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Cooper pulls away in second half to defeat Willmar 65-54

By DAVID LA VAQUE, Star Tribune, 03/15/18, 1:45PM CDT

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The No. 1 seed in Class 3A now will play on Saturday for the championship in its first tournament appearance.


Cooper's Aja Wheeler drove for a basket against Willmar in the Class 3A semifinals Thursday at Target Center. Photo: JERRY HOLT • jerry.holt@startribune.com

Nodding to her team’s great depth — a great blessing but occasional playing-time challenge — Cooper coach Kiara Buford lamented, “I wish we had seven people on the floor at one time.”

Opponents often feel that’s the case.

Nine players got minutes and each contributed at least two points as the top seed Hawks defeated Willmar 65-54 in the Class 3A semifinal Thursday at Target Center. State tournament newcomer Cooper (28-2) remains perfect in 2018 and advances to the championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Another telling stat: Six Cooper players got credited with at least one steal as the Hawks defense overwhelmed No. 5 seed Willmar (26-3). Among the Cardinals’ 20 turnovers were 13 Cooper steals.

“Their defensive intensity was big in the second half,” Willmar coach Dustin Carlson said. “They came out and got after it.”

Cooper sprinted out of halftime, using four steals to help grow a two-point advantage to a commanding 49-38 lead. Senior guard Ty’Neecia Longs accounted for 10 of her team’s 15 points during the surge.

“We had a talk in the locker room and said we need to pick it up,” Longs said. “We had to box out, get up on defense and pressure the ball.”

For Willmar, which overcame a 15-point halftime deficit to upset No. 5 DeLaSalle in overtime, Cooper’s depth and pace were insurmountable. The Hawks outscored Willmar 22-7 off the bench.

“There’s got to be a limited amount of gas in the tank and they used all of it,” Carlson said. “They just tired us out.”

Carlson sported a shaved head, courtesy of his players. Reach the state tournament and win a quarterfinal game, Carlson promised them, and you can bust out the clippers.

Senior guard Cayle Hovland did most of the cutting Wednesday night and scoring Thursday afternoon. She scored a game-high 22 points.

First report

Top seed Cooper pulled away from Willmar in the second half to earn a 65-54 victory and its first Class 3A state tournament championship game appearance.

The Hawks led 34-32 at halftime on Thursday at the Target Center and widened their advantage by 11 points. Three-point shooting and steals resulting in fast breaks put Cooper in control. No. 5 seed Willmar (26-3) ran out of ways to counter.

State tournament newcomer Cooper (28-2) remains undefeated in 2018 and advances to the championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Target Center.

Check back later for more on the game.

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