basketball

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton advances to the state boys' basketball championship game for the fifth time after a sluggish 49-38 win over Mayer Lutheran at Target Center Friday afternoon in the Class A semifinals. Each team was ice cold shooting to open the game. M-L did not get their first point until more than six minutes into the game.

The success for the Big Nine Conference at the state basketball tournaments continued Wednesday as Austin won their Class AAA quarterfinal over Sauk Rapids-Rice at Williams Arena. The Packers pulled away at times in the second half and won 64-55 to advance to Thursday's semifinals at Target Center.

Minneapolis DeLaSalle has already won a state record six straight boys' basketball championships. They opened pursuit of their seventh in a row with a solid 90-63 win over Hermantown Wednesday at Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota.

Owatonna Hall of Fame coach Len Olson engineered another win in the OHS gym on Sunday. The main goal of the Suits versus Sneakers celebrity exhibition basketball game was to raise money for the Homestead Hospice House patient care fund. Olson's Sneakers' squad edged Owatonna Mayor Tom Kuntz's Suits squad in a close battle.

For the third straight year a Big Nine Conference team has reached the state Class 3A finals in the girls' basketball tournament. Northfield beat Grand Rapids Thursday 64-54 to reach the championship game against top-seed Robbinsdale Cooper Saturday, March 17 at 6PM on Target Center on KDHL AM 920.

Maple River rallied in the second half for a 61-57 win over New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva in the boys' basketball 2AA South Subsection final Monday night at the Taylor Center at Minnesota State Unversity-Mankato.

Owatonna's boys' basketball team made enough plays to stay within striking distance of No. 6-ranked Rochester John Marshall, but missed too many shots to upset the second-seeded Rockets in Saturday's Section 1AAAA semifinal at Mayo Civic Center. The Rockets edged the Huskies 68-66 to move to the section finals against Lakeville North Saturday, March 17.

Top-seed New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva boys' basketball team was locked in a tight back-and-forth playoff game with Blue Earth Area, a team the Panthers had beaten by 32 points on February 20. The defending section Panthers pulled out a 49-47 victory in the Section 2AA south subsection semifinals at Mankato East High School on Brady Agrimson's two free throws with :02.5 remaining.

It might not have been pretty, but Owatonna will happily take the victory in the Section 1AAAA quarterfinals 56-48 over New Prague Wednesday at Owatonna High School. OHS missed some makeable shots early and was held 17 points below its average, but several players made big plays late to pull out the win.

The Medford and Blooming Prairie boys' basketball teams each fell behind early in the section playoff games Tuesday and could not climb out of the hole, bringing their seasons to an end. Medford lost at St. Peter 90-35. Blooming Prairie fell to Rushford-Peterson 56-33 at the Mayo Civic Auditorium in Rochester.