Lakeville South Earns State Berth, Beats Apple Valley 74-58

The Lakeville South boys basketball team rolled into the state tournament Friday with a 74-58 win over Apple Valley in the Section 3AAAA championship at St. Olaf College in Northfield.

"We're so excited to have another opportunity at state," Coach John Sheehan said after the Cougar win.

After watching their lead dwindle in the last few minutes of the first half, Sheehan said he was not disappointed with his kids. He said that it was their defensive intensity that stopped the Apple Valley team from rallying back in the second half.

"I got to give our guys credit for stepping up," Sheehan said. "I think everybody knows how good we can be. Our team defense is pretty good right now and we can compete with any team."

It is the Lakeville South's first trip to state since the 2006-07 season, and its third trip to state overall. The Cougars will play on Wednesday in the Class AAAA tournament at Target Center in Minneapolis.

Alex Richter led the way for the Cougars (21-8), scoring 31 points in the victory. Teammate Jon Christensen scored 18 points, while Riley West scored nine points and Matt Heller had seven.

Apple Valley (19-10) was led in scoring by Tyrus Jones, who scored 23 points in the game. Tom Schalk finished with 16 points, Dustin Fronk had 11 and Harry Sonie had six.

The Cougars and Eagles split the regular season series with Lakeville South winning 65-46 on Jan. 7 and Apple Valley winning 73-70 on Feb. 8. Had the Eagles won, it would have been their third state tournament appearance in the past five years