LAKE CRYSTAL — The No. 2-seeded Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther Jaguars accomplished a rare three-game sweep.

After beating the No. 3-seeded St. Clair Cyclones twice by double digits during the regular season, the Jaguars defeated the Cyclones, 67-54, in the Section 2A, South Sub-Section girls basketball semifinals on Friday night.

“It’s hard to beat a good team three times. I feel very fortunate,” Jaguars head coach Rick Uttech. “They (St. Clair) are an awesome team.”

St. Clair ends the season with a 17-11 record.

The Jaguars (24-4) move on to play No. 4-seeded Springfield in the sub-section finals at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.

Springfield (18-10) upset No. 1-seeded Mankato Loyola (24-3) in the South Sub-Section semifinals, 71-57, to advance.

Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther beat Springfield earlier in the season, 69-56.

“But, they’re a much improved team,” Uttech added.

The Jaguars resorted to outside shooting early on to gain a 15-12 lead. Down, 12-9, senior guard Hannah Johanson netted a 3-pointer before junior guard Macy Quinn followed suit. Senior guard Alexis Brummond provided both with assists before knocking down a trey for a 15-12 lead when the Cyclones called timeout at the 10:37 mark of the opening half.

“When it gets plugged up in the inside, the guards know they’ve got to hit those shots,” Uttech said. “Hopefully, that draws the defense out off the post, takes a little pressure off them and then we can get some inside moves, too, where a good share of our strength is.

“It was really nice to see the guards shoot so well.”

Senior center Kenlie Pytleski used one of her game-best 11 rebounds to put back a shot to add on to the lead. Johanson then picked away a steal for a fastbreak layup before adding another basket via an assist from senior guard Allyson Cegelske for a 22-12 advantage.

Olivia Drummer ended the Jaguars’ 15-0 run by banking in a bucket to bring the Cyclones back within eight.

The junior guard then gave one of her team-leading five assist to sophomore guard Cassidy Anderegg, who promptly shot a 3.

But, before the Cyclones could get a run of their own going, Brummond passed inside to senior forward Renae Wallace for a quick layup with under eight minutes remaining in the frame. Johanson restored the Jaguars’ 10-point lead with a third 3-pointer.

Drummer ended the half with a transition basket thanks to a steal from junior forward Michaela Karels as the Cyclones fell behind, 35-24, at the break.

Drummer picked up where she left off at the end of the first half and made one of two free throw shots to get the Cyclones within 10. Karels then laid in a basket for a 35-27 score.

Later in the game, the Cyclones got within three of the Jaguars.

Drummer, Anderegg and senior guard Hailey Embacher all netted 3-pointers, and two made foul shots from Drummer made a 56-53 game with 3:36 to go in the contest.

Jaguars senior forward Hanna Geistfeld, who scored a game-high 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting, made a layup to add distance.

“She got some good looks and good moves to where she was able to turn around and hit those nice shots. She’s got a nice shot off the glass,” Uttech said about Geistfeld.

Cegelske also went into the paint for a layup and was fouled on the made shot. Jaguars junior guard Macy Quinn then went coast to coast, beating Cyclone defenders for an easy bucket and 63-53 lead at the 1:29 juncture.

Geistfeld and Brummond finished the Jaguars’ scoring off at the charity stripe, with both making two buckets to advance into the sub-section finals on the strength of the 13-point victory. In addition to Geistfeld’s 21 points, she recorded five boards.

Brummond added on 11 points with a game-leading seven assists in addition to four rebounds in the win.

Pytleski marked a double-double performance of 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting and 11 rebounds.

Johanson provided the Jaguars with 11 points and three rebounds before going out with an injury midway through the second half.

Embacher led the Cyclones with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Drummer had 15 points, five assists and four steals.

STC 24-30–54

GTML 35-32–67

GHECTML (67)

Geistfeld 8-10 4-4 21, Johanson 4-7 0-0 11, Brummond 4-7 2-5 11, Pytleski 4-7 2-2 10, Quinn 2-6 3-4 8, Wallace 1-1 0-0 2, Cegelske 1-3 0-1 2, Becker 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 25-42 10-13 67.

ST. CLAIR (54)

Embacher 7-22 1-2 19, Drummer 5-19 4-6 15, Hanson 3-14 0-0 7, Anderegg 2-4 1-2 7, Karels 2-2 0-0 4, Kruse 1-4 0-1 2. Totals 20-65 6-11 54.

3-pointers: GHECTML 7-13 (Geistfeld 1-1, Quinn 1-2, Johanson 3-5, Brummond 2-5); St. Clair 8-29 (Anderegg 2-3, Hanson 1-4, Drummer 1-7, Embacher 4-13, Kruse 0-2). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: GHECTML 29 (Pytleski 11); St. Clair 26 (Karels, Embacher 7 each). Assists: GHECTML 12 (Brummond 7); St. Clair 6 (Drummer 5). Steals: St. Clair 9 (Drummer 4); GHECTML 6.