Unbeatens to meet
32-0 Waseca faces 31-0 Albany for 2A title
Two undefeated teams will match up when Waseca, 32-0, plays Albany (31-0) for the state Class 2A boys basketball title at 5 p.m. Saturday at Williams Arena.
In Friday’s late semifinal game. junior guard Deron Russell poured in 38 points for the Bluejays in a 68-60 win over Breck. He was 14-for-23 from the field including 4-7 from three-point range. He also had four steals on the defensive end.
Damarius Russell scored 14 points and Carson Ohnstad 11.
Albany beat Caledonia 59-54 in the first semifinal behind Zeke Austin’s 22 points.
Championship Saturday
Here’s the lineup for the championship games on Saturday in the state boys basketball tournament. All games are at Williams Arena.
Class 1A
Cherry (30-1) vs. Dawson-Boyd (29-3), 11 a.m.
Class 3A
Mankato East (29-1) vs. Alexandria (28-23), 1 p.m.
Class 2A
Albany (31-0) vs. Waseca (32-0), 5 p.m.
Class 4A
Cretin-Derham Hall (29-1) vs. Wayzata (27-4), 8 p.m.
Undefeated champion
The winner of the Class 2A championship game between Albany and Waseca will be the state’s first undefeated state boys basketball champion in 13 years.
The last team to finish the season with an unblemished record was Class 1A champion Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa in 2012. The Jaguars were 33-0 that season.
Since the first state tournament in 1913 there have been 216 boys basketball teams crowned state champions under various formats:
One class (1913-1970)
Two classes (1971-1994)
Sweet 16 (1995-1996)
Four classes (1997-present)
Undefeated teams
Here are the Minnesota boys basketball teams that have gone through an undefeated season. Listed are year, team, record and class where there was more than one.
1918: Waseca 13-0
1919: Albert Lea 17-0
1922: Red Wing 19-0
1932: Thief River Falls 23-0
1938: Thief River Falls 27-0
1942: Buhl 28-0
1953: Hopkins 28-0
1957: Minneapolis Roosevelt 27-0
1960: Edgerton 27-0
1961: Duluth Central 27-0
1966: Edina 26-0
1967: Edina 27-0
1970: Sherburn 26-0
1972: St. James 29-0 (Class A and playoff)
1974: Melrose 27-0 (Class A)
1976: Marshall-University 28-0 (Class A)
1976: Bloomington Jefferson 27-0 (Class AA)
1979: Lake City 26-0 (Class A)
1983: Barnum 26-0 (Class A)
1983: Woodbury 24-0 (Class AA)
1984: White Bear Lake 26-0 (Class AA)
1985: White Bear Lake 26-0 (Class AA)
1987: Bloomington Jefferson 26-0 (Class AA)
1988: Rocori 26-0 (Class AA)
1995: Minneapolis North 30-0 (Sweet 16)
1997: Caledonia 29-0 (Class 2A)
2000: Litchfield 30-0 (Class 2A)
2003: Mankato Loyola 32-0 (Class 1A)
2005: Braham 33-0 (Class 2A)
2009: Granada-Huntley-East Chain 29-0 (Class 1A)
2009: Pelican Rapids 33-0 (Class 2A)
2009: Hopkins 31-0 (Class 4A)
2010: St. Paul Johnson 32-0 (Class 3A)
2012: Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 33-0 (Class 1A)
Big South in the finals
Here are results of current Big South Conference schools in state championship games.
BSC state champions
1918: Waseca 29, Duluth Central 10
1963: Marshall 75, Cloquet 74
1964: Luverne 72, Rochester John Marshall 66
1972: St. James 57, Melrose 55 (Class A)
1972: St. James 60, Mounds View 52 (Playoff)
2021: Waseca 51, Caledonia 49 (Class 2A)
BSC state runner ups
1919: Albert Lea 37, New Ulm 8
1921: Minneapolis Central 19, New Ulm 15
1942: Buhl 30, Marshall 29
1956: Minneapolis Roosevelt 101, Blue Earth 54
1983: Barnum 53, Luverne 47 (Class A)
2016: Braham 97, Jackson County Central 91 (Class 2A)
Single digit wins
Waseca’s 68-60 win over Breck in Friday night’s Class 2A semifinals is only its fourth single digit victory this season. Two have come in the state tournament.
The Bluejays held off Jackson County Central 75-71 in Jackson on Feb. 8 in one of their two regular season wins of fewer than 10 points.
Waseca is outscoring its opponents by an average of 80.7-53.3.
Here are the Bluejays’ single-digit margins of victory this season. Listed are margin, game score and date.
3: Waseca 48, Pequot Lakes 45 (03-18-25)
4: Waseca 75, Jackson County Central 71 (02-08-25)
8: Waseca 68, Breck 60 (03-21-25)
9: Waseca 72, St. Peter 63 (01-17-25)