Hills-Beaver Creek Takes First Half Lead Over Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton in Class 1A State Title Game

Championship Saturday begins with Minnesota's small schools, with the Class 3A final between Totino-Grace and DeLaSalle up next.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 4:34pm

The high school winter sports season officially comes to an end today as four schools compete for championship trophies inside Williams Arena, culminating the five-day Minnesota boys basketball state tournament. In the Class 1A final, Hills-Beaver Creek has taken a first-half lead over Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, with the Bulldogs struggling offensively to start the game.

Why it matters

The state basketball tournament is the culmination of the winter high school sports season in Minnesota, with champions crowned in four different enrollment-based classifications. The Class 1A final features two smaller schools vying for the state title in the state's smallest classification.

The details

The Bulldogs of Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton have opened the Class 1A final shooting just 2-for-16 from the field, including 0-for-6 from three-point range, to trail Hills-Beaver Creek 16-6 with 5:45 remaining in the first half. Gavin Bauer has the only two field goals for Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, including a layup to make it 13-6 at the 9:47 mark, ending a nearly eight-minute drought. Meanwhile, Hills-Beaver Creek is shooting 5-for-17 from the field.

  • The high school winter sports season officially comes to an end today (March 28, 2026).
  • The Minnesota boys basketball state tournament is a five-day event.

The players

Gavin Bauer

A player for the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Bulldogs who has scored the team's only two field goals in the first half of the Class 1A state title game.

Hills-Beaver Creek

The opponent of Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton in the Class 1A state championship game, leading 16-6 in the first half.

Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton

The Bulldogs are the team struggling offensively to start the Class 1A state title game, shooting just 2-for-16 from the field in the first half.

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The takeaway

The Class 1A state championship game has gotten off to a slow start offensively, with Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton struggling to find its shooting touch early on. Hills-Beaver Creek has capitalized to build a double-digit lead, but there is still plenty of time left for the Bulldogs to mount a comeback and claim the small-school state title.