2A quarterfinal basketball roundup: Top-seed Annandale comes back to win

New London-Spicer's Shane Zylstra can dunk. And the junior forward did after stealing the ball from Annandale with about 10 minutes left.

But when the referees called him for a foul right after, it stopped the momentum that the dunk had created. It was a constant theme for New London-Spicer.

Annandale outlasted the Wildcats 76-70, coming back from a 36-33 halftime deficit Wednesday in the Class 2A quarterfinals at Target Center.

In the Wright County Conference, the No. 1-seeded Cardinals (24-6) defeated New London-Spicer (19-11) twice. That familiarity fueled a game with 10 ties and seven lead changes.

"We played them in football. They sent us home," Annandale junior forward Chase Knickerbocker said. "So there was a little bit of rivalry there."

Annandale coach Don "Skip" Dolan called Knickerbocker, who led his team with 23 points, one of the best scorers in the state. Zylstra scored 17 points for New London-Spicer, including two dunks. His coach, Chad Schmiesing, called him "dynamic," saying he possesses abilities many high school players don't.

Dolan prepared his team for a game that would be decided in the final seconds.

Both teams did. The Wildcats cut a seven-point deficit to one in four minutes near the end. Schmiesing, eyes rimmed red, said his team played with "fight" and "toughness."

"Annandale certainly won this game," he said. "I didn't feel like we lost it."

MEGAN RYAN

Esko 57, East Grand Forks 54 (OT): Fatigue was setting in, and the pressure was mounting as time ticked off the clock in overtime at Williams Arena. Shots were starting to come up short, both from the field and free-throw line.

Esko senior forward Kory Deadrick figured the best solution was to take it to the basket. His three-point play with 1:42 left in the extra session gave the Eskomos (27-3) the lead for good at 54-51.

Each team made three free throws before Esko turned the ball over with 10 seconds left. The Green Wave (20-10) missed two three-pointers in the final seven seconds, the last one at the buzzer.

"We were lucky to get out of here with a win," said Deadrick, who led the Eskomos with 24 points but was only 2-for-6 from the free-throw line. He missed three free throws in overtime and the front end of a 1-and-1 toward the end of regulation. "You have to make your free throws down the stretch. It would've been really bad if we would've lost because of those [missed] free throws."

East Grand Forks tied it 51-51 on Jim Warmack's three-pointer with 13 seconds left in regulation. Esko missed a desperation half-court shot at the buzzer. Warmack also scored 24 points.

"He was really physical, and tough," Deadrick said. "It was a good back-and-forth battle."

RON HAGGSTROM

Faimont used an 8-2 run midway through the second half, turning a one-point deficit into a five-point lead. It got baskets from four different players during the run.

St. Peter (14-15) pulled within 55-54 on Tom Steidler's two free throws with 20 seconds left. The senior forward finished with a game-high 19 points.

Senior guard Jay Rugen made three free throws and came up with a steal in the final 19 seconds to preserve the victory. Rugen and Mitch Pfingsten each had 17 points for Fairmont (25-4).

"When you play a team for a third time it's a real dogfight," Pfingsten said. "We knew what to expect, and they knew what to expect. It makes it so much sweeter when you win."

RON HAGGSTROM

Caledonia (28-2) made 14 three-pointers — seven by Bauer, a five by eighth-grader Owen King — and shot 47.2 percent overall. King finished with 21 points.

Making its first state tournament appearance in 17 years, Caledonia trailed 8-0 when head coach Josh Diersen called a timeout.

He had a simple message for his team: Keep shooting.

Bauer hit three-pointers on the Warriors' next four possessions, and Caledonia went on a 14-0 run.

"We know we can make shots," Bauer said afterward. "We knew that we had to just keep doing what we're doing and trust what got us this far. And it just clicked."