Class 3A boys' basketball: Youth is served, and the veterans are, too

Sophomore Sam Sustacek didn't start Orono's 77-72 victory over Marshall. Turns out, it was about the only thing the 6-7 forward didn't do.

Playing the best game of his career when it mattered most, Sustacek came off the bench to score 21 points, grab eight rebounds, make three steals and thoroughly frustrate a Tigers team that lives and dies on the perimeter.

"We've been seeing him coming," Orono coach Barry Wohlers aid. "He's a basketball junkie. He gets in the gym and he works on his craft."

The beauty of Orono all season has been its versatility. Point guard Andy Ten Eyck is not only the Spartans' calming influence, he's their leading rebounder. Guard Cole Hennings is offense waiting to happen — he didn't miss a shot, making seven of seven from the floor and all six of his free throws en route to a team-high 23 points. Ethan Larson and the two Chandlers, Jacoby and Perry, all stepped up when called upon.

But this game belonged to Sustacek, who turned a potential turnover into a four-point swing that Wohler credited as the biggest play of the game. Midway through the second half, Marshall had cut the lead cut to 53-51. Sustacek chased down a tipped pass in the lane, made a nice up-and-under move, and laid the ball in, restoring the lead to four points. Marshall never got closer.

"That was huge," Wohler said. "It gave us a chance to breathe a little bit."

JIM PAULSEN

DeLaSalle 81, St. Paul Central 48: As a team accustomed to getting down and dirty on a nightly basis, DeLaSalle looked at its quarterfinal against St. Paul Central as a chance to stretch its legs a bit.

Which the Islanders did, showing off a transition game like a Sunday-go-to-meeting suit and running to an 81-48 victory over the Minutemen at Williams Arena to advance to Thursday's semifinals.

"We knew St. Paul Central liked to run, and our guys were more than happy to get the opportunity," DeLaSalle coach Dave Thorson said.

Playing their trademark in-your-face defense, the Islanders never let Central, which upset St. Paul Johnson in the Section 4 final, get the idea that another upset was possible. They turned turnovers into quick baskets and built a 38-17 halftime lead.

"No question our guys love to play on the bigger floor [at Williams]," Thorson said. "It allows us to get the ball out and up the floor faster. Three hard strides and we're there."

The preponderance of easy shots was reflected in DeLa- Salle's shooting statistics. The Islanders shot 70.2 percent from the floor (33-for-47), with junior Sacar Anim and senior center Reid Travis leading the charge. Anim made eight of 10 field-goal attempts to lead the team with 21 points while Travis converted nine of 11 and finished with 20 points.

Despite the comfortable victory, Thorson said there still is room for improvement.

"I thought we turned the ball over too much," he said. "I think we can play better."

Scary thought for the rest of the Class 3A field.

JIM PAULSEN

Austin 61, Alexandria 50: This was Zach Wessels' team. A two-time state tournament veteran, Austin's stellar senior guard had led the Packers to the big show for a third consecutive season, this time without the help of the 6-7 Aase boys, Tom and Joe.

So when the Packers' seemingly comfortable 16-point second-half lead over Alexandria sprung a leak Wednesday at Williams Arena, it was Wessels who calmed them down.

Austin let Alexandria get as close as one point, then held off the Cardinals and pulled out a 61-50 victory. Austin (27-3) won a first-round game for the second consecutive year — the 2013 Packers lost to DeLaSalle in the Class 3A final — mostly due to the heady play of Wessels, who had 23 points, three rebounds and a pair of key steals.

"That's all part of leadership," Wessels said. "It's not letting the team get scared and staying composed."

For the first 20 minutes of play, Alexandria looked much like the game-but-overmatched team that started the season 4-8. But the Cardinals chipped away at the Austin lead, getting as close as 43-42 with 8:24 remaining.

The Cardinals spent so much energy coming back, however, that they had little left to get over the hump. Fouls began to mount, Austin began making free throws — the Packers' final 14 points came from the line — and the game was decided.

"When Alex made its run, we started running our plays, knowing we'd get fouled," Austin coach Kris Fadness said. "And we're a good-shooting team."

Jim Paulsen

Holy Family 63, Cloquet 41: Joel Hanel was being too passive. Coach Matt Thuli needed his leader to become more aggressive.

After a brief stint on the bench, the senior forward came back to the elevated floor ready to take over the game. Hanel scored all 12 of his first-half points in the final nine minutes, helping the Fire turn a one-point deficit into a 13-point lead at the intermission.

"Our offense was a little stagnant," Hanel said. "My teammates did a good job of getting me the ball, and I started looking for opportunities to score."

That was exactly the spurt Holy Family (28-2) needed to advance to the semifinals. Hanel added two free throws after the intermission, finishing with 14 points, as the Fire kept plenty of distance between itself and the Lumberjacks (24-5).

"Joe has been good all year at letting the game come to him," Thuli said. "He is very patient. Once he got going, it opened up everything for our other players."

The teams' big men, junior Justin Dahl of Holy Family and senior Adam Laine of Cloquet, offset each other. The 6-11 Dahl finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds while the 6-7 Laine had 13 points and 11 boards.

"No one guy on our team is going to beat you," Hanel said. "We have six or seven who will beat you."

RON HAGGSTROM