Facing a four-point halftime deficit against Duluth East, Osseo players talked in the locker room about making changes on the floor and between the ears.

The No. 4 seed Orioles (28-2) responded with a game-changing run in the second half and a 62-51 victory in Wednesday’s Class 4A state tournament quarterfinal game at the Target Center.

“I can’t tell you a key or specific thing we did, we just played better,” Osseo senior guard DJ Hebert said. “We had nothing to hold back. I just told the guys that they aren’t better than us.”

Hebert said his team got caught “looking for somebody else to make a play” throughout a tentative first half. Trailing 27-23 at halftime, Osseo reeled off a 19-6 run and built a secure 10-point lead.

It was a team effort. Hebert scored eight of his game-high 18 points, with Michael Brush (5 points), Will Johnson (4 points) and Bridgeport Tusler (2 points) each chipping in. Tusler and sophomore center Ian Theisen each finished with 11 points.

Osseo got tougher inside, allowing the Greyhounds just three of their 13 offensive rebounds in the second half. And the Orioles bench added nine points to finish with an 11-3 advantage over the Duluth East reserves.

Taylor Stafford scored 17 points to lead the Greyhounds (20-9). Shaq Coleman and Johnny Woodard each added 12 points.

Suspended Greyhounds player Akolda Manyang was not on the bench. Coaches and teammates wore T-shirts with his name and No. 32 in solidarity.

DAVID LA VAQUE, Star Tribune

DJ Hebert, Osseo
Playing all 36 minutes of the game, Hebert matched the Duluth East guards step for step. This strong defender did as well as anyone to stay with the incredibly quick Greyhound guards. He finished with 18 points and an impressive zero turnovers.