Breck boys basketball won a historic first-ever state championship for the program on March 23, beating Waseca, Minnehaha Academy, and Lake City in the Class AA state tournament.
Breck was dominant on its way to the state title game, but in the final on March 23, Lake City was ready to make them work for the trophy.
Within minutes into the first half, it was clear that Saturday’s game would be challenging. Lake City led for almost the entire first half, at one point by as much as seven points. It was like a heavyweight bout with both sides trading blow after blow, always responding with yet another moment of brilliance.
Breck stayed close behind and slipped ahead by halftime leading 33-32 after noticeable improvements from Danie Freitag, Miles Newton and DeAngelo Dungey. Breck led on 3-point accuracy 27 percent to 25 percent, but Lake City led on field goals generally, 54 percent to just 40 percent for Breck.
Bruised but not out, Breck came out of halftime with confidence to match that of Lake City in the first half. The Tigers’ crowd kept the noise high, but the Mustangs began to take the scoring higher.
The teams battled back and forth, sitting tied at 46-46 with 11:57 left on the clock amid a timeout, before Breck found one of its signature runs through this tournament, packing on 20 points in the next six minutes, eventually winning 74-72 after surviving a final effort by Lake City to take the game with a turnover forced by JP Musoke.
With the ball in Musoke’s hands, Breck achieved the dream they’d had sights on all season, winning the program’s first-ever state title.
Breck head coach Harry Sonie said that the high energy battle with Lake City made for a perfect championship game and the kind of challenge Breck was hungry for.
“We knew they were going to be physical, we knew they were going to be skilled, Hunter — had a really good first half, but credit to our guys too. We just battled all 36 minutes. ... We knew it was going to be about getting stops in the end.”
Senior guard Hanif Muhammad noted that the Mustangs relied on their defensive abilities in the second half, a part of the team’s season sometimes overshadowed by its high-scoring results.
“I think we just had to stick to our principles. A lot of times we get stressed about being disciplined on defense, we might gamble or go for a steal,” he said. “But I feel we’re one of the best defensive teams in the state. That’s what the coaching staff’s been saying and we stuck to it.”
Sonie also discussed the nature of the team’s calmness this season and this state tournament through immense noise from all angles, noting the work ethic of his team.
“We’ve taken the season day by day. I always say, we won 19 games last year and we only lost two seasons from the previous season, so we knew this was attainable for us when we started working in June. So, the journey’s been great. These guys put a lot of hours in, first ones there and last ones to leave,” he said. “I think it makes my job a lot easier when you’ve got two lead guards, two seniors, who may not have state tournament experience but they’re very high-level players. ... It makes coaching a lot easier when you can trust your players on the floor.”
Breck included five seniors this season, including Muhammad, Kevin Armstrong, Dylan Luebke, Freitag, and Michael Sweeney. Freitag departs Breck after becoming one of the most talked about transfers in MSHSL basketball this season, departing Bloomington Jefferson for the Mustangs. The University of Wisconsin-commit has been the center of many’s attention, with the performances to back up the noise. He concludes the state tournament a champion with 58 points across three games.
Freitag led the game on several stats, from 33 points against Lake City, to eight rebounds, three three-pointers, and five steals.
Lake City entered the tournament as the third seed, winning the Section 1AA championship with a 80-56 win over Cannon Falls. Lake City finished second in the Hiawatha Valley Conference, three points behind Stewartville. The team won 18 of their last 20 games, including wins over Minnehaha Academy, Maranatha, and Rochester Lourdes.
The Mustangs’ journey began with a 76-42 win over Waseca at Williams Arena on Mar. 20. Breck looked prepared to set a tone for the tournament from the first minute, playing with intent and packing on points from Newton, Freitag and Muhammad.
Waseca showed spirit throughout the night, but it became clear as halftime neared that the visiting Bluebirds were struggling. Waseca used three timeouts in the first half and eventually trailed 45-21 at intermission.
Breck, knowing of the task ahead, did not slow down in the second half, keeping its starting five in rotation. The Mustangs did give considerable time to several talents from the bench, including Ayden Green, Barrett Shaul, CJ Roberts, Teddy Koch, Carter Steinbeck, Mu Muhammad, Sweeney, Jackson Croom and Luebke. A total of 16 players were featured for Breck against Waseca.
Oozing with confidence, Breck eventually won 76-42, having started their first state tournament in 18 years on a note as strong as could be imagined.
Breck followed up their opening win with a 70-45 victory over Minnehaha Academy in the semifinals on March 22. Friday marked the third time Breck
had played Minnehaha Academy this season, beating their fellow Independent Metro Athletic Conference members 90-75 on Jan. 16 and 79-68 on Feb. 22.
Breck started the game strong, but Minnehaha Academy responded well late in the first half to close the gap to 28-21 at halftime. Minnehaha came out of halftime looking to make a statement, but it was Breck that arrived strongest from intermission, piling on 42 points, almost as much as both teams combined scored in the first half, to secure the win.
Five Breck players put up double-digit points on the day, including Hanif Muhammad and Freitag with 13, Mu Muhammad with 12, and Newton and Musoke with 11.
A common theme through Breck’s 2023/24 season, including the post-season, has been a calm reaction to adversity and pressure. This extended to the state tournament, even with a historic title on the line.
Freitag noted after the win against Minnehaha Academy that having the leadership of a coaching staff with substantial playing experience. At the top of that factor is second-year head coach Harry Sonie. Sonie starred for Apple Valley in the early 2010s, winning a state title along the way, and had four successful years at Augsburg University.
“From top to bottom, our staff has all played at a high level, winning players,” Freitag said. “So, having people that just recently, because they’re very young as well, got out of where we’re going, it’s very helpful. They talk about what it takes and it just gives you confidence to be able to lean on them for the experience that we don’t have.”
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