In the first Tuesday 1A quarterfinal at Mayo Civic Arena, top-seed R-P (20-7) took on 9-seed Blooming Prairie (13-11). The last time the schools met, the Blossoms downed the Trojans in a football semifinal. BP’s student section remembered, chanting to the like. But March isn’t football season. March is basketball season. R-P very seldom loses their opening game in Rochester in basketball season. The Trojans did their methodical, pass-happy, get-a-good-shot offense. Blossom fans thought their kids played good defense on those 30 to 40 second possessions. But no, that’s just R-P’s patient offense. And the Trojans played their pesky defense. Tom Vix’s group got off to a 17-4 start. Dawson Dahl was a first half catalyst at both ends. Notably, he attacked base-line and scored past BP 6’8” forward Jake Ressler a couple times and racked up a pair of charges on defense. The senior forward had an eight-point half, good by his role-player standards. R-P led 25-14 at intermission, then started the second stanza 17-6. Up 42-20, it was academic. The Trojans never trailed in winning comfortably, 56-33. R-P got four in double figures; Landon Skalet (17 pts, 6-9 FGs, 3-5 threes), Dahl (11 pts, 3-4 FGs, 5-6 FTs, 5 rebs), Luke O’Hare (10 pts, 7 rebs, 2 blks), and Ben Ansell (10 pts, 4-4 FGs). Jake Paulson had a well-rounded game (8 pts, 6 rebs, 5 assists). That five-some combined to shoot 21 for 32 (65.6%). BP’s leading scorer was Karson Vigeland with 13 points. He was the only Blossom in double figures. BP was held to 8 of 35 shooting (22.9%) including 2 of 15 from deep with 20 turnovers. It was the fourth straight game R-P held their foes to under 40 points. It was the tenth time this season a Trojan foe failed to make 40 points. R-P is 10-0 in those games.
Trojans Make It Clear to BP; It’s Not Football
