Photos: Lyle/Pacelli, Minnesota girls basketball State Class A final

Elizabeth Nida Obert Mar 17, 2018 Updated Mar 20, 2018

Lyle/Pacelli competes against Sleepy Eye during the Class A girls basketball finals Saturday at Target Center in Minneapolis. LP won the championship game 57-33.

Lyle/Pacelli star center Kristi Fett embraces a teammate after the Athletics beat Sleepy Eye 57-33 on Saturday in the Class A state championship at Target Center. Fett finished with 30 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots.

Girls basketball: Morris, Athletics get their state title

By Pat Ruff pruff@postbulletin.com Mar 18, 2018 Updated Mar 19, 2018

MINNEAPOLIS — Justin Morris had to be talked into this.

His hesitation was beyond reasonable, considering he’d be faced with 300-mile commuting trips to and from practices and games.

Girls basketball: Complete domination and a state title

By Pat Ruff pruff@postbulletin.com Mar 18, 2018

MINNEAPOLIS — Sleepy Eye was attempting to become the first unseeded team in Minnesota girls basketball state tournament history to go 3-2-1.

It beat Class A No. 3 seed Ada-Borup in the quarterfinals, downed No. 2 Mountain Iron-Buhl in the semifinals, then had its eyes on No. 1 Lyle/Pacelli as the teams met in Saturday’s Class A championship at Target Center.

JOHN'S JOURNAL

The Team? The Experience? It’s Everything
Posted by John Millea(jmillea@mshsl.org)- Updated 3/17/2018 11:44:28 PM

This weekend was remarkable for several reasons, most of them – but not all of them -- having to do with high school girls basketball in Minnesota. Let’s start, however, with what took place Friday evening far away in Charlotte, North Carolina.

TOO MUCH BIG GAL FOR VIKINGS
Sat, 03/17/2018 - 9:28am admin

Lyle-Pacelli's 6-5 Kristi Fett dominates Vikings. Minneota thrust into third place game.

BY BYRON HIGGIN MASCOT SPORTS EDITOR

Lydia Sussner sat down after the game looking exhausted.

"I am exhuasted," she said.

"Lyida is very frustrated about her her offense," said Coach Chad Johnston. "But in all fairness, she played a great game against a very tough opponent.

Lyle-Pacelli vs Sleepy Eye (3/17/18 at Target Center)

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A first-time champion emerged in the Class A field when top-seeded Lyle/Paceill recorded a 57-33 victory over Sleepy Eye in the Class A championship game on Saturday, March 17 at Target Center.

Kristi Fett, a 6-foot-5 senior center, was a dominant force in the low post with 30 points and 16 rebounds to power the Athletics (32-1) to the first championship in program history. In 1980 as Austin Pacelli, the team had a runner-up finish to Albany in the Class A field in the two-class tournament format.

LYLEPAC vs MINNEOTA (03/16/18 at Minneapolis, MN (Target Center))

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MINNEAPOLIS --- Top-seeded Lyle/Pacelli made its way into a Class A championship game berth with a 53-41 victory over No. 4 Minneota in the semifinals on Friday, March 16 at Target Center.

It will be the first state championship game berth for the Lyle/Pacelli co-op, which made its first state tournament appearance in 2015. In 1980, Austin Pacellli was the Class A runner-up to Albany.

Heritage Christian Academy (19-10)
3/15/2018 11 AM
Score: 59-43
Williams Arena
#1 Lyle H.S. (29-1) (H)

#1 Lyle/Pacelli

3/16/2018 12 PM
Score: 53-41
Target Center

Minneota H.S. (H)

#1 * Lyle/Pacelli

3/17/2018 12 PM
Score: 57-33
Target Center

Sleepy Eye H.S. (H)

#1 * Lyle/Pacelli
#5 Menahga H.S. (30-0)
3/15/2018 1 PM
Score: 74-69
Williams Arena
#4 Minneota H.S. (25-4) (H)

CLASS A SEMIFINALS: No. 4 Vikings fall to No. 1 Lyle-Pacelli in semifinals

LOCAL SPORTS
MAR 17, 2018

TRAVIS ROSENAU

MINNEAPOLIS – Minneota had a tall task ahead of them heading into Friday’s State Girls’ Basketball Class A semifinal game going up against No. 1-seeded Lyle-Pacelli.

And despite a back-and-forth game for the most part, a 9-0 run in the second half was enough for Lyle-Pacelli (30-1) to create seperation from Minneota (25-5) and pull away with a 53-41 win.

Sleepy Eye falls to Lyle/Pacelli in finals

Fett’s 30-point, 16-rebound game too much for Indians to handle

LOCAL SPORTS
MAR 18, 2018

TRAVIS ROSENAU
Sports Writer
trosenau@nujournal.com

MINNEAPOLIS — The Sleepy Eye girls’ basketball team saw a historic season come to a close on Saturday after falling to Lyle/Pacelli 57-33 in the Class A state title game at Target Center.

For Lyle-Pacelli, The Road To State Began In Nebraska

Posted by John Millea(jmillea@mshsl.org)- Updated 3/15/2018 8:19:21 PM

Justin Morris has added up the miles he has driven during this basketball season. The grand total is right around 23,000 miles on the road between his home in Omaha, Nebraska, and the team he coaches in southern Minnesota.

The Team Is In Minnesota, The Coach Lives In Nebraska

Posted by John Millea (jmillea@mshsl.org) - Updated 12/13/2017 8:32:27 PM

The Lyle-Pacelli girls basketball team is interesting in lots of ways. The Athletics are ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, for example, and ran their season record to 6-0 Tuesday night with a 71-43 victory at Randolph. The team is a cooperative effort with players from Lyle (a public school in a community of 500 within a mile of the Iowa border) and Pacelli, a small Catholic school in nearby Austin.

State Team Rankings
Class 1A | Feb. 28, 2018 - FINAL

Rank Team Record Prev
1. Lyle-Pacelli 25-1-0 1
2. Mountain Iron-Buhl 24-2-0 2
3. Hayfield 22-4-0 3
4. Goodhue 19-7-0 4
5. Menahga 26-0-0 5
6. Ada-Borup/Norman County West 22-2-0 6
7. Minneota 21-4-0 7
8. Lac qui Parle Valley 23-3-0 8
9. Grand Meadow 22-5-0 9
10. Stephen-Argyle 23-3-0

Rankings by Minnesota Basketball News, a statewide basketball publication

Lyle/Pacelli defeats Heritage Christian 59-43 in 1A opener
Kristi Fett led the top-seeded Athletics with 25 points.

JOEL RIPPEL, Star Tribune 03/15/18, 12:30PM CDT

Lyle/Pacelli coach Justin Morris says his team has found a way to win games whether it was playing its best or not.

That characteristic was on display for the Athletics in the Class 1A quarterfinals Thursday at Williams Arena. The top-seeded Athletics overcame a slow start to pull away for a 59-43 victory over Heritage Christian.

Photos: Lyle/Pacelli, Heritage Christian Academy girls basketball State Class A quarterfinal
Joe Ahlquist Mar 15, 2018

Lyle/Pacelli-Heritage Christian Academy State Class A Quarterfinal

Lyle/Pacelli players react after their 59-43 win over Heritage Christian Academy on Thursday during the Class A state quarterfinals at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
Joe Ahlquist / @jahlquist@postbulletin.com

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 1 seed Lyle/Pacelli (30-1) extended its winning streak to 23 games with a 59-43 win over Heritage Christian Academy (19-11) on Thursday afternoon in the 2018 MSHSL Class A Girls’ Basketball Tournament quarterfinals at Williams Arena.

Class A’s top seed will place the winner of No. 5 Menagha and No. 4 Minneota in the state semifinals on Friday, March 16 at noon at Target Center. Heritage Christian Academy heads across the river to Concordia-St. Paul’s Gangelhoff Center against the losing team in the consolation semifinals on Friday at 10 a.m.

LYLEPAC vs HERITAGE (3/15/18 at Williams Arena)

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Girls basketball: Walter deftly guides L/P to state semifinals

Pat Ruff pruff@postbulletin.com Mar 15, 2018

This season? Well, it’s been like nothing she’s ever experienced. Walter has guided the Athletics all over again, pushing them to a No. 1 ranking and after Thursday’s 59-43 win over Heritage Christian Academy, a spot in Friday’s state semifinals.

But it’s how she’s NOT done it that is surprising to anyone who laid eyes on her that freshman season.

NO. 1 L/P POWERS INTO STATE SEMIS
Girls basketball: No. 1 L/P overpowering en route to semis

By Pat Ruff pruff@postbulletin.com Mar 15, 2018

MINNEAPOLIS — Hanging around for one half with No. 1-ranked Lyle/Pacelli proved to be doable for Heritage Christian Academy.

But doing it for two halves? Not so much.

The Lyle basket ball team came down Friday night to play the Grafton high school team. Grafton showed good teamwork during the entire game. Grafton high won by a score of 33 to 12.

Fett heading to MSU; LP senior signs letter of intent Wednesday

By Rocky Hulne
Published 7:26 pm Wednesday, November 8, 2017

LYLE — Lyle-Pacelli senior Kristi Fett had plenty of support as she cemented her college future in Lyle High School Wednesday.