No. 1 Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa outlasts No. 3 Rushford-Peterson to take second 1A title

The champion wasn't going to leave the Target Center floor without taking a beating.

Class 1A powers Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (31-1) and Rushford-Peterson (31-2) are among the state's elite, and battle-tested. The two senior-laden teams are accustomed to winning, and weren't going down without giving or taking their best shot.

Senior guard Brian Goodwin scored 13 consecutive second-half points for top-ranked Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, willing the Jaguars to a 52-40 victory in the Class 1A finals on Saturday. It was the school's second state championship, the other coming in 2012.

"That was a very physical game," Goodwin said. "They were very scrappy. It's a great feeling to win a game like that."

Goodwin's four free throws broke a 39-all deadlock with just over four minutes remaining. The Mr. Basketball finalist wound up with a game-high 24 points.

"He's a complete player," Trojans coach Tom Vix said. "He really understands what his team needs during a game. He's one of the best guards in the state."

Senior forward Billy Borgerding's three-point play and two free throws gave the Jaguars some breathing room at 48-39. It sent the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa faithful into celebration mode.

Third-ranked Rushford-Peterson weathered a quick start by the Jaguars. It struggled early against Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa's active 1-2-2 zone, and quickly found itself in an 11-0 hole five minutes into the matchup.

The Trojans finally settled down, and closed the first half on a 25-10 run to take a four-point lead at intermission. Alex Vix and Cole Kingsley ignited the comeback with eight points each. Vix and Kingsley finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Rushford-Peterson maintained that four-point cushion, 34-30, until Goodwin kicked it into another gear midway through the second half.

The Jaguars were upset in the Section 6 semifinals a year ago.