The Minnewaska boys basketball team began the Section 3-2A playoffs strong, with a 61-27 win over the Litchfield Dragons (10-17) on Friday in Glenwood.

“It was a great game for us from the opening tip to the final buzzer,” Minnewaska head coach Zach Traphagen said. “It was an awesome playoff atmosphere that definitely helped give our guys some extra juice. Defense and rebounding were the keys and our guys answered the call and then some. We had a great week of practice and it showed on the court. What a great final game for these seniors on our home court and the best part is we get another practice and another game with this group.”

Tenzin Dahl led Minnewaska’s offense in scoring with 14 points, while Tristan O’Neil finished with 13.

Minnewaska (12-14), the No. 4 seed in the north sub-section of Section 3-2A, faces the No. 1 seed in the sub-section Montevideo (22-4) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in Willmar.

Litchfield – 14 13 – 27

Minnewaska – 36 25 – 61

LITCHFIELD TEAM STATS – FIELD GOALS – 11/43; 3-POINTERS – 1/15; FREE THROWS – 4/10; BLOCKS – 2; REBOUNDS – 26; STEALS – 3; FOULS – 9; TURNOVERS – 19

MINNEWASKA TEAM STATS – FIELD GOALS – 25/66; 3-POINTERS – 5/28; FREE THROWS – 6/8; ASSISTS – 17; BLOCKS – 3; REBOUNDS – 40; STEALS – 13; DEFLECTIONS – 1; FOULS – 12; TURNOVERS – 10

MINNEWASKA INDIVIDUAL STATS – Tristan O’Neil –13 points, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 4 rebounds, 1 deflection; Marc Gruber – 4 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals; Carter Meyer – 1 assist, 1 rebound; Zachary Palmer – 2 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals; Levi Johnson – 11 points, 1 assist, 3 rebounds, 1 steal; Luke Danielson – 1 block, 4 rebounds, 1 steal; Connor Frey – 4 points, 2 rebounds; Tenzin Dahl – 14 points, 1 assist, 8 rebounds, 1 steal; Cavin Thorfinnson – 1 assist; Kaiden Harvey – 11 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal; Owen Meulebroeck – 2 points, 2 assists, 8 rebounds, Chase Wacker – 1 rebound

WCA’s Ben Bye reaches 1,000 career points

Ben Bye became the 10th boys basketball player in West Central Area history to score 1,000 career points as he reached that milestone in a 14-point outing in WCA’s 83-58 win on the road over Ashby (8-17) on Friday.

"It was a special way to wrap up the regular season,” WCA head coach Brian Kjesbo said. "Knights basketball and our players have worked hard to build a strong program with competitive and balanced teams and as a result achieving the 1,000-point milestone has become increasingly rare. Ben has played the game very honorably and unselfishly which makes his scoring achievement even more impressive. It was cool to have so many of his family, friends, past team members, and fans in the gym to celebrate the achievement with him. The Arrows have a young team but they compete hard and have a bright future.”

Cash Nelson led WCA’s offense with 20 points on Friday.

WCA (18-8) and Ashby (8-17) are awaiting their seed and matchup announcement for the Section 6A Tournament.

Ashby – 32 26 – 58

WCA – 42 41 – 83

WCA INDIVIDUAL SCORING – Cash Nelson, 20; Ben Bye, 14; Sam Hanson, 12; Bryce Kjesbo, 11; Marshall Dewey, 6; Isaac Allen, 7; Jack Sabolik, 5; Simon Moritz, 4; Owen Sansted, 2; Dajon Olson, 2

Osakis wins again

The Osakis boys basketball team extended its winning streak to seven with a 76-55 win on the road over Royalton (8-18) on Friday.

“Our guys played a pretty well-rounded game and we started out executing really well on both ends,” Osakis head coach Matt Hoelscher said. “We found gaps in their defense and got some easy baskets around the rim and some putbacks. Defensively, we forced tough shots and limited them to one attempt. It was great having Trenton [VanNyhuis] back in the lineup as we try to acclimate back into game shape/speed. His calming presence is felt by everyone as he can take pressure off our guards by being another ball handler, a rebounder, and defender.”

VanNyhuis had 10 rebounds for Osakis. Seth Staloch led the team in rebounds with 11 and had 13 points to finish with a double-double.

Andrew Jones led Osakis in scoring with 27 points.

Osakis (18-8) awaits its seed and opening round matchup for the Section 6-2A Tournament, which begins on Thursday, March 6, 2025.

Osakis – 41 35 – 76

Royalton – 29 26 – 55

OSAKIS TEAM STATS – FIELD GOALS – 31/56; 3-POINTERS – 4/13; FREE THROWS – 10/13; ASSISTS – 14; BLOCKS – 3; REBOUNDS – 43; STEALS – 4; DEFLECTIONS – 5; FOULS – 9; TURNOVERS – 20

OSAKIS INDIVIDUAL STATS – Austin Dickinson – 7 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 deflection; Andrew Jones – 27 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 deflection; Trenton VanNyhuis – 4 points, 4 assists, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 deflection; Wyatt Klimek – 9 points, 2 assists; Seth Staloch – 13 points, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 11 rebounds, 2 deflections; Tyler Wolbeck – 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal; Landon Chisholm – 2 points, 1 rebound; Cohen Benson – 1 rebound; Taven Ebnet – 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal

Other area boys basketball scores from Friday, Feb. 28, 2025