Perham Upsets No. 4 Lourdes 66-63, Advances to State Semifinals

Kaia Anderson stepped to the free-throw line with 4.7 seconds remaining and the score tied at 63, and the Perham senior guard delivered twice. Her two free throws pushed the No. 5-seeded Yellowjackets past Rochester Lourdes 66-63 in a Class AA quarterfinal at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on Wednesday, sending Perham to the state semifinals for the first time this season.

Anderson finished with a game-high 21 points. The win improved Perham to 25-4 and made the Yellowjackets, the Section 8AA champion, the only lower seed to win a quarterfinal on Day 1 of the Minnesota State High School League's 2026 Girls Basketball State Tournament.

The game came down to a frantic final 90 seconds. Eighth-grade guard Amelia Truty hit a step-back three-pointer to tie the game at 63 in the closing moments, capping a second half in which she scored 11 of her 14 points and knocked down three threes. But that was Lourdes' last basket. With 27 seconds left, Perham freshman Ashtyn Kunza was fouled in the act of shooting and converted the second of two free throws to put the Yellowjackets up 64-63. Lourdes missed a short jumper in the paint on the next possession and Perham corralled the rebound, forcing the Eagles to foul again. Anderson made both attempts to push the lead to three. Lourdes ran a full-court inbounds play on the final possession, and Aaliyah Williams got a clean look at a game-tying three, but her shot rimmed out at the buzzer.

The comeback was built on a surge that began with Perham trailing by seven midway through the second half. The Yellowjackets chipped away to tie the game at 52 with 6:53 remaining, then strung together three consecutive three-pointers, one from Anderson and two from ninth-grade guard Quinn Hanson, to take a 63-59 lead before Truty's tying shot.

Sophomore Regan Hemberger was the engine in the first half, scoring 12 of Perham's first 14 points on her way to 18 points for the game. She finished 6 of 9 from beyond the arc. Both teams struggled from the floor early, shooting under 32 percent in the first half, with Perham taking a 29-28 lead into the break.

Senior forward Lauren Hust led Rochester Lourdes with 19 points, and the Eagles finished at 24-7. Lourdes head coach Chadd Clarey credited his team's effort despite the outcome. "It was a very, very tough game," he said. "Ball bounces our way, or ball bounces their way, and it bounced their way tonight, that's part of the game. It wasn't from lack of effort or lack of want or lack of hustle. These girls have worked their tails off all year, and tonight. We always fight until the last whistle goes, and I'm super proud of the team." Hust echoed that sentiment: "It didn't go our way, but we executed the play, and that's all you can ask for, and I'm really proud of this team. Just because we lost this game doesn't mean we're not done fighting, and we'll keep going, and end our season on a good note."

Lourdes will play No. 8 Central Public Schools in a consolation semifinal Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Gangelhoff Center.

Perham now faces a considerably steeper climb. The Yellowjackets meet No. 1 Providence Academy on Friday at 6 p.m., with the Lions bringing four consecutive Class AA championships into the matchup.