Minnehaha returns to state in AA for the 8th time in nine years
They came, they saw, but they didn’t quite conquer. You get the feeling, however, that Concordia Academy will be back. The Beacons, who have risen to a new level of competitiveness this season, made it all the way to the…
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Continue ReadingThey came, they saw, but they didn’t quite conquer. You get the feeling, however, that Concordia Academy will be back. The Beacons, who have risen to a new level of competitiveness this season, made it all the way to the section 4AA finals against mighty Minnehaha Academy Friday night. Although they offered a respectable showing, it was not enough as the RedHawks advanced to state for the 8th time in nine years with a 64-51 victory.
“These girls did a great job of setting the bar high this year,” said Concordia coach Matt Pryor. “Concordia Academy girls basketball has always been competitive but hasn’t necessarily been a championship contender. I feel like with the core we have, with the girls getting a taste of this, we know how to win now. We are going to have some expectations going into next season, and I’m excited for that.”
It might not be an expectation yet, but the goal next season will no doubt be the same: beat Minnehaha. That will not be easy, as St. Croix Lutheran learned year after year after year in section play. Concordia, which finished the season at 19-8, got the full Minnehaha treatment on Friday night as the RedHawks jumped out to an 11-2 lead. While Minnehaha was simply going about their business, this was all new to Concordia and they appeared to be overwhelmed by the moment. “Any time you are putting 15-year-olds out there in an environment like this, when the pressure is on, you are going to have a little bit of stage fright,” Pryor said. “You get the yips in your fingers, the girls weren’t catching passes, we weren’t as sharp with the basketball as we usually are. It’s a growing process. Credit to these girls. I thought we really did a good job of bouncing back.”
After their opening stumble, Concordia won the rest of the half by two and played the RedHawks close after the break. The Beacons got within 5 points twice in the second half – they can thank freshman guard Grace Landvik for providing a much-needed spark – but every time they did Minnehaha scored a couple of quick baskets to restore a more comfortable lead. As time went on, it was clear that Minnehaha would advance and Concordia would be filing this one under ‘Lessons Learned.’
The main reason Minnehaha got the job done was senior guard Terra Rhoades, a 5’6 ball of fire whose primary assignment was to shut down Concordia’s talented 9th grade point guard Ivane Tensaie. Minnehaha coach Josh Thurow, one of the best tacticians around, used a box-and-one to smother Tensaie. The one doing the chasing was Rhoades. “We knew it would be a dog fight in that matchup,” Pryor said. “Credit to Ivane. She battled, but when you’re going up against a girl like that who is a defensive specialist she’s a really tough matchup.” Tensaie was held to just seven points, 10 below her season average.
Rhoades’ offense is usually an afterthought, as younger sister Taytum normally puts up the numbers. This time it was Terra’s turn, as she scored 35 points, knocking down jumpers, cashing in at the rim, and making her free throws. After going 1 for 4 at the line in the first half, Rhoades went 11-13 in the second including nine in the game’s key moments.
Rhoades may need to come up big again this week as Minnehaha attempts to erase the memories of a turnover-plagued performance in last year’s state tournament loss to Sauk Centre. In a year that began with a tragic explosion at their school that left their home gym uninhabitable, Minnehaha has been incredibly resilient. You get the sense that the RedHawks might make a little more noise in this year’s tourney. We’ll find out Wednesday when they face Norwood-Young America.