High school sports

Richfield finished second in the Minnesota State Girls Basketball 3A state tournament Saturday. DeLaSalle defeated the Spartans 65-45 at Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Spartans were distraught over the loss, but were happy with their effort.

Not all was on a down note. Richfield Junior Guard Jessica January scored the  2,000th point of her high school career during the game.

January finished the championship game with 12 points. Center Bryann Guyton had 15 and Guard Sierra Ford Washington finished with 10 points. All three were named to the all-tournament team.

The Spartans will only graduate two seniors, guard Hannah Wise and Guyton, and hope to return to the big dance next year. This was the Spartans' first state tournament appearance.

-- Story and photos by Casey Myers

The Spartans solidified their number one seed in the state Girls high school basketball tournament Thursday afternoon with a 45-28 semi-final win over Hutchinson.

Guard Jessica January led both teams with her 23-point performance. Sierra Ford Washington added 10 points of her own.

The Spartans will play for the state championship on at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 17, 6:00 at the Target Center against DeLaSalle, a 59-51 winner over Fergus Falls.

-- Story and photos by Casey Myers

The RHS Spartans rolled into the state high school girls basketball tournament semifinals with a 68-53 win Wednesday over Red Wing at Williams Arena.

Spartan Guard Jessica January led the team with a 21-point performance. Guard Sierra Ford-Washington matched January's intensity with a 19-point game. Center Bryann Guyton had 10 points of her own.

The Spartans trailed Red Wing 24-29 at halftime, but they made some adjustments on defense and outscored the Wingers 44-24 in the second half.

Richfield will play Hutchinson, a 68-51 winner of its first-round game  over Hill- Murray, Thursday at noon at the Target Center.

For more information, visit the Minnesota State High School League website.

- Casey Myers

The Richfield High School boys basketball team topped Chaska, 76-70, Tuesday night at Chaska High School, advancing to the semi-final round of the Section 6AAA tournament.

The Spartans will face No. 1 seed Benilde-St. Margaret's, an 82-57 victor over Holy Family, Saturday, March 10, at 7 p.m. The game will be played at Benilde-St. Margaret's.

Also Tuesday, the Holy Angels boys lost its first-round game in the 6AAA tournament to Blake, 67-52.

The Minnesota State High School league has brackets for the tournament on its web page.