The atmosphere inside the Monticello High School gym on Friday, March 15, was so loud, it was like hearing a Boeing 747’s engine inside an aircraft hanger. The student sections from both Rogers High School and St. Michael-Albertville High School brought energy and passion to the Section 8-4A championship game as the Royals and Knights battled for a berth in the Class 4A state basketball tournament.
After trailing briefly in the second half, No. 17 Rogers (21-8) defeated STMA (14-15) 54-50 and advanced to the state tournament for the first time since 2009.
Royals first-year head coach Mike Pomroy said he knew Rogers was capable of making the state tournament since training camp began last summer. The players at the beginning of camp wrote the number 6 on a whiteboard, referring to the number of wins required to win the state championship: three Section 8-4A games and three Class 4A games.
“This is a huge moment and an awesome accomplishment for this group, but we’re not done,” Pomroy said. “They know this wasn’t the goal. It feels great to get here and win this game, but it’s not the goal. From day one, we knew this group could do this.”
Under Pomroy’s leadership, the Royals improved their record from 8-19 in 2022-23 to 21-8 so far this season. The last coach to guide Rogers to the Class 4A tournament was Joe Belka, who was the Royals first head coach in program history and still teaches health at RHS.
“They want it,” Pomroy said. “It’s fun to have a rivalry game like this in a game like this. The fans showed up. This is the coolest game I’ve ever gotten to coach in. I knew going into this it was going to be an awesome experience, win or lose. I’m glad we won it.”
After the final buzzer rang, the Rogers student section, despite objection from RHS staff, stormed the court to celebrate with the team. Following a brief awards ceremony, Rogers players received gold medals and the Section 8-4A championship trophy. Each player cut a piece of one of the nets to take home as a souvenir.
Rogers senior Chase Balder led the Royals with a game-high 15 points. His best moments in the game came in the second half when not once, but twice, he stole the ball from an STMA player, ran the length of the court and banked a layup into the net. Those plays, along with some missed 3-pointers by the Knights, changed the momentum of the game.
“It feels amazing that I’m a part of it,” Balder said. “All these boys are a part of it. We’re going to try to go all the way. I can’t wait to win State.”
Senior Blake Dalluge scored 14 points for the Royals, including the game-clinching free throw with seconds remaining in the game to give Rogers a 4-point lead.
“This team has so much potential,” Dalluge said.
What’s next
Rogers faces No. 1 Wayzata (27-1) in the Class 4A quarterfinal on Wednesday, March 20, at 10 a.m. at Target Center in Minneapolis. The Class 4A championship game will be played on Saturday, March 23, at 8 p.m. at Williams Arena. The Class 4A third-place game is scheduled for Saturday, March 23, at 4 p.m. at Concordia University in St. Paul.
“We plan on winning it,” Pomroy said. “We’re not showing up just to show up. We’re going there to win basketball games. It’s going to be really tough, but that’s what we’re going there to do.”
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