Irish qualify for state basketball for third time in four years
The route to the Class 4A, Section 3 girls basketball championship has gone through Rosemount for five years, and the Irish have seen just about every possible outcome.
They’ve won a couple and lost a couple in the section finals on their home court. They even claimed a section title without having to play when Lakeville North had to forfeit the 2021 championship game because of COVID-19 issues.
Rosemount’s 71-48 victory over Eastview on March 7 was probably the most satisfying of the bunch. One year after being upset by Eagan at home, the Irish took control midway through the first half and never let up, ensuring that the postgame celebration would be for them.
Coach Chris Orr downplayed last year’s section final as a motivational tool for the Irish this year, but it definitely seems like his players remembered.
“It made me want to work so much harder,” said senior guard Ava Thompson, one of the Irish’s captains. “Last year it felt like it was taken out from under our feet. We were right there, and it was just so hard to accept. We came back not just a year older, but a year better. Our whole team just picked up each other after that loss, and I think it ultimately made us better.”
Next stop for Rosemount is Williams Arena and the state Class 4A tournament. Rosemount (22-6), which will play at state for the third time in four years, will take on defending champion St. Michael-Albertville in a quarterfinal game at 4 p.m. Wednesday. STMA (22-7) is the tournament’s third seed, while Rosemount is unseeded. The winner will play Minnetonka or Andover in the semifinals at 8 p.m. Thursday.
The state tournament’s top three seeds – Hopkins, Minnetonka and STMA – play in the Lake Conference. Fifth-seeded Lakeville North, the South Suburban Conference’s other state qualifier, plays fourth seed Maple Grove in a quarterfinal game at noon Wednesday.
The Class 4A championship game is 8 p.m. Saturday at Williams Arena.
Senior forward Ayelishka Teko-Folly, who had 12 points and eight rebounds in the section championship game, said the Irish can be a dangerous opponent in the state tournament. “We’re a very talented team and when we work our hardest, this (winning big games) is what we can do. Beating great teams definitely helps us a lot.”
Eastview (20-9) started fast, and hot shooting propelled the Lightning to an 11-point lead in the first half. Rosemount chipped away, taking the lead on Avery Moeller’s three-pointer with 3 minutes, 25 seconds left in the half, and went to the locker room up 32-26. The lead went to double digits early in the second half, and Rosemount rolled to the victory.
The reason for the first-half turnaround was “mainly our defense,” said Thompson, the Irish’s point guard who had seven points, nine rebounds and five assists in the section final. “We started getting defensive rebounds, helping out outside and talking more. We got quick steals, which led to good offense, and it turned the momentum of the whole game.”
Eastview “came out on fire and made a lot of shots, and we didn’t.” Orr said. “We had some good looks, but some careless turnovers as well.
“But one thing we’ve been able to do all year is make shots. Sooner or later they start falling, so we thought it was just a matter of time.”
Moeller, a senior guard, hit five three-pointers and scored 20 points. Ninth-grader Amisha Ramlall had 17 points for the Irish and sophomore guard Riley Ang scored 12.
Junior guard Myah Maull led Eastview with 16 points and senior forward Savanah Gardner scored 13.
Rosemount and Eastview finished second and third in the South Suburban behind champion Lakeville North. The Irish won both of their regular-season games against Eastview, including a 56-51 victory in the final game of the regular season. Eastview was trying to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2019 and finished with its first winning season in five years.
Rosemount was ranked eighth and Eastview 13th in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News. The Irish have six other victories against teams ranked in the top 20, and Thompson said they’re a confident team going into the state tournament.
“I think we’ve proven ourselves against good teams,” Thompson said. “We beat Eastview twice and (Lakeville) North once. The second time we played North, it came down to one shot.
“We know what our abilities are and we know we’re a really good team. We’ve been saying since the beginning of the season we are good enough not just to get to state, but to win state. We’ve proven it time and time again.”
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