Jalen Suggs put the finishing touch on his freshman season with a game high 22 points and three steals to lead the Minnehaha Academy Redhawks to a 47-36 win over the Crosby-Ironton Rangers in the Class AA boys basketball championship game Saturday afternoon at Target Center in Minneapolis.
It was the second state title for the Minneapolis based school and their first since 2013. The Rangers, playing in their sixth state title game in 20 trips to state are 0-6 in championship games.
The Redhawks went into a spread offense to start the game for over a minute but the scoreboard remained at zero. Suggs would begin the scoring on a layup 2:22 into the game. Noah Gindorff would tie the game for the Rangers, scoring off a pass from Jonathan Jacobson. Terry Lockett would heat up the Minnehaha Academy offense, scoring nine straight points and Crosby-Ironton would get a three point play from Gindorff. Foul trouble would plague both teams in the first half when Lorenzo Smith of the Redhawks picked up his third foul with 2:57 to go and Evan Edmundson would go to the bench with three fouls :38 later. Crosby-Ironton showed some life late in the first half when Gindorff hit another three point play and a basket from Trey Jacobs sparked a 5-0 run that would cut Minnehaha Academy's halftime lead to 23-15.
Lockett would open the second half scoring with a shot from Glenwood Ave. :17 into the half. Suggs sank a pair of free throws to put the Redhawks on a 5-0 run. On their next possession, they would go into a slowdown offense, much to the chagrin of the red and white clad Minnehaha Academy fans who populated Target Center's blue and green seats. The Rangers came up big on defense when Gindorff blocked Jose Williamson's shot. Crosby-Ironton would get a couple of three pointers from Jack Silgen and Jacobs before Suggs ended the Rangers 6-0 run with four straight points. Suggs would deny Crosby-Ironton's first state title by scoring 10 straight points and Smith punctuated the win with a pair of free throws with :22.8 left to play.
Lockett was the only other Minnehaha Academy player in double figures, scoring 12 points. JaVanni Bickham had 10 rebounds. Gindorff led the Rangers with 19 points and Silgen added 10.
In the third place game at Ganglehoff Center on the Concordia University campus in St. Paul, the Annandale Cardinals beat the St. Cloud Cathedral Crusader 68-60. NRHEG won the consolation title Friday with a 77-66 win over the Lake City Tigers.
The 2017 Academics, Arts and Athletics Awards were presented at halftime with one boy and one girl from Class A & AA receiving the award for their excellence in the aforementioned. The Class A winners were Kiera Olson of Fillmore Central and Carter Peterson of Underwood. Winners from Class AA were anja Maijala of Cloquet and Eric Wilson of Benilde-St. Margaret's. Wilson was an offensive lineman on the Red Knight football team that won the 2016 Class AAAA state championship.
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