HVL rivals Lake City and Cannon Falls face off for trip to state
Mar. 12—ROCHESTER — There will be a lot on the line in the third meeting of the season between Hiawatha Valley League rivals Lake City and Cannon Falls in boys basketball on Thursday.
The two HVL teams split a pair of games during the regular season. Lake City won 59-45 at home and then the host Bombers posted a 69-61 win late in the regular season. When they square off at 8 p.m. Thursday at Mayo Civic Arena, the Section 1, Class 2A championship and a state berth will be hanging in the balance.
"It's an awesome time of year," Cannon Falls coach Josh Davisson said.
There probably won't be many surprises between the teams when they square off, as they do twice every season and with both squads having veteran coaches.
"Personnel wise, I think we know each other very well," Lake City coach Greg Berge said. "I don't know if there will be wrinkles in strategy, but this time of year it comes down to the players making plays and just trying to put the kids in the best position as you can to make those plays."
Lake City (23-5) is the No. 1 seed in the section and the Bombers (24-5) are the No. 3 seed. Both teams enter with four-game winning streaks, but the teams have taken different paths to reach the section championship.
Lake City has dominated three straight section foes, winning by 35, 23 and 17 points. The Tigers have been stellar on defense and have allowed an average of 41.7 points in three section games.
"They play great defense," Davisson said. "For as efficient as they are offensively, we always thought they're probably more impressive on defense. They have length and they're physical and they make it difficult for you to do things that you want to do."
Berge told his team early on that the Tigers could go a long way this season if they played stellar defense.
"We've been playing well defensively and that sets the table for us," Berge said. "We're a pretty athletic team and when we're playing well, we're not giving up a ton of points."
Cannon Falls has won two straight down-to-the-finish section games. The Bombers saw Jack Meyers collect a late steal to hold off No. 6 Lewiston-Altura 71-69 in the quarterfinals. Then in the semis, senior Dylan Banks raced down the court in the final 4.5 seconds of play to score the winning basket at the buzzer in a thrilling 82-81 win over No. 2 Caledonia.
"A lot of emotion went into a game like that," Berge said. "It was a phenomenal win and a great game.
"They're playing well right now," he added. "We have to play our game and keep playing well and leave it on the court."
The Bombers don't have great depth, but they have a solid core of players. Offensively they are led by 6-foot-5 senior guard Aiden Johnson, who averages 20.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He is one of three players in school history with more than 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds.
"He's really put a ton of work in," Davisson said.
Junior Gavin Johnson, Aiden's younger brother, averages 12.5 points per game. The 6-1 Banks averages 11.5 points and 7.5 assists per game.
"Obviously, they're a very good team," Berge said. "I think you have two good teams this time of year who know each other very well."
The Tigers have a lot of depth, but are led by three seniors in Hunter Lorenson, Keegan Ryan and Jaden Shones, all four-year starters. Lorenson averages 17.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while the 6-5 Ryan averages 15.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Ryan has posted 12 double-doubles this season.
"I think we have enough firepower to win most games," Berge said. "We've definitely got some kids who can score and put the ball in the hoop, but this time of year you have to defend at a high level."
Lake City last went to state in 2019. The Tigers dropped a last-second game in the section final a year ago. The Bombers are looking for their first state berth in boys basketball.
"We'll have our work cut out for us for sure," Davisson said.
