The Anoka-Ramsey Men’s Basketball team won their quarterfinal game against Central Lakes in the NJCAA Region XIII Tournament, before falling to Rochester in the semifinals to conclude their season.

The Golden Rams entered the tournament as the #3 seed from the Southern Division and knocked off the #2 Northern Division seeded Raiders 65-62.

In a physical, defensive matchup typical of the playoffs, Anoka-Ramsey shot 38.6 percent and held Central Lakes to 32.3 percent on field goals.  Each team went to the free throw line over 20 times with CLC holding a 19-15 edge in makes.

But the difference came from beyond the arc as Anoka-Ramsey connected on 6 of 20 threes compared to 3 of 20 for the Raiders.

Steven Colon was the catalyst from deep making 3 of 5 threes on his way to 13 points.

Matthew Ellingson scored 11 points to go with 11 rebounds, and Jacob Say knocked down two threes and finished with ten points.

The semifinal saw Anoka-Ramsey face the #1 seed from the Southern Division in Rochester, a familiar foe in the postseason as both programs met in the semifinals in 2022 as well.

While the Golden Rams shot 47.1 percent overall and held Rochester to 41.2 percent, the Yellowjackets hauled in 19 offensive rebounds to just six for Anoka-Ramsey.  The extra possessions made up for a 2 for 14 performance from three by the Yellowjackets on their way to a 44-30 edge in rebounds.

Ellingson scored 19 points while also grabbing seven rebounds.  Manny Jingco scored 17 points on 6 of 12 shooting, and Daydor Phillips tallied 11 points on 5 of 6 field goals.

Anoka-Ramsey ends their season at 13-11 overall.