Boys basketball: Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots deny CMCS Bluejays a title

MARSHALL — One year after watching Dawson-Boyd celebrate a section crown on their home floor, Hills-Beaver Creek turned the tables Tuesday night at Southwest Minnesota State University’s R/A Facility, punching the first state-tournament ticket in program history with a 77-70 victory over Central Minnesota Christian.

“We knew if we could get back to this game, we were going to change that outcome,” Patriots head coach Chad Rauk said. “These guys just did an excellent job tonight.”

The Patriots, now 26-3, leaned on the same physical edge that carried them to a nine-player state football title in the fall. They owned the glass, scored inside and out, and never trailed after the opening minutes. An EJ Wegener triple with 3:12 left in the first half stretched the margin to 35-20, and HBC took a 39-29 lead into the locker room.

Central Minnesota Christian, 28-2 and seeking its first state berth since 2021, mounted repeated charges behind junior forward Asher Wieberdink’s game-high 30 points—21 after intermission. Caleb Asake’s alley-oop finish with 6:02 remaining trimmed the deficit to 60-56, but the Bluejays could get no closer.

“Credit to them,” CMCS coach Ted Taatjes said. “Every time (Wieberdink) got a bucket, they came back down on the other end and got a back-door look or a curl-cut into the post. We just really struggled to guard inside tonight.”

Jamin Metzger paced four Patriots in double figures with 21 points. Riggins Rheault, a defensive end on the football team, added 19, while Karson Metzger scored 15—nine in the second half—to keep CMCS at arm’s length.

“We never gave up,” Rheault said. “This whole week, we practiced hard, we rested our legs and we gave it all we got today.”

The win sends Hills-Beaver Creek into the Class A quarterfinals at Minneapolis’ Target Center on Thursday, March 26. Semifinals shift to Williams Arena on Friday, with the championship set for 11 a.m. Saturday, also at Williams Arena.

CMCS, which loses seniors Logan Roelofs and Micah Asake, expects to return the bulk of its rotation after weathering late-season injuries to Micah Asake and Carter Taatjes.

“It was a really difficult second half of the year,” Ted Taatjes said. “The kids stuck together … I feel terrible for Logan and Micah going out this way, but that’s basketball.”

Hills-Beaver Creek, meanwhile, will take its football-style toughness to the biggest stage in Minnesota Class A basketball.

“We’re the first ever to do it,” Rheault said. “It’s pretty exciting.”