Quantcast
skip navigation

Eastview defeats Apple Valley to win Class 4A, Section 3 championship

By JIM PAULSEN, Star Tribune, 03/07/18, 8:15PM CST

Share

The Lightning remained undefeated and advance to the state tournament with a 40-25 victory.


Eastview senior Megan Walstad drives for a layup in the first half against Apple Valley Wednesday night. The Lightning defeated the Eagles 40-25 to advance to next week's state tournament. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

It was halftime, the offense sputtering and the stakes were high.

Time for Eastview coach Molly Kasper to pull out some words of wisdom, some basketball white-board wizardry that would get things back on track for the undefeated Lightning.

“The biggest thing we said was ‘Can we just start having fun again?’ ” Kasper said.

Eastview did, starting the second half with a 13-3 run to turn a 14-11 halftime lead into a comfortable 40-25 victory over Apple Valley in the Class 4A, Section 3 championship game Wednesday at Concordia of St. Paul’s Gangelhoff Center.

With the victory, Eastview remained perfect on the season, 29-0, and qualified for the state tournament for the seventh consecutive season.

The Lightning had defeated Apple Valley twice during the regular season, but Kasper acknowledged that circumstances had conspired to put some unexpected weight on her team's collective shoulders.

“It’s a crosstown rival, a team you’re playing for the third time,” Kasper said. “And it’s a section final they’ve got nothing to lose. It’s going to be a tough game and a competitive game.”

While Eastview’s offense had trouble getting started, its dependable defense never wavered. In addition to holding Apple Valley to 11 points in the first half, the Lightning forced 19 turnovers in the game.

“We rely on our defense,” she said. “We average only giving up about 40 points per game.”

Eastview got an offensive jump-start when junior Macy Guebert hit a three-pointer just before halftime. The Lightning went into the locker room on a high.

“I think that was the momentum we needed going into the second half,” said Guebert, who finished with a team-high 14 points.

Eastview’s star forward Megan Walstad got on track after halftime, scoring eight of her 10 points in the decisive run.

“Macy’s shot just before halftime got us going,” Walstad said. “We started to play like we’ve been playing the whole year.”


Eastview junior Lauren Glas pulls down a rebound against Apple Valley Wednesday night in the Class 4A, Section 3 Championship. The Lightning defeated the Eagles 40-25 at Concordia University in St. Paul. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine


Apple Valley's Mykel Parham looks for a teammate in the Class 4A, Section 3 Championship against Eastview. The Eagles fell to the Lightning 40-25. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

Girls Basketball Hub Headlines