Round 1: Sibley bounced, Hopkins romps

After one round of the boys Class AAAA state basketball tournament, there was a cloud of dust kicked up from a one-sided throttling, a heavy favorite sent home and a matchup between two undefeated teams set for Thursday night. No. 2 seed Henry Sibley (27-3) suffered a 60-56 upset to unseeded Bloomington Jefferson (20-7) in Wednesday's quarterfinals. The Jaguars, who led 31-30 at the half, were led by Ellis Libby's team-high 15 points, which included two free throws that gave his team a four-point lead with six seconds remaining in the game. Senior Moses Alipate, a Gophers football recruit, went 6-for-6 from the field to add 12 points. Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year Mike Bruesewitz led Sibley with a game-high 21 points and 16 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to hold off the Jaguars, who will advance to face No. 3 seed Osseo (28-2) Thursday at 8 p.m. at the Target Center in the semifinals. But the game two hours before that is one many eyes will be glued to. No. 1 seed Hopkins (29-0), ranked No. 4 in the nation, hammered unseeded Blaine 68-26 Wednesday in the quarterfinals to earn a semifinal matchup with fellow undefeated St. Cloud Tech (30-0). Hopkins, who led 44-13 at the half, was led by Notre Dame bound center Mike Broghammer's 12 points. Future Gopher Royce White and Raymond Cowels each added 11. Tech, the No. 4 seed, snuck past Winona 40-39 Wednesday, led by Nate Wolters' game-high 17 points. Wolters also preserved the narrow win in the closing seconds by blocking a shot by Winona's Chad Peterson. The battle of the undefeateds starts at 6 p.m. Thursday night at the Target Center.