaching the 2,000-point milestone. He was 10 of 21 from the field and 13 of 13 from the free throw line. Teammates Tyler Raimann, a senior center, and Benjji Lundberg, a junior guard, joined in with

double-doubles.

 

Raimann had 15 points and 10 rebounds while Lundberg had 11 points and 10

assists. Junior guard Marc Kjos had 18 points for LakeCity (24-8).

 

 

CLASS AAA

 

DeLaSalle extended its state-record for consecutive boys basketball championships to six following a 72-44victory over Austin in the Class AAA championship game at Target Center.

 

Senior forward Goanar Mar scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to power the Islanders (30-2) to championship in an unprecedented run. Junior guard

Gabe Kalscheur scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half when the Islanders

Outscored the Packers (26-4) by 20 points en route to capturing another

state champion for their trophy case at the school on Nicollet Island just off downtown Minneapolis.

 

DeLaSalle has won 11 state championships in various enrollment classes since claiming the first in 1985. It is the ninth state championship for longtime coach Dave Thorson, who has lead the Islanders to 15 state tournament berths since 1997.

 

The last time DeLaSalle didn’t win a Class AAA crown in this current run was 2011 when Orono captured the title. The Islanders didn’t qualify for the state tournament that season.

 

DeLaSalle’s first Class AAA championship was in 2006. Previously, the Islanders won the Class AA title in 1998 and 1999. More than a decade earlier, they won Class A championships in 1985 and 1988. As they were in the previous two state tournament games, the Islanders were off and running in the championship in building a 9-0 leadin the first three minutes.

 

DeLaSalle was poised on offense and pressure-packed on defense. Austin (29

-3), which had fits with DeLaSalle’s half-court defense, endured cold shooting and turnovers in their opening possessions and didn’t score its first basket until nearly five minutes had elapsed.

 

Austin found its rhythm in the first half and pulled to within five midway through, but the Islanders pushed the advantage back to 10 before settling for a 31-23 lead at the break. The Islanders didn’t quit there. They opened the second half on a 10-0 run that pushed the advantage to 41-23 just more than two minutes into the second half.

 

The Packers could get no closer than 12 points the rest of the way. Junior guard Both Gach led the Packers with 14 points while junior guard Duoth Gach chipped

in 10. It was the second time in this current spree of championships that DeLaSalle defeated Austin for a title. The other came in 2014. In the third-place game, Marshall sprinted to a 23-point lead at the half and that kept growing in

an 83-37 victory over Columbia Heights at the Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia (St. Paul) campus.

 

The Tigers (28-4) shot 56.4 percent in the first halfto 19 percent for the Hylanders (22-10). Senior forward Weston Baker McGrath led the Tigers with 20 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. Senior forward Mitchell Sueker added 19 points and five rebounds. Junior forward Wendell Matthews had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Columbia Heights.

 

For the sixth consecutive season, DeLaSallefound its way to the same place. The Islanders, the five-time defending Class AAA champion, earned a chance to make it a half dozen following an 86-60 victory over Columbia Heights in the semifinals.

 

Senior forward Goanar Mar scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, 12 on the defensive end, to spur the Islanders (26-3). In addition to the state-record five consecutive Class AAA championships, DeLaSalle has won five other boys basketball crowns. Junior guard Gabe Kalscheur had 18 points and seven rebounds while sophomore guard Tyrell Terry chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds in helping the Islanders defeat the Hylanders (22-9) for the third time this season. The two previous victories came during the Tri-Metro Conference

schedule.

 

Junior guard Quentin Hardrict paced Columbia Heights with 17 points. Teammate Wendell Matthews, a junior forward, had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Christian Kelly had 14 points. Mar scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds in the first half to send the Islanders to a 42-30 lead. Terry and Kalscheur chipped in seven each.

 

The Islanders’ patented high pressure defense forced the Hylanders into 11 turnovers in the opening half. In the other semifinal, Austin earned a chance to win the school’s first boys basketball championship in nearly six decades following a 73-53 victory over Marshall in the Class AAA semifinals. Duoth Gach, an athletic 6-foot-4 junior guard, put on an offensive show, complete with thrilling

Dunks mixed in with three-point shooting to finish with 29points. Senior forward Oman chipped in 14 points for the No. 2-seeded Packers. It will be Austin’s 11th

appearance in a boys basketball championship game.

 

The first came in 1923 when the Packers were the single-class runner-up. Championships followed in 34 and ’58. It will be the third time that Austin (29-

2) faces DeLaSalle in the Class AAA championship game. The others were runner-up finishes to the Islanders in 2013 and ’14.

 

Austin’s only losses this season were to Rochester John Marshall of Class AAAA during the Big 9 Conference season. Junior guard Trey Lance had 16 points for the No. 3-seeded Tigers (27-4). Senior forward Mitchell Sueker added 11 points.

Duoth Gach scored 15 points and had three rebounds to help the Packers build a 33-20 lead at the intermission. That advantage was on the strength of a 17-4 run to end the opening 18 minutes when the score was tied at 16-all.

 

In the consolation final, Fergus Falls, who opened the tournament as the No. 3 seed, zipped to a 71-42 victory over St. Thomas Academy at Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia (St. Paul) campus.

 

Senior guard Elijah Colback scored 17 points and senior forward Matthew Monke

added 16 forthe Otters (27-5). Senior guard Sam Schleper had 15 points on 5-

of-7 shooting from three-point range for the Cadets (24-8).

 

 

CLASS AAAA

Apple Valley entered the Class AAAA tournament as the No. 3 seed. Ahead of the Eagles were No. 1 Champlin Park and No. 2 Maple Grove, teams they had lost to during the regular season. The Eagles chased away any lingering memories of those losses with victories over both en route to capturing the Class AAAA championship for the third time in five seasons.

 

Junior guard Tre Jones was dominant on both ends ofthe floor, scoring 24 points and grabbing 18 rebounds, including 14 on the defensive end to send Apple Valley to a 60-54 victory over Champlin Park in the championship game. Senior forward Mason Morse added 12 points including a baseline layup with 27 seconds remaining in regulation that gave the Eagles a four-point advantage.

 

Apple Valley (30-2) won previous Class AAAA championships in 2013 and 2015.

Champlin Park (31-1) was attempting to become the first undefeated Class

AAAA champion since 2009 when Hopkins was 31-0. Champlin Park defeated Apple Valley 91-84 on Dec. 10 in its second game of the season. The Rebels had a 47-41 lead with 7:30 left in regulation.

 

Senior guard Marcus Hill was a playmaker with 15 points, five rebounds and two assists, and senior center Theo John was fearless in the low post with 12 points and eight blocks. Senior guard McKinley Wright would finish with 14 points, four assists and four rebounds. But Apple Valley chipped away and took a 50-49 lead on a jumper by Morse with 4:53 left, and the Eagles expanded that margin to three on a jumper by Jones 47 seconds later. But the scoreboard would teeter-

totter until Apple Valley made its final move with 1:18 left. Jones hit a layup with 50 seconds left to give the Eagles for good with 50 seconds left and Morse and senior guard Mohammed Kone would add baskets of their own.

 

Apple Valley which defeated No. 2 Maple Grove in the semifinals,outrebounded the Rebels by a 45-25 margin. Twenty-one of the Eagles’rebounds were on the offensive end, plays that kept possessions alive for Apple Valley.

 

In the third-place game, Wayzata overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to post a 70-66 victory over Maple Grove at the Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia (St. Paul) campus.

 

Senior guard Gavin Baumgartner secured the victory for the Trojans (28-4) on two free throws with six seconds remaining in regulation. Sophomore guard Jacob Benninga added 14 points and five rebounds. Senior guard Brad Davison and senior forward Tywhon Pickford had 24 arespectively, for Maple Grove (28-

4).

Champlin Park advanced to the championship game with a 70-62 victory over Wayzata in the semifinals. The Rebels did so with a decisive and powerful 10-

0 run in the final minutes to earn a spot in the championship game for the second time in three seasons.

 

In 2015, the Rebels lost to Apple Valley in the title game. Senior guard McKinley Wright scored 21 points to help send the Rebels (31-0) to another shot at

a Class AAAA title. Champlin Park, which battled from behind throughout and trailed by as many as 11, made its move with the scored tied 50-all.Senior guard Brian Smith triggered the run with a three-pointer with 4:20 left in regulation time.

 

Junior guard Josiah Strong ended the spree with another three-pointer with 1:47 left that pushed Champlin Park’s lead to 63-53. In between was a putback by W

right and a powerful dunk by senior center Theo John, who finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks. Senior guard Ryan Lindberg led Wayzata (27-4) with 21 points and sophomore guard Jacob Beeninga added 15.Wayzata

raced to an 11-0 lead to open the game and maintained its frenzied pace throughout the first half en route to a 34-31 lead. Beeninga led the Trojans in the

first half with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 3 of 3 from three-point range.

 

In the other semifinal, Apple Valley got some payback on Maple Grove. During the holiday break, Apple Valley endured a 16-point loss to Maple Grove during the Granite City Classic at St. Cloud Apollo on Dec. 30. It was the Eagles’second loss of the season. Apple Valley hasn’t lost since, which is a string of 23 consecutive victories. Junior guard Tre Jones scored 11 of his 19 points in the second half to help the No. 3-seeded Eagles pull away for a 77-54 victory over No. 2 Maple Grove in the Class AAAA semifinals.

 

The victory sends the Eagles (29-2) into the big-school championship game for the third time since 2013. In both of those previous appearances, Apple Valley has emerged as the Class AAAA champion. Jones completed his triple-double with 13 rebounds, including 11 on the defensive end, and also had 10 assists. He

made a three-pointer with 10:30 left in regulation that gave the Eagles a 52-41

lead, their biggest advantage of the game to that point. That lead would grow

to 60-41before the Crimson made a three-pointer to stop the avalanche.

 

Senior guard Mohamed Kone added 16 points for the Eagles, including 4 of 5 from three-point range. Senior forward Tywhon Pickford led the Crimson (28-3) with 23 points.

 

In the consolation final, Cretin-Derham Hall, which began the tournament unseeded, rolled to a 71-61 victory over No. 4 Lakeville North at the Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia (St. Paul) campus.

 

Individually, it was a battle between future Big Ten Conference players. Cretin-

Derham Hall junior forward Daniel Oturu, who has given a verbal commitment to play at the University of Minnesota, powered the Raiders (23-9) with 28 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. Lakeville North (28-4) was fueled by senior forward Nathan Reuvers, who has signed with the University of Wisconsin. He had 41 points and 12 rebounds.