By John George
The first ever trip to the State Boys Basketball Tournament for New York Mills proved to be a short one. The Eagles lost their quarterfinal game to Osakis, 62-54, eliminating them from the tournament.
The first half was evenly played, with NY Mills taking their biggest lead at 19-14 after a three pointer by Josh Hendrickx at the nine minute mark. The Eagles still lead by four, 25-21, after David Klinnerts free throw with 5:35 in the half.
Osakis made their move to close the half, outscoring NY Mills 13-5 over the next five minutes to take a four-point lead. A last second jumper by Chris Baune brought the Eagles back to within two at 34-32 at the half.
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Mills was in control for the first four minutes of the second half and had a 40-36 lead after a pair of Erik Peeters free throws at the 13:47 mark. A 7-0 Osakis run erased that margin and gave the Silver Streaks a lead they wouldnt give up.
NY Mills did tie the score at 49-49 on an Erik Peeters jumper, but Osakis scored the next 11 points to put the game out of reach.
Ted Rud led Mills with a game-high 24 points, hitting 9-of-14 from the field. No other Eagle was in double figures.
Osakis neutralized Mills 1,000-point scorer, 67 senior center Ryan Peeters, holding him to seven points on 3-of-10 shooting and 10 rebounds. Their own center, 67 sophomore Leif Nomeland, was 4-for-6 from the field for nine points. He also had 10 rebounds and five blocked shots.
The Silver Streaks had three players in double figures. All 62 points were scored by the starting five. Their bench went 0-for-2 from the field with one rebound and two assists.
Osakis (31-1) lost their second round game, and their first game of the season, to Ellsworth, 70-63. They went on to beat Marantha Christian Academy, 85-74, in the third place game.
Rushford-Peterson (23-9) won their first Class A championship, beating Ellsworth 55-52 in the title game. R-P was last years runner-up and ranked No. 7 heading into State.
Pelican Rapids 3rd in 2A
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Heart O Lakes and Section 8AA Champ, Pelican Rapids, finished third in Class AA.
The Vikings gave eventual 2A title winners Braham everything they could handle in the semifinals, finally losing 64-54.
Pelican Rapids, which was ranked No. 2 most of the season and finish with a 30-3 record, finished their season on a winning note, beating Dover-Eyota 53-45 in the third place game. They won their opening round game over Benson, 72-50.
Braham (31-2) won their third straight Class 2A crown, beating Breck School 72-53 in the title game.
DeLaSalle (27-5) beat Duluth East, 65-47, in the Class 3A championship for the schools fifth State title. They were No. 7 entering the tournament.
No. 2 Hopkins (30-2) defended their 4A title by beating Robinsdale Cooper, 69-53. It was their fifth title overall.
