Boys Basketball 2025: Waseca tops Breck, sets up battle of unbeatens
Posted: Friday, March 21, 2025 - 10:26 PM
Two unbeaten teams playing for a state championship is a script that rarely plays out. But the Class AA field in 2025 will be remembered for that matchup when No. 1 Albany and No. 2 Waseca meet for what could be a classic.
Waseca completed the championship pairing with a dramatic 68-60 victory over No. 3 Breck in the Class AA semifinals of the Minnesota State High School League’s Boys Basketball State Tournament on Friday, March 21 at Williams Arena.
In ending Breck’s one-year reign as the Class AA champion, Waseca (32-0) put together two brilliant halves of high-energy play to earn a chance to capture its first championship since 2021. Earlier, Albany (31-0) had a narrow five-point victory over No. 4 Caledonia in the other semifinal. Albany was the Class AA champion in 2023.
Just three nights earlier, Waseca needed a stunning comeback to defeat Pequot Lakes in the quarterfinals just to gain a semifinal berth.
Junior guard Deron Russell poured in 38 points for the Bluejays in the tense end-to-end battle with Breck (20-11). He was 14 of 23 from the field and 4 of 7 from three-point range. He also had four steals on the defensive end. In one stretch, he scored 12 consecutive points for the Bluejays, yet the Mustangs were seemingly one possession away from either tying the score or taking a lead.
Waseca gained some breathing room when senior guard Damarius Russell hit a three-pointer and then added two free throws to give the Bluejays a 64-56 lead with 42.6 seconds left in regulation. He finished with 14 points and senior guard Carson Ohnstad chipped in 11.
Senior guard Miles Newton led Breck with 24 points.
