Cretin-Derham Hall knocks off Farmington in MSHSL boys basketball Class 4A quarterfinal

The Tigers could no take the lead with 20 seconds remaining and the Raiders advance.

MINNEAPOLIS — The No. 5 Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders defeated the No. 4 Farmington Tigers 57-56 in the MSHSL Class 4A quarterfinals on Wednesday at Target Center.

Cretin-Derham Hall led 31-28 at halftime thanks to 17 points from sophomore guard Joe Mitchell, who went 6-for-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from three. Mitchell finished with 23 points in the game.

The Tigers had a significant size advantage over the Raiders, and they leveraged it with the ability to get to the free-throw line. The Tigers drew 11 personal fouls and shot 13 free throws to the Raiders four. But the Raiders were able to keep the rebounding margin close. 

"Every game we have a size disadvantage coming in," senior Anthony Knight said. "As we come in, all five guys have to rebound unless told otherwise. It’s definitely an emphasis."

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The Raiders pulled ahead in the second half, but Farmington rallied as the Raiders' shots fell short. Farmington outscored the Raiders 22-11 in the final twelve minutes of the game. 

"Very proud of how we played," Farmington senior Liam Roche said. "I’m so proud of the way we carried outselves. We didn’t get down on each other and stayed positive. It wasn’t the outcome that we wanted, but I’m still really proud of our team."

With 40 seconds left and a tie game, Cretin-Derham Hall's Miles Bollinger hit a contested three to give the Raiders a lead. 

Farmington's Brandon Hrncir hit two free throws to cut the lead to one. The Tigers fouled Cretin-Derham Hall's Anthony Knight, but he missed the 1-and-1, so Farmington had a chance to take the lead, but the Raiders defense forced a turnover.

"Nervous, but I trust in my guys," said Mitchell, who had fouled out minutes earlier. "Our guys played really good defense."

For Farmington, it's been 87 years since the Tigers had made the state tournament. 

"You saw the sea of orange out there," Farmington coach Tharen Johnson saod. "They definitely supported us. And I couldn’t be prouder of how the guys handled it."

Cretin-Derham Hall will play No. 1-seed Wayzata in the Class 4A semifinals on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Williams Arena.

"It’s definitely a surreal moment to even be here, but to win, it’s a lot better," Wright said. "We’ve been harping on it all week. We don’t want to go. We want to win the whole thing."

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- Jack Butler | butler@scorebooklive.com | @Butler917