An awful start Friday night set the tone for Minnehaha Academy, and Regan Juenemann made sure things would not get better. Juenemann scored 24 of her 31 points in the second half, Tori Oehrlein had 27 points and added 19 rebounds, and Crosby-Ironton beat the Redhawks 85-72 in a Class 2A girls’ bas ketball semifinal at Williams Arena. With a chance to play spoiler, the second-seeded Rangers (32-0) will face top-seeded and fellow unbeaten Providence Academy in Saturday’s 6 p.m. title game back at The Barn. The 31-0 Lions are trying to become the first team in state history to win four consecutive championships. Crosby-Ironton is in the championship game for the first time in school history. “One thing we have in common is no one has figured out the recipe to beat either one of us; one of us is going to fall tomorrow,” said Rangers coach Pete Vukelich. “We’ll play 36 minutes, and we’re going to give it our best shot.” Samie Hachey had 12 points and Lucy Lewandowski grabbed 12 rebounds for the Rangers, who led by double digits less than nine minutes into the game. Addi Mack, a Maryland commit, scored 28 points, Amina Allen had 13 points and Gigi Coleman 12 for third-seeded Minnehaha Academy (21-10). Averaging 21.7 points coming in, Juenemann outscored the Redhawks 13-5 in a 2:34 stretch early in the second half for a 54-33 Crosby-Ironton lead. The senior scored on a pair of baseline drives, two fast-break layups — one that she started with a steal — and a short jumper. “I feel like my mindset was just to go out and have fun,” Juenemann said. She added another fast-break layup and a 3-pointer in back-to-back trips for a 19-point Rangers lead with less than eight minutes to play. Crosby-Ironton shot 58.5%, including 68% in the second half. Minnehaha Academy finished at 36.4% from the field, but just 25.8% in the first half while committing 10 of its 14 turnovers. The Redhawks made 2 of their first 18 shots and 3 of 21. Its first two-point basket came more than 10 minutes into the game. “They just started off with so much energy, the pace of the game, physicality of the game. We just didn’t match anything,” said coach Kendall Givens. Crosby-Ironton won by 20 when the teams met February 1, a game missed by Mack. The Rangers led by almost that much in the first half Friday. Oehrlein had four points and Veronia MIllsop scored on a putback in an 8-2 run to put Crosby-Ironton up 35-18. Oehrlein, a University of Minnesota commit, scored off a feed from Lewandowski for a 40-22 lead just before intermission. Providence Academy 88, Minnewaska Area 43 Maddyn Greenway scored 26 points, Beckett Greenway added 19, and the Lions easily dispatched Minnewaska Area 88-43. Mckenna Schaefer contributed 17 points and Hope Counts had 15 points and 15 rebounds. Scoring nearly half its 46 first-half points off turnovers, Providence Academy built a 24-point lead and was never threatened. It finished with a 30-3 advantage in fast-break points and 52-18 in points in the paint. Sydney Dahl led the Lakers (28-4) with 21 points. Related Articles High School Sports | Girls basketball tournament: Eastview’s rally falls short in 4A semifinal loss to Hopkins High School Sports | Girls basketball tournament: Maple Grove pulls away from Lakeville North late in 4A semifinal High School Sports | Girls basketball tournament: Cretin-Derham Hall shows future is bright in semifinal loss to Marshall High School Sports | Girls basketball tournament roundup: Goodhue’s defense powers top seed to quarterfinal win High School Sports | Girls basketball tournament roundup: Mack scores 34 in Minnehaha’s quarterfinal win, Greenway logs triple-double in Providence Academy victory ...read more read less