Day 1 Recap: Class AAA State Tournament
The Class AAA state quarterfinals came and went Wednesday at Williams Arena in Minneapolis and while the finishes won’t quite stack up with the drama that unfolded at the Class AAAA level, there were some excellent games and excellent talent on display throughout the day.
Game One: DeLaSalle 55, Big Lake 47
The five-time defending state champs got all they wanted in their opening state game as the Islanders had to grind out a tough win over the Hornets. Big Lake led 37-34 with about eight minutes to play but the Islanders turned up the pressure late in the game and forced enough turnovers to get easy scores.
Gabe Kalscheur led the Islanders in scoring with 23 points and added 10 rebounds. Goanar Mar had a quiet game until late, scoring 14 points – most of which came late at the free throw line. Austin Miller scored 15 points and kept the Hornets in the game late with a flurry of 3-pointers. Zach Gesicki had 13 points including nine early in the first half.
Game Two: Columbia Heights 77, Fergus Falls 74
A grind-it-out defensive style game for one half and a wild western shootout in the second, Columbia Heights got out to a huge lead midway through the second half and edged the Otters thanks to just enough made free throws and stops late.
The Hylanders got 19 points each from Wendell Matthews and Quentin Hardin and 14 from Christian Kelly, surviving a late flurry of 3-pointers from the Otters. Fergus Falls got within two points with 55 seconds to play after a Matthew Monke 3-pointer but free throws by the Hylanders followed by an offensive foul on Elijah Colbeck allowed Columbia Heights to escape with the win.
Game Three: Austin 55, St. Thomas Academy 49
Points were hard to come by all day for the AAA teams at Williams Arena and that was certainly the case in the third game of the day when Austin beat St. Thomas Academy 55-49. The Cadets shot just 19 of 49 from the field and missed all 14 of their 3-point attempts while the Packers didn’t fare a whole lot better.
Duoth Gach knocked down five triples on his way to 17 points while Both Gach had an excellent all-around game with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists to lead the Packers past Sam Vascellaro (24 points and 13 rebounds) and the Cadets.
A close game throughout the afternoon, the Packers held the Cadets at a 6-8 point bay throughout the second half and Both Gach knocked in most of his six free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.
Game Four: Marshall 83, Grand Rapids 64
Perhaps the most impressive team on the first day of the state tournament, the Marshall Tigers looked dominant for most of the game against Grand Rapids. Reece Winkelman scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead a Tiger team that saw all five starters score in double figures.
The Tigers took a 44-28 lead into halftime and led by as much as 24 early in the second half. Jake Skelly put on a show for the Thunderhawks, scoring 33 points on just 16 shots, almost singlehandedly getting Grand Rapids within 12 with less than six minutes to play but the Tigers had too much depth and too many weapons.
DeLaSalle plays Columbia Heights while Marshall and Austin go head-to-head in the semifinals Thursday for a spot in the state championship. Grand Rapids plays St. Thomas Academy while Fergus Falls plays Big Lake in the consolation bracket.