Photo by Samantha Davis: Wabasso's Caden Frericks grabs a defensive rebound in the second half against Minneota on Saturday in the Section 3A North subsection quarterfinals at Montevideo High School. The Rabbits defeated the Vikings 81-60.

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MONTEVIDEO — Caden Frericks broke a school record with 34 rebounds while Brayden Guetter went off for 32 points to lead the No. 3 Wabasso boys basketball team to an 81-60 postseason-opening win over No. 6 Minneota on Saturday in the Section 3A North subsection quarterfinals. The loss ends the Vikings’ season 8-19, who will graduate five seniors.

Frericks’ 34 boards broke Wabasso’s single-game rebounding record, noted by head coach Scott Leopold, who also finished with 20 points on 9 of 12 shooting. Guetter tallied a double-double as well, grabbing 10 rebounds.

Wabasso didn’t trail the entire night, sparked by a 6-0 run to begin the game, and led by 19 points at the break. Minneota was able to force a string of turnovers from its full-court press, but ultimately wasn’t able to overcome the early deficit and slow down Wabasso’s offensive power.

Following Wabasso’s start with 6 unanswered points, Minneota’s Landon Esping found a cutting Tristen Sussner for a layup to get the Vikings scoring started a few possessions in.

Ian Myhre hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to cut into an 8-5 deficit, but Wabasso began to take control from there with the help of a 14-0 run for a 22-5 lead in the game’s first seven minutes.

Frericks got the run started with an and-1, and a few baskets each from Guetter and Jack Burns followed as the Rabbits continued to capitalize.

Wabasso also has a sizable height advantage, notably with Guetter standing at 6-foot-7 who continued to use his length for an efficient shooting performance.

Frericks and Jayden Remiger also stand at 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-4, respectively. Minneota’s tallest players getting significant time was Esping at 6-foot-4 and Leo Hennen at 6-foot-2.

Minneota got a spark going again after Esping got his own rebound to stop Wabasso’s run, along with a much-needed 3-pointer from Tristen Sussner to cut into a 22-12 deficit.

Easton Johnston scored following a forced turnover off Minneota’s press, along with another steal from Evan Jerzak and 3 from Jase Sorensen forced the Rabbits to call a timeout to regroup, leading 34-21.

From the jump, Frericks was a monster on the boards, as he has been throughout the entirety of the season. He was a difference maker in consistently getting Wabasso more offensive opportunities.

Wabasso ended the half with a pair of Guetter layups, along with a steal from Burns and Drew Kemp free throw to head into the locker room with a 47-28 advantage.

The Rabbits kept up much of the same control and tempo throughout the second half, and while Minneota again had a handful of strong defensive stops, Wabasso in return made a habit to continue contesting the Vikings’ shots and limit their chances at a comeback.

Guetter in particular continued his hot hand and dominated the interior, with missed shots becoming scarce for him through the rest of the half. He finished the night shooting 12 of 22 from the field and 6 of 8 from the foul line.

Minneota head coach Chad Johnston subbed out his seniors with a few minutes remaining, who individually shared hugs and hi-fives with the coaching staff and fellow teammates.

Minneota graduates Johnston, Hennen, Hunter Carstensen, Kyson Arndt and Emerson Johnson.

The Wabasso boys basketball program is continuing to make strides under Leopold, in his second year leading at the helm. The Rabbits spent a large part of this season either state-ranked in the top-10 Class A coaches poll, or have been receiving votes.

Additionally, Wabasso made it two rounds further to the subsection semifinals in last season’s Section 3A Tournament than the year prior, and finished 15-12 overall in Leopold’s first year, which was an impressive 10 more wins than the Rabbits’ 2023-24 campaign with a 5-22 finishing record.

Again trending in an upward direction, Wabasso has added another 10 wins so far to its record this season, who now move to 25-3 overall.

Wabasso is now set up for a competitive rematch with No. 2 Dawson-Boyd (21-5), the reigning section and Class A state champions, in the subsection semifinals on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. back at Montevideo.

The two met earlier this year on Jan. 29, where the Blackjacks came away with an 82-72 victory.