Trojans split final 2 games; open 1AAAA playoffs at Owatonna

The New Prague Trojan boys basketball team was scheduled to open the Section 1AAAA playoffs Wednesday, March 7, with a 7 p.m. game at Owatonna.

New Prague (12-14) was seeded sixth in the section. The Huskies (20-6) are the No. 3 seed.

Lakeville North (22-4) and Rochester John Marshall (24- 2) are the top two seeds in the section.

If the Trojans win, they will face either Rochester Mayo or Rochester John Marshall at 2:45 p.m. Saturday, March 10, at the Mayo Civic Center Arena. The championship game will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 17, at the Mayo Civic Center Auditorium, which is adjacent to the arena.

The Trojans closed out their regular season with two games last week. New Prague defeated Holy Family Catholic 48-39 and lost to Orono 44-38. They finished the Wright County Conference season with a 5-5 record, tied for third place. They had either won or tied for the conference title the previous three seasons.

Of his playoff opponent, Coach Blake Nicols said Owatonna is a very tough team. "They’re very athletic and play fast, spreading the floor. They have four talented guards who can explode off the dribble and an athletic post player.

"They’ll want to push the tempo. It’s crucial for us to play our game. We haven’t given up 70 points in a game since mid-January, and if we can hold them down to the 50s, I like our chances."

Nicols said the team has had....

To see more on this story pick up the March 8, 2018 print edition of The New Prague Times.