For the fourth straight year, Rochester John Marshall is bound for the Section One, Class AAAA boys basketball championship game, where it will once again meet No. 1 seed Lakeville North.
This time, though, JM hopes to win it. If the Rockets play like they did in the first half of Saturday's section semifinal win over Lakeville South, their chances are good. But they can't repeat what happened in the second half against South, when JM melted down with turnovers.
The Rockets let a 20-point second-half lead all but dissolve before fighting back in a frantic final few minutes to prevail 65-59 at Mayo Civic Arena. JM was the No. 2 seed, South No. 3.
"I've got to give our kids a lot of credit, because they came together and played well down the stretch," JM coach Kirk Thompson said. "They really did persevere."
• The best two games of the day Saturday came in the Section 1AAA semifinals and 1AA semis.
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In Section 1AAA, Northfield overcame some excellent play by Both Gach to beat No. 2 Austin 64-61 in overtime.
Gach, a 6-foot-3 sophomore guard, led a gallant second-half charge by Austin and finished with 20 points. He also hit two free throws in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime.
But No. 3 seed Northfield pulled off the upset in large part due to the offensive efforts of 6-9 Luke Harris. The sweet-shooting big man scored 27 points, getting six of his baskets from 3-point range.
Northfield plays Red Wing for the 1AAA title. The Wingers had an easy time in beating No. 4 seed Winona 66-40.
The other madcap section semifinal Saturday was between No. 3 Section 1AA seed St. Charles and No. 2 Lake City. They were used to this. The teams had met earlier this season, with Lake City prevailing 76-75 in overtime.
There was no OT Saturday, but the ending was just as wild, with St. Charles overcoming a five-point deficit with 47 seconds to play. The Saints won the game 65-63.
St. Charles got some huge baskets from backup guard Calvin Buck to get it done. The senior hit a 3-pointer with 38 seconds to play, then banked in another trey to put his team up 63-62. Lake City followed that by hitting one of two free throws. The Saints then won it behind a pair free throws by sophomore Kaden Vaughn with 10 seconds to play. Lake City was ranked third in state in Class AA, St. Charles fourth.
No. 1-seed and No. 2-ranked Caledonia was an easy winner in the other Section 1AA semifinal, beating Cannon Falls 89-62. Brothers Owen and Noah King led Caledonia with 21 and 17 points, respectively.
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• No. 1 seed Spring Grove finally got over the hump, beating perennial section and state power Rushford-Peterson (seeded No. 2) in the Section 1A East finals, 50-47. The Lions will meet Section 1A West winner Goodhue for the right to get to the state tournament. The top-seeded Wildcats beat Grand Meadow 66-46.
