Photo Gallery: Minneapolis North vs. Lake City
Senior guard Reid Gastner was Heise’s scoring partner, as the two combined for 26 of Lake City’s 32 first-half points and then scored 30 of their 33 second-half points.
“I trust all of my teammates to contribute,” Heise said. “I just like having the ball in my hands at the end of the game.”
Some foul trouble limited Minneapolis North’s junior wing Clifford Brown III and sophomore point guard Willie Wilson early on, as they took two fouls apiece within the first five minutes of action. That seemed to stymie the Minneapolis North offense throughout the first half and Lake City, ranked No. 2 in the Class 2A Minnesota Basketball News rankings, took a 32-21 lead into halftime.
“We played really well to start the game,” Lake City coach Greg Berge said. “[Minneapolis North] hit us with their best shot to start the second half. They are a championship team and they weren’t going to give up.”
Minneapolis North took a 46-41 lead with about 11 minutes remaining in the second half on the backs of a strong push by Wilson (19 points, six rebounds) and junior forward Davon Townley (21 points, four rebounds and three blocks) and a tightening of their defense against Gastner and Heise.
“We helped out their runs to start the second half by turning the ball over a couple of times,” Heise said.
After the No. 4-2A Polars called a timeout at the 11-minute mark, the Tigers closed out the game with a 24-8 scoring run, with Heise going 10-for-10 at the free-throw line throughout the second half.
“We brought it together at the end and finished strong,” Berge said. “North is going to be a very different team in a month or two. I think we both want to play each other again this season.