DeLaSalle moves closer to fifth consecutive state title

It was a matchup DeLaSalle coach Dave Thorson wasn't looking forward to, a third clash with conference foe Fridley. His squad overwhelmed the Tigers in their first two Tri-Metro Conference games by 38 and 22 points.

Top-ranked DeLaSalle ran into a more intense and determined Fridley group Wednesday morning, escaping with a 65-52 victory in the Class 3A quarterfinals at Williams Arena. The Islanders (22-4) are seeking a fifth consecutive state championship.

"It's hard to play and beat a team three times," Thorson said. "I have a lot of respect for Fridley. Its defense has gotten a lot better the last month. They were awesome today."

Goanar Mar scored 19 points and Gabe Kalscheur added 16 to pace a balanced attack for the Islanders. Mar and Kalscheur combined for over 50 points in each of the previous two games between the schools.

"They were more physical today with me and Goanar," Kalscheur said. "They played with a lot of intensity. It was a battle."

Teathloach Pal was outstanding for Fridley (13-14), finishing with a game-high 27 points, 13 rebounds, five blocked shots and four assists. He had 31 points in the first two meetings combined.

"There is always another level you can play at, and this is the state tournament," Pal said. "We played hard, and left everything on the court."

Fergus Falls 70, Waseca 63: This time, there were no miracles.

Less than a week removed from winning a four-overtime thriller that featured three buzzer-beaters and garnered national attention, Waseca's postseason run is over. Fergus Falls, behind 22 points each from Nathan Rund and Matthew Monke, is moving on.

Fergus Falls did it with the help of an early hot-shooting streak that put the Otters ahead 21-5. Once their shooters cooled off, Waseca staged a comeback in a fast-paced game, trailing 42-41 with 13:15 left.

"We cut it down to one, I felt the magic coming back," Waseca coach Todd Dufault said. "There's no doubt, I did. We just fell a little short."

Fergus Falls (27-3) managed to stay ahead, though, Waseca (20-10) never went away behind a 19-point effort from Nick Dufault.

CODY STAVENHAGEN

Monticello 60, Chisago Lakes 55: The Magic has a tendency to struggle offensively when Thomas Schyma and Matt Todd aren't producing.

That wasn't the case against the Wildcats. Carter Hangsleben and Isaiah Wills filled the void for their main scoring threats, combining for 27 points.

"Over the last few weeks, we've had other kids step up," Monticello coach Jason Schmidt said.

"They are looking to capitalize on their opportunities, and now taking advantage of them."

"This is the best game the two of them have had together," Schmidt said. "They came up with some big shots for us today."

Schyma and Todd average nearly 33 points between them. Schyma finished with 10 while Todd had eight, to go along with six assists and five steals.

"My role is to be a spark, and I embrace it," Wills said. Three of his four field goals were from three-point range.

Chisago Lakes (22-7) was led by Dylan Wood's 17 points. The Wildcats defeated Monticello 51-48 during the regular season.

"We didn't finish against them in the first game," Schmidt said. "We were able to finish today."

Red Wing 73, Simley 51: Wingers coach Doug Toivonen knows the importance of senior leaders. His starting lineup is comprised of five of them.

The veteran group, four of whom finished in double figures, methodically picked the Warriors apart.

"It's really hard to describe how close these seniors are," Toivonen said. "They really trust each other. It's easy to play well when you trust each other like they do."

Ben Munson had a game-high 21 points for the second-ranked Wingers (28-2). Teammates Carson Bryan (18 points), Travis Toivonen (13) and Joe Sevlie (11) were also in double digits.

Munson made five three-pointers while defensive specialist Bryan buried four.

Simley scoring-machine Jack Stensgard finished with 18 points on 7-for-24 shooting. The senior guard came into the matchup averaging 26.7 points per game.

"Our seniors have played well in our biggest games," Toivonen said.

"We have nothing but big games left."