Boys Basketball 2025: Totino-Grace returns to semifinals with win over Duluth Denfeld
Posted: Tuesday, March 18, 2025 - 3:42 PM
Totino-Grace's quest for a fourth consecutive Class AAA championship in the Boys Basketball State Tournament will rely on some familiar faces – and possibly an emerging standout.
One of three starters back from last year’s title team, senior guard Chace Watley scored 23 points in the second-seeded Eagles’ 88-72 triumph over No. 7 Duluth Denfeld in a quarterfinal game Tuesday at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.
Matching him with 23 was Malachi Hill, a sophomore guard who didn’t score in limited action off the bench for the Eagles in last year’s tournament.
Both backcourt dynamos also distributed six assists and shot a nearly identical mark from the field (Watley was 9-for-16, Hill 9-for-17).
The duo’s performance helped the Eagles overcome Denfeld (20-10) star MarNaries Ferguson’s 41 points.
Totino-Grace (23-5) led 40-29 at halftime and by as many as 22 points in the second half.
Up next: Totino-Grace faces the Byron-Alexandria Area winner in the semifinals at 2 p.m. Thursday. Denfeld heads to Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia University campus in St. Paul for a consolation game at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
