Author: Steve Mulholland

No one left the main gymnasium at Eden Prairie High School on Saturday following the Eagles’ scrappy 50-36 victory over Prior Lake in the Section 2AAAA semifinals of the girls basketball playoffs. Many of the Eden Prairie faithful remained in the gym to watch another game on the jumbotron, which was streaming the remaining four minutes of the Minnetonka vs. Chaska semifinal. The Eagles, who were gathered in a nearby classroom to watch the game play out, were eager to learn who their opponent would be in the section finals. The game they had just played had been a struggle…

The Eden Prairie boys basketball team moves on to the section playoffs after closing the book on their regular season Friday night against Minnetonka. The Eagles dropped an 89-65 decision to fourth-ranked Skippers on their home court at Eden Prairie High School. Eagles sophomore wing Max Lorenson led Eden Prairie with 21 points in a back-and-forth Lake Conference battle. Minnetonka (20-6) led by two at the half, but pulled away after the intermission behind 18 points from junior guard Andy Stefonowicz and 16 from junior Jordan Cain. Backing Lorenson for Eden Prairie was freshman guard Nolen Anderson with 11 points,…

Two straight games against Edina with two identical results. But we’re not only talking about the pair of Eden Prairie victories by the girls basketball team. We’re also referring to two Eagles’ players who reached 1,000-point milestones. Wednesday night at Eden Prairie High School, senior guard Ashley Fritz surpassed the 1,000-point mark in her high school career in the Eagles’ 68-37 win over Edina in the Section 2AAAA quarterfinals. “It felt really good,” Fritz said after the game. “It’s a goal that I’ve wanted for a while so it was nice to get it.” Fritz’s accomplishment follows that of senior…

Eden Prairie senior guard Luke Rapp scored 21 points to lead the Eagles boys basketball team in a 71-59 road victory over Minneapolis South on Tuesday. The Eagles are 3-2 in their last five games, with impressive wins over St. Michael-Albertville and third-ranked Wayzata to go with their win over the Gallant Tigers. The victory over Minneapolis South puts Eden Prairie back on a winning track after coming up short in their past two games. The Eagles fell to a pair of ranked opponents last week, No. 6 East Ridge on Feb. 21 and No. 10 Edina on Feb. 24.…

It’s been a good week for Eden Prairie sophomore wrestler Zytavius Williams and the Eagles wrestling team. With his 4-2 decision over third-ranked AJ Smith (33-7) of Shakopee in the 120-pound class at the Section 6AAA wrestling tournament last Saturday, Williams (31-9), ranked ninth in the state, earned a trip to the state wrestling tournament at Xcel Energy Center this weekend. Williams joins eight of his Eden Prairie teammates in the individual competition at the state tournament. And for his accomplishments, Williams was named one of the Star Tribune’s Prep Athletes of the Week. Eagles head coach Marcus LeVesseur told…

Monday, Feb. 27 The week of activities begins at Central Middle School, where the Elementary Music Performance (Rotation 1C) is taking place in CMS Performing Arts Center. The show begins at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28 The Eden Prairie boys basketball team is looking to rebound from their loss on Friday to 10th-ranked Edina. The Eagles travel to Minneapolis South for a matchup with the Gallant Tigers. Opening tip is at 7 p.m. The Eagles boys 10 and JV basketball teams will also play their games at South with start times at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively. The Eden…

A full house watched with great interest on Saturday as the puck dropped for the third period of the Section 2AA semifinals at Braemar Arena in Edina. Fifth-seeded Eden Prairie trailed top-seed Chanhassen 1-0 in what was already a thrilling hockey game. But the third period would deliver a level of excitement which hockey enthusiasts don’t often see. Eden Prairie swarmed in and around the Chanhassen defense to begin the third, launching nine shots in the first four minutes on Storm goaltender Kam Hendrickson, and not stopping until they found a way to tie the game. “That’s the leadership of…

Nine wrestlers from the fourth-ranked Eagles wrestling team have qualified for this coming weekend’s state wrestling tournament at Xcel Energy Center, following Saturday’s individual competition at the Section 6AAA wrestling tournament in Waconia. In the 106-pound class, Eden Prairie seventh-grader Anthony Heim (35-7), ranked eighth in the state, defeated Gabriel Witschorik of Waconia (20-16) in a 9-1 major decision to capture second place. With the second-place finish, Heim will advance to state. Eagles sophomore Zytavius Williams (31-9), ranked ninth in the state in the 120-pound class, is on to the state tournament after taking first place with a 4-2 decision over…

Down a late-season stretch, which includes a gauntlet of tough opponents, the Eden Prairie Eagles boys basketball team has pulled out big victories over St. Michael-Albertville and third-ranked Wayzata. But the Eagles have dropped two straight over the past week, falling 82-62 at sixth-ranked East Ridge on Tuesday, and losing 61-43 to 10th-ranked Edina Friday night on their home court at Eden Prairie High School. Senior guard Luke Rapp led the Eagles with 13 points against the Hornets. Sophomore JJ Sullivan and freshman Nolen Anderson each posted eight, while senior wing Quincy Oriwa added seven points for the Eagles. After…

With the girls basketball section playoffs on the horizon, Eden Prairie senior captain Molly Lenz had something she wanted to take care of on Friday night. “It feels great to get it done before sections,” she said. “Because it’s not going to be in the back of my mind. Now I can just completely focus on winning those games. So that feels good.” Entering the Eagles’ regular-season finale at Edina, Lenz needed 17 points to reach 1000 points in her Eden Prairie career. With 8:05 remaining in the second half, Lenz broke loose at mid-court, running toward the hoop. The…