Class 3A and 4A boys' teams took over Target Center Thursday with semifinals in the state boys' basketball tournament.
Follow the Minnesota big-school boys' basketball semifinals here
April 9, 2021 at 11:57AM
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3A:
Alexandria outlasted Richfield for a 66-64 victory in Thursday's first Class 3A boys' basketball state tournament semifinal played at Target Center.
Junior guard Myles Sansted came off the bench to sink key baskets in the game's final seconds. Fouled on a three-pointer attempt, Sansted made his first two free throws. He missed the third, but junior teammate Erik Hedstrom corralled the offensive rebound. Hedstrom got the ball to senior Colton Roderick, who found Sansted open in the corner.
Sansted buried a three-pointer for a two-point lead with 4.2 seconds remaining.
Thursday is exactly what Minnehaha Academy was hoping for.
The Redhawks (18-1), seeking their fourth consecutive state championship (2020 not withstanding), completely controlled DeLaSalle en route to a 79-58 victory.
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With Chet Holmgren controlling play on the interior, Minnehaha Academy finished the first half on a 9-0 run to take a 38-19 halftime lead. Holmgren had 19 points and 10 rebounds at the break.
4A
Cretin-Derham Hall rolled past Maple Grove 54-42 in the first Class 4A semifinal played at Target Center.
With the victory Thursday, the Raiders (18-5) earned their first championship game appearance since winning the 2018 state title.
Maple Grove (13-10) trailed 29-16 at halftime and never made a strong run to close the gap. The Cretin-Derham Hall defense caused much of the trouble, holding the Crimson 21.3 points below its season average.
The Raiders' Trejuan Holloman led his team in scoring with 18 points.
Wayzata's perpetual-motion machine offense and relentless defense built a big halftime lead. Then the Trojans spent the second half fending off Shakopee's attempts at a rally to advance to Saturday's Class 4A championship game with a 72-43 victory.
After trailing by 22 points at halftime, Shakopee started the second half with a 17-10 run, cutting the Wayzata advantage to 50-35 with 8:53 left.
But Wayzata plugged the leaks with its big men stoppers Camden Heide and Carter Bjerke, who combined to score 12 consecutive points and end hopes of a Shakopee comeback.
More on the tournament:
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