MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the
Apple Valley (Minn.) Eagles have officially been named to the 12th Annual MaxPreps Basketball Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its 11th year honoring boys basketball.
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for the top 100 teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the
MaxPreps National Rankings. For basketball, only 20 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 40,000 competing varsity teams. This puts the Eagles ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
Beating Champlin Park 60-54 on Saturday, March 25 in the
MSHSL AAAA state championship game marked the completion of an incredible 31-2 season — and earned Apple Valley an invitation to the Tour of Champions.
Trailing 47-41 with 7:30 left in the contest, the Eagles went on a 19-7 run over the remainder of the game. High percentage shots allowed Apple Valley to dominate that part of the game. The Eagles scored on five layups, including three inside the final minute, and made five of six free throws down the stretch.
Although Apple Valley dominated late, the Eagles did not take the lead for good until Tre Jones' layup with 50-seconds left gave Apple Valley a 56-54 advantage. The champions trailed 27-25 at halftime.
Jones dominated the action by scoring 24 points, pulling down 18 rebounds and dishing out five assists in the title game. Mason Morse added 12 points and three boards, while Luke Martens chipped in nine points. Not only did Apple Valley hand Champlin Park its only loss of the season, the Eagles avenged an early season loss in the process.
Zach Goring's squad posted a 76-67 win over Cretin-Derham Hall to get the state tournament ball rolling. The Eagles then upended Maple Grove 77-54 to set up the rematch with Champlin Park. Following a 6-2 start to the season, Apple Valley won its final 25 contests.
The long winning streak set the Eagles up for huge returns in MaxPreps' rankings department. Apple Valley finished at the head of the class in the entire state of
Minnesota and of course in the
AAAA rankings. Nationally, Apple Valley finished at No. 21 in MaxPreps Computer Rankings and was listed
22nd in MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 Rankings.
These incredible season achievements have earned the Apple Valley Eagles an invitation to the 12th Annual Tour of Champions.
Please join us as we celebrate with the boys basketball team, coaching staff, students and fans on Friday, May 19 at an awards assembly which begins at 9:30 a.m. in the auditorium.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the
MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.
