Red Lake County vs. Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton

Recap

Red Lake County vs. Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton

Minneapolis, MN — The Red Lake County Rebels fell 67–58 to the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Bulldogs in the State Class A Boys Basketball Semifinals on Friday afternoon.

Red Lake County controlled the pace for nearly the entire first half, holding the lead for close to 17 minutes and stretching the margin to 27–17 with 5:49 remaining. But from that point on, the momentum shifted dramatically. The Rebels went cold, shooting just 1-for-8 and scoring only two points the rest of the half. Meanwhile, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton surged, closing on a 15–2 run to take a 32–29 advantage into the break.

The second half brought more offensive struggles for the Rebels. The rim remained unforgiving as Red Lake County finished the game shooting 39% from the field and just 26% from beyond the arc. Despite the shooting woes, the Rebels still had a chance to reclaim the lead when they tied the game at 42–42 with 11:32 to play. That would be their final opportunity. JWP responded with composure, steadily rebuilding control and eventually pushing the lead to as many as 14.

Red Lake County continued to battle, refusing to fade quietly. Sophomore Dylan Lundeen buried a left-corner three to trim the deficit to 61–54, giving the Rebels a late spark. But the Bulldogs closed the door at the free-throw line, converting down the stretch to secure the 67–58 victory.

Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton improves to 30–3 and advances to the State Class A Championship, where they will face the Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots on Saturday at 11 a.m. Red Lake County drops to 29–4 and will play for third place against Henning on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia–St. Paul campus.

Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Bulldogs Stats

Daulton Bauer 29 pts 8 rebs
Gavin Bauer 16 pts 7 rebs
Caleb Quast 12 pts 6 rebs
Gavin Weedman 7 pts 4 rebs
Jaxon Wolff 3 pts

17/27 FT’s – 63%
35 Team Rebounds
11 Turnovers

Red Lake County Rebels Stats

Connor Duden 15 pts 5 rebs
Ethan Johnson 14 pts 5 rebs
Will Giesek 13 pts 6 rebs
Ben Gullingsrud 6 pts 7 rebs
Nick Suchy 5 pts 1 reb
Dylan Lundeen 3 pts
Thor Thompson 2 pts 2 rebs

5/7 FT’s – 71.4%
30 Team Rebounds
15 Turnovers