Prep Boys Basketball: Hermantown Can’t Measure in State Quarterfinal – Duluth News Tribune

MINNEAPOLIS – For a brief moment, it looked like the shooters from Hermantown were able to hold off in the game against top seed Totino-Grace in the Class AAA boys basketball quarterfinal Tuesday at the Williams Arena in Minneapolis.

The Hawks jumped to a 9-4 lead through three 3-pointers to open the game and they kept the Eagles on just one field goal in the first 4 minutes of play.

After senior Michael Lau played one of the long distance with 14:21 left, Taison Chatman of the Eagles responded with a 3 of his own. The shot started an eight-minute run while Totino-Grace allowed just three points and one field goal. The Eagles opened up a 29-12 lead, with Chatman scoring 12 of his game-high 19 points during the stretch.

Totino-Grace eventually won 83-50.

“They had shot the ball as well as anyone in the state and we knew it was a big point of interest for them to get to the 3-point line,” said Totino-Grace coach Nick Carroll. “We missed some opportunities to compete shots and they paid us early for it. I thought the guys did a good job of adapting it from timeout situations and back to scout reports.

The Eagles were able to use their size and athleticism to get their hands on Hermatown’s passing lanes to drive sales and move close to the rim on the offense to create second-hand chances. Totino-Grace listed two players at 6-foot-9 – including St. Louis.

“They’re a lot more physical and they could jump higher,” said Hermantown junior Keaton Christianson. “We knew we had to try to exclude them better, but they were really good. They did a really good job of getting on the ball and getting the backlog.

In the offensive end, the Eagles tried to “block all shots,” said junior Blake Schmitz. Schmitz finished with 10 points. Lau and Abe Soumis also finished with 10 for Hermantown.

After Totino-Grace took a 46-25 lead at the break, the lead continued to build in the second half. The Eagles led balloon 40 with 8:14 to go and Carroll began to use his reserves.

Totino-Grace scored 21 second chance points in the game and scored 24 points on 22 Hermantown turnover.

The Eagles used their speed and length to slow down the Hawks Press, which the team has installed since last year – something Hermantown coach Andy Fenske hoped would be a fortune in the state tournament.

“A few years ago, when we started working on our 2-2-1 press, we talked about making sure there was something we could try to run against the best teams in the state when we got down here.” Fenske said. “Obviously we have a long way to go with that, but the point is for other players to make terrible decisions with the ball and try to force them into bad places.”

Christianson said the larger court at Williams Arena was also a challenge for Hermantown.

“It’s a bigger court, of course, so you have to run harder and play harder, so you definitely get tired quickly, your shots can get shorter. It definitely takes a bit to get used to, but if you get into it. Coming to the middle of the game, it feels more like a normal game.

Chatman and Demarion Watson – an Iowa State recruit – both said they played on larger courts and were not affected by the squad.

Fenske said Hermantown tried to play games against some of the best teams in the state, but many refused to add the Hawks to their schedule.

“When you go against a team that has a lot of high-caliber talent, it’s competition we do not see,” said Fenske. “We try to schedule some of these games in the regular season, but because of how QRF and things are set up, most schools deny us this opportunity, for better or worse what it is. We just want to go out and compete and do it. what we do.

Totino-Grace (24-6) goes on to face the fourth Mankato East in a state semifinal on Thursday. Hermantown (21-9) plays Moon Westonka in a consolation semifinal Wednesday afternoon at Concordia-St. Paul’s Gangelhoff Center.