Lakeville North tops cross-town rival, earns state berth

Lakeville North tops South, cruises to state tournament CLASS 2A

• SECTION 1: Lakeville South wasn't short on opportunity Thursday night in Rochester, but couldn't topple top-seeded Lakeville North, losing 6-3. The Cougars had four power play chances and took more shots on goal than their cross-town rivals, but couldn't stop North. The Panthers, which were led by Jack Diercks' and Nick Poehling's two scores each, advance to the state tournament for the third time in the last four years. Will Dupont stopped 36 shots for Lakeville North in the win.

CLASS 1A

• SECTION 2: Top-seeded Breck took nearly three times as many shots as third-seeded Delano, and left the Parade Ice Garden with a 6-2 win and a ticket to the state tournament for the fifth year in a row. Six difference skaters scored for Breck, and keeper Henry Johnson had 16 saves in the win.

CLASS 3A

• SECTION 3: Sixth-seed Totino-Grace rallied from a halftime deficit to upset third-seeded Spring Lake Park, 70-63. The Eagles, which relied on a deep bench, out-scored the Panthers by 15 points in the second half. Madison Soukup scored 14 for Totino, followed by Gabby Eisfelder's 13 points. Spring Lake Park's Breanna Semanko led all scorers with 18 points.

CLASS 4A

• SECTION 7: Fourth-seeded Andover had no trouble dispatching Duluth East, rolling to a 79-49 win over the fifth-seeded Greyhounds. Madi Hahn scored a game-high 25 points for the Huskies, and McKenzie Becker tallied 14. Duluth East was led by Hannah Johnson's 14 points. ... Anoka held Blaine to single-digit points in the opening half, and rolled to a 40-25 win over the Bengals. Kyrah Fredenburg scored 14 for Anoka.

CLASS 2A

• SECTION 4: For the first time in 11 years, Columbia Heights has a reason to cheer in the postseason. The ninth-seeded Highlanders notched a 20-point win over eighth-seed Edison, winning their first playoff game in over a decade, 54-34. Rashonna Thomas scored 14 for Columbia Heights, which advances to play top-seeded Washburn on Saturday.

• HILL-MURRAY 50, ST. THOMAS ACADEMY 48: Hill-Murray finished its regular season on a winning note, escaping a visit to St. Thomas Academy with a victory. Jerry Butler and Jack Cichy combined to score 29 points for the Pioneers, which finish the season with an 11-5 conference record.