Byron plans to enjoy state run built on trust, balance
Mar. 17—BYRON — There wasn't much stopping the Byron boys basketball team this season.
Byron fell to section and Hiawatha Valley League rival Stewartville in the section tournament in 2023 and 2024, once in the finals and once in the semifinals. Each loss was fuel for the Bears' fire.
They finally got over the hump this season, knocking off the Tigers in the Section 1, Class 3A championship game on Friday, securing a trip to state for the first time since 2021.
Entering the state tournament at 26-3, the seventh-ranked Bears are the No. 6 seed in Class 3A. They will play No. 3 Alexandria Area (26-3) in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. Tuesday, at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena.
The section championship marked Byron's third win over Stewartville this season. Those victories kept the Bears at the top of the section all year.
"Coming into the season, we knew that we could do some damage in this section, and we just (stuck) to what we (do), trusted each other and just rolled from there," senior Max Dearborn said. "So just trusting each other the whole way through."
Dearborn, an NAIA Northwestern College (Iowa) commit, has been a key member of Byron's squad, averaging more than 17 points per game.
Meanwhile, senior Will Brian averaged a team-high 19.4 ppg., while shooting 42% from the three-point line and 94.1% on free throws in the regular season.
"We came into this year with high expectations, wanting to go far and just the work we've all put in as players and coaches," Brian said. "(It) just came down to working super hard every week."
Byron's three losses were to Cannon Falls (89-78) early in the season, Benilde-St. Margaret's (49-46) and Northfield (79-74). At the same time, the Bears have three wins against Class 4A teams.
"Expectations are one thing," Byron coach Kyle Finney said, "but obviously you have to do the work, and the kids did the work. We scheduled pretty tough. Had a tough regular season of games, non-conference and that really helped us for games and opportunities like this here (Friday) to come out on top against a great team."
On Friday, the Bears trailed by one point at halftime. With the help of four players recording double-digit scoring efforts, they got the job done. Dearborn finished with 17 points, senior Colin Hansen had 14, Brian 12 and junior Fisher Kruckeberg 11.
"We're a very balanced team," Brian said. "I think we had four guys in double figures, so they can't key in on one guy. Max probably struggled a little bit in the first half, but other guys picked us up."
"Obviously, I don't want to force and I know I got guys around me that can score as well, so I'm thankful for that," Dearborn said. "I'm grateful for these guys."
They'll need that balance and trust against Alexandria, which is making its third consecutive state appearance.
"It comes from years of playing together," Finney said. "We talk about trust all the time, trust on the defensive end and trust on the offensive end. They're a very unselfish team. They're just as happy if Will Brian scored 30, and Will's just as happy if Maxwell just scored 30. But we don't have a dominant scorer. It's pretty balanced."
For just the third time in program history and the first in four years, Byron will take its talents to state. For the Bears, the hardest part is over.
"We're going to have a good time and take in the whole experience," Finney said. "That was one of the goals for the kids, is to reach this level, and everything we do beyond this point is just a bonus."
Quartefinals and consolation rounds: All boys basketball state tournament quarterfinal, consolation and third-place games will be streamed live at NSPN.tv/MSHSL (requires a monthly or annual subscription).
Semifinals and championships: All championship semifinals and championship games will be streamed at Prep45.com, and will be brodcast on START-TV, channel 192 on Spectrum cable in the Rochester area.
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