Tartan boys basketball reaches first state tournament since 2014
The Titans, led by Kevin Wilson Jr.’s 25 points, defeated Cretin-Derham Hall in overtime of the Class 4A, Section 4 final.
By Marcus Fuller and Joe Gunther
The Minnesota Star Tribune
Sophomore Kevin Wilson Jr. scored on a layup with 33 seconds left in the second half of the Class 4A, Section 4 boys basketball final to give Tartan a one-point lead over Cretin-Derham Hall.
But the game was far from over.
After Tartan missed the front end of a 1-and-1 to extend the lead, JoJo Mitchell hit one of two free throws to send the game into overtime tied 58-58.
After four consecutive losses in the section playoffs to Cretin-Derham Hall, Wilson and his Titans teammates were determined to finally get longtime coach Mark Klingsporn over that hurdle. They did so by pulling away in overtime for a thrilling 69-61 victory at home on Thursday, March 21, to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2014.
Jaylen Goergen’s dunk as time expired sent Tartan players and fans into a massive celebration on the floor.
“It felt great,” said Wilson, who had a game-high 25 points. “I felt like we were going to do it this year. I felt it all the way through from the start.”
Wilson opened the extra period with a quick basket to get the home crowd fired up. He hit two free throws after drawing a fifth foul on Mitchell for a 64-59 lead with a minute left.
Sophomore Emmanuel Oyesanmi added 18 points and senior Duke King had 10 for the No. 1 Class 4A Titans (29-0), who will be competing for their first state title since 2000.
“I’m happier than all heck for our kids,” said Klingsporn, who has coached the program for 37 years. “Lot of hard work. A lot of stuff that people don’t see behind the scenes. I’m really proud of our kids.”
The Raiders (23-6), who were the Class 4A runner-up last year, were led by Mitchell and junior Ty Schlagel, who had 20 and 14 points, respectively.
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Schlagel’s putback gave Cretin-Derham Hall a 57-56 lead with 1:25 remaining. That capped a 10-2 Raiders run.
The Titans, who haven’t lost since the section title game at Cretin-Derham Hall last season, managed to take the lead one last time before Mitchell, a St. Thomas recruit, forced OT at the foul line.
“You can see how hard it is to get by Cretin,” Klingsporn said. “[Jerry Kline] is a great coach. And they have a great program. Their kids play well and it was a slug fest.”
Tartan led Cretin-Derham Hall 26-22 at halftime after Wilson hit a heavily contested three-pointer with seconds winding down in the first half.
Wilson was held to seven points in the first half, but the late three-pointer gave Tartan much needed momentum going into the break.
Last season, the Titans finished 27-1 after losing to the Raiders in the section finals. This season, returning starters Wilson and Oyesanmi were joined by transfers such as King (North St. Paul) and Tyrel Pride (St. Paul Johnson) to help Tartan break the program’s lengthy state tournament drought.
“I have never seen anything like this before,” King said. “I’m glad I came here. This is what winning feels like.”
Class 4A, Section 1
Lakeville South 76, Farmington 71: Nolan Greene scored 16 points and the Cougars (23-6) came back from a four-point halftime deficit to defeat the Tigers (19-10) at Rochester’s Mayo Civic Arena.
Ryker Sanders added 15 points, Gavin Stuart had 13 and Nate Owata had 11 for the Cougars, who are appearing at state for the first time since 2011. They were also a section finalist in 2020 before the remainder of the tournament was canceled because of COVID-19.
Benny Fenske led Farmington with 15 points. Max Blandin scored 14 points and Kale Flees and Briggs Sheridan each had 11.
Class 3A, Section 1
Northfield 60, Austin 51: The Raiders (24-3) blew the game open in the middle portion in Rochester to earn their first trip to the state tournament since 1932.
Northfield finished the first half on an 18-5 run, then began the second half on a 13-4 run to take a 42-30 lead over the Packers (16-11).
The Raiders will be making their fourth trip to state. Their other appearances came in 1916 and 1928.
Class 3A, Section 4
DeLaSalle 67, Mahtomedi 46: Deon Wallace-Johnson scored 14 points and the Islanders (25-3) used a 13-2 run in the first half to start to pull away from the visiting Zephyrs (25-3) for their 15th consecutive state tournament berth.
Evan Miller, Ichima Idoko and Kamar Thomas added 12 points each for DeLaSalle, which is seeking its 12th state championship but first since 2019.
Mark Graff scored 15 points and Will Roelofs had 11 for Mahtomedi, which only led very early in the game but stayed close until the second half.
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