Mankato East basketball coach Joe Madson remembers coming to Williams Arena as a player in 1984 for his first state tournament experience. “You’re standing around, you’re looking around,” he said. “It’s pretty cool.”
But it’s also a lot to take in. Just ask Harding, which was making the program’s first state tournament appearance on Tuesday, which was evident in the team’s start.
The Knights scored just five points over the game’s opening 11 minutes of their 76-33 quarterfinal loss to top-seeded Mankato East in the Class 3A quarterfinals, turning the ball over and missing shots they’d normally make in their first time playing on such a massive stage.
Mankato East will meet fourth-seeded Orono in the state semis at noon Thursday at the U.
“Just shellshocked,” Harding coach Stephen Solaja said of the start. “(There was) a lot of stuff this week but, yeah, it was just nerves. I feel like it was a lot of nerves.”
Harding star guard Aijhon Douglas admitted it took him more than 5 minutes to settle into the game. As a team, the Knights shot just 16% from the field in the first half. That won’t work in a lot of games, but particularly not against a team like the Cougars.
Mankato East (28-1) has lost just once all season. It’s in its fourth consecutive state tournament, was the runner up a year ago and has a singular focus to win a title this weekend. And the Cougars played like it.
Brogan Madson, the coach’s son, scored 24 points to pace the Cougars. Joe Madson noted it was his son’s seventh time playing in Williams Arena. So, he wasn’t in awe of the lights. But Madson knew the Knights had to be, at least to some degree.
“We had a great start,” he said. “Loved how disciplined our guys were defensively.”
Solaja cited the numerous problems the Cougars present. They have size and shooting, on top of being well coached. And the experience factor certainly played a role, as well.
“Just going out there, it doesn’t feel normal,” Solaja said. “You’ve got a million different things going on out there. You’re just trying to coach, but it’s not just a regular feeling. It’s like whoever gets adjusted first, whoever’s been there, (is) more experienced with this, (has a big advantage).
“It’s alright. I’m proud of these boys. I’m proud of them for getting here.”
Because this was a massive feat for a number of reasons. Harding was the first St. Paul Public School to reach state in a decade. Supporters showed out in droves Tuesday to show their support for the historic feat.
“The whole school came,” senior wing Mahamadou Kamara said. “It meant a lot seeing them. Even though we lost, it’s a good feeling getting to play in state.”
It was more than just students. Alums from numerous different decades filled the stands. Players and coaches alike smiled at the sights of the various editions of Harding jerseys seen in the stands.
“(Some of those) could be from the 50s,” said Solaja, himself a Harding alumnus. He received a number of messages over the past few days from a wide array of alumni congratulating his players on their achievement.
“They’ve seen the run and you’ve seen more people jump on,” Solaja said. “I’ve had people go, ‘Hey, I’m flying into town this week just to come watch you guys.’ The support has been amazing. Just having all the families and friends support us is everything we could’ve asked for.”
Tobis Williams, who led the Knights with 10 points, called the quarterfinal a “fun” experience. And an important one. It was an overdue reminder to players at Harding, and St. Pauk at large, that such things are possible.
While this Harding team was a senior-dominant squad, Solaja said “the sky is the limit” for the program moving forward.
“I feel like it’s a great building block,” he said. “These guys have set the precedent.”
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