Cretin-Derham Hall, Wayzata roll into Class 4A boys basketball state championship game

Cretin-Derham Hall coach Jerry Kline Jr. knew the game wasn’t going to remain the mess it was in the first half, when the Raiders were held to a very un-Raiders-like 15 points.

They hadn’t played so inefficiently all season, averaging 79 points per game. Things would work themselves out.

They did, nearly immediately after halftime, and Cretin-Derham Hall pulled away to defeat Maple Grove 63-49 and advance to Saturday’s Class 4A championship game against Wayzata with a chance to win its first state title since 2018.

“Maple Grove did a great job of mixing it up and mucking it up in that first half,” Kline said, noting that there was no panic at halftime despite trailing 22-15.

The halftime conversation was simply about staying true to themselves.

“We know who we are as a team, and we’re way better when we share the ball,” Kline said. “So it was just stay solid, stay true to who we are, and just execute.”

Cretin-Derham Hall (29-1) scored the first nine points after halftime. The Raiders turned the game in their favor when junior guard Jojo Mitchell drained back-to-back three-pointers, giving them a lead they would never relinquish.

With Mitchell finding the range on the perimeter, 6-11 senior post Tommy Ahneman went to work inside, dominating the paint with 19 second-half points and seven rebounds. The Notre Dame commit even drained a three-pointer.

“I’m proud of these boys,” Kline said. “They took it to heart. They came on.”

Maple Grove (22-9) got 14 points from guard Keegan Harney.

The Trojans are back, and they’re looking for redemption.

Last year’s state tournament runner-up, Wayzata is no stranger to tough state tournament losses — but on Thursday night, the Trojans found the advantage, advancing to their fifth straight state title game. They took down Shakopee 59-55 in a game not settled until the end.

“I don’t think we played anywhere near our best, and I think these guys would say the same thing,” Wayzata head coach Bryan Schnettler said, gesturing to his players. “But I loved that we held them to 55 points. That’s pretty good against that team.”

The Trojans trailed by six heading into halftime, stuck behind a Sabers team that had drained eight three-pointers in the first half. Things weren’t clicking.

What did Schnettler say at halftime to make sure the game didn’t get away?

“I blacked out,” he joked. “I don’t remember. It was some good stuff.”

It must have been. The Trojans’ shooting finally fired up in the second half, on the backs of scoring leaders Christian Wiggins with 18 points and Isaac Olmstead with 14. Wayzata put together a three-pointer run of its own — six from behind the arc in the second half — while shrinking the Sabers' lead to two.

All the way through, it was a scrappy game. The Trojans never stopped pushing the tempo and came away with 12 fast-break points to Shakopee’s two. The Sabers held the lead longer than Wayzata did and stayed within a single possession until the final minute.

Luke Wherley led Shakopee’s scoring with 15 points, and Eli Schroeder scored 13.