Minneota knew baskets weren’t going to come easy, so it put more of an emphasis on its tenacious defense.

The No. 1-ranked and top-seeded Vikings held Goodhue to 13 first-half points and cruised to a 40-31 victory in the Class 1A championship Saturday at Williams Arena.

“Our defense really picked up toward the end of the season,” Vikings senior center Lydia Sussner said. “Defense is something we take pride in.”

No. 3-rated Goodhue shot 24 percent (11-for-46) from the field, and only made one of 12 three-pointers in its bid for a third state title in the past four years.

“You’re not going to win a state championship scoring 31 points,” Goodhue coach Josh Wieme said. “We didn’t hit enough shots.”

The Vikings (30-1) used a nine-point run late in the first half to take an 18-9 lead, getting scoring from four players in the spurt. The cushion was seven, 20-13, at halftime.

Minneota knew baskets weren’t going to come easy so it put more of an emphasis on its tenacious defense.

The No. 1-ranked Vikings held Goodhue to 13 first half points and cruised to a 40-31 victory in the Class 1A championship Saturday at Williams Arena. It was the second state championship in program history, the other coming in 2013.

Goodhue came up short in its bid for a third state title in the last four years. The No. 3-rated Wildcats (26-7) won back-to-back crowns in 2016 and 2017.

The Vikings (30-1) used a nine-point run late in the first half to take an 18-9 lead. Four players scored during the spurt, which resulted in a  20-13 lead at halftime.

Goodhue opened the second half with senior guard Katie Opsahl’s three-pointer to pull within 20-16. Opsahl finished with 13 points.

The Vikings countered with five consecutive points and maintained at least a five-point lead throughout the second half.

Sophomore guard Abby Hennen paced the Vikings with 13 points. Senior forward Lizzy Gillingham added 11 points. 

Check back later for more on the game.