Brooklyn Center, St. Cloud Cathedral and Caledonia win in Class 2A boys' basketball

Brooklyn Center used an early 18-4 run to separate itself from Breckenridge in a 63-48 victory in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A boys' basketball state tournament Wednesday at Williams Arena.

The second -seeded Centaurs (22-8) never trailed in their first state trip since 1983.

"With the schedule we play, we've been through these kind of big games, so that didn't faze them," Brooklyn Center coach Matthew McCollister said. "The other thing is we start three sophomores and they don't know to be scared."

One of those sophomores, Lu'cye Patterson, found scoring success on the perimeter and in the paint en route to a game-high 25 points.

Patterson gave the Centaurs the lead for good with a three-pointer on the second trip down the floor. He followed that up by scoring baskets in the post, on dribble drives and on offensive rebounds, all in the first 10 minutes, to help stretch his team's lead to 20-6.

Brooklyn Center's defense pestered Breckenridge from the start. The Cowboys (25-6) shot 32.6 percent from the field and finished with 19 turnovers.

MATT STEICHEN

"I don't think anybody thought I was going to shoot it," said Bickham, who had only eight points. "It gave us a little momentum."

A thunderous dunk by Jordan senior forward Eric Tiedman midway through the first half tied it at 13-all. Tiedman had a game-high 20 points for the Hubmen (25-6). Bickham's layup came five minutes later.

The defending champion Redhawks (26-4) had been content shooting three-pointers to that point. They finally started to work the ball inside-out in the second half. It led to a 24-6 run, putting the Redhawks in control at 52-25.

"They packed it in the lane on us," said Bickham, a Denver recruit. "It took us a little bit to adjust."

Sophomore guard Jalen Suggs led the Redhawks with 19 points. Freshman forward Chet Holmgren added 14.

Caledonia 80, Minnewaska Area 41: Caledonia used an aggressive, opportunistic defense to force 28 turnovers in its victory.

"We were able to take the ball away from them more than a few times when we weren't really making anything else," Warriors coach Brad King said of the first half. "Our defense was exceptional in the second half."

While Caledonia (27-4) is making its fourth state appearance in five years, it's the first tournament as head coach for King after serving as an assistant the past five years. He is coaching all three of his sons — senior Owen, sophomore Noah and eighth-grader Eli — who combined for 30 points and 13 of the team's 22 steals.

"The more time you get to spend with your kids, the better," King said.

Senior Martin Morem led the Warriors with 18 points.