Last March, Benilde-St. Margaret’s watched its season end at the hands of a halfcourt miracle.
With his Orono team down 84-83, guard Nolan Groves chucked up a deep three-pointer in double overtime of the Class 3A, Section 6 championship. With a buzzer-beating swish, the Red Knights’ hopes of reaching state for the first time since 2006 were dashed — and by the Spartans, for the second consecutive year.
“That was the craziest moment I’ve ever experienced in a basketball game,” said Benilde-St. Margaret’s senior power forward Jalen Wilson, ESPN’s No. 1-ranked player in his class. “But I think that has helped us a lot this year. We have that edge. The game’s never over.”
Though Thursday was only a regular-season rematch for the No. 2 Red Knights and No. 3 Spartans, the standing-room-only gym suggested something deeper. A testing ground, for two of Minnesota’s best.
And this time, Benilde-St. Margaret’s came out on top, 76-72.
For more on this game, click here to read this story on startribune.com.