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Class 1A semifinal: Defending state champion Hayfield one step away from repeat

By Matthew Davis, 03/25/22, 11:45AM CDT

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Vikings use balanced attack to beat Cherry, 72-61.


Hayfield's Easton Fritcher (4) lunges for a loose ball in front of Cherry's Isaiah Asuma (10) during their Class 1A semifinal matchup Friday at Williams Arena. (Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine)

Cherry gave defending state champion Hayfield everything it could handle at first before the Vikings took care of business, 72-61, to return to the Class 1A title game.

“They were so scrappy,” Hayfield coach Chris Pack said. “We had to be strong with the ball inside. We finished really well.” 

Hayfield (31-2) found its second gear in a tight game with an 8-0 run right before halftime to take a 32-26 lead. Junior guard Ethan Pack, who led the Vikings with 19 points, helped his team finally pull away. 

Momentum kept up for the Vikings in the second half as the lead grew to double digits, and the Tigers (27-6) couldn’t get closer than seven points.

“We’re very proud of our guys,” Cherry coach Jordan Christianson said. “We were always too small [and] always too young. These guys just scraped all year.”     

Cherry’s Isaac Asuma, a sophomore, exploded for 36 points. Asuma was 6-for-10 from three-point range and connected on 14 of 20 on shots overall.

“We knew he was going to get his points,” Chris Pack said. “Our goal was to keep him between 15 and 25, so it didn’t work. He shot really well from the outside. Some of those, it didn’t matter what we did.”

Hayfield will play Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa next. Vikings junior guard Isaac Matti said they won’t celebrate Friday’s win long.

“We’re not satisfied with this one,” Matti said. “We’re on to the next game. We didn’t come here just to get this far.”

 

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