Trent and Kirksey Lift Apple Valley to Section Title
Sophomore Luke Martens makes a three early in the second half.
Led by a strong starting five, Apple Valley finished the section tournament in a big way. They are headed to a second straight state tournament after defeating Eagan 109-79.
Although Apple Valley and Eagan traded leads early in the game, the Eagles eventually pulled ahead and only let up once, when Eagan took a timeout at 11:04 in the first half. The Wildcats came off the timeout strong, going on a 8-0 run. Apple Valley struggled until five minutes before halftime, when head coach Zach Goring took a timeout of his own.
Senior captain Cam Kirksey shoots a free throw in the second half.
“We tried to do some different things with our point guard,” said Goring. “They shot really well tonight…so making defensive adjustments there and making sure we go inside every time on offense.” The changes worked, and the first half ended with Apple Valley on top 58-39.
Apple Valley could not be stopped in the second half. The Eagles allowed Eagan more space on offense, allowing them to attempt three-point shots. The gameplan worked, however, as Eagan only made 14 three-point field goals out of 33 attempts; half of their three pointers came from senior Collin Anderson, who had 25 points.
Apple Valley also played flashier, with dunks and alley-oops from junior Gary Trent, Jr. and senior captain Cam Kirksey, who led the team with 39 points and 22 points respectively. Apple Valley’s win gives them their third section title in four years.
Looking ahead to the state tournament, Apple Valley is the #3 seed and will play Blaine at 4 pm on Wednesday, March 9th. For Trent Jr, Kirksey and senior captain Brock Bertram, this will be their third state tournament appearance in four years.
The bench has fun halfway through the second half.
“It’s definitely the most satisfying one, being my last state tournament. I’m just going to enjoy the moment,” said Bertram.
Apple Valley has some strong competition in the undefeated #1 seed Osseo, and the #2 seed Hopkins (who beat Apple Valley earlier in the season). Bertram and Goring both agreed that defense is the key to winning their third state title in four years.
“We need to defend. We need to make sure we can get stops. Keep playing our brand of basketball,” said Goring.
