Seventh-seeded Apple Valley continues historic run to state title game – Twin Cities

Another round, another upset for senior Trey Parker and his surprising Apple Valley teammates.

After knocking off second-seeded Wayzata in the Class 4A state quarterfinals Tuesday, the seventh-seeded Eagles did it again Thursday night — holding off third-seeded Maple Grove 73-63 in the semifinals at Williams Arena.

Parker led the way with 23 points, including a dunk that helped put the exclamation mark on the win with 49 seconds to go. Classmate Camare Young added 18 for Apple Valley, which finished 28-for-45 (62.2 percent) from the field.

Apple Valley (21-10) advances to meet fifth-seeded Chaska for the state title at 8 p.m. Saturday at Williams Arena. The fifth-seeded Hawks (27-4) upset unbeaten and top-seeded Tartan 60-51 in Thursday’s other semifinal.

Senior Max Iversen finished with 24 points and seven rebounds for Maple Grove (24-7), which will play Tartan for third place at 4 p.m. Saturday at Concordia-St. Paul. The Crimson finished 22-for-57 (38.6 percent) from the field Thursday.