Minnehaha Academy Claims Class AA Crown

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn—The Minnehaha Academy Red Hawks completed their journey and won the class AA state girls basketball championship Saturday with a 64-46 win over Braham.

“It’s special,” said senior Rachel Hanson. “This is a once in a lifetime chance and a lot of teams wish they could be here and we got it done and it just feels great.”

The senior played steady throughout the tournament and ended her high school career with 22 points and nine rebounds. The key for the Red Hawks was a 17-0 run late in the first half that separated them from the Bombers. They went to the locker room with an impressive 20 point lead. They ran a 1-3 zone defense and chased Braham’s Rebekah Dahlman all over the court. The freshman phenom was held to just 2 of 14 shooting and only seven points.

Katelyn Adams, the six foot four junior post was once again a force in the middle and got stronger with each game in the tournament. Adams scored 21 points, pulled down 15 rebounds and blocked five shots.

The young Bombers struggled on the offensive end, but were able to cut the deficit to 13 at the midway point of the second half. The Red Hawks were not going to be denied. They squelched the Braham comeback with a 14-3 run of their own to regain the lead.

The Bombers were held to 29 percent shooting from the field while the Red Hawks clicked at 46 percent including 50 percent from three point range.

The championship was the first for Minnehaha Academy in its fifth trip.