Alexandria tops Mankato East in Minnesota high school boys basketball state Class 3A championship: Live score recap

Get real-time score and game updates from the 2025 MSHSL boys basketball state tournament Class 3A championship

Jack Butler | Mar 22, 2025

Alexandria boys basketball senior Chase Thompson has led the Cardinals to the Class 3A championship / Reid Glenn / USA TODAY NETWORK

MINNEAPOLIS — The No. 3 Alexandria Cardinals (29-3) defeated the No. 1 Mankato East Cougars (29-2) 73-64 in in the 2025 Minnesota (MSHSL) high school boys basketball state tournament Class 3A championship on Saturday at Williams Arena.

The Cardinals have senior star Chase Thompson, and head coach Forrest Witt called him “the best player in Minnesota, hands down.”

The Cardinals needed to be survive without Thompson against Mankato East. Thompson picked up his second foul with four minutes, 40 seconds remaining in the first half, and Forrest Witt substituted him out of the game.

The Cardinals rim protector and leading scorer was on the bench, so the Cougars had an opportunity to cut into Alexandria’s 5-point lead.

Instead, the Cardinals outscored the Cougars while Thompson was off the floor. They took a 37-28 lead into halftime.

“We didn’t do enough offensively when he was off that floor that stretch,” Mankato East head coach Joe Madson said. “That was a big deal to me, that last [four] minutes. They actually increased their lead in that last four minutes. That’s a credit to their kids.”

Talan Witt and Mason Witt led the offense during that stretch with five and three points, respectively. Defensively, Myles Gray needed to protect the paint and rebound.

“Miles Grey and Thomas Hendricks came in and gave us some minutes,” Forrest Witt said. “I thought they did a nice job defensively. Rebounding was the biggest thing, and understanding we needed to shore some things up there.”

The Cougars were leading the Cardinals in rebounding, but Alexandria frustrated Mankato East’s offense throughout the first half. The Cardinals lost to the Cougars in overtime in December, but they felt like there were adjustments to make to be ready for Saturday.

“We felt like, watching the first game, we were a little bit too relaxed, and we could get out and pressure on them and just force them to make some passes and not allow them to get to their spot,” Forrest Witt said.

The Cougars offense did pick up in the second half. Brogan Madson pushed as the Cougars cut Alexandria’s lead to three twice late in the second half. He finished with 27 points.

Thompson led the Cardinals in the second half and down the stretch to secure Alexandria’s first state championship. His foul trouble behind him, he scored 19 points in the second half. He finished with 28 points.

It’s the fourth consecutive time Thompson and Alexandria have been to the state tournament, and this time they will go home with the trophy.

“Failure, failure, failure, success,” Thompson said. “End it with a bang. We made our mark on the program.”

Minnesota (MSHSL) boys basketball state tournament: Championship scores, recaps, live updates (3/22/2025)

Alexandria tops Mankato East in Minnesota high school boys basketball state Class 3A championship: Live score recap

Teams are on the court for warmups. The game will begin at 1:15.

Game time will be closer to 1:20 after introductions.

FIRST HALF UPDATES

Mankato East wins the opening tip and we're underway.

Mason Witt with five points in the first four minutes to give Alexandria a 5-2 lead.

Samson Hagstrom and Chase Thompson hit 3-point shots to give Alexandria an 11-2 lead with 13:40 remaining.

Ten minutes remain, and Alexandria has a 16-14 lead. Lucas Gustafson has eight points, and Brogan Madson has six points for Mankato East.

Mankato East continues to turn the ball over. The Cougars have six turnovers with six minutes remaining. Alexandria leads 24-20.

Thompson gets called for two charges and has to sit with two fouls with 4:41 remaining in the half.

HALFTIME: Alexandria 37, Mankato East 28

Alexandria outscores Mankato East 10-6 with Thompson on the bench. Talan Witt scored five points during that stretch, and Mason Witt scored three points.

Brogan Madson has 12 points for Mankato East.

SECOND HALF UPDATES

The second half is underway.

Alexandria has built its lead to 12 with 14 minutes remaining. Thompson with four points to start the half.

Madson and Amari Nobles hit 3-point shots to cut the Alexandria lead to 48-40.

Ten minutes remain, and Alexandria leads 55-46. The Cougars have cut down on turnovers and started to hit 3-point shots, but the Cardinals offense continues to play well.

Mankato East with a 6-0 run to cut Alexandria's lead to 55-50 with seven minutes remaining.

Five minutes remain, and Mankato East's Madson hits a 3-point shot to make it a 58-55 game. Alexandria leads.

Two minutes remaining, and Alexandria leads 63-59.

Mankato East's Ganden Gosch hits a 3-point shot after an Alexandria layup. Score is 65-63, Alexandria leads, with 1:27 remaining.

Thompson makes a layup, and Madson missed one on the other end. Mankato East will either have to force turnovers or foul Alexandria in the final minute.