Class 2A quarterfinals: Litchfield, Minnehaha Academy win

Execution is a word Litchfield coach John Carlson uses frequently in practice. Conditioning is another big part of his philosophy.

Senior guard Zach Kinny was counting on the later when the Dragons and Redwood Valley headed to a second overtime Wednesday night in the Class 2A quarterfinals at Williams Arena. The first hadn't gone so well up to that point.

Litchfield (25-5) scored the final 10 points in the second overtime to fend off Redwood Valley 64-55. The Dragons misfired on opportunities to win the game on their final possessions of regulation and the first overtime.

"We are extremely well- conditioned, and I knew we would take it to them in the second overtime," Kinny said. He scored four of his team-high 18 points during the late scoring spurt. "Our execution at the end of regulation and the first overtime was suspect at best."

The Dragons missed the final shot in the first overtime, and turned the ball over with 9 seconds left in regulation while holding for the last shot. Redwood Valley (24-6) wound up missing a desperation three-pointer as the horn sounded.

"I have to give Redwood Valley a lot of credit," Carlson said. "They really rattled us in certain situations."

In the second extra session, Redwood Valley senior guard Alec Koster opened the second overtime making one of two free throws, but it was all Litchfield the rest of the way. Koster finished with a game-high 27 points. His three-pointer with 61 seconds left in the first overtime tied the score at 54 and forced a second.

Litchfield senior guard Zach Whitchurch scored the final points of regulation, a three-pointer with 1:53 left to tie the score at 49. It was his only three-pointer of the game.

"It doesn't matter if it's beautiful or not at this point," Carlson said. "At this point of the season it's just about being able to move on, and play another day."

RON HAGGSTROM

Minnehaha Academy 53, Perham 41: With his Redhawks holding a slim four-point lead, senior forward Thomas Gedion swooped in and blocked a Yellowjackets layup, grabbed the ball and scored at the other end.

Converting what Minnehaha coach Lance Johnson called "the play of the game," Gedion gave his team a six-point lead it would not relinquish in its quarterfinal.

"That was an awesome play," Johnson said. "He took two points off the glass and that really energized us."

Minnehaha Academy, which won 66-50 at Perham back in November, raced to a 9-0 lead in the rematch and held a 27-24 edge at halftime. Though the Redhawks (24-6) never trailed in the game, persistent Perham (23-8) got within two points on two occasions in the second half.

"They are so long and athletic, they made it tough for us with their defense," Perham coach Dave Cresap said. "If we had maybe been a little more patient, we might have been able to break them down."

Patience helped the Redhawks make better offensive decisions and fend off Perham.

"We started passing the ball more and stopped being selfish," said Gedion, one of four Redhawks who scored between seven to nine points. Senior guard Jesse Johnson led Minnehaha with 13 points.

DAVID La VAQUE

Esko 60, Hayfield 54: The Vikings had to figure out a way to slow down Kory Deadrick if they wanted an opportunity to win. Once they did, Deadrick's teammates picked up the slack.

The 6-6 junior forward scored 25 of his game-high 30 points in the first half, helping the Eskomos (27-4) to an eight-point lead. He was 8-for-13 from the floor, including 5-for-7 from three-point range.

"I got in a little bit of a groove in the first half, and my teammates did a good job of getting me open and finding me," said Deadrick, who was averaging 22.2 points per game.

"I only scored three points in the section final, and didn't want to have another game like that one. I wanted to carry this team as long as I could."

Hayfield made a defensive switch at the intermission. It moved junior guard Cole Kruger over to take on Deadrick man-to-man. He not only put the clamps on Deadrick, but also tried to rally the Vikings (22-8). Kruger finished with 28 points.

"In the first half, they backed off me a little bit," Deadrick said. "He played me a lot tighter in the second half."

So junior forward Casey Staniger of the Eskomos scored 13 of his 15 points after intermission. Junior guard Marc Peterson added 11 points, including three free throws in the final 14 seconds.

Said Deadrick, "They couldn't stop all of us."

RON HAGGSTROM

Annandale 56, Byron 42: Senior guard Brett Fobbe of the Cardinals took an elbow to the face during the second half of a quarterfinal against Byron, a hit more jarring than any he could recall on the court or football field.

Trainers packed his nose with gauze and Fobbe, with blood on his shorts, returned. Following his example, Annandale battled with the same grit.

"I thought I might have gotten a concussion," said Fobbe, who wobbled toward the bench on legs resembling cooked pasta noodles. "But there was no way I was missing much of the game. As a senior, I have to step up and show my teammates I'll do anything to win."

No. 5 seed Annandale (21-9) built a 33-23 halftime lead that tournament first-timer and No. 4 seed Byron (25-5) reduced to as few as four points twice in the second half. Harried by Annandale's pressure defense in the first half, the Bears settled down in the second half but misfired on some key shots.

"We were more patient but we missed some bunnies," Bears coach Kerry Linbo said.

Matt Miller led the victorious Cardinals with 16 points. Fobbe and Brett Ahsenmacher added 12 points each. Byron's Jack Nelson had 17 points.

DAVID La VAQUE