Marshall takes third at state boys tourney
The Marshall Tigers clawed their way to an impressive third-place finish Saturday in the Class AAA boys basketball state tournament.
Marshall entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed.
The Tigers whipped Columbia Heights 83-37 in the third-place game at Concordia University in St. Paul to finish the season 28-4.
One of the Marshall assistant coaches is Mike Christianson, the branch manager of Bank of the West in Minneota.
Workers at Bank of the West were seen keeping a close eye on the tournament from the bank's television set during Thursday afternoon’s televised semifinals.
“We're watching our boss on TV,” one of the workers remarked to a customer.
Another assistant coach is Casey Sussenguth, the step-brother of former Minneota volleyball coach Joe Sussenguth. Travis Carroll is the head coach.
Top-seeded DeLaSalle trounced Austin 72-49 in the championship on Saturday.
Quarterfinals March 22
Marshall 83, Columbia Heights 63
Marshall, seeking its second state title and first since 1963, opened the tournament on Wednesday with an 83-64 triumph over Grand Rapids in the quarterfinals at Williams Arena.
All five Marshall starters scored in double figures, led by senior forward Reece Winkelman with 17 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Senior forward Weston Baker-McGrath notched 12 points, 10 of those coming off dunks, and grabbed nine rebounds.
Jake Skelly tossed in a game-high 33 points, including five three-pointers, for Grand Rapids. He was also 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. Nate Seelve had 16 points and nine rebounds for Grand Rapids.
Marshall shot 57 percent from the field and limited the Thunderhawks to just 30 percent shooting.
Semifinals March 23
Austin 73, Marshall 53
Austin, the number two seed, thumped Marshall 73-53 in the semifinals at Target Center.
Duoth Gach, a 6-foot-4 junior guard, poured in 29 points to pace the Packers.
Junior guard Trey Lance pumped in 16 points for the Tigers (27-4). Senior forward Mitchell Sueker added 11 points.
Marshall fell behind 12-1 before mounting a furious comeback and tie the game 16-16.
But Austin then went on a 17-4 run to lead 33-20 at halftime and never looked back.
Duoth Gach had the highlight of the first half with a fast-break dunk that snapped the 16-all tie. He made the awarded free throw after he was fouled on the play and the Packers had a 19-16 advantage.
Junior guard Trey Lance scored 16 points for the Tigers. Senior forward Mitchell Sueker added 11 points.
Third place March 25
Marshall 83, Columbia Heights 37
Marshall bolted to a 45-22 halftime lead and never looked back, outscoring the Hylanders 38-15 in the second half.
Baker-McGrath had a monster game for the Tigers with 20 points, 10 rebounds, five blocked shots and two steals. Sueker delivered 19 points and five rebounds.
The Tigers shot a blistering 56 percent from the field, while Columbia Heights shot just 19 percent.
Marshall also cashed 17 of 21 free throws (81 percent).
Wendell Matthews led Columbia Heights with 14 points and 11 rebounds
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Class A
Minneapolis North 93, Red Lake 46
Springfield 73, Nevis 65
Goodhue 57, Lake Park-Audubon 37
North Woods 54, Central MN Christian 51
Semifinals
Minneapolis North 100, Springfield 56
North Woods 51, Goodhue 49
CHAMPIONSHIP
Minneapolis North 96, North Woods 49
THIRD PLACE
Goodhue 51, Springfield 47
Consolation
Red Lake 52, Nevis 43
Central Minnesota Christian 68, Lake Park-Audubon 49
CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP
Red Lake 56, Central MN Christian 55
Class AA
Minnehaha Academy 77, Lake City 63
Annandale 66, Jackson County Central 61
St. Cloud Cathedral 70, New Richland-H-E-G 59 (ot)
Crosby-Ironton 64, Breckenridge 49
Semifinals
Minnehaha Academy 76, Annandale 44
Crosby-Ironton 53, St. Cloud Cathedral 42
CHAMPIONSHIP
Minnehaha Academy 47, Crosby-Ironton 36
THIRD PLACE
Annandale 68, St. Cloud Cathedral 60
Consolation
Lake City 62, Jackson Co. Central 41
New Richland-H-E-G 65, Breckenridge 47
CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP
New Richland-H-E-G 77, Lake City 66
Class AAA
DeLaSalle 55, Big Lake 47
Columbia Heights 77, Fergus Falls 74
Austin 55, St. Thomas Academy 49
Marshall 83, Grand Rapids 64
Semifinals
DeLaSalle 86, Columbia Heights 60
Austin 73, Marshall 53
CHAMPIONSHIP
DeLaSalle 72, Austin 44
THIRD PLACE
Marshall 83, Columbia Heights 37
Consolation
Fergus Falls 65, Big Lake 51
St. Thomas Academy 80, Grand Rapids 77
CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP
Fergus Falls 71, St. Thomas Academy 42
Class AAAA
Champlin Park 53, Chaska 50
Wayzata 69, Lakeville North 66
Maple Grove 73, Andover 50
Apple Valley 76, Cretin-Derham Hall 67
Semifinals
Champlin Park 70, Wayzata 62
Apple Valley 77, Maple Grove 54
CHAMPIONSHIP
Apple Valley 60, Champlin Park 54
THIRD PLACE
Wayzata 70, Maple Grove 66
Consolation
Lakeville North 64, Chaska 46
Cretin-Derham Hall 89, Andover 80 (ot)
CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP
Cretin-Derham Hall 71, Lakeville North 61