Waconia is hardly the Cinderella team of this year’s Class 3A state tournament.

The Wildcats finished 17-1 against Wright County Conference opponents this season, good enough to edge Orono by a game for the title.

However, they finished 1-6 against nonconference foes, including a 30-point drubbing at the hands of Benilde-St. Margaret’s on Dec. 30. So when third-seeded Waconia consecutively upset No. 2 seed Minneapolis Washburn and No. 1 Benilde to win the Section 6 playoffs, it seemed to surprise everyone — except the Wildcats themselves.

“[The season] started off a little slow, so that’s maybe why people didn’t pick us to win,” senior forward Shelby Moats said. “And then we just built confidence over the course of the season, getting a lot of good conference wins and then playing some teams pretty tough like Eden Prairie. … We knew coming into the section that we could beat anyone in it.”

The run earned Waconia (21-7) a No. 2 seed in the state tournament, where it will face unseeded Grand Rapids (19-9) on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. Preparation, Moats said, has been a big reason for the team’s success.

“In the postseason, we’ve really started to realize ... when we see plays in film, we look at it, we go over it in practice and then when [an opponent] is about to do it in a game, we know it’s coming and we’re able to anticipate it and know what we’re supposed to do,” Moats said.

In addition to Moats and senior guard Ben Kortuem, point guard Bronson Scheff emerged as a vital component of the Wildcats’ attack this year, particularly in the section playoffs, where Scheff dropped 20 points in the first round against Holy Angels and 21 in the title game against Benilde-St. Margaret’s, which Waconia won 62-60.

Scheff is a lockdown defender who relishes guarding top perimeter players, Wildcats coach Pat Hayes said.

“He was really focused,” Hayes said of Scheff’s play against Benilde. “He has an intensity level [where] when he knows it’s on the line, he steps up and plays his best.”

Andrew Baker is a University of Minnesota student reporter on assignment for the Star Tribune.