STMA and Monticello are both in the Section finals in Boys Basketball. The Section finals take place Thursday night, and we will have the STMA vs. Moorhead game, live at 6:45 PM with opening tip at 7 PM from Sartell, Jamie Broman on the call.
Also, on Thursday we will have live updates of the Monticello Section final vs. Totino-Grace. Good luck to both the Knights and Magic this week!
Section 8AAAA Final:
#1 STMA vs. #2 Moorhead, Thursday, March 13th @ Sartell, 7 PM
Let’s meet the Knights….
Record, Seed: 18-9, #1.
Last year: Lost to Rogers in Section 8AAAA Finals, 54-50.
So far at Sections this year: Defeated Elk River, 80-51, and Brainerd, 78-57.
Key Players: Jeremiah Johnson (17 ppg), Hudson Hochstedler (16 ppg), and Jack Thelen (14 ppg.)
Did you know?
About the Knights: STMA plays in the rugged Lake Conference, and they have been playing well as of late, winning six of eight. The Knights are not a deep team at all, and rely on their big four (Johnson, Hochsteldler, Thelen and Jordan Holm.)
Jeremiah Johnson, above, has one last chance to lead the Knights to the state tournament with a win over Moorhead.
Let’s meet the Spuds….
Record, Seed: 21-7, #2.
Last Year: Lost to Rogers in Section 8AAAA semifinals, 96-83.
So far this year in Sections: Defeated Rogers, 88-61, and Buffalo, 82-70.
Key Players: Reign Battle (21 ppg), Brian Zarazua (17 ppg) and David Mack (16 ppg.)
Did you know? If the Spuds win, it will go to state for the 25th time in school history, with one state championship, in…..1929!
About the Spuds: Not a deep team at all, but Battle is almost impossible to stop and despite lacking depth, the Spuds have scored over 80 points in a game eleven times, including 80 or more in seven of their last nine.
Reign Battle, above, is headed to Moorhead St. on a football scholarship, but before he steps away from basketball, he would like to help get Moorhead to the state tournament in Boys Basketball for the 25th time in school history.
Three Keys for the Knights to beat the Spuds….
- Feed Thelen! Thelen is over 7’0 and the Sophomore only scored four points in the regular season loss to the Spuds. When STMA gets the ball inside to Thelen and he is scoring that sets up their shooters to spot up for open looks when Thelen passes it out.
- No Fouls! The Spuds are an excellent foul shooting team, and the Knights are not deep, so it’s a must they play smart. On the other hand, the Spuds are not deep either, so fouls could play a big role.
- Be ready for Battle! Both figuratively and literally, the Knights need to come out ready to play, and if they can even contain Battle, they have a great shot to advance to state.
Jack Thelen, above, the 7’0 sophomore is the only non-senior starter for the Knights, but will be needed inside against Moorhead.
Section 5AAA Final. #1 Totino-Grace vs. #2 Monticello@STMA, 7 PM, Thursday.
Let’s meet the Magic….
Record, Seed: 24-4, #2.
Last Year: Lost to Becker 108-98 in double overtime in the Section 5AAA Quarterfinals.
So far this year in Sections: Defeated Big Lake, 98-80, and Becker, 72-58.
Key Players: Jackson Soroko (17 ppg), Bryce Nebben(14 ppg) ,and Braydon Dollard (13 ppg.)
Did you know? The Magic were just 1-26, just two years ago.
About the Magic: As aforementioned, the Magic just won one game two years ago, but the Juniors and Seniors on this team are the heart and soul of the program after enduring tough times as underclassmen. The Magic showed they would be tough with an early season win over Buffalo, and like to run and gun, scoring 80 points or more fourteen times.
Trevon Singer, above, scored a school record 51 points earlier this season for the Magic, and will need to be the key player tonight for Monti if they want to upset the defending state champs.
Let’s meet the Eagles….
Record, Seed: 21-5, #1.
Last Year: Defeated Mankato East, 73-64 to win the Class AAA State Championship.
So far this year in Sections: Defeated St. Francis, 101-43, and Fridley, 86-66.
Key Players: Chase Watley (21 ppg), Malachi Hill (13 ppg) and Dothan Ijadimbola(12 ppg).
Did you know? Junior, Ijadimbola already has scholarship offers from Iowa St., Minnesota, Iowa, Xavier, and Oklahoma.
About the Eagles: The defending state champs are not as deep as last season, but who cares, they are loaded! There also a very young team, so you better beat them this year, not to mention they defeated #3AAAA Wayzata earlier this season and are long on defense.
Dothan Ijadimbola, above, a Junior, has already received a scholarship offer to play for the Golden Gophers basketball team.
Three keys for the Magic to pull the upset….
- Let Singer, sing! Trevon Singer scored 51 points in a game this season for the Magic and can control the pace for the Magic and for the game. He needs to be the best player on the floor if Monti is going to pull the upset.
- Play with freedom! Again, the Magic won just one game two years ago, and here they are in the Section finals. They have nothing to lose, are great shooters and that will give them a chance. Just enjoy the moment.
- Don’t look up! The Eagles are long on defense, and that could take a while for the Magic to adjust. Monti can’t rush their shots on offense, but they have to realize the opening they have will close quickly, so they need to be prepared for that.
Totino-Grace, above, celebrates their AAA State Championship last March at Williams Arena.
