Semifinal Saturday marked by upsets and near misses
Last year’s class AAA state championship game was decided between eventual winner DeLaSalle and the runners-up from Becker, and many are anticipating a winner-take-all rematch in 2020. That possibility almost disappeared on Saturday as both the Bulldogs and Islanders had to fend off a pair of upset-minded opponents to advance to their respective section finals. It was by no means easy. Others weren’t so lucky.
Here’s a recap of the upsets and near misses on Semifinal Saturday.
SECTION 5AAA: BECKER STRUGGLED BUT SURVIVED
I love underdogs, and have spent a good portion of my life being disappointed because of it! That is an inevitable outcome the vast majority of the time due to one simple fact: great teams almost always figure out a way to win. That’s what section 5AAA #1 seed Becker did on Saturday night in Buffalo. From the opening tip, however, it appeared as though this might be Willmar’s time to shine.
“We felt pretty good going into the game but once we got here I think people just played nervous,” said Becker’s leader Julia Bengtson Julia Bengtson 5'10" | PG Becker | 2021 State MN . “We didn’t play to win; we just played not to lose. That was a big part of why we didn’t do as well.”
Despite their foibles, Becker was up one at halftime. Willmar, seeded 4th in the section, opened the second period with back-to-back threes to take a 5-point lead. By the 12-minute mark the margin had stretched to 10 and suddenly it seemed possible that the Bulldogs might actually lose. Willmar’s punishing defense was keeping Becker off kilter from one end of the floor to the other.
“They are very well-coached, and they were boxing out and getting rebounds which really killed us,” Bengtson said. “Our goal coming into it was to swing the ball and get a good shot, and to drive and kick, but a couple of times we just launched a shot as we got the ball. We needed to have more patience.”
As we said, however, great teams somehow manage to dig a little deeper when they need it the most and that’s exactly what Becker did. The comeback began in earnest when junior Courtney Nuest Courtney Nuest 5'8" | CG Becker | 2021 State MN nailed a pair of long threes about seven minutes into the half. Sophomore guard Adeline Kent Adeline Kent 5'8" | CG Becker | 2022 State MN then scored consecutive baskets to keep the ball rolling
The teams traded buckets down the stretch, but Becker still trailed until there was just under 5 minutes remaining. It was at the 4:40 mark when Kent nailed a three-pointer to tie the game at 56 and Nuest followed with another field goal to cap a 9-0 run and give the Bulldogs a four-point cushion. Becker never trailed again. A pair of Willmar turnovers in the game’s final minute sealed the Cardinals’ fate. The final was 64-59.
“We always have to come ready and be prepared to play. Good teams are consistent, they are always good and don’t really have down games,” Bengston said, admitting that this experience may end up serving the Bulldogs well over the next couple of weeks. “I think it helps us having had to grind through it. We just need to learn that we can’t come in and play nervous. We have to play confident, because that’s how we win.”
In the end Becker’s superior athleticism and skill had prevailed over Willmar’s defense and determination. Nuest finished the game with 17 points while Kent had 16 and forward Megan Gamble Megan Gamble 5'10" | SF Becker | 2021 State MN scored 15. Bengston was the fourth Bulldog in double figures with 10. Willmar senior Madi Linbo had a strong final game in high school basketball with 17 points on eight field goals. Junior Mackenzie Jones was terrific for Willmar, finishing with 14 points. Becker will now face the #3 seed Monticello, which knocked off #2 Big Lake. The section 5AAA championship game will be played at 7 pm. Thursday in Buffalo.
DLS ISLANDERS SNEAK BY TOTINO-GRACE 62-57
Things were not much easier for the defending AAA champions from DeLaSalle as the Islanders were threatened at every turn by Totino-Grace. The Eagles came out firing and hitting in the section 4AAA semifinal at East Ridge, and the Islanders struggled to execute at both ends of the floor. T-G senior guard Carla Meyer Carla Meyer 5'7" | PG Totino Grace | 2020 State MN was on fire as was sophomore Leah Dengerud Leah Dengerud 5'9" | SF Totino Grace | 2022 State MN , who transferred to Totino from DLS prior to the season.
Meanwhile Savannah White Savannah White 6'1" | SG DeLaSalle | 2022 State MN was in early foul trouble and spent most of the opening half on the bench, and the Isles struggled to get the ball inside to senior Nurjei Weems Nurjei Weems 6'0" | PF DeLaSalle | 2020 State MN . Totino’s 2-3 zone had DeLaSalle flummoxed for much of the half. The end result of was a four-point lead for the Eagles at the break. In the second half, DeLaSalle point guard Kiani Lockett Kiani Lockett 5'9" | PG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN found her rhythm and scored some big baskets for the Islanders. The game came down to the final minute at which point – again – the more athletic, more experienced team figured out a way to win and advance. The final was 62-57.
Dengerud finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Meyer had 17 points in her final high school game while junior Anna Caspers had 14. Lockett finished with 18 for DLS. White was the only other Islander in double figures with 13. DeLaSalle will now face Hill-Murray on Thursday at 7 p.m. for the section 4AAA championship at East Ridge.
A PAIR OF UPSETS IN SECTION 7AAAA – SORT OF
Section 7AAAA is a strange one, and it is difficult to classify either of Saturday’s results as a big upset. The teams are all very close in ability. Andover has had an excellent year and earned the #1 seed. Blaine put together its best season in a long time to get #2. And suddenly both of their seasons are over. Andover fell to 4th-seeded Cambridge-Isanti by a score of 62-55. Blaine was stunned at the last moment as #3 Forest Lake advanced with a 69-67 victory. Remarkably the Rangers trailed by 8 points with 1:15 remaining before escaping with the W.
Forest Lake was led by junior Logan Anderson Logan Anderson 5'8" | SF Forest Lake | 2021 State MN , who scored 18 points. Junior Lydia Bostrom put up 12 for the Rangers who had 11 each from sisters Greta Krieger Greta Krieger 5'9" | CG Forest Lake | 2022 State MN and Maddie Krieger, while junior Katie Johnson scored 10. Junior Madison Hoehne Madison Hoehne 6'0" | SF Blaine | 2021 State MN led Blaine with 16 points while Kayla Bohr Kayla Bohr 5'10" | CG Blaine | 2020 State MN had 15 as her sensational senior year came to a cold hard conclusion.
Another senior showed up big for Cambridge-Isanti as guard Jackie Olander had the game of her life with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. The key to the game was probably Olander’s performance at the free throw line as she went 17-for-21 on the night. Well that and the fact that Cambridge won two other key statistical categories: turnovers and rebounds. Senior Jana Swanson Jana Swanson 6'0" | PF Cambridge-Isanti | 2020 State MN (Bemidji State) set the school record for career rebounds, a total she added to on Saturday with 15 more as the Bluejackets outrebounded the Huskies 33-23. She also scored 14 points.
Cambridge sophomore Mikayla Aumer Mikayla Aumer 5'9" | CG Cambridge-Isanti | 2022 State MN had 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in another strong performance. Andover’s Sydney White Sydney White 5'10" | CG Andover | 2020 State MN (Sioux Falls) wrapped up her outstanding high school career with 27 points. Forest Lake and Cambridge-Isanti will now meet for the right to represent section 7AAAA at the state tournament. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. Thursday in North Branch.
PROCTOR’S TRAIN HAS LEFT THE STATION
What an incredible year it has been for Proctor as the Rails’ strong senior class put together 23 wins. Their hopes for a return trip to the state tournament were derailed Saturday, however, as #8 Virginia knocked off the top seed by a score of 59-57 in the section 7AA quarterfinals. Procter had defeated Virginia in the section final the past two seasons. Earlier this year the Rails beat the Blue Devils by 35. This time around things would turn out differently thanks to a second-half aerial attack by Virginia and some strong play in the closing moments by Lexiss Trygg, who overcame foul trouble to excel.
The game came down to one final shot, a six-foot floater at the buzzer by Proctor’s Sam Parendo Sam Parendo 5'9" | CG Proctor | 2020 State MN that bounced off the back iron and out. Sophomore Anna Fink led Virginia with 12 points while Rian Aune had 11 and Trygg scored 10. Parendo led the way for Proctor with 18 while Liz Frase Liz Frase 5'11" | PF Proctor | 2020 State MN had 16 and Sam Pogatchnik Sam Pogatchnik 5'9" | CG Proctor | 2020 State MN scored 9. Virginia advanced to the section semifinals where they’ll face #4 Pequot Lakes at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday at UM-Duluth.
DULUTH MARSHALL NEARLY KNOCKED OFF THE HILLTOP
Things were not much easier for the #1 seed in section 7AA as Duluth Marshall escaped its encounter with Mesabi East by the narrowest of margins: 62-60. The Hilltoppers were facing adversity from the start as their leading scorer Gianna Kneepkens Gianna Kneepkens 5'11" | CG Duluth Marshall | 2021 State #86 Nation MN was suffering with a bad hamstring that limited what she could do. Kneepkens, who averages nearly 32 points per game, had just 8 on Saturday but she contributed 10 rebounds and four assists and nailed a pair of monster threes in the waning moments.
Senior guard Grace Kirk (Brown University) carried the load for Marshall with 30 points. Junior Merlea Mrozik, who did such a good job defensively on Roseau’s Katie Borowicz Katie Borowicz 5'6" | PG Roseau | 2021 State MN when we saw them a couple of weeks ago, scored 11 and held the Giants’ big shooter Hannah Hannuksela Hannah Hannuksela 5'8" | CG Mesabi East | 2021 State MN to just three points. Laila Monroe had 8 points and 8 rebounds for Marshall.
Mesabi East led by six at halftime but Marshall came back to tie the game with under six minutes remaining. Then Kneepkens hit her big threes to give the Hilltoppers a cushion. The Giants made it close with a couple of key threes but Marshall hung on for the win. Mesabi East senior Ava Hill Ava Hill 5'8" | CG Mesabi East | 2020 State MN finished her high school career with a 27-point performance. She’ll run track next year at the University of Minnesota. Duluth Marshall will now face Esko at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday at UMD.
KASSON-MANTORVILLE SENDS AUSTIN PACKING
#3 Kasson-Mantorville defeated #2 Austin by a score of 57-47 in section 1AAA ending the Packers’ bid for a return to the state tournament. Freshman guard Aby Shubert Aby Shubert 5'8" | CG Kasson-Mant. | 2023 State MN continued her stellar play with a 21-point performance for the Komets while forward Mya Suess Mya Suess 6'1" | PF Kasson-Mantorville | 2021 State MN had 11 points and 13 rebounds. Tip of the hat to junior Olivia Matuska who nailed a couple of crucial threes and turned in an outstanding defensive effort against Austin guards Hope Dudycha Hope Dudycha 5'6" | CG Austin | 2022 State MN and Colie Justice Colie Justice 5'7" | CG Austin | 2020 State MN . K-M is now 19-9. They’ll face the #1 seed Red Wing in the section finals at 8 p.m. Friday at Mayo Civic Center in Rochester. The Wingers made it to the final with a 63-24 drubbing of Albert Lea and were led by senior guard Kyli Nelson Kyli Nelson 5'8" | CG Red Wing | 2020 State MN (Mount Marty) with 19 points and junior forward Abi Deming Abi Deming 5'10" | SF Red Wing | 2021 State MN with 14.
We’ll have a preview on Tuesday of the best section games to see in the week ahead.
Top photo: The Komets of Kasson-Mantorville had plenty to celebrate after ousting the Austin Packers.