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Woodbury runs out of gas, Cretin-Derham Hall wins Class 4A, Section 4 final

By Ryan Williamson, SportsEngine, 03/08/18, 10:00AM CST

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The Raiders' second-half rally fueled their first state tournament berth in more than 15 years.

Autam Mendez celebrates after sinking her second consecutive three-point shot shifting momentum in favor of Cretin-Derham Hall. The Raiders went on to defeat the Royals 54-52 in the Class 4A, Section 4 final. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

Autam Mendez celebrates after sinking her second consecutive three-point shot shifting momentum in favor of Cretin-Derham Hall. The Raiders went on to defeat the Royals 54-52 in the Class 4A, Section 4 final. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

Click photos to view the entire gallery from the game

Throughout Thursday’s Class 4A, Section 4 final, the nearly-full gym at Hastings High School was rocking as Cretin-Derham Hall and Woodbury battled, but when the Royals’ final shot went up and the clock ran out, a silence fell over the gym.

Both sides watched with baited breath as Woodbury senior guard Rachel Hakes put up a running jump shot with her team trailing 54-52. As the shot went toward the rim, the ball went about halfway down, but, unfortunately for the Royals, the ball then bounced out. Woodbury looked on in despair as fans and players rushed the floor to celebrate the Raiders’ win.

It was that close for the Royals. After leading by as many as 10 points, Woodbury couldn’t complete the upset as the No. 3 seeded Royals fell 54-52 to No. 1 seeded Cretin-Derham Hall.

With the win, the Raiders advance to the Class 4A state tournament for the first time since 2002.

Coming into Thursday’s game, this one looked to be a barnburner. These Suburban East Conference foes had met twice in the regular season. Cretin-Derham Hall, ranked No. 10 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, won the first matchup 69-53 on Jan. 19. But in the regular season finale, Woodbury bested the Raiders 65-64 on Feb. 23.

And while these two teams were seeded highly in their section, they didn’t come in with much meaningful playoff experience. Section 4 has been dominated in recent years by White Bear Lake and St. Paul Central, leaving it so neither team playing Thursday had made the state tournament in more than a decade.

Early on, Woodbury (16-13) looked like it might have the edge for the second consecutive matchup. The Royals held down Cretin-Derham Hall’s potent offense in the first half and into the second half. The Raiders came averaging nearly 61 points per game.

“What I was really proud of was our defensive effort,” said Woodbury coach Megan Kirchenwitz. “That’s a team with three 1,000-point scorers. We had a bunch of kids working their tails off out there.”

In the second half, Cretin-Derham Hall’s offense came to play. The Raiders (21-6) quickly eliminated a 10-point lead thanks to the play of senior forward Autam Mendez. She came up large for her team as she tallied 11 second-half points to finish with a team-high 17 points.

“(Mendez) just called for the ball,” said Cretin-Derham Hall coach Joe Lynch. “She knew she was hot and could make the shots she was taking.”

Mendez helped lead Cretin-Derham Hall’s charge in the second half at a time when things could’ve gotten ugly for the Raiders. Junior forward Frannie Hottinger, who came into the game averaging 19.3 points per game, went to the bench with her team trailing in the second half after picking up her fourth foul. But Mendez was there to pick up the slack with a three-pointer and layup to quickly cut into Woodbury’s lead.

“Our team has been great at stepping up when someone gets into foul trouble,” Mendez said. “We knew we had to keep playing and we were gonna get this one.”

In the end, the effort by Mendez or anyone else on the floor came down to the final seconds. For the Royals, the chances were there. They had three shots in the paint in the closing seconds, including Hakes’ near-make. On all of three chances, Woodbury had a clean look at the basket. That wasn’t accident.

“We’ve had it happen twice this year where we’ve fouled the shooter and they’ve ended up hitting free throws and beating us,” Lynch said. “We just told them to get their hands up. If the shot goes in we go to overtime.”

Mendez was right there watching Hakes’ shot. It was a moment that was ultimately out of her control.

“I was just watching, hoping and praying it was going to go out,” Mendez said with a laugh.

The defeat left the Royals heartbroken but with something to look forward to. Woodbury will graduate only two players from this year’s roster and the Royals will come into next year following their first section final appearance since 2011.

For Cretin-Derham Hall, however, the time is now. Four of the five Raiders’ starters are seniors and will play in the school’s first state tournament appearance in this decade. It’s quite the reward for those four seniors, who have started since they were freshmen.

“This group of seniors took a lot of lumps when they were freshmen,” Lynch said. “They only won six games that year. For them to win more than 20 games this year, it’s huge. I’m really proud of this group”

Frannie Hottinger (right) fights for rebound control. Hottinger added 16 points in the Raiders' comeback win Thursday night earning a spot in next week's state tournament. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

Frannie Hottinger (right) fights for rebound control. Hottinger added 16 points in the Raiders' comeback win Thursday night earning a spot in next week's state tournament. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

First Report

After trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half, Cretin-Derham Hall came back with a furious rally as the No. 1 seeded Raiders won the Class 4A, Section 4 championship with a 54-52 win against No. 3 seeded Woodbury on Thursday night at Hastings High School.

With the win, Cretin-Derham Hall (21-6) clinched a state tournament berth for the first time in more than 15 years thanks to the play of senior forward Autam Mendez. She had a team-best 11 points in the second half and finished with a team-high 17 points to go along with nine rebounds.

The Raiders, ranked No. 10 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, were also aided by the play of junior forward Frannie Hottinger. Despite playing most of the game in foul trouble, Cretin-Derham Hall’s leading scorer finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Royals (16-13) nearly pulled off the win after getting off to a strong start. After falling behind 7-0, Woodbury took control and extended its lead into the second half after being up 33-28 at the break. The Royals had three players finish double figures — senior guard Rachel Hakes (17 points), junior forwards Solape Amusan (15 points) and Lizzy Dodge (11 points).

Despite trailing down the stretch, the Royals kept within striking distance. Woodbury had three quality chances at the rim miss, including a shot at the end that nearly went in but rimmed out to give the Raiders the section championship.

Cretin-Derham Hall advances to next week’s Class 4A state tournament. Seedings and pairings will be announced on Saturday morning.

Woodbury's Rachel Hakes (12) drives the lane for two. Hakes led the Royals with 17 points, just shy of her season average 19.7 points per game. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

Woodbury's Rachel Hakes (12) drives the lane for two. Hakes led the Royals with 17 points, just shy of her season average 19.7 points per game. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

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