With the win, the Cougars (26-2) clinched their third consecutive journey to the state match.

The Cougars had 4 gamers in double figures, led by Dwayne Bryant’s 19 factors. Carson Schweim had 15 factors, whereas Amani Nobles had 12 and Lucas Gustafson added 11.

Colton Benson led the Eagles (21-8) with 28 factors, whereas Will Fossen chipped in 8.

The Cougars defeated New Ulm within the 2022 part finals and Worthington in 2023 to advance to state.

Staff photograph by Travis Rosenau
New Ulm’s Colton Benson (24) goes up for a shot whereas guarded by Mankato East’s Carson Schweim (14) within the Section 2AAA boys basketball title sport Thursday at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. Benson and Schweim will each play along with the Minnesota State Mavericks subsequent winter.

The Eagles have been on the lookout for redemption from 2022, nonetheless, and so they appeared in good place to get that with a robust begin to Thursday’s sport.

Benson knocked down three consecutive 3s early on to offer New Ulm a 14-9 lead earlier than he was fouled trying one other 3. He sank two of the three free throws to place New Ulm up 16-9.

East went on a 9-0 run late within the half, nonetheless, to steer 26-23. Benson acquired an and-one to tie the sport up at 26-all, however the Cougars acquired a nook 3 from Gustafson to take a 29-26 lead into the half.

“With every possession, we just wanted to make sure we took a good shot,” Eagles head coach Matt Dennis stated. “First half we were tough, knocked down some big ones, lot of excitement, crowd into it, that played into our favor. I was so proud of our city for coming down and cheering us on. It was full-force New Ulm in those stands tonight. I thought we worked well together, and I’m proud of our guys.”

The Cougars took an early second-half lead, 35-28, however Jensen drove inside and hit Fossen on the wing with a cross for a nook 3 to have New Ulm down 35-31. Benson then was fouled once more from past the arc and this time hit all three free throws to have it a 1-point sport, 35-34.

While one of many shortest gamers on the court docket at 5-foot-10, Bryant made some massive photographs for the Cougars within the second half, with one being a fast-break bucket to place his workforce up 44-34. The Eagles lower the deficit to 44-40, however that was as shut as they acquired because the Cougars grew their lead once more to double digits.

A pair of 3s from Bryant and Gustafson with lower than 5 minutes to go had the Cougars up 62-43. Another Gustafson 3 gave the Cougars their largest lead of the night time at 65-43.

For a pair of high-scoring groups, each New Ulm and East made it powerful to attain on one another. The Eagles had a season low in factors scored Thursday, whereas East’s season low got here within the common season to Mankato West on Feb. 20, a 59-58 loss.

Heading into Thursday’s sport, New Ulm led the part in factors per sport with 83.6 ppg, whereas East was an in depth second with 80.8 ppg.

“We planned to win and we planned to win ugly,” Dennis stated. “Just playing defense and grinding. We planned to take them out of their offensive sets, they planned to take us out of our offensive sets. So I think as good of offenses as these teams have, I think their defenses can step up and play a lot of physical defense at the same time, and I think we saw that tonight from both sides.”

While the season didn’t finish the best way they envisioned it, the Eagles have been in a position to signify New Ulm in a piece title sport for the second time in three years, one thing Dennis was very pleased with.

“I’m so proud of our boys,” Dennis stated. “These guys, the seniors especially here, have really made New Ulm basketball mean something. We know how close the game was, nothing else really matters at this point. But I’m so proud of our guys, all the way, one through 12, but especially our seniors. They got to this game two times out of three times when New Ulm hadn’t been in this game for decades.”