Minnehaha Academy's defense put on a suffocating performance Friday.
The Redhawks held Minneapolis Roosevelt without a basket for 12 minutes in the first half, rolling to a 73-45 victory in the Class 2A, Section 4 boys' basketball championship. Minnehaha advanced to the state tournament for the first time since 2013.
The No. 1-ranked Redhawks (23-5) rattled off 21 consecutive points while their defense was shutting down Roosevelt. They led 39-5 at halftime. Freshman guard Jalen Suggs scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half for Minnehaha.
In other section finals:
Class 4A
Section 1: Behind 28 points from Ethan Igbanugo, Lakeville North (27-2) earned its sixth consecutive state tournament berth, rolling over Rochester John Marshall (25-4) 81-61 at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester. Isaiah Walden scored 20 points for JM, which has lost to the Panthers in the section final five years in a row.
Class 1A
Section 4: Senior guard Isaac Johnson had 26 points, pacing six players in double figures, as defending state champion Minneapolis North crushed Prairie Seeds 120-43. The Polars built a 68-14 lead at halftime.
