Perham Upsets Top-Seeded East Grand Forks in Section 8 Semifinal, 69-50

The fourth-seeded Perham Yellowjackets knocked out top-seeded East Grand Forks 69-50 in the Class 2A, Section 8 boys basketball semifinals Wednesday night at Concordia College Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, ending the Green Wave's season at 22-6 and sending Perham to its first section final since 2022.

Perham scored six straight points late in the first half to lead 33-27 at the break, then extended that advantage into double digits early in the second half. The moment that put the game out of reach came with a little over five minutes remaining, when Nathan Rustad intercepted a pass along the halfcourt line and threw down a dunk to make it 64-45. "It was a little risky, but we still got her down," Rustad said.

The Yellowjackets placed three players in double figures. Rustad led all scorers with 19 points, including 14 in the second half alone. Cypress Thiel poured in 18, with 13 of those coming before halftime along with a one-handed jam and a pair of threes. Kade Raser added 16 and Isaiah Farrell contributed 8. For East Grand Forks, Chase Lindgren led the Green Wave with 22 points and Carson McDonald finished with 10.

Rustad's performance drew praise from an unlikely source. "When the best is needed, he always gives you the best," EGF head coach Michael Maher said. Maher was candid about what unraveled for his club. "We just never really got into a flow in the second half offensively," he said. "Then we got to a point where there was like four minutes there where we didn't keep anybody in front of us defensively."

Perham coach Grant Dierkhising credited the defense as the foundation of the win. "Defensively, that was the best game we've played all season. The rotations were perfect and everyone did their job," he said. That defense translated into board control as well: Nate Rustad, Sam Dale, and Kade Raser dominated the glass, holding EGF to just two offensive rebounds all night. "Second-chance points are massive, especially when you're playing against good opponents," Dierkhising said. "When you have players that are 6-2, 6-4 and 6-5, we have a good chance every game, no matter the opponent, of bringing down boards."

Thiel described his first-half rhythm simply. "I was just in a flow state, my teammates trust me with the ball in my hand," he said. "I was able to score when it got to me and good things happened today."

The victory was a direct reversal of the regular-season result. East Grand Forks had defeated Perham 66-51 in their lone February meeting, and the Green Wave entered the tournament as the section's top seed at 22-6. Rustad distilled what changed. "We executed," he said. "We went out there and we were like, 'We're not taking our foot off the pedal."

Perham, now 17-12, advances to the Section 8AA championship Friday at 8 p.m. at Concordia College in Moorhead against Staples-Motley, which beat Osakis 75-69 in the other semifinal. The two programs have split their previous meetings this season: Perham won 55-54 at The Hive on December 19, then lost 65-55 at Staples on January 27. Friday's final will break the tie.