The Chaska Hawks boys basketball team defeated one of the state’s best teams, the Farmington Tigers, 95-83 on Thursday, Jan. 22, bolstered by 24 points each from juniors Tyler Forrest and Eli Herzog.
The Chaska Hawks boys basketball team made it eight straight wins on Thursday night, taking down one of their toughest opponents yet, the Farmington Tigers, who entered the game 11-2 and sporting the second-best Quality Results Formula (QRF) ranking in Class 4A.
Juniors Tyler Forrest and Eli Herzog each scored 24 points to lead a balanced Hawks attack in a 95-83 victory at Chaska High School. Herzog was particularly lethal from beyond the arc, knocking down six three-pointers in the Hawks’ most impressive win of their current streak.
“It was a really big win for us,” Herzog said. “Farmington is tough and athletic. Our plan was to stop their drives, close out on threes and force contested shots. We generally executed our defense relatively well.”
The Hawks jumped out to a 46-34 halftime lead and extended their advantage to as many as 19 points in the second half behind 11 three-pointers as a team, outstanding ball movement and numerous second-chance buckets. But it wasn’t just the offense that carried Chaska—their defense stepped up as well.
A highlight-reel block by Forrest sparked a big second-half run that helped the Hawks pull away from the Tigers’ balanced attack. Farmington, led by Kale Flees’s 18 points and 17 from Benny Fenske, kept battling but couldn’t overcome Chaska’s defensive intensity and offensive efficiency.
“I think we stopped their guys by consistently forcing contested threes, communicating well on defense, and a lot of great wall-ups at the rim on their drives,” Chaska coach Nick Hayes said. “Evan (Atkinson) and Matthew (Welter) had a lot of big defensive rebounds for us in the second half to keep Farmington to one-and-dones.”
While Forrest and Herzog led the scoring, Hayes was quick to credit an unsung hero who helped turn the game in the Hawks’ favor.
“I thought Marquis Connell’s defensive energy in the middle and end of the first half really got us into a rhythm,” Hayes said. “Once he created a few steals and transition looks for us, we didn’t look back.”
The Hawks’ offense hummed throughout the night, with six players scoring and the ball movement creating open looks from three-point range. Freshman Jed Keenan added 18 points, knocking down three three-pointers of his own, while junior Kalin Jochum contributed 16 points.
“Offensively, our guys shared the ball well and set great off-ball screens to get open looks from three,” Hayes said. “Eli and Jed shot it well, but our other guys kept the ball moving to find great shots. Forrest and Jochum did a great job handling the ball and getting us into our half-court offense.”
For Herzog, getting into a rhythm has been a consistent theme during Chaska’s winning streak.
“It’s been super fun to be playing as well as we are right now,” Herzog said. “My shot is feeling really good too, so I’m happy with how I’ve been able to help the team on offense by making shots and stretching the floor.”
Forrest finished a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line, while Jochum went 8-for-11 from the stripe as the Hawks controlled the second half in arguably their finest game of the season.
The victory marked Chaska’s eighth consecutive win and served notice that the Hawks are a legitimate contender in Class 4A.
Hawks Roll Past St. Louis Park 84-58 for Ninth Straight Win
The Chaska Hawks extended their winning streak to nine games with an 84-58 victory over conference foe St. Louis Park on Friday, Jan. 23.
Junior Eli Herzog picked up right where he left off from Thursday’s win over Farmington, opening the game with a three-pointer as the Hawks jumped out to a 13-3 lead.
But St. Louis Park caught fire from beyond the arc in the first half, rattling off a 23-7 run fueled by several three-pointers to take a 31-23 lead. Chaska stormed back behind junior Tyler Forrest. A five-point trip down the floor near the end of the half capped an 11-0 Hawks run, giving Chaska a 35-32 halftime lead.
“St. Louis Park shot well in the first half,” said Coach Hayes. “We needed to wake up a little, but I’m proud of how we responded.”
The Hawks exploded to start the second half. Three-pointers by Herzog and sophomore Chase Maetzold ignited a huge run that the Hawks kept adding to throughout the frame. Chaska opened a 20-point lead with more than five minutes remaining and cruised to the finish, with senior Isaiah Jorgenson, juniors Josh Keenan, Jordan Dick, Owen Campbell and sophomore Colton Theis on the floor to end the game.
Forrest led all scorers with 20 points. Maetzold added 16, Herzog finished with 15, freshman Jed Keenan contributed 12 and senior Evan Atkinson chipped in 10 in the balanced Hawks attack.
The victory marked Chaska’s ninth consecutive win as they continue their impressive run through the Metro West Conference schedule.
Chaska Boys Basketball has two tough Metro West showdowns this week, as they travel to Benilde-St. Margaret’s on Tuesday, January 27th, before returning home for a matchup with conference co-leader Waconia on Thursday, January 29th. Both games start at 7 PM.
