A matchup between undefeated St. Paul Johnson and Winona, which is on a 27-game winning streak, has lived up to its advance billing. No. 1-seeded Johnson has a slim 32-30 lead at halftime, but No. 4-seeded Winona has not been intimidated and frankly could be ahead if not for some missed close-range opportunities.
Winona's Mark Blacklock leads all scorers with 16 points, while 7-footer Alec Brown has not made a field goal but has four points (all on free throws) and has impacted the game with his passes from the post and his interior defense. He has seven rebounds, five blocks and three assists. St. Paul Johnson was getting a lot of easy buckets on fast breaks early, but Winona did a much better job of slowing the Governors down toward the end of the half. Winona ended the half on a 12-4 run to pull within two points.
