A “Skol” chant broke out between the Vikings fans of Minneota and Hayfield with increasing volume by each side during a timeout.

With each fan base growing louder it made things a toss up, much like the majority of Friday’s Class 1A girls’ basketball semifinal at Williams Arena. Minneota came out of that timeout a little extra fired up and pulled away on a three-pointer, ultimately winning 53-45. Previously unbeaten Hayfield never came closer than a couple of scores.

Were the chants motivating? “Oh yeah, for sure, especially with our student section being right behind our bench,” Minneota junior forward Ireland Stassen said.

Senior forward Natalee Robliecki led Minneota with 25 points, shooting 12-for-20 from the floor.

“Unfortunately, [we] just didn’t have enough offense today to muster a comeback once they took the lead,” Hayfield coach Kasey Krekling said.

Sophomore forward Natalie Beaver led Hayfield with 13 points.

It wasn’t all pretty for Minneota, which has been a state tournament regular of late. Minneota trailed 26-14 with 7:45 left in the first half but rallied on a 14-2 run to tie the score by halftime at 28.

“We talked about utilizing experience,” Minneota coach Chad Johnston said. “We’ve been here before.”

Senior forward Natalee Robliecki led Minneota with 25 points in a 53-45 Class 1A semifinal win over once-unbeaten Hayfield (32-1).

Robliecki shot 12-20 from the field as she helped Minneota (28-4) pull away in a tight game. Minneota found breathing room early in the second half with a 44-39 lead off a three-pointer and never let Hayfield closer than a couple of scores.

Sophomore forward Natalie Beaver led Hayfield in scoring with 13 points.