Minnehaha Academy wins sixth Class 2A title after beating Goodhue 81-69
The Redhawks rode forward Kellen Troup’s big second half to their sixth state championship.
By Jim Paulsen
The Minnesota Star Tribune
For one half, Minnehaha Academy junior forward Kellen Troup’s state championship game experience was best described as a mess.
The other half? Everything he could have hoped for.
After missing most of the first half while saddled with foul trouble, the 6-foot-7 wing had a dominant performance after halftime to lead Minnehaha Academy to an 81-69 victory over Goodhue in the Class 2A championship game Saturday, March 28 at Williams Arena.
Troup is the Redhawks interior threat, an athletic leaper who can jump over opponents while also showing a deft outside shooting touch.
His role is often accompanied by leaps of athleticism to throw down inspiring dunks or elevating over opponents to snare nearly impossible rebounds.
On March 28, Troup picked up his second foul early in the first half, his third with five minutes left in the half, relegating him to the bench until the early minutes of the second half.
When he finally returned with just four points and one rebound, Minnehaha was struggling to deal with Goodhue’s varied offensive threats.
After spending so much time on the bench, Troup was eager to make his mark on game. He drained a three-pointer, the first sign that he was ready to rejoin the flow.
Just a few minutes later, Troupe had hit two three-pointers, thrown down his trademark electrifying dunk and soared above the floor to some down with a crucial rebound.
He was ready to take over the game.
“I knew he was back after that dunk,” said Masen Thao, who did yeoman’s work off the bench. “It’s a great feeling when he does that, not just for us but for the people in the stands, too.”
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“So did I,” agreed floor general Ayden Green. “That got us going.”
Troup said that he knew the game was turning his way when he hit his first three-pointer.
“When that three went in, I knew I had it back,” he said.
Minnehaha Academy coach Jadee Jones thought Troup’s most crucial play in a half of play full of them was a rebound he nabbed after soaring over the Goodhue players.
“It’s a fun style of basketball. I felt like when Kellen went back in and got his first rebound over the top that made them kind of shy away from it, that put the other four guys on the floor in a pace to get up the floor,“ Jones said. “It makes people want to watch when he grabs a rebound from 11 feet in the air.”
Troup finished with 24 points, having made four three-pointers in the second half, and added nine rebounds.
For Minnehaha Academy, it was the Redhawks sixth state championship since 2013, their previous title coming in 2021.
About the Author
Jim Paulsen
Reporter
Jim Paulsen is a high school sports reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune.
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