“We never matched their [MACCRAY’s] intensity, to be honest. They are the second-defending [state champion] team in the state, and they know what it takes to get to that next level … We’ve been here three years in a row and haven’t got past this stage yet, but I was proud of how we didn’t back down,” Lakeview head coach Mike Imes said. “We didn’t quit. The second half, we just couldn’t score the ball … A lot of that is because of how good a defense they played.”

Lakeview fell behind early for a 42-18 halftime deficit, and couldn’t find the answers to fully recover. Imes, and seniors Brynn Stensrud and Brook Gunlogson credited the Wolverines’ tenacious defense as the main challenge the Lakers tried to get around.

The Lakers and Wolverines met once over the regular season, where Lakeview came away with a 60-52 win at home on Jan. 15, whereas MACCRAY is on the hunt to return as Section 3A champions and get back to the state tournament.

“We were confident [coming in]. We beat them before, and we had the ability to beat them. We were prepared, and we’ve been working on being ready,” Stensrud said. “They are just so long and tall, it’s really hard to just get the ball, or get to anything without it getting nicked by their hand or something.”

Photo by Samantha Davis: Lakeview senior Teegan Fiene (34) hi-fives her teammates, while senior Kiannalee Olson hugs head coach Mike Imes after the two subbed out for the final time Tuesday night against MACCRAY in the Section 3A North subsection semifinals at Montevideo High School.

Anah Schmidt led the Lakers with one more double-double in her prep career of 10 points and 11 rebounds, along with three blocks and two steals. Stensrud followed with 9 points, six rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.

There was a large crowd in attendance for both the Wolverines and MACCRAY, adding excitement to the postseason play. The Lakers’ fans in particular showed up in white to match with the player’s uniforms for a White-Out.

Lakeview ultimately struggled in getting shots to fall with MACCRAY pushing a fast pace for a majority of the night, which allowed the Wolverines to take early control.

MACCRAY flustered the Lakers to force a handful of turnovers throughout the first half, especially with trapping in the corners and interrupting passing lanes. Lakeview finished with 27 turnovers.

Schmidt and Stensrud got the scoring started for Laker with a pair of free throws from Schmidt and a 3-pointer from the top of the key shortly after from Stensrud for an early 6-5 deficit.

Photo by Samantha Davis: The Lakeview student section cheers on the team in the first half against MACCRAY in the Section 3A North subsection semifinals at Montevideo High School.

From there, the Wolverines embarked on a dominant 36-13 run to end the first half on the way to a 24-point halftime lead.

MACCRAY first took to a 30-6 lead on a 24-1 run until Stensrud put an end to it with a shot down low. Lakeview’s Emma Brusven also drilled in a 3-pointer a few possessions later, to bring the score to 33-14 with about two minutes to play in the first half.

Wolverines’ powerhouse senior Brielle Janssen, a Minnesota State University-Mankato recruit, led the charge for MACCRAY, who scored her 3,000th career point in the first half as well.

Schmidt showed another big presence in the opening minutes of the second half in the paint with her blocking and rebounding effort. Although Lakeview was able to get a few good looks, shots continued to come sparingly the rest of the way to end the night.

“I think [our fight] was good. Even though we didn’t really get off to a great start and couldn’t really come back, we were still playing through,” Stensrud said.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Lakeview head coach Mike Imes goes to comfort senior Brook Gunlogson after she subbed out for the final time in her prep career against MACCRAY in the Section 3A North subsection semifinals at Montevideo High School.

“We had nothing to lose. So, just go and give it your all on your last run,” Gunlogson added about the Lakers’ fight and managing the final minutes.

A legendary Laker run

At the helm of leading Lakeview to a 20-plus win season was its impressive senior group of Stensrud, Jovie Benson, Kiannalee Olson, Gunlogson, Schmidt, Aubrey Nething and Teegan Fiene.

“Seeing them at practice every day is the best part,” Gunlogson said. “It’s not really about playing basketball, even though that’s great, but it’s the girls … I think that’s what has led us to have such a successful year, is the bond that we all have with each other.”

Imes subbed out his seniors throughout the final few minutes of the game, each hugging the coaching staff and teammates down the bench. He said he told the players postgame that he loves the group, crediting the impact they’ve made, and that Lakeview would always be a home for them.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Lakeview senior Aubrey Nething hugs head coach Mike Imes after subbing out for the final time against MACCRAY in the Section 3A North subsection semifinals at Montevideo High School.

“It’s meant a lot. I mean, it’s been like all of our time. We spend at least eight months out of our year just playing basketball with each other,” Stensrud said.

According to the Minnesota Girls Basketball Hub, an informational source for prep sports created by The Minnesota Star Tribune, Lakeview’s season records date back to the 2010-11 season, and the Lakers have not won 20 games in any campaign up until this year.

“It’s a pretty special group … I credit them [the seniors] a lot for helping turn this program around. In the last three years, they’ve had 17 wins, 19 wins and now 21 wins, and that doesn’t just happen” Imes said. “It takes a lot of high quality character. It takes a lot of extra work, good leadership, just great individuals.”

The Lakers also played in the Camden Conference championship this season, becoming runners-up to Central Minnesota Christian, who is the top seed in the North’s bracket.

Lakeview, notably, has been on the rise in recent years. The team finished 19-8 last season and 17-11 in 2023-24, which was a significant jump from its 5-21 run in the 2022-23 season.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Lakeview head coach Mike Imes coaches his team from the sideline in the first half against MACCRAY in the Section 3A North subsection semifinals at Montevideo High School.

“We started out the year with some big goals. Obviously, one was to win the Camden South [Conference Division]. We accomplished that,” Imes said. “This year, we tied the school record for points, we were one short of tying the school record for wins in a season. It’s a lot of cool stuff. The one thing I’m really proud of them is we never lost back-to-back games this entire season. We always found a way to bounce back from a loss. It puts us in a really great spot.”

Both Gunlogson and Stensrud noted the pride the senior class has carried this season in elevating the Lakeview standard, and emphasized having a strong passion for the game that has led to growing the program’s success.

Although the graduating class has left their mark, Imes has noted over the course of the season that Lakeview’s depth will serve them well. He has also relied on his underclassmen throughout the year to make significant contributions to the team’s success.

“I’m proud of the younger girls — It didn’t matter how old they are. They just knew they had to do their part and just play their game, and most of the time, they weren’t even nervous,” Stensrud said. “They trusted each other. We all trusted each other.”