A long night of high school basketball at Target Center might have turned out to be an historic one as well. Just a few hours removed from a Class 3A semi final that saw Grand Rapids beat De La Salle in double overtime, both Hopkins/Henry Sibley and Eden Prairie/St.Cloud Tech needed double overtime as well.
It looked like Hopkins would win in regulation when Sibley’s Dante Grant launched a desperation three point attempt with less than 4 seconds to go and his team down by 3. But Grant’s shot somehow went off the glass and in. Officials then gathered around the television replay monitors to make sure he actually was behind the three point line when he shot the ball. The basket was deemed good and overtime ensued. Unfortunately for Sibley, so did foul trouble. In all, 5 Sibley players ended up fouling out of the game and Hopkins shot a record 58 free throws enroute to a 90-82 double overtime win.
Game two of the 4A semi finals did not let us down either. St.Cloud Tech got a spark off the bench from senior Kewon Johnson who scored 9 points in the game, including two after a key steal and layup with 34 seconds to go in the first overtime with his team trailing by two. Scott Nystrom’s late basket and Alex Hanks free throws sealed the 62-58 win for Tech in the second overtime. Nystrom led all scorers with 23 points, Hanks added 22.
Tech and Hopkins will meet for the 4A state title Saturday night at 8pm at Target Center. Minnesota Score Radio will broadcast the game on AM 1330 in the Twin Cities and AM 660 in Central Minnesota. You can also listen live online at www.relevantradio.com.