Rushford-Peterson made it a goal at the start of the season to make the Class 1A state championship game.
The third-seeded Trojans (30-1) took one step closer to that goal Thursday at Williams Arena, defeating unseeded Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 71-63 in the quarterfinals.
Rushford-Peterson forced 21 turnovers and overcame 12 of their own. With the victory, it earned a rematch with second-seeded Maranatha Christian Academy in the semifinals, a repeat of last year’s semifinal game that the Trojans lost.
“It was a battle last year, so hopefully we can get some revenge this year,” Rushford-Peterson guard Cole Kingsley said. “But it’ll be a great challenge for us.”
Kingsley led Rushford-Peterson with 18 points Thursday. He helped limit the Falcons’ leading scorer, senior guard Taylor Larson, to 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
“He had to really work hard to get his shots,” Trojans coach Thomas Vix said. “I really thought we did a pretty good job of keeping him from having that big, monster game.”
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City never trailed by more than 12, despite Larson’s quiet day. Falcons freshman center Gabriel Eisenbacher scoring 16 second-half points to keep the game close.
Eisenbacher cut the Trojans’ lead to five with 6:31 remaining, but a subsequent 7-0 run by Rushford-Peterson put the game out of reach.
NATE GOTLIEB
Third-seeded Rushford-Peterson defeated unseeded Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 71-63 in the Class 1A quarterfinals Thursday at Williams Arena.
Junior guard Cole Kingsley led the Trojans (30-1) with 18 points, and senior forward Austin O'Hare added 14, as Rushford-Peterson clinched a spot in the state semifinals for a third consecutive year.
The Trojans will face second-seeded Maranatha Christian Academy in the semifinals for the second consecutive season. They lost to the Mustangs last season in the semifinals.
Check back later for more on the game.