Despite just a three point difference at halftime, the Cherry boys basketball team took down Deer River 77-56 in the Section 7A championship, and advanced to the state tournament for the fourth straight season.

Noah Sundquist was brilliant for the Tigers, posting 28 points in the win. Afterwards, Sundquist said, “We just got a bunch of dogs on the team. I mean, in practice, we all know what everybody is capable of. We knew that next guy up was going to come out, and they did their part. Each and every one of them did.”

Head coach Jordan Christianson said, “You can’t really key in on one or two guys. We had a couple of guys that didn’t play their best game this year. Our bench struggled early on, and they kind of picked it up later. Sometimes they need a little kick in the butt once in a while, which we can’t have happen down at state. Other guys stepped up as the game went on.”

The Tigers now get to defend their title, when they take on BOLD on Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Target Center.