Albany’s hopes of an undefeated season that culminates in a Class AA championship remain alive, but it took some doing to keep that on track. 

The top-seeded Huskies had to fend off one of their two closest challenges of the season on Friday, March 21 with a 59-54 victory over No. 4 Caledonia in the Class AA semifinals of the Minnesota State High School League’s Boys Basketball State Tournament at Williams Arena. 

Senior guard Zeke Austin scored 22 points, but equally important were three made free throws in the final seconds that secured the victory to send the Huskies (31-0) into the Class AA championship game for the first time since winning the crown in 2023. Last season, Albany placed third in the Class AA field. 

The five-point margin of victory matches the closest an opponent has come to knocking off the Huskies this season. The other was Pequot Lakes, the Section 7AA champion, in a 63-58 victory on Jan. 10. 

Slim margins of victory didn’t appear to be in the offing early on when the Huskies built a 20-point lead in the first half. That was narrowed to an 11-point advantage at the break. 

But Caledonia (29-3) didn’t wilt. The Warriors, seeking their first championship game appearance since finishing as the Class AA runner-up in 2021, refused to panic and chipped away in the second half. A three-pointer by senior guard Mason King pulled the Warriors into a 50-all tie with four minutes remaining in regulation. 

The Huskies came right back, though, with two free throws and power basket by senior forward Sam Hondl, who finished with 12 points. Senior forward Ethan Meyer, who battled foul trouble, made a basket with 1:02 left that pushed the lead to four points. 

The Warriors, however, couldn’t mount a final surge. They missed four free throws down the stretch and 10 overall.