MN HS BBB: Fertile-Beltrami Falls in Class A State Title; HC Neil Steffes: “A lot to be proud of”

FALCONS HEAD COACH SHARES HIS THOUGHTS FOLLOWING FERTILE-BELTRAMI'S CLASS A STATE TITLE GAME DEFEAT TO CHERRY ON SATURDAY.

MINNEAPOLIS–It was Championship Saturday down in Minneapolis for Minnesota High School boys basketball this past weekend. At Williams Arena, the home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Fertile-Beltrami fell short of the Class A crown losing to 1-seed Cherry 78 to 40. Though the Falcons lost, it continued the stellar sports season for the school after reaching the State Tournament in football this past fall as well.

Head Coach Neil Steffes says the run was special for this year’s team and there is a lot to be celebrated.

“You know, everyone is disappointed because we lost the game, and we did not just lose, we got beat pretty badly,” said Steffes. “The reality of it is, you know, whether we won or lost, we accomplished something. I told them, I said, I played basketball my whole life, I never got to come [to Williams Arena or the Target Center]. You don’t get to do this all the time. You need to enjoy it and really take it all in and realize the great things you accomplished. We are really proud of our kids and what they accomplished.”

The Championship game appearance was the first one for the Falcons since 1996. The Falcons won a triple-overtime on Friday night versus West Central Area to reach Saturday’s final.