Alexandria, Mankato East to play for Class 3A boys basketball state championship

A dynasty always has to face its end.

Class 3A will have a new champion this year after Alexandria beat three-time defending champion Totino-Grace 73-65 in the semifinals of the boys basketball state tournament Thursday at Williams Arena.

Chase Thompson, the Minnesota Star Tribune’s All-Minnesota Player of the Year, celebrated by framing his hands around his jersey’s red “Alex” as the game ended. The 6-8 senior forward scored a game-high 33 points — 22 in the tightly contested second half — and grabbed 12 rebounds.

It was a mix of excitement and relief for the Clemson commit, who faced foul trouble early in No. 3 seed Alexandria’s quarterfinal win over Byron and scored just 10 points in 18 minutes.

“It helps the confidence when your coach is on the sidelines telling you they can’t guard you,” Thompson said. “It starts with being unselfish, too, just making the right play every time, and today it was me getting to the hoop.”

Thompson forced No. 2 seed Totino-Grace’s best players into foul trouble by driving and earning trips to the free-throw line, where he went 12-for-13.

“We haven’t seen him play that downhill all year,” Totino-Grace head coach Nick Carroll said. “In a game where pace is up and down … not only were they getting points on their foul situation, but they also got to reset their defense and take a breather.”

Cardinals junior forward Mason Witt shot 6-for-13 from beyond the arc and scored 25 points. Alexandria forced the Eagles into late turnovers and made a 15-5 run in the final six minutes.

Sophomore Dothan Ijadimbola led Totino-Grace with 17 points, while senior Chace Watley had 16 and junior Malachi Hill 14.

Alexandria is seeking its first state title after finishing as Class 3A runner-up in 2021 and reaching the semifinals the past two seasons. The Cardinals return to Williams Arena to face No. 1 seed Mankato East at 2 p.m. Saturday.

“I was emotional [at the end]. I started crying,” Witt said. “It’s just all the work we’ve put in.”

In the other Class 3A semifinal, Orono senior guard Nolan Groves stepped to the free-throw line with 2.9 seconds remaining, his Spartans trailing by two points.

Groves' first free throw bounced hard off the back of the rim. A look of disappointment showed on his face.

The miss allowed Mankato East to escape with the victory and return to the state championship game, where last season they lost 73-64 to Totino-Grace.

“It slipped off my thumb when I released it,” Groves said.

The Yale commit finished with a game-high 31 points along with nine rebounds and four assists.

“I knew it was long,” Groves said. “The pressure didn’t make me miss it.”

Groves missed the second free throw on purpose, but the ball didn’t hit the rim, giving possession to the Cougars (29-1). Groves went 8-for-20 from the floor, including 4-for-7 from three-point range and 11-for-18 from the free-throw line.

“There is nobody else in the state of Minnesota I would rather have at the line,” Orono coach Barry Wohler said.

The Spartans (23-8) were 21-for-28 from the free-throw line as Mankato East’s foul trouble mounted in the second half.

“It’s not an automatic where you put the points up on the board,” Cougars coach Joe Madson said. “It’s a lot to ask in that situation.”

Mankato East junior forward Amari Nobles scored on a put-back with 1:23 remaining following a blocked shot to break a 62-62 tie. Orono missed two shots and the front end of a 1-and-1 on its next two possessions before Groves was fouled. The two teams scored only 11 points in the final five minutes.

The Spartans were 17-for-50 from the floor and 7-for-22 from three-point range.

“That was a super physical game,” Wohler said. “I’m proud of the way we played and battled back.“

Mankato East senior forward Ganden Gosch finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Brogan Madson added 12 points and nine assists.

“It was tooth and nail on every position,” Madson said. “It was a battle to the end.”