Caledonia, R-P looking for state championships

R-P (30-1) ranked No. 1 in Class A,
Caledonia (28-4) ranked second in 2A

Southeastern Minnesota is looking to bring home two state championships today.

The top-ranked Rushford-Peterson High School boys basketball team (30-1) is in the Class A title game for the second consecutive year and plays No. 3 Maranatha Christian Academy at 11 a.m. at the Target Center. Read the preview here.

At 1 p.m. in Class 2A, second-ranked Caledonia (28-4) is looking for its first state title since 1997. Josh Diersen, who is now the coach, was a player on the team during that season – the Warriors’ only state title.

Caledonia may have caught a break, as well, since its opponent, unranked Melrose (28-5), upset the No. 1-ranked St. Croix Lutheran (29-3) on Friday, 55-40. Melrose is a balanced-scoring team led by Tyler Braegelmann (12.2 points) and Drake Meyer (10.23).

In Caledonia’s semifinal, Maple River never stood a chance. The Warriors got up 19-2 and held on for a 74-58 win.

Owen King had 18 points, three steals and three assists for Caledonia, which was up 40-19 at halftime. Teammate Kyle Sorenson had 17 points, nine rebounds and a pair of blocks. Cole Lampert added 13 points, three assists and three steals.

The Warriors, which shot 25-for-47 from the field (53.2 percent) held Maple River to 36.7-percent shooting (18-49).