What’s it like to score 60 points in one high school game? Two more Minnesotans can explain.

Champlin Park’s Tyler Wagner was scoring like he never had before in a game earlier this month, but his eyes widened when he looked up at the scoreboard early in the second half at Blaine.

The 6-6 senior guard was only a few baskets away from breaking McKinley Wright’s single-game school record of 46 points, with lots of time left.

By the end of the night, Wagner had become the first Class 4A boys player in Minnesota history to score 60 points.

Wagner wore Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards' Adidas shoes for the first time, so maybe that gave him an extra boost.

“It was just crazy,” Wagner said. “I couldn’t have done it without the players and coaches trying to get me the ball.”

The week before Wagner’s offensive explosion, Jackson County Central’s Rylie Cother erupted for 61 points at Maple River, breaking her own school record of 53 points. She made 22 field goals from inside the arc.

The 5-10 senior put up huge numbers again four days later with 53 points against Belle Plaine.

“It was kind of unreal,” said Cother, who is her school’s all-time leading scorer in both the boys and girls programs. “In these games you’re going back and forth doing what you have to do on offense and defense. During some free throws every once in a while you’ll look up [at the scoring total] and it doesn’t seem real.”

Cother said she looked at the individual scoring during the third quarter against Maple River and saw she was closing in on 50 points. She surpassed her school record of 53 from last season on a fast-break layup. It didn’t stop there.

“It’s a lot of work in being able to read your defenders,” Cother said. “When you’re getting up there in points, the other coach is going to change how they’re trying to defend you.

“Your teammates also have to read you well with the cuts you’re doing. I’ve been on this team for a long time, so I’m lucky enough to have teammates where we know how we’re going to react to certain plays.”

Cother is one of six girls in the state averaging more than 30 points this season. She became the fourth Minnesota girl to score at least 60 points in a game since 2021, which includes Providence Academy’s Maddyn Greenway last season.

A Division II basketball recruit for Winona State, Cother looks up to high-scoring guards like Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu in the WNBA, but she gets her buckets mostly inside the three-point line.

Before transferring to Champlin Park for his senior year, Wagner was known as a deadeye shooter but had played more of a reserve role on Totino-Grace’s back-to-back state title teams in 2022 and 2023.

Champlin Park went from 14-13 last season to 19-3 this year through Monday, so the Rebels are serious contenders again in Class 4A. Wagner is averaging more than 28 points and has 10 games of at least 30 points this season, but he still seems to be an under-the-radar prospect.

As far as Division I programs, Wagner has been in contact with South Dakota State, Iona, Drake and Austin Peay. He’s still waiting for scholarship offers.

“I may be surprising some people just because I was surrounded by talent a lot,” Wagner said about when he was at Totino-Grace.

In Minnesota high school hoops this season, Wagner and Cother aren’t the only ones lighting up scoreboards.

Six players have scored at least 50 points on the boys side, with state scoring leader Nolan Groves of Orono and Micah Curtis of St. Louis Park both putting up 57 points. Redwood Valley’s Lukas Means became the fifth player in state history with back-to-back 50-point games earlier this season.

“But the buy-in to win obviously needs to outweigh your individual goals,” Wagner said. “At the end of day, it’s about getting the win.”

Five Minnesota ballers who stood out:

Paige Bueckers, UConn

The former Hopkins star had 12 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in UConn’s 87-58 win over No. 4 South Carolina on Sunday, snapping the Gamecocks' 71-game home win streak.

Gabe Madsen, Utah

The 6-6 senior and former Rochester Mayo standout combined for 52 points on 13 three-pointers over two games for the Utes, including breaking the program’s three-point career record in last weekend’s win vs. Kansas.

Wyatt Olson, Gustavus

The 6-6 senior from Saint Peter had 20 points and 11 rebounds to help the Gusties beat St. John’s 66-62 Saturday to clinch the program’s first regular-season MIAC championship since 2011-12.

Lu’Cye Patterson, Gophers

The senior from Minneapolis scored 49 points in back-to-back games for the Gophers, most notably a season-high 25 points on 11-for-13 foul shooting in Saturday’s 69-66 win at USC.

Naz Reid, Timberwolves

The 6-11 forward had 27 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Wolves in their 116-101 victory over Western Conference leader Oklahoma City last week.

200,000 Prize money in dollars for Lynx forward Napheesa Collier after winning her inaugural Unrivaled league’s 1-on-1 championship over Aaliyah Edwards.

1,942 Career rebounds for Crosby-Ironton junior and Gophers recruit Tori Oehrlein to break the state’s all-time record.

3 Consecutive 20-point games for St. Thomas senior Drake Dobbs after leading the Tommies into first place in the Summit League with 23 points in a win over Omaha on Saturday.

Basketball Across Minnesota will be published weekly on startribune.com. Don’t be a stranger on X after reading, as chatting about these stories makes them even more fun to share. Thanks, Marcus (@Marcus_R_Fuller on X).