Boys win 1AAA hoops title; Girls to play for 3rd at state

The New Prague Trojan boys basketball team won the Section 1AAA championship Friday with a 46-42 victory over the St. Thomas Academy Cadets.

New Prague led by as many as 11 in the first half, but the Cadets closed strong in the first half, then took a brief lead at 25-24 with 13:44 remaining in the game. Connor O'Brien responded with a pair of put-backs and the Trojans never trailed after that. O'Brien finished with a game-high 18 points, 16 of those in the second half. Dan Geiger had 10 points.

The Trojans (21-8) were never ranked in the top 10 during the season. They will open the state tournament Wednesday, March 25, at Williams Arena. First-round pairings will be announced Sunday morning, March 22. Coaches will select the top four seeds, and their first-round opponents will be chosen at random. Other teams qualifying for the tournament are Mankato West (ranked No. 1 in the Minnesota Basketball News poll), Spring Lake Park, St. Paul Johnson (No. 2), Rogers, Minneapolis Washburn (No. 4), Grand Rapids (No. 6) and Little Falls.

The Trojan girls basketball team will face Totino-Grace in the State Class AAA third-place game at 2 p.m. Saturday at Concordia University in St. Paul