The Minnesota Star Tribune
The Minnesota Star Tribune
Earlier today, Hills-Beaver Creek claimed Class 1A; Minnehaha Academy won 2A, and Totino-Grace won the 3A crown.
By Marcus Fuller, Cassidy Hettesheimer and Jim Paulsen
The Minnesota Star Tribune
Chaska defeated Appley Valley 63-55 to win the Class 4A boys basketball state tournament championship on Saturday, March 28. Chaska last won the title in 2004, when it was led by former Gopher Spencer Tollackson.
Three other teams claimed state titles on March 28: Hills-Beaver Creek in 1A, Minnehaha Academy in 2A and Totino-Grace in 3A.
The tournament began with 32 schools, grouped into four classifications based on school enrollment grades 9-12. If you missed the first four days of the tournament, here are the live blog replays:
View the complete brackets for 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A and follow live scores on our boys basketball hub.
Scroll through the updates below to catch up on Saturday’s games:
Chaska’s Kalin Jochum hit two free throws with under a minute left to give his team a 61-55 lead, but those weren’t his only clutch foul shots.
Jochum also hit two shots from the charity stripe when Trey Parker nailed his sixth three-pointer to get the Eagles within 57-55 with 90 seconds remaining.
The junior forward sealed the game with his final free throws to make it 63-55 with 26.2 left. It was time to celebrate after the buzzer sounded. Jochum finished with 11 points on 8-for-8 shooting from the foul line. Trey Parker led Apple Valley with 33 points in the loss.
Chaska made 10-of-13 free throws in the second half, including Jochum’s six free throws during the final 90 seconds of the game.
— Marcus Fuller
The Eagles cut a 10-point deficit to 57-53 after Ryan Christiansen’s two free throws with 2:19 to play in tonight’s Class 4A final.
Apple Valley started the rally behind Trey Parker’s three-point barrage, which included his sixth from beyond the arc before Christiansen’s foul shots.
Parker then nailed a baseline jumper, part of a 10-2 run that pulled Apple Valley within 57-55 with 1:36 to play. That put him at 33 points on the night.
— Marcus Fuller
The Hawks is not flashy for a team with a 24-game winning streak, but that doesn’t always win championships. You know what I’m going to say next. Defense wins …
In tonight’s title game, Chaska held Apple Valley to 30% shooting from the field on 15-for-49 shooting with about five minutes to play. Trey Parker’s three-pointer made it 55-48.
Camare Young, who averages almost 20 points this season, had just four points on 2-for-12 shooting at that point.
— Marcus Fuller
There hasn’t been a better shooter in the state tournament this year than Trey Parker, who is doing everything he can to keep Apple Valley in this Class 4A final tonight.
Parker had eight of his team’s 11 points during a rally in the second half, including five straight points to pull within 44-40 around the 11-minute mark. He had 25 points at that point.
The Eagles saw their deficit stretch to nine points, but then Tyrese Hutton was motivated by Parker’s big shots. Hutton scored five straight, including a three-pointer to make it 49-45 with eight minutes to play.
— Marcus Fuller
For one half, Minnehaha Academy junior forward Kellen Troup’s state championship game experience was best described as a mess.
The other half? Everything he could have hoped for.
After missing most of the first half while saddled with foul trouble, the 6-foot-7 wing had a dominant performance after halftime to lead Minnehaha Academy to an 81-69 victory over Goodhue in the Class 2A championship game Saturday, March 28 at Williams Arena.
Keep Reading: Behind Kellen Troup’s big second half, Minnehaha Academy wins 2A title
Chaska’s balance kept it in control in the first half of tonight’s Class 4A title game against Apple Valley.
The Hawks, who started the second half 4-for-4 from the field, continued to spread the ball around to generate offense in the second half. Jed Keenan’s layup extended their lead to 39-27 with 15 minutes to play.
Trey Parker hit his fourth three-pointer of the game to get his 20th point to answer for Apple Valley, but Chase Maetzold muscled in a layup plus the foul for a 41-22 advantage at 13:42.
— Marcus Fuller
Chaska and Apple Valley took care of all the top seeds in their path to the Class 4A championship game, so what would it be like when two underdogs faced off?
The Hawks, who lead by eight points at halftime, showed why they were on a 24-game winning streak entering tonight. Tyler Forrest leads them with eight points on 4-for-5 shooting in the first half, but six other players were also on the scoreboard.
The Eagles nearly erased an 11-point deficit behind Trey Parker’s 15 points on 4-for-11 shooting from the field and making five of six free throws in the first half. Parker’s teammates shot a combined 3-for-14 from the field.
— Marcus Fuller
Chaska couldn’t afford to feel too comfortable with an 11-point lead midway through the first half of tonight’s Class 4A championship at the Barn. Chase Maetzold’s layup made it 22-11 with 6:51 left in the game, but the Hawks went cold.
The Eagles were also atrocious shooting from the start, but they eventually strung together a 9-0 run to get back into the game. Trey Parker, who is leading the way with 15 points, hit three free throws to make it 22-20 with 3:11 to play.
— Marcus Fuller
The first two shots of the game for Apple Valley were deep three-pointers from Trey Parker, but the rest of the team started the game 0-for-4 from the floor.
Parker hit his second three-pointer of the game to cut it to 8-6, but Chaska answered right back to make it a four-point lead with just over 12 minutes left in the first half.
Freshman Gio Horton finally became the second player to score for Apple Valley with a three-pointer to pull within a point. The Eagles still struggled to generate more offense going 4-for-16 to start.
Tyler Forrest’s back-to-back layups sparked Chaska to 10-2 run to take a 20-11 lead after Eli Herzog’s 2-for-3 free throws at 7:30 left. Parker was 3-for-7 from the field, but the rest of his team was 1-for-10.
— Marcus Fuller
We all remember Chaska sophomore Chase Maetzold catching fire with 19 points on five-three-pointers in the Class 4A quarterfinal win vs. Lakeville South.
Well, the 6-foot-6 underclassmen cooled off in the semifinal win vs. Tartan, but he was back hitting again to open tonight’s championship against Apple Valley. His opening three-pointer from the corner helped the Hawks start with a 5-0 lead.
Trey Parker got the first basket for Apple Valley with a three-pointer to make it 5-3 with just under 15 minutes left in the first half.
Not to be out done, Chaska freshman Jed Keenan, who had five three-pointers vs. Tartan, hit his first shot from beyond the arc to make it 8-3 Hawks at the 13:12 mark.
— Marcus Fuller
How does Chaska’s basketball program make a 16-win turnaround in one year? Credit the development of players like Tyler Forrest, who leads in scoring (16.4) and assists (5.3) as a junior. He was a member of Strib Varsity’s 2026 All-Minnesota team.
The Hawks (27-4) are playing tonight for their first Class 4A title since 2004 largely in part to the impact of two underclassmen. Freshman Jed Keenan tied a team-high with 17 points with five three-pointers in Friday’s upset against No. 1 Tartan. Sophomore Chase Maetzold had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the quarterfinals against Lakeville South.
Keenan (played junior varsity) and Maetzold (Mayer Lutheran transfer) were two players who didn’t play on Chaska’s varsity team last season. Can they keep playing so well so young on such a big stage?
This might be the case where veterans become more reliable. Apple Valley is led by seniors Trey Parker, Camare’ Young, Ryan Christiansen and Tylan Ward, who combined for 54 points in the semifinal upset vs. No. 3 Maple Grove. They also combined for 52 points in the quarterfinal upset vs. No. 2 Wayzata, the defending 4A champions.
I’ve got to go with old vs. young in this Class 4A title game tonight. Apple Valley wins.
— Marcus Fuller
The Minnesota high school rendition of college basketball’s March Madness played out in the boys basketball Class 4A tournament this week.
No. 7 seed Apple Valley plays No. 5 seed Chaska in the championship game tonight at 8 p.m. in a title game nobody saw coming.
Except for maybe the players who are making history happen. No Class 4A final had ever featured a fifth seed vs. a seventh seed.
“I wouldn’t really call it a Cinderella run,” Apple Valley senior Camare’ Young said with a smile. “We had high expectations for ourselves.”
Continue reading: Class 4A boys basketball bracket busters Apple Valley and Chaska meet for title game nobody saw coming
— Marcus Fuller
After spending much of the first half on the bench with foul trouble, Redhawks junior Kellen Troup had a second half to remember. The 6-foot-7 forward scored 18 points in the second half and hit four clutch three pointers to lift the Redhawks to their sixth state Class 2A state championship.
After teammate Ayden Green same down with a key rebound in the final minute to clinch the victory, Troup shook his fists in celebration. What had started off as a regrettable day had morphed into something more memorable. He finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and a series of hug from his teammates.
Green, the floor general who played all but two minutes, finished with 21 points, making 13-of-16 free throws.
Alex Loos scored 25 points and Luke Roschen had 22 for Goodhue, which finishes the season 31-2.
— Jim Paulsen
Minnehaha has been clearly the better team after half time. With Kellen Troup cooking and the defense shutting down Goodhue, the Redhawks lead 69-58 with 2:36 left.
— Jim Paulsen
After a disappointing first half, Kellen Troup has been playing like a man possessed. He’s got 18 points in the second half and has made four three-pointers. Redhawks lead 67-58 with 5:05 left in the game.
— Jim Paulsen
Minnehaha is starting to run a little and it’s starting to put some pressure on Goodhue. Kellen Troup has 12 points after halftime, making his mark. Alex Loos is the only Goodhue player making waves. He’s scored Giidue’s last 16 points. Minnehaha lead 59-52.
— Jim Paulsen
If DeLaSalle was the premier Class 3A boys basketball dynasty in the 2010s, Totino-Grace has made its case that this is the Eagles’ decade.
No. 1 seed Totino-Grace defeated No. 2 DeLaSalle 72-70 at Williams Arena on Saturday, March 28, to secure its fourth Class 3A state title in five years.
The Islanders raised seven championship banners between 2012 and 2019. Then, starting in 2022, the Eagles won their first three state titles, back-to-back-to-back, until falling to eventual champ Alexandria in last year’s quarterfinals.
Totino-Grace senior guard Tian Chatman had watched his older brother, Taison, now a guard at Ohio State, help the Eagles to those first two trophies, both over DeLaSalle. Totino-Grace head coach Nick Carroll showed his team footage of the final seconds of those two games ahead of this year’s state tournament.
And Chatman was the final player with the ball in his hands Saturday. He scooped up a loose ball for a post-buzzer dunk as he and junior guard Malachi Hill locked up the Islanders in the backcourt in the game’s final seconds, preventing a chance at a game winner.
Read the story: Totino-Grace collects fourth 3A title in five years with 72-70 win over DeLaSalle
The Redhawks have outscored Goodhue 17-10 after halftime, lead 44-40. Kellen Troup still on the bench.
— Jim Paulsen
The 6-7 junior forward is the Redhawks’ most commanding physical presence, but he spent much of the first half on the bench with foul trouble. He had just four points and one rebound in 11 minutes. How will the Redhawks protect him in the second half? I fully expect Goodhue to go right at him in the second half. Goodhue leads 34-30 with 16 minutes left.
— Jim Paulsen
There was a lot of dissatisfaction from the Minnehaha Academy fans after Kellen Troup drew a questionable foul call, sending him to the bench with three fouls in the first half.
Goodhue turned the call into two points. Mere seconds later, Ayden Green was mauled and knocked down while driving to the basket, but didn’t get a call. I don’t blame the fans for not liking that series of calls (or non-calls).
Owen Roschen leads Goodhue with 12 points, hitting all six of his shots.
— Jim Paulsen
Michael Roschen laid the ball in to give Goodhue a 29-23 lead with 3:08 left. There were some complaints from the Redhawks about the lack of a foul call. Malachi Snell added a put-back to make the score 29-25 with 2:20 left Carter Cupito had a steal and basket, cutting the deficit to 29-27.
— Jim Paulsen
Like two boxers testing the waters, neither team has gained an obvious advantage. Minnehaha has a game-high 12 rebounds, but Goodhue is getting its shots to fall, making 9-of-14 attempts from the floor.
— Jim Paulsen
Owen Roschen has been the best player on the floor for Goodhue. He’s go 10 points, repeatedly attacking the basket.
It’s Goodhue 22, Minnehaha Academy 20, with 5:53 left in the first half.
— Jim Paulsen
The Redhawks, looking to increase their size on the interior against Goodhue, are going inside to 6-4 freshman Mekhi Abner. He has six points on three bunnies in the lane.
Goodhue leads 22-20.
— Jim Paulsen
The Wildcats have built an 8-4 lead by getting defensive rebounds that lead to run outs and transition baskets.
— Jim Paulsen
No. 1-seeded Goodhue got a lesson in state tournament basketball in the 2A semifinal victory over Albany on Friday, March 27.
The talented Wildcats have been perched atop the Class 2A rankings for much of the year and has proved worthy, compiling a 31-1 record.
But they seemed unsure of themselves early in the game, letting Albany, which won state titles in 2023 and 2025, dictate play for much of the first half. At halftime, Goodhue coach Matt Halvorson stressed a need to play a more physical style of play at this time of year.
“This is the state tournament,” Halvorson said. “Everyone is physical.”
In other words, the smooth-shooting style that had carried them through more than two dozen successful regular season games wasn’t going to be as successful here. They needed dig a little deeper and find their gritty side.
Goodhue was more aggressive after halftime, pressuring the ball on defense and attacking the basket rather than settling for jump shots.
The advice worked. Goodhue, which faced deficits of eight and nine points in the first half, started the second half with a 13-3 run, taking an 11-point lead it never relinquished.
How well that lesson was absorbed will be the question in the Class 2A final. Can the offensive play of brothers Luke Roschen and Owen Roschen and Ales Loos be enough to hold off a Minnehaha Academy team that rarely lets up and is always looking to press their advantage but struggled to handle Pequot Lake’s size in the semifinals?
Minnehaha is young, with just one senior on the roster, but talented. Junior guard Ayden Green controls the tempo, alternating between passing and scoring. Kellen Troup is the force at 6-7, but he’s more comfortable playing facing the basket.
Carter Cupito, a 6-0 eigth-grade guard, is the Redhawks X-factor. He may not yet be 15y ears old, but he’s played a lot of high-level basketball and is a weapon from three-point range and slashing through the lane. Goodhue will need to keep Cupito on check early and not let him get started.
While I think this one could go either way, I’m leaning toward Goodhue to pull this one out late.
— Jim Paulsen
Putting together one of the best seasons in team history, Goodhue responded to their coach’s halftime challenge, outplayed Albany after halftime and is one game away from the first state bpys basketball championship in team history.
They made it to the Class 1A finals in 2016, falling to Minneapolis North 68-45 in the final.
Top seed Goodhue will face No. 3 seed Minnehaha Academy, a team that has become synonymous for state tournament success in recent years. The Redhawks advanced Friday, beating Pequot Lakes 50-46 in the nightcap of the state finals. Minnehaha Academy was led by 14 points from guard Ayden Green and forward Kellen Troup.
Goodhue and Minnehaha Academy will play at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 28, at Williams Arena.
Minnehaha Academy has won five state championships from 2013 to 2021.
Continue reading: The Wildcats are trying for their first title in the tourney, while Minnehaha Academy has won five times since 2013.
There are four senior starters on the Apple Valley upstarts who will be playing in the Class 4A boys basketball state championship game tonight at Williams Arena.
Those four senior starters who first teamed up in, what, the third grade in Apple Valley youth basketball?
“Might be second grade. … We played in a house league way back,“ forward Ryan Christiansen said. “I do remember we won a tournament some place as fourth-graders.
The four seniors who shared in the glory of the fourth-grade “B squad” tournament a decade ago were asked during that last practice Friday, March 27, to talk about their senior partners in Apple Valley’s renaissance.
You know, the basketball program that had Tyus Jones and kid brother Tre Jones and Gary Trent Jr., all current NBAers, back in the day.
Christiansen: “Baseball has been my main sport, so when these players have been working on basketball in the spring and summer, I was going around the country playing baseball. If I was a little behind, they always welcomed me back.
“Trey is a great guy, and Camare’ can be vocal, and T.J. is the ultimate competitor … but what we have in common is we fly around and work hard. Sharing this run with guys you’ve been with what seems like forever, that makes it even better.“
Continue reading today’s column from Patrick Reusse: Foundation of Apple Valley boys basketball team came from four seniors who stuck together
Jamin Metzger, Micah Bush and teammates thought they were living a dream when they returned home with their Hills-Beaver Creek football team after winning the nine-man title in the fall.
Fans lined the streets in town to celebrate the team’s first Prep Bowl title since 1990.
So you can imagine the type of crowd that will meet the Patriots when they bring back their Class A basketball championship trophy after Saturday’s convincing 64-33 victory against Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton at Williams Arena.
“I think basketball will be bigger,” said Metzger, who led his team with 22 points and 13 rebounds. “Basketball is the first time ever. We’ve had a lot of great teams come through HBC, but it feels good that we’re the ones to finally do it after all these years.”
Hills-Beaver Creek coach Chad Rauk might need time to put it into perspective what it means to have a group of players who won both football and basketball state titles in the same school year.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever see that again,” Rauk said.
Keep reading: Hills-Beaver Creek doubles up titles with Class 1A basketball championship to go with nine-man football
DeLaSalle spent the 2010s as the premier dynasty program in Class 3A, winning seven titles from 2012 to 2019. If Totino-Grace has anything to say about it, it will be the 2020s team to beat.
The top-seeded Eagles defeated No. 2 DeLaSalle 72-70 in today’s Class 3A championship game to give Totino-Grace its fourth title in five seasons. After losing to eventual champion Alexandria in last year’s state semifinals, the Eagles came ready to this year’s tournament.
After DeLaSalle was down by 10 at halftime, the Islanders twice cut the Eagles’ lead to one point in the second half, including to 71-70 with 7.1 seconds to play. That came after, trailing by four, the Islanders managed to draw a foul on a three-point attempt, with Jaeden Udean sinking all three free throws in what could have easily been a game-tying four-point play.
But senior Tian Chatman came up with a game-sealing steal in the final seconds for Totino-Grace.
Jaylan Hynes led the Eagles with 19 points and shot 5-for-6 from three-point range, while Chatman and Dothan Ijadimbola each had 13 points and six and 10 rebounds, respectively.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
Timeout with 22.4 seconds to go. Totino-Grace, up 70-67, missed a three that could have all but iced this one, and DeLaSalle’s Kamar Thomas grabs a big defensive rebound to give the Islanders a chance to tie things late.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
Totino-Grace’s defense is having to come up big here late, ahead 70-65 with 2:47 to play against DeLaSalle. AJ Taban swats away an Islanders chance in the post, and a Malachi Hill steal follows up on the next possession.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
With five minutes to go, Totino-Grace leads 64-60. A Kamar Thomas dunk for the Islanders keeps DeLaSalle ahead in the paint, where they’re outscoring Totino-Grace 28-24, but the Islanders are shooting just 6-for-21 from three.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
Each team has picked up a technical foul here in the second half, where every point counts. A pair of free throws off a tech, then a layup from DeLaSalle sophomore forward Ichima Idoko, had cut Totino-Grace’s lead to one, but another Jaylan Hynes three-pointer, his fifth of the game, and two free throws off an ensuing tech have Totino-Grace back out to a 60-54 lead with 6:46 to play.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
The Islanders have strung together a 9-0 run, including a Deon-Wallace Johnson three-pointer to put the junior guard up to a team-high 15 points, to close Totino-Grace’s lead to 52-50 with just under nine minutes to play.
That’s the closest the Islanders have gotten in this game since 11 minutes into the first half.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
“Wake up! Wake up! Let’s go!” could be heard even across the court from the DeLaSalle huddle. The Islanders have 11:36 to close a 10-point Totino-Grace lead.
Islanders junior guard Deon Wallace-Johnson flew into the lane for his second block of the game to give the Islanders sideline some energy here nearly midway through the second half.
The Islanders trailed against Richfield by nine with 13:33 to go in their semifinal.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
Totino-Grace leads DeLaSalle 52-41 with a dozen minutes left in the 3A title game.
A bright spot for the Islanders in the first half was that they were able to hold Totino-Grace Drake commit Dothan Ijadimbola to four points. And while both of these teams have enough talent to compensate when their top scorers are taken away, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have the 6-foot-6 Ijadimbola firing on all cylinders offensively.
He gets a jam off a lob from Shay Jackson for his fifth and sixth points of the second half, just six minutes since halftime. He’s got 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
Totino-Grace keeps rolling early in the second half as DeLaSalle tries to find its rhythm for a comeback, but the Islanders are shooting just 38.2% from the field.
Perhaps the highlight of the second half’s first few minutes was Totino-Grace senior guard DeAngelo Dungey pulling off a nice pump fake from the top of the key to draw a DeLaSalle defender out of the paint before finding sophomore forward Daniel Zoa under the basket for an easy lay-in.
Zoa returned the favor a few minutes later, finding Dungey for a corner three to put the Eagles up 44-31 with 14:45, their largest lead of the game.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
At halftime: No. 1 Totino-Grace keeps hold of its double-digit lead, up 37-27 over No. 2 DeLaSalle.
Junior guard Jaylan Hynes leads the Eagles with 14 points, 4-for-4 from deep in 11 minutes off the bench. Senior guard Tian Chatman has eight points and six rebounds for Totino-Grace, also in just 11 minutes.
As a team, Totino-Grace is 7-for-12 from three. DeLaSalle is an uncharacteristic 3-for-11 from three, and the Islanders haven’t had better luck springing the fast break against the Eagles’ tough defense. Totino-Grace has a 12-2 edge in fast-break points, too.
Sophomore forward Ichima Idoko has 11 points for DeLaSalle, and junior guard Deon Wallace-Johnson has nine points and six boards. But the Eagles have managed to keep DeLaSalle junior guard Jaedan Udean, often the Islanders’ leading scorer this regular season, to just points, 0-for-5 from the field.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
Totino-Grace has taken its largest lead of the game, 32-21, over DeLaSalle with 4:19 left in the first half, thanks to a 12-1 Eagles run. The Islanders sent the Eagles to the line twice in that span, plus sunk a pair of three-pointers. The Eagles are 6-for-11 from deep, DeLaSalle 3-for-11.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
Tian Chatman’s older brother, Ohio State guard Taison Chatman, helped Totino-Grace to its 2022 and 2023 Class 3A titles.
Tian, now a senior guard for the Eagles, has title game experience from 2024 and is showing it here. He knocked down another three, now 3-for-4 from the field for eight points early, as the Eagles lead DeLaSalle 25-20 with 6:33 to play in the first half.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
Halfway through the first half, Totino-Grace leads DeLaSalle 20-16. Eagles junior guard Jaylan Hynes hit three early three-pointers in a span of two minutes, without a miss for deep, in a 13-3 Totino-Grace run. Hynes, a junior guard, had a team-high 15 points, knocking down three-pointers off the bench, for the Eagles in their semifinal win. He’s got nine points in four minutes today.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
DeLaSalle struck first with a pair of three-pointers from junior guard Deon Wallace-Johnson and sophomore forward Ichima Idoko. There’s only one senior, forward Evan Miller, rostered on this Islanders team.
But a 7-0 Totino-Grace run, with five points from senior Tian Chatman, puts the Eagles up briefly. It’s been back-and-forth since, early. Idoko hits another three to give the Islanders a 11-7 lead, 4:20 into the first half.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
This year’s Class 3A title game features no scrappy, unprecedented underdog making a push for its program’s first state title. Few programs have the recent championship pedigree of No. 1 Totino-Grace (26-2) or No. 2 DeLaSalle (28-3).
The Eagles, who haven’t lost since Jan. 2, are trying to make it four 3A titles in five years after being knocked out in the quarterfinals of last season’s tournament.
Meanwhile, DeLaSalle has 12 MSHSL titles (including six straight from 2012 to 2017). The Islanders, making their 15th consecutive trip to state, are trying for their first championship since 2019, having lost to Totino-Grace in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 postseasons.
Read more about the high championship standards of these two programs here.
Both teams’ rosters are deep in talent and athleticism, but keep an eye out for their All-Minnesota players, Totino-Grace’s Dothan Ijadimbola and DeLaSalle’s Jaeden Udean.
Ijadimbola, a 6-foot-6 senior forward committed to Drake, started the Eagles’ 2024 state title game and averaged 18 points per game this season. He had 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, four steals and a block in Totino-Grace’s 89-61 semifinal win over Northfield.
Udean, a 6-2 junior guard, can launch a shot from just about anywhere, averaging a team-high 15 points per game for the Islanders this winter. He scored 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting in an electric 73-70 semifinal victory over conference rival Richfield.
— Cassidy Hettesheimer
Senior Jamin Metzger finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds to lead Hills-Beaver-Creek to its first basketball state title in a 64-33 win against Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton at Williams Arena.
Metzger, who also was the nine-man championship quarterback, scored 14 points in the second half for the Patriots (30-3), who led 32-9 at halftime.
Senior Micah Bush and junior Riggins Rheault also combined for 23 points and 16 rebounds for HBC, which held its opponent to 24% shooting from the field in the game.
The Bulldogs (30-4) cut a 23-point deficit to 37-26 after Daulton Bauer’s layup with 13:32 left in the second half, but they couldn’t get the margin under double figures. Sophomore Gavin Bauer led J-W-P with 11 points.
— Marcus Fuller
Jamin Metzger, the top scorer in the Class A basketball title game today, was the star quarterback of Hills-Beaver Creek’s nine-man football championship team in the fall.
How good was the 6-5 senior’s performance in the Prep Bowl? Well, here was what Strib Varsity wrote about Metzger when he made the all-tournament team in football.
— Marcus Fuller
It was supposed to be a championship battle, but it looked more like a wipeout at the hands of Hills-Beaver Creek in the first half of today’s Class 1A final at the Barn.
The Patriots, who won the nine-man football title, used their size and physicality to completely dominate and disrupt Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, which shot just 12.5% from the field (3-for-24) in the first half. The Bulldogs were outscored 19-3 to end the half after pulling to within 13-6 at 9:47. They only made one field goal the rest of the half after that point.
Gavin Bauer led J-W-P with four points on 2-for-5 shooting, but the rest of his team shot 1-for-19 from the field. The only field goal other than Bauer came trailing 28-9 with 1:39 to play in the half.
HBC shot 46% from the field in the first half and was led by Jamin Metzger and Riggins Rheault with a combined 15 points. The Patriots were dominant with 22-11 rebounding edge and 20-4 points in the paint advantage.
— Marcus Fuller
The Bulldogs picked the worst time to have their roughest shooting start of the state tournament. They opened today’s Class 1A final shooting 2-for-16 from the field, including 0-for-6 from three-point range to trail 16-6 with 5:45 remaining in the first half. Hills-Beaver Creek isn’t shooting much better at 5-for-17.
But Gavin Bauer has the only two field goals, including a layup to make it 13-6 at the 9:47 mark, which ended a near eight-minute drought from the field. Gavin Bauer’s teammates have started the game going 0-for-11 from the field.
— Marcus Fuller
Hills-Beaver Creek took already won a nine-man football championship with this same squad. It knows that how you start can set the tone for the rest of the game.
The Patriots used an 13-0 run in the first half to make a statement to open today’s Class 1A basketball championship game vs. Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton at the Barn.
Riggins Rheault had seven of his team’s first 11 points, but it was baskets from Karson Metzger and Jamin Metzger that made it 13-3 with 10:41 to play in the first half. HBC started shooting only 4-for-13 from the field, but it was 5-for-5 on free throws to that point. J-W-P started 1-for-9 from the field.
— Marcus Fuller
Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton fans call brothers Gavin and Daulton Bauer their “Bauer Power” tandem. Makes sense since they’re the leading scorers on the team and combined for 61 points in the Class A quarterfinals this week.
In Saturday’s championship game, Gavin started the game off with a layup and Daulton was 1-for-2 on free throws for a 3-0 start, but that lead didn’t last.
Hills-Beaver Creek responded with a 5-0 run to take the lead on a three-point play from Riggins Rheault.
— Marcus Fuller
Hills-Beaver Creek boys basketball coach Chad Rauk knew no opponent would be physically tougher than his team, with nearly an entire roster also members of the school’s Nine-Player state championship football team.
The Patriots were known for gridiron greatness, but they also changed the perception that they could be a basketball school as well this year.
Reaching the first state tournament in program history was probably enough to gain respect in hoops, but No. 5 seed Hills-Beaver Creek made it to today’s Class 1A championship against No. 3 seed Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton at Williams Arena.
If Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton’s going to keep Hills-Beaver Creek from doubling up on state titles Saturday, it will need another stellar effort from Daulton and Gavin Bauer, who also play football.
Continue reading: The Patriots, who won the 9-Player football title in the fall, are led by two-sport standouts … but so is Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton
Marcus Fuller
Reporter
Marcus Fuller is Strib Varsity's Insider reporter, providing high school beat coverage, features, analysis and recruiting updates. He's a former longtime Gophers and college sports writer for the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Cassidy Hettesheimer
Sports reporter
Cassidy Hettesheimer is a high school sports reporter for Strib Varsity.
Jim Paulsen
Reporter
Jim Paulsen is a high school sports reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune.
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