The Chaska Hawks Boys Basketball team reached its first State Tournament in nine years with a thrilling 62-59 win over Prior Lake. Chaska’s first game at State will be Tuesday, March 24.

The game sold out online in 15 minutes. By tipoff Friday night at Prior Lake High School, the gymnasium was standing room only — packed with rowdy student sections, anxious fans and an atmosphere that could only be delivered by a high school section final. When the final buzzer sounded, the Chaska Hawks were celebrating their first State Tournament berth since 2017.

The 62-59 victory over top-seeded Prior Lake marked Chaska’s 22nd consecutive win and delivered a measure of payback. The Lakers had been the last team to defeat the Hawks, winning 69-66 back on Dec. 29. Since that loss, Chaska has found a way to win every game, with several close finishes along the way. Friday’s win in Prior Lake was no different.

“It was a crazy atmosphere to play in and probably the loudest gym I ever played in,” said junior Captain Tyler Forrest, who led all scorers with 21 points. “But that’s what we expected, and we just embraced it and tried to enjoy playing in a game like that.”

The intensity matched the stakes from the opening possession. Prior Lake’s Kolby Thompson drained a long three-pointer to give the Lakers the early lead, but Forrest immediately answered with a 30-foot bomb as the shot clock expired. It quickly became apparent this would be a battle.

Prior Lake hit another three on the next possession, and the hosts capitalized on some early Chaska nerves to force turnovers and build a 13-7 advantage.

“We did our best to prepare our guys for Prior Lake’s aggressive defense and fast-paced offense, so it wasn’t surprising to see them come out so hot,” said Chaska head coach Nick Hayes. “We had a few early turnovers that hurt us, but overall, I was very proud of our guys’ composure and trust of each other to just stick with it and play our game.”

The Hawks, as they have all season, responded with key substitutions and energy plays. Kalin Jochum, Marquis Connell and Matthew Welter provided crucial defensive stops, while freshman Jed Keenan knocked down a big three-pointer to help Chaska claw back into the game.

When Chase Maetzold connected from beyond the arc to give Chaska its first lead at 21-18, Prior Lake answered with a three to tie it again — but the momentum shifted when a Lakers player was called for a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct. Jochum converted the free throw to give the Hawks a lead they would never relinquish.

Chaska closed the first half on a dominating 13-4 run.

Forrest ignited the surge with a step-back three-pointer, his third of the half, giving him 12 first-half points. Eli Herzog followed with a three of his own. Evan Atkinson converted a driving layup and an and-one free throw. Forrest followed a Laker basket with a court-length pass to Maetzold for a wide-open layup, and Keenan muscled in a follow-up layup to give Chaska a 39-29 halftime advantage.

“I think going on a run like that was us just staying composed and trusting each other to do our job and make plays,” Forrest said.

Hayes credited Forrest’s ball-handling against pressure for opening up the offense.

“Tyler handled their pressure very well as the first half went on, which opened up some shots around the rim for him and eventually led to big kickout threes for Jed, Chase and Eli,” Hayes said. “I thought our defense and physicality for rebounds improved as the half went on as well.”

In the second half, Prior Lake — led by the inside play of junior Kobby Sam-Brew, who finished with 18 points — repeatedly trimmed the lead. But each time, the Hawks had an answer. Three-pointers by Maetzold and Forrest stopped Prior Lake’s rally attempts. The Hawks finished with nine three-pointers on the night, spreading the offense across the roster.

When the Lakers cut the lead to four with under six minutes to play, back-to-back threes by Keenan and Atkinson were huge, stopping Prior Lake’s momentum dead in its tracks. Two Herzog free throws and a spinning Keenan layup pushed the lead to 59-47 with just over three minutes remaining.

“Our message to the guys remained the same throughout the second half as it was the days leading up to the game,” Hayes said. “Continue to play confident, be the more physical team and attack rebounds. Credit to our guys for being bought in and preaching the same message to each other every timeout.”

Great teams never say die, and Prior Lake — playing for a community that has not been to State since 1978 — went on a furious 10-0 run in less than two minutes. Two long three-pointers and clutch free throws brought the score to 59-57. The Hawks clung to a two-point lead with less than 40 seconds to play.

But great teams also know how to close. Forrest hit two crucial free throws, and senior Matthew Welter stepped to the line and hit the biggest free throw of his life to put Chaska up 62-59 with just 5.5 seconds remaining.

That set up Prior Lake’s final possession with a chance to tie. The play went to Thompson, but Forrest’s tight defense forced him into a long, off-balance three that was well off the mark. A desperation heave after a long offensive rebound fell short, and the Hawks’ celebration began.

“After the game was crazy. It didn’t really feel real at first and then I started hugging Kalin and Eli, which meant a lot to do it with them cause we’ve been playing together forever,” Forrest said.

The stat sheet told the story of Chaska’s balanced attack. Forrest’s 21 points led the way. Keenan added 10, Herzog 9, Maetzold 8, Atkinson 6, Jochum 5, and Welter 3. Every player who stepped on the court contributed.

“It was truly a team effort,” Hayes said. “Whether it was Matthew battling on the defensive end, Jed and Chase making big shots, Eli getting us organized on both ends, Tyler and Kalin handling PL’s ball pressure, Evan doing all the little things and hitting a big three, and ‘Quis bringing consistent defensive energy, everyone played a role in that win.”

This Chaska squad will now pen “2026” among the other seven trips to the State Tournament in the program’s history.

“It means the world to our team and I’m just so happy for our guys and proud of them,” Hayes said. “For guys like Tyler, Kalin and Eli who have been playing varsity ball for multiple years now and have worked through tough section losses in previous seasons with us, it was special to see their excitement when the buzzer sounded and for them to have an opportunity to compete in the state tournament.”

Forrest, as team captain, tried to capture what reaching State means.

“It feels great but I’m just super proud of our team and how well we’ve battled all season,” he said. “And I know we have a couple more wins in us.”

The Hawks head to State riding a 22-game winning streak, carrying the hopes of a community, as they compete for a State Championship.

“We can’t wait to get to Target Center,” Hayes said.

Stay tuned to CCLN for previews of Chaska’s trip to the State Tournament, which begins on Tuesday, March 24.  Game times and opponent TBD.