Jerry Pratt spent 34 minutes being frustrated. He spent two minutes making amends.
The Minneapolis Washburn senior forward scored six points in the last 1:41 of the game to lift the No. 1-seeded Millers to a 52-49 victory Wednesday over upset-minded Rocori in the Class 3A boys' basketball quarterfinals at Williams Arena. Pratt finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, seven of them offensive.
"I was determined," Pratt said. "Like we always say, 'Let's go eat.' I went to eat."
Up to that point, Rocori had played a nearly flawless game. The Spartans, playing to extend coach Bob Brinks' career, controlled the game's tempo and were not fazed by Washburn's half-court defense. They led 45-39 with seven minutes left after three consecutive layups by forward Jonah Eisenschenk.
"We had to withstand their run," Washburn coach Reggie Perkins said.
The Millers (28-2) cranked up their defense, closing off passing lanes that Rocori had found earlier. The Spartans turned over the ball six times as Washburn closed the game on a 13-4 run.
"Maybe they wanted it for me a little too much," said Brink, who plans to retire at the end of the season after 41 years as the school's only coach. "But it's not about me. It's about them and I'm proud of this team and what they accomplished this season."
Nick Anderson added 13 points for Washburn, including two clutch second-half three-pointers. Rocori (18-12) was led by Mac Mueller's 18 points.
-- Jim Paulsen
-- Jim Paulsen
-- Ron Haggstrom