Schools
On to the Finals: Lakeville North to Face Osseo For State Title
The Panthers dominated Eden Prairie 58-41 with a furious second half, advancing to Saturday's Class AAAA title game.
's boys basketball team is one win away from a state championship, a win that would be the first in the city's history.
The Panthers (30-1) beat Eden Prairie (23-8) in a semifinal match-up on Thursday that was scarier than the 58-41 score indicated.
And now North is set to make some local history when it takes on what could be a depleted Osseo team that needed three overtimes to get past Hopkins 87-86, the three-time defending state champions, and No. 1 team in the state.
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For Lakeville North, the semifinal game was a story of two halves.
Eden Prairie came out hot in the first half, and the Panthers found themselves down 27-13 with just over two minutes to go in the first half. But the momentum shifted and North outscored the Eagles 45-14 the rest of the way, cruising to a 17-point victory.
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"We started out a little bit tentative and then we started to create our own shots in the second half," Tyler Flack told the Minnesota Basketball Hub. Flack who North with 14 points and 11 rebounds. "That's what we've been doing for the whole season, and it really worked for us."
Now, Lakeville North will play in the city's first ever boys basketball title game. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on Saturday at the Target Center.
Osseo, which won a state title in 2001, didn't face the Panthers this season.
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