Cannon Falls Execution Nearly Perfect in Playoff Win

The Cannon Falls Bombers used tenacious defense and efficient offense to defeat the Rochester Lourdes Eagles 62-47 in Section 1AA quarterfinal round action Monday night.

There was an excellent crowd in the Rochester Mayo Civic Arena to see the rubber game of the season between the two teams.

Lourdes defeated Cannon Falls in Rochester earlier this season and on February 12 the Bombers nipped Rochester Lourdes in the Bomber's Hangar.

Most people I talked to thought the same thing I did -- the game would be another excellent high school contest.

When playoff time rolls around I would generally take a senior-dominant team over a young squad because the urgency is greater for the seniors. Rochester Lourdes had two seniors on their roster and Cannon Falls eight.

It was a seesaw first half before Cannon Falls pulled away with free throw line jumpers cashed in by 6-foot-1 senior Kyler Banks. Senior Mason Beissel hit a three at the buzzer to end the first half and give Cannon Falls a 27-18 halftime lead.

The spacing on the floor was excellent for Cannon Falls and led to some easy baseline cuts for layups. But head coach Josh Davisson praised his team's defense the most, saying when the Bombers lock down defensively they play their best.

Banks led all players with 16 points. Senior Tanner Carlson had 15 points and senior Zach Siebenaler collected 10 points. The Bombers had 38 points in the paint compared to the Eagles 30. Junior Matt Ustby led the Eagles with 14 points off the bench and junior Noah Hillman added 11.

Earlier, Cannon Falls watched No. 9 seed Triton take a halftime lead into the locker room against top seed Caledonia. The Warriors eventually imposed their will en route to a 71-56 win over Triton.

So Saturday at 5PM, the defending section champion and No. 2-rated team in the state Caledonia will face Cannon Falls in the Auditorium.

Davisson knows his Bombers need to be near perfect again to pull off the upset but believes his team can, "compete with anybody when they bring a superior effort on the defensive end of the floor."

The two other quarterfinal round games in Section 1AA will be played Tuesday night in the Arena. The 6PM game features Lake City going up against Pine Island, and that is followed by St. Charles against Hayfield. Neither of those games will be on the radio.

Goodhue won their game with Lyle/Pacelli in the West Subsection of Section 1A 50-37 and Grand Meadow defeated Southland 64-60. The Wildcats will play the Superlarks for the subsection title Saturday morning at 11 in the Mayo Civic Auditorium.