From outside the collegiate 3-point line on the right wing, Chace Watley lobbed the perfect pass to the perfect recipient.

Isaiah Johnson-Arigu extended to catch it with his right arm before powering the wing forward and slamming home the orange orb.

It is the kind of basket you might see on a certain four-letter sports network’s top plays.

The highlight-reel slam with about six minutes to go was part of the key run that let Totino-Grace pull away from Mankato East for a 73-64 win in the Class 3A state boys basketball final Saturday at Williams Arena.

That’s three straight titles for the private school in Fridley.

“It feels like the work we did all year, it really validates it,” said Johnson-Arigu, a University of Miami commit. He finished with 25 points and added 11 rebounds for the top-seeded Eagles (27-5).

But it’s the dunk that will be best remembered.

“We run that a lot throughout the season. We just drew it up and he threw a good pass and I feel like the adrenaline just kicked in and I dunked it,” said Johnson-Arigu.

“What can you do? We’re not asking for autographs after that one. You just try to get down and score and keep the play going. It’s a bucket,” said Mankato East coach Joe Madson. “He had a couple nice ones and he’s a good player. He’s strong, he’s got a nice touch around the basket.”

Tyler Wagner added 17 points and Watley 10 for the Eagles. Dothan Ijadimbola grabbed 10 rebounds. Totino-Grace shot 55.8% from the field.

Up 52-49 midway through the second half, Totino-Grace scored 12 of the game’s next 14 points, including Johnson-Arigu’s dunk and a couple of layups from Ijadimbola.

In its semifinal win over DeLaSalle, Totino-Grace trailed by four with just under eight minutes to go before scoring 20 of the next 25 points.

“Even though we have that experience I feel like some of the nerves can sometimes get to us. Second half we just really kind of settle in and kind of just come together as a team,” said Will Brands. He and Johnson-Arigu are the only seniors.

“We just kind of like buy in to what the job is. We tend to figure out what we need to get done late. It’s a bad habit. We should be coming out strong, but we never do, and it always happens in the second half,” Ijadimbola said.

Heading into the tournament, Totino-Grace coach Nick Carroll believed there were six “really good teams” that could emerge with the championship hardware.

“This was for sure the toughest run for us,” he said. “We had three very challenging opponents, and Stewartville was awesome (a 57-48 quarterfinal win), and obviously DeLaSalle you always got a handful with them, and I thought Mankato East played as well as I’ve seen them play all year.”

Brogan Madson scored 27 points and Carson Schweim grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds for the Cougars (28-3). Second place is the best finish in school history.

“It’s not the way we wanted it to end, but it’s pretty cool if you think about it,” Schweim said.

“We’re predominately a man team, we try to play a little zone, we’re just not as good at it, and I think that’s what probably could be good against them at times. We stuck with what we want to do, and I think we handled it well some of the time but gave up some easy hoops,” said Joe Madson.

The Cougars were just 5 for 28 from long range.

“It’s a make-it league … just didn’t get enough of them to go down,” Joe Madson said.

Down by 13 with just under four minutes to play, Mankato East scored eight of the next 10 points to get within 66-59. But Totino-Grace drained seven of nine free throws down the stretch.

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As they have done all season, the Wild played a crucial game Saturday without two of their best players, top-line center Joel Eriksson Ek and shutdown defenseman Jonas Brodin, both out with lower body injuries.

More bad injury timing for Minnesota, which had captain Jared Spurgeon for only 16 games and already has lost key players such as Brodin, Kirill Kaprizov, Mats Zuccarello, Matt Boldy and Filip Gustavsson for long stretches this season.

The Wild on Saturday coughed up a pair of one-goal leads, one in the third period, in a 5-4 overtime loss to St. Louis that dealt their postseason hopes a serious blow. Minnesota has just 11 regular-season games left and doesn’t play again until Thursday against San Jose at the X.

The good news is coach John Hynes thinks he could get Eriksson Ek and Brodin back for that one.

“I’m hoping so, yeah,” he said. “There’s obviously a lot of time between that, but it’s trending that way. I can’t guarantee anything, but I’m hopeful for that.”

Eriksson Ek went through a full practice on Friday, and there was a chance he could have played on Saturday, when the Wild had a chance to pass St. Louis into ninth place in the Western Conference. Instead, they fell three points behind.

“He wasn’t ready to be able to play tonight,” Hynes said. “He did practice yesterday and went through some things, but there’s a different level of skating and practicing readiness versus game readiness.”

Eriksson Ek hasn’t played since a 4-1 victory over Arizona on March 12. Brodin was injured in last Tuesday’s 4-0 victory at Anaheim, where he landed awkwardly after being thrown to the ice by Ducks winger Alex Killorn.

Long wait

Any NHL team would be glad to have four straight days off, especially this late in the season. The Wild have time to rest and heal, but they’re also idle while their closest competitors for the West’s two wild card spots are active.

St. Louis, Vegas and Los Angeles will each play once during that stretch, each time a chance to bury Minnesota deeper in the standings.

“I mean it’s still on us, you know?” said rookie center Marco Rossi, who scored two goals on Saturday. “Like, four days off can be huge for us. We get away from hockey, a free mind, and then coming back we know what’s on the line.”

Rossi, 22, now has 20 goals in 70 games his first full NHL season.

“If we would have won the game it would be different,” he said. “Yeah, it’s nice. I try to help the team.”

Leddy hits 1,000

St. Louis defenseman Nick Leddy, the former Gopher who was picked 16th overall by the Wild in the 2009 entry draft, played his 1,000th NHL game in the Blues’ victory Saturday.

“There’s not many guys that accomplish that,” teammate Pavel Buchnevich said. “It’s a huge accomplishment, and I know for him to be home and to get a win, it’s a very special night for him.

Leddy, 33, had the second assist in Jordan Kyrou’s game-tying goal in the third period. An Eden Prairie native, Leddy bought a suite for about 30 friends and family members for the game.

“A little more expensive, but it’ll be a special moment,” Leddy told reporters Friday. “I think it will be nice. A lot of people made trips to come and watch a game, and I’m very grateful for that. Definitely feel the love and I really appreciate it.”

Leddy received a nice ovation from the crowd when the Wild announced his feet during a break in the first period.

Briefly

The Wild on Saturday signed Riley Heidt to a three-year, entry-level contract that starts with the 2024-25 season. Heidt, 18, has 34 goals and 114 points in 65 games with Prince George of the major junior Western Hockey League. Minnesota selected him in the second round of last summer’s entry draft.

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After slipping last season, the Gophers defense is simplifying its scheme this spring under new coordinator Corey Hetherman.

Minnesota’s defense fell from a top 10 unit in points and total yards allowed in 2022 to outside the top 55 in both categories last season, and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi left for the same job at Michigan State.

Head coach P.J. Fleck said the longevity of Rossi leading the defense (since late 2018) led to more responsibilities and tweaks for experienced players, but it became too much at points last season given the rash of injuries at linebacker.

“There’s so much information that players have to master and learn with the defensive scheme,” said Hetherman, who was linebacker scoach at Rutgers the last two seasons. “How do you go about making sure they’re getting clear, concise information that can ultimately help them?

“… Now, if you can put those techniques into different calls, the guys aren’t doing a lot of things. And that’s where I feel like the guys can now play fast.”

Linebacker Cody Lindenberg, who only played in four games last season, is healthy and adjusting to a new coordinator and position coach in Hetherman. The linebacker group has gone out to dinner.

“It really allows us to play fast,” Lindenberg said. “As soon as you got to think about something and have to slow down half a second, that’s the step that is going to slow you down from making that play.”

Hetherman has a serious demeanor. “It’s hard to get him to smile,” Fleck said. “But he does. I do everything I can to find a way to get him to smile.”

Splash play

The biggest play of Saturday’s practice came from safety Jai’Onte McMillan, who intercepted a pass from Max Brosmer.

The 5-foot-10, 195-pound transfer from Texas Christian impressed cornerback Justin Walley in the weight room.

“He’s a dog,” Walley said of McMillan. “We was maxing on weights a couple of weeks ago and he’s strong, fast, physical, and all those traits carry over on defense.”

Johnson to center

Center has been locked down by John Michael Schmitz and Nathan Boe for the last five seasons. Now sophomore Greg Johnson has moved in from guard, where he played 11 games as a true freshman in 2023.

“He saw an opportunity when he first showed up and worked and made dang sure he was going to earn an opportunity on the field as a true freshman, which hard to do, especially in the Big Ten,” said Quinn Carroll, who is transitioning from tackle to guard.

On the other side of the ball, Jalen Logan-Redding took snaps at tackle instead of end, where he primarily played last season.

Injury update

The Gophers had a handful of players sidelined Saturday. Most notable absences were receiver Daniel Jackson, linebacker Devon Williams and tight end Jameson Geers.

Fleck said none of those players will be out long-term.

Receiver Jaylen Varner and guard Tyler Cooper got hurt during the practice.

Briefly

Brosmer has been elected a team captain after only three months with Minnesota. … True freshman QB Drake Lindsey had a nice throw down the middle of the field to tight end Nathan Jones for a long completion. …. Look for the Gophers to add a bridge backup QB in the NCAA transfer portal this spring. That addition would be behind Brosmer and ahead of Lindsay on the depth chart. … Former Gophers cornerback Jalen Myrick, who played at the U from 2013-16 and briefly for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017, has returned to the U as an intern this spring. He was an assistant coach at Division II Winona State for the last two seasons. … Jordan Nubin has switched numbers from 30 to 27, which his older brother Tyler wore at the U. It’s a special number for their family, with their late uncle Steve King wearing it at Michigan in the 1990s. Tyler, a coveted NFL draft prospect, watched the U practice Saturday.

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FORT MYERS, Fla. — It’s become a running bit over the years: when Twins manager Rocco Baldelli sits down to meet with the media for the first time each spring, he’s greeted with a question about who his Opening Day starter will be.

Both manager and question-asker know the query won’t yield an answer as Baldelli has always chosen to wait until late in camp to proclaim his Opening Day starter publicly.

Not this year.

This year, there wasn’t even a need to ask the question. Everyone involved knew who the honor would be bestowed upon — Pablo López.

After his last scheduled start of spring was rained out on Friday, López instead got his final tune-up by throwing four innings in a minor league game on Saturday afternoon. The next time he pitches in a game will be March 28 at Kauffman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals. It’s the second time he’s drawn the Opening Day assignment in as many years.

“It’s an incredible honor,” he said. “It being my second one, it feels just like my first one. I think I’m going to be just as excited, as anxious, as nervous but all in a good way, on a positive note to just be grateful (and) cherish every single moment of it because it is truly special.”

While last year there was a question as to who would get the ball on Opening Day — veteran Sonny Gray, who ended up as the Cy Young Award runner up, had a strong case, as well — the Twins opted for López, for whom they had recently traded AL batting champion Luis Arraez.

In the year that followed, López became an All-Star for the first time, threw nearly 200 innings, finished tied for third in the majors with 234 strikeouts, did not miss a start and pitched the Twins to their first playoff win since 2002. Along the way, the Twins rewarded him with the richest contract they’ve ever given to a pitcher, signing him to a four-year, $73.5 million extension to keep him in Minnesota through 2027.

The trust the Twins have placed in him is not lost on the 28-year-old.

“As starters, we are always trying to set the tone. You get to set the tone for the inning, to have the bullpen follow what you’ve been doing. So, I think Opening Day is just the same thing, just for the bigger picture,” López said. “You’re trying to set the tone for the season. You’re trying to let everyone see what the Minnesota Twins as a pitching staff is all about.”

What López is all about is showing up each day, making sure he’s better than the next.

He hasn’t detailed specific goals for the upcoming season, instead focusing his sights on finding ways to be better — be better as a teammate, as a pitcher, as a player and as a friend, he said.

“He’s our ace for a reason,” shortstop Carlos Correa said. “He’s got nasty stuff and he showed last year that he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball. He’s going to build upon that this year and cement himself as one of the best pitchers in the game.”

And that starts on Thursday.

“The body definitely feels ready, the mind definitely feels ready,” López said. “I’m excited to get out there.”

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