Red Wing and Zumbrota-Mazeppa entered Wednesday's opener at the girls state basketball tournament hoping to avoid a one-and-done scenario. Both appeared primed to do exactly that through one half, but faltered after the break to be eliminated.
The Wingers outplayed top-seeded Richfield for most of the first half to claim a five-point halftime lead, but the Spartans used a 15-1 run to claim a 68-53 victory in the Class AAA tournament. Richfield finished with just three turnovers in the game, including zero in the second half, while claiming 16 steals that often led to easy transition baskets.
The Cougars, who were making their state tournament debut, pulled within a point of Pequot Lakes early in the second half, but the Patriots soon used a 12-3 spurt to ease in with a 57-46 win in the Class AA tournament. Z-M shot just 31 percent from the floor and did not hit a 3-pointer.
Marisa Toivonen led the Wingers with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Laura Brunner paced the Cougars with 15 points.
Red Wing ends its season at 19-11. Z-M finishes with a 17-11 mark.
ADVERTISEMENT
The only other area team left in the girls tournament is Spring Grove, which did not play Wednesday. The fifth-ranked Lions (27-3) are scheduled to face unranked Warren-Alvarado-Oslo (26-4) 5 p.m. today at Williams Arena. The winner advances to Friday's semifinal game at 2 p.m. at Target Center.
