Girls' basketball, Class 3A semifinals: Red Wing hangs on; DeLaSalle advances

Tesha Buck was on the bench with five fouls. So was Macy Kelly. And McKenna Schaffer. Red Wing's three senior starters nervously watched, hoping and believing that their less utilized — but no less important — teammates could hold off a desperate Richfield rally.

They did, barely, escaping with a 61-59 victory over top-seeded Richfield (26-4) in the Class 3A semifinals Thursday at Target Center. The victory sent the Wingers (23-7) into a state championship game for the first time in team history.

Showing composure in a frantic situation, Red Wing converted seven of 11 free throws in the final two minutes. For the game, the Wingers made 27 of 36 free-throw attempts.

"We always talk about how no one player is more important than any other," Red Wing coach Dave Muelken said. "It showed out there."

It wasn't only Red Wing battling attrition. Richfield starting guard Sierra Ford-Washington, the Spartans' second-leading scorer, hurt her knee halfway through the first half and never returned. Then with 3:31 left in the half, Richfield star guard Jessica January was forced to sit down with three fouls.

With both players on the bench, Red Wing gained the first significant advantage of the game, outscoring Richfield 11-3 for the rest of the first half to take a 35-28 halftime lead.

In the second half, fouls mounted for both teams. Buck, Red Wing's smooth guard with more than 3,000 career points, picked up her fifth foul with 3:01 remaining. Kelly, who finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, picked up her fifth less than two minutes later, with Red Wing leading 54-51.

January nearly brought the Spartans back by herself, scoring their final 12 points, but Red Wing's proficiency at the foul line never allowed Richfield to get closer than two. January finished with a game-high 29 points.

"It was all about free throws," Richfield coach Scott Stadem said. "We gave them 36 of them. We put them on the line and they finished."

DeLaSalle 67, Monticello 42: Faith Johnson Patterson is a coach, mentor, mother hen and even, at times, a taskmaster. And this year, add scientist to the DeLaSalle coach's résumé.

The Islanders' convincing victory over Monticello (25-6) in the Class 3A semifinals was the product of tinkering this season with lineups that included two future Division I players. Her search for the right combinations has DeLaSalle (27-4) set to play for its third consecutive state championship.

"Sometimes it was a little hard for [the players] to grasp," said Johnson Patterson, who will be coaching for her eighth state championship Saturday, after winning five at Minneapolis North. "But I played a lot of girls with a purpose. We were teaching them what it takes."

The latter came from sophomore Patiance Griffin, who knocked down six three-pointers en route to a game-high 18 points.

"That's great to see," Tyseanna Johnson said. "That's a boost to us. It shows that we're ready."