Richfield earned its first state tournament berth in 14 years last year largely with the contribution of a young and talented starting five.
A pandemic thwarted the Spartans' opportunity to actually play a state tournament game and coach Omar McMillan predicted his team would need more in reserve to repeat as Class 3A, Section 3 champions this season.
"Last year we were the hunters, and now we're the hunted," McMillan said. "And teams are not going to let our starting five do what they did last year."
That meant McMillan needed greater depth to protect and preserve the energy of his top-line players. And with pandemic safety precautions (masks for players) in place, McMillan predicted improved stamina and endurance for all his players would be necessary.
So he set to work over the summer learning how masks affect athletic performance and which masks allow for the best possible performance. He rode his bike, ran, played basketball, did all his workouts wearing a mask so he could know what his players were experiencing and help them through difficult times. He found masks best-suited for athletic performance and found ways to provide those masks to families that might not be able to afford them.
And when practice finally began in early January, the Spartans were ready to play ball.
"They didn't complain about much," McMillan said. "They just wanted to get in and play. The first two days were pretty rough, but I don't think it was the masks, I just think they were out of shape."
Now as they hit the first big test in their schedule, the Spartans (5-1) believe they are up to the task.
A 75-65 loss at No. 3-3A Columbia Heights on Feb. 5 puts greater emphasis on No. 5-3A Richfield's home matchup Tuesday against DeLaSalle (5-1). The No. 4-3A Islanders, a perennial state power, are the kind of opponent Richfield will need to beat to build on its breakthrough season of 2019-20.
"If we are going to stand on the top of Mount Everest," McMillan said, "we've got to beat these guys to get there."
Seniors Lamar Grayson (24.2 ppg), Jaden Wollmuth (16.3 ppg) and Ryan Miles (16.2 ppg) continue to lead Richfield. But in the loss to Columbia Heights, which now sits alone atop the Tri-Metro Conference standings to begin the week, Wollmuth and Miles were held to a combined 19 points. It was also the first time this season Richfield scored fewer than 76 points in a game.
Coach Travis Bledsoe's DeLaSalle squad, the defending Class 3A, Section 6 champion, is led by seniors Cade Haskins (11.3 ppg) and Evan Boyd (14.8 ppg), and rising sophomore Nasir Whitlock (16 ppg). The Islanders' only loss this season also came against Columbia Heights — a 68-63 blemish on Jan. 29