The last time International Falls squared off against Moose Lake-Willow River was in the Section 7AA playoff opener in 2001.
The time before that? In the second round of the Section 7AA playoffs in 2000. The Broncos won both contests, including the latter matchup 66-60 en route to the only state tournament appearance in school history.
“I think it’s wide open right now. Any of the four teams are capable of winning this,” said Broncos head coach Derek Dowty, who was the best player on state-bound Broncos in 2000.
The Broncos (24-4) advanced to Thursday’s semifinals with a 72-65 win Saturday over third-seeded Deer River at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The Broncos had just beaten the Warriors 90-88 eight days prior.
Gunnar Anderson, who finished 5 of 9 from long distance, led the second-seeded Broncos with 24 points. Nick Bujold added 12 points, Shawn Filipiak scored 10 points and pulled down eight rebounds and Trevar Carlson posted eight points, seven assists and four steals. Ben Humbert scored six points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Warriors (21-7) got a game-high 33 points from Damon Benham, while Eythan Stangland added 12 points.
The Broncos led 35-19 at half and never let the Warriors get closer than five points.
“They’re beatable,” Filipiak said about Moose Lake-Willow River. “They rebound really well and are all very athletic players.”
Everyone mentioned the Rebels’ athleticism.
“Probably the most athletic team we’ve played,” Dowty said.
And the team riding the longest win streak.
The Rebels (26-2) haven’t lost in 2011, and are currently cruising along on a 21-game win streak. Their only losses are to No. 2 Braham (66-62, Dec. 18) and to Cass Lake-Bena (67-60, Dec. 28). The Rebels are ranked No. 5 in Class 2A.
International Falls is on a 10-game win streak.
“We gotta have faith that we can do it,” said Filipiak, one of 10 Broncos sporting a shaved playoff head. “Everyone thinks Moose Lake is going to run over us. We’ve been working on this since first grade.”
Braham (25-3) plays Virginia (24-4) in the other Section 7AA matchup Thursday. The section championship is 7 p.m. Saturday at UMD.
