Cooper boys basketball falls to Orono in sections

Sixth-seed Robbinsdale Cooper boys basketball concluded its 2023/24 season last week, losing on March 7 to third-seed Orono 113-92 in the Section 6AAA quarterfinals.

Cooper trailed 60-45 at halftime and did well to stay in the fight with 47 points in the second, but Orono held strong at home to earn a spot in the next round.

Rylan McPipe and Chance Wicks showed up in a big way during Cooper’s eventual loss, adding 28 and 23 points to the board for the Hawks. Yusuf Hussein added 18 crucial points in the playoff battle.

But Orono’s Nolan Groves led the charge for the hosts with a 53-point performance.

Cooper had six seniors on its roster this season, including Israel Ogunleye, Cornelius Irby, Cortez Baker, Chance Wicks, Jeramiah Henderson, and Anthony Jones. The team had as many juniors rostered as well as the common and effective presence of McPipe, who is a sophomore.

Cooper went 11-13 overall this season, 8-8 in conference play. The loss to Orono broke a four-game run of wins for the Hawks to end the regular season, which saw them top St. Anthony, Holy Angels, Kennedy and Brooklyn Center.