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Pirates hope to sail through state

By Andrew Kneeland, Star Tribune, 03/19/13, 5:56PM CDT

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Park Center’s Pirates, who defeated the defending champs to reach state, think they can win it all.


Park Center’s Quinton Hooker got a hug from head coach Broderick Powell. “I’m very proud of them,” Powell said. “I’m excited for these guys.”

 

When Quinton Hooker first took the court for Park Center a few years ago, double-digit losses were routine for his Pirates. The team regularly lost more games than it won, and no one playing on this year’s edition could remember its last playoff win.

That’s all changed. Now a senior, Hooker and the Pirates are sailing into uncharted waters.

With last Friday’s victory over defending state champion Osseo in the Class 4A, Section 5 final, Park Center plotted a new course for a team that has put lopsided losses and long losing streaks behind it. These Pirates head to their first state tournament in 16 years as the second seed and with a reputation as one of the most talented teams in the state.

“Coming from three years ago,” Hooker said, “when we were under-.500 to right now, going to state, I’m very proud. We all know there’s a lot of work to be done, so it’s not over yet.”

Hooker is the biggest factor in Park Center’s turnaround. Last November, the 6-foot senior signed a National Letter of Intent to play at North Dakota next season, and he has lived up to his status as a Division I recruit. He averaged 23 points per game this season and led his team to a 26-3 regular-season record.

Park Center’s sole conference loss came last month against Osseo, a team seemingly always in the postseason picture. The Orioles won the late-season contest behind a star effort from Bridgeport Tusler, but the Pirates took the rematch in last week’s section final.

The Pirates aren’t big on height or size, but their roster is full of scrappy playmakers. Hooker dominated the highlight reel in the section final just as he has all season long, but he hasn’t been without help.

Devin Buckley scored 15 points in the section final, matching his average per game this season. Junior guard Isaiah McKay hit two clutch three-pointers last week to hold off a late Osseo surge. He said his confidence level in himself and his team is high.

“I stepped up with confidence and knew they were going in,” McKay said of his late shots against Osseo last week. “I think we can win it all. I think we can go all the way.”

The Pirates will play Lakeville North (23-6) in the quarterfinal round at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Target Center.

Head coach Broderick Powell has endured the lean years with his team, and he’s reveling in this season’s success.

“I’m very proud of them,” Powell said of his team. “I’m excited for these guys. They’ve put in a lot of hard work and did all the things we asked them to do so we could get to this point.

But right now it’s put up or shut up. We’ve got to step up and play.”

Andover sneaks into tourney

Big losses and painful losing streaks have been the norm for Andover the past few years, and that has continued this year with the young Huskies posting a 10-19 overall record.

But when the Class 4A, Section 7, tournament rolled around, the Huskies didn’t roll over.

Fierce comebacks moved fourth-seeded Andover to the section final, where the Huskies held Forest Lake to just nine second-half points to earn a trip to the state tournament.

A week of surprising play turns a subpar season into a state tournament appearance.

The Huskies play Edina (No. 3, 22-7) in the quarterfinal round at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Target Center.

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