Hayfield advances to semifinals in State Tournament

Hayfield’s Vikings advanced to the semifinals of the Minnesota State Boys Basketball Tournament last Friday when they defeated Legacy Christian Academy 62-43 at Rochester Mayo High School.
Hayfield initially fell behind 7-0 but recovered to lead by 3 points at the end of the first half. They outscored Legacy Christian in the second half, 35 to 19.
“We knew it was going to be a tight game decided by which team shot better from the three-point line,” said Coach Chris Pack. “I told the team before the game, eight was the magic number. We needed to hold them to eight or less and we needed to make eight or more. They made six and we made eight.”
Pack went on to say the defense was instrumental in making that happen as the Vikings did a great job, limited penetration and were able to stay close to their shooters.
Junior guard Kobe Foster did an outstanding job on Legacy Christian’s point guard Jake Wald, who is their best player. He held him to 7 points, all in the first half.
“We also did a great job on the boards, led by junior forward Easton Fritcher, who grabbed 29 rebounds!! Almost a state tournament record, three short,” Pack said.
Pack said the offense did not shoot as well as they can but still hit some big shots at big times, led by sophomore Isaac Matti (18 pts.), senior Ethan Slaathaug (17 pts.), and sophomore Ethan Pack (13 pts.). They hit all eight of the Vikings’ threes and Matti and Pack each had a crucial one down the stretch, the coach said.
“Slaathaug hit his first three threes to open the game and get us back in it after falling behind 7-0,” Pack said. “We also did a great job against their full court press as we only committed seven turnovers in the game. It was a great team win and I am so happy for our players for all the work they have put in to get to this point.”
With the quarterfinal win secured it was on to the semifinals where they were scheduled to play Badger-Greenbush-Middle River Wednesday at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
North Badger/GB-MR earned their spot in the semifinals by defeating North Deer River 58-52.
Hayfield finished the regular season with an 18-4 record while Badger/GB-MR finished with a 19-3 record.
A win on Wednesday would send the Vikings into the Championship game at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Target Center against the winner of the Hancock- Sleepy Eye Saint Mary’s game.
“The support our guys are getting has been fantastic and they certainly appreciate it. It has been a fun journey and they are enjoying every minute of it,” Pack said.