Minnehaha Academy Redhawks Stuff St. Peter Saints

The Minnehaha Academey Redhawks inched closer to a third straight Class AA title when Jalen Suggs scored 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to lead them to a 78-47 win over the St. Peter Saints in the quarterfinals Wednesday night at Target Center in Minneapolis.

Suggs got the Redhawks out of the starting gate early, scoring :10 into the first half.  Minnehaha Academy would begin the game on a 7-0 run and the Saints would get their first basket from Wyatt Olson with 15:54 to go in the half.  Brock Hanson would hit a three pointer to put St. Peter on a 5-0 run that would end when Prince Aligbe hit a shot from 2nd Ave. and would score five straight points.  Chet Holmgren, the Redhawks seven foot center would score on an alley oop from Suggs and hit a left side jumper to spark an 11-0 run that ended on a basket by Josh Johnson.  Holmgren got into position after Suggs missed a shot and scored on a dunk.  Suggs would hit a three pointer to highlight a 5-0 run that ended on Ethan Volk's three pointer.  Suggs got shaken up with 3:04 left in the first half so he went to the bench.  The good news was that he was OK and returned to the game :20 later.  Foul trouble would hurt the Saints in the first half when Ethan Grant picked up his third foul with 2:23 remaining.  The Redhawks led at halftime 35-19.

Minnehaha Academy would score the first seven points of the second half.  Aligbe would open the scoring on a pass from Kaden Johnson, followed by a basket from Suggs and Kaden Johnson's three pointer.  Wyatt Olson's three pointer would end the Redhawks run.  There would also be dueling three pointers.  Volk would hit one for St. Peter and Suggs would respond with two more.  Siegel Howard, who was a running back on the Class AAAA champion SMB Wolfpack football team, would also break into the scoring column, scoring off a pass from Donovan Smith.  Minnehaha Academy would be without Holmgren the remainder of the game when he came off the court limping with 7:35 to go.  But the Redhawks got production from Kaden Johnson who scored five straight points and Donovan Smith helped bolster a 7-0 run before the reserves got playing time.  One reserve who tallied late for the Saints was Bennett Olson, who scored five straight points.

Other Minnehaha Academy players in double figures were Kaden Johnson and Holmgren with 14 points.  Holmgrrn had 12 rebounds and blocked eight shots.  St. Peter was led by Wyatt Olson with 17 points.  Hanson added 11.

The Redhawks improved their record to 27-2 and advanced to the Class AA semifinals, Friday, March 22 at 6 PM at Target Center.  St. Peter dropped to 22-7 and will play in the consolation semifinals, also on the 21st at 8 PM at Ganglehoff Center on the campus of Concordia University in St. Paul.