With its 68-65 overtime win against Marshall today, the Austin Packers earned a spot in the Minnesota Class AAA Boys Basketball Championship game Saturday night at 6 p.m. against Minneapolis DeLaSalle at Target Center.
The Austin Packers trailed by 7 at halftime, and the deficit was as large as 11, but they stormed back in the second half for a 59-56 win over The Blake School Wednesday in the Minnesota Class AAA quarterfinals at Williams Arena.
Joe Aase led the Packers with 20 points, including four second-half threes, while Ajuda Nywesh tallied 15 and had numerous timely steals. Zach Wessels chipped in 9, Tom Aase 8, Collin Weisert 5 and Bret Lukes 2.
The Packers now face #3 Marshall at 2 p.m. Thursday at Target Center. As you can see in the video above, the community support for the team Wednesday was amazing. Let’s make sure we’re just as strong for the semifinals.
If you can’t attend in person, you can follow on KAUS radio, or watch on KAAL Digital Channel 6.2. If you’re not in the Austin area, you also have the option to stream the game live on Prep45.com.
Follow the Packers at State on Twitter, and connect on Facebook.
The Austin Packers earned their second straight state tournament trip Friday night with a 52-43 overtime win over Red Wing in the Section 1AAA title game.
The Packers built an early 12-5 lead before an extended scoring drought allowed the Wingers to close the gap and take a 14-12 lead. It was a four-point Packer lead at halftime, and the Packers maintained a slight edge for virtually all of the game, but a Red Wing put-back with five seconds left in regulation tied the score at 40. A Red Wing free throw gave them a one-point lead early in the four-minute extra period, but the Packers closed on 13-2 run for the win.
Zach Wessels led the Packer scoring with 19 points, while Joe Aase scored 18, Tom Aase 7, Ajuda Nywesh 4, Collin Weisert 3 and Bret Lukes 1.
The Packers begin MSHSL State Tournament play Wednesday at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus. The top five teams will be seeded, with #4 and #5 facing each other and the top three seeds drawing one of the other teams at random. The bracket will be filled in later today.
Follow the Packers at State on Twitter, and connect on Facebook.
The Austin Packers, down 21-10 midway through the first half, came back against Winona Saturday night for a 51-49 cliffhanger victory in the Section 1AAA semifinal.
Joe Aase led the Packers with 22 points, making 6 of 10 from behind the arc. Zach Wessels added 11, Ajuda Nywesh 9 (including the game-winning lay-up), Collin Weisert 5 and Tom Aase 4.
The win puts the Packers in the championship game on Friday, March 15 at 6 p.m. at Mayo Civic Arena in Rochester, where they will face Red Wing, upset winners over New Prague. The Packers defeated the Wingers 64-52 at Red Wing on Dec. 21.
The Austin Packers came back from an 11-point first half deficit for a 51-49 win over Winona on Saturday, March 9. The game was tied at 49 with 13.9 seconds to play, and here is the conclusion:
It's easy to join! Just send an email with your name, address, and phone number.
To stay up-to-date on the Packers, sign up for email updates below, or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.
Through the 3-Point Club or by advertising in our game-day program you can help pay for boys basketball team needs not covered by the school district. Learn more.
Join the club to help us build an extended community of support for the Packers!
Packer Fast Break Club 