Red Lake County hits 10 threes, shoots 61% to beat LCA in the State Boys Basketball tournament

The Red Lake County Rebel boys basketball team outplayed the Liberty Classical Academy Lions on both sides of the ball, shooting 61% from the field and 50% from beyond tbe arch en route to an 85-63 victory in the Class A State Tournament Quarterfinals at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Will Gieseke tied a state tournament record, making all 11 of his shots.

FIRST HALF –
Liberty Classical Academy (LCA) got off to a great start in its tournament debut with a dunk, which led to a 6-0 run for the Lions. The Rebels missed their first few shots, but Ben Gullingsrud was able to break the ice with a three-pointer, cutting the lead to 6-3. Gullingsrud then went back-and-forth with Sam Rupnow, as they each hit threes to make it 9-6 Lions. LCA couldn’t miss in the first six minutes of the half, and a floater from Cruz Triana gave them a 14-9 lead. Red Lake County got the offense going a little bit when Gullingsrud made a free throw, and Will Gieseke converted a three-point play to get within a 14-12 deficit. The teams exchanged baskets, and LCA took a 21-16 lead with 7:15 remaining in the half. Red Lake County started to heat up as Gullingsrud made his third three-pointer of the game and Gieseke added a layup to tie the game for the first time at 21 with 6:33 left in the half. Croonor Duden gave the Rebels their first lead with his first basket of the game, a three-pointer. LCA regained the lead with a basket before the final five minutes were dominated by the Rebels. Gullingsrud made his fourth three-pointer of the game, and Duden followed with another three-pointer for a 30-25 lead. The teams exchanged baskets, and the Rebels led 32-29 when they went on an 8-0 run run with all eight points scored by Duden with a pair of three-pointers and two free throws for a 40-29 lead with two minutes to go, and the Rebels took a 42-33 lead into halftime.

SECOND HALF –
The teams had strong starts to the second half, exchanging baskets for the first two minutes, and after a three-pointer from Rupnow, the Rebels’ lead was 48-41. Red Lake County’s Duden continued to have a hot hand as he buried a three-pointer, and Gullingsrud made a jump shot. After an LCA three-pointer from Rupnow, Gieseke answered with three-pointers for a 56-44 lead with 13:24 left in the game. After an LCA basket, it was at this point in the game that the Rebels put their foot on the pedal and blew the game open with another huge second-half explosion. Giesek converted a tough three-pointer, and Ethan Johnson had a nice pass from Giesek for a strong basket in the paint. After two LCA free throws, Johnson got another basket in the paint, Gullingsrud and Duden added baskets, and Gieseke and Gullingsrud added baskets, capping a 13-2 run for a 71-48 Rebel lead with 7:40 remaining. After three LCA points, Gieseke and Johnson added baskets for a 75-51 lead. Red Lake County led 82-59 with 2:28 remaining when Coach Steve Philion went to the bench, and Nate Powers made a layup and a little later added a free throw, and the Rebels won the gam e85-63.

Red Lake County had impressive team stats. They made 33 of 54 shots for 61.1 percent. They made 10 of 20 three-pointers for 50 percent. They outrebounded LCA 31-23, including 11 offensive rebounds. They had 14 fast-break points while not allowing one fast-break point. They had 46 points in the paint compared to LCA’s 30, and scored 18 points off turnovers.
Will Gieseke was 11 of 11 from the field, tying a State Tournament record for field goal percentage in a game. There are only two other players that have made all their shots (10 shots or more) in a state game.

Red Lake County improves to 29-3 on the year and will take on Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton in the State Class A semi-finals at 2:00 PM on Friday at Williams Arena. KROX will have both semi-final games on the radio starting at Noon.
Liberty Classical Academy falls to 27-3 on the season and will take on Cherry in the Consolation Semifinals in St. Paul.

Click above to listen to interviews with Connor Duden, Ben Gullingsrud, and Will Gieseke

Click above to listen to Coach Steve Philion’s postgame interview

	1st	2nd	Final
Liberty Classical	33	30	63
Red Lake County	42	43	85

For Red Lake County	Points	Rebounds	Misc.
Will Gieseke	25	8	9 assists/4 steals
Connor Duden	24	5	3 assists/1 steal
Ben Gullingsrud	17	3	3 assists/1 block
Ethan Johnson	14	7	1 assist/1 block/1 steal
Nate Powers	3	2
GUnnar Halvorsen	2	2	1 assist