For the first time in eight years, the Prescott Cardinals have won the annual Hastings Holiday Tournament.

The 2022-23 Prescott Cardinals become the second team in school history to win the Hastings Holiday Tournament, joining the 2014-15 roster which went on to compete in the state semifinal later that season in Madison.

After a 95-82 drubbing of St. Louis Park on Wednesday, Dec. 28, Prescott claimed the Hastings Holiday Tournament championship with a 65-64 win over Irondale on Thursday, Dec. 29. Prescott head coach Nick Johnson spoke about the significance of sweeping through the tournament.

“We won it our first year, that team that went to state in 2015, and since then we’ve taken our lumps over there,” Johnson said. “We’ve had losses of 30 and 40, so for us to go over there and win two games, it’s a big deal because we know how good those teams are.”

The Hastings Holiday Tournament always features some of the largest schools in Minnesota, which gives Prescott a chance to see the high-level competition that simulates a regional or sectional final playoff game.

See PRESCOTT BBB, Page B-4 This year’s competition was against St. Louis Park and Irondale, both suburban schools with enrollments over 1,500 which is more than three times larger than Prescott’s student population.

Even against top competition from Minnesota, Prescott played its best basketball of the season and improved to 8-0 overall. For coach Johnson, the two-day tournament was the first time all year that his team played to its highest potential – and they needed every bit of it.

“Before that Hastings Tournament we had an idea of how good we could be and we kept trying to get it out of the kids,” Johnson said. “We hadn’t really seen that complete team yet, and they showed us that and more in those two games of that tournament. I couldn’t have been more impressed with our kids on both ends of the floor.”

One of the biggest reasons Prescott had success on both ends of the floor was because of a defensive adjustment early in the first half against the St. Louis Park Orioles on Wednesday. Through the first six minutes, St. Louis Park torched Prescott’s man-to-man defense and built an early lead.

That’s when coach Johnson switched to a 1-3-1 zone defense. The Cardinals immediately improved, began jumping passing lanes and started to neutralize a talented Orioles offense.

“We dropped into that zone and we frustrated them so much with it,” Johnson said. “The way we anticipated passing to get those steals was huge for us. The way our kids executed, I was impressed with how they played in that.”

Throughout that game against St. Louis Park, the Cardinals tallied 23 steals and only turned it over 10 times. Although Prescott’s offense was already firing on all cylinders, those extra possessions led to an offensive explosion, particularly by senior Jordan Malmlov and junior Dallas Wallin.

In the 95-82 victory, Wallin had 40 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Malmlov scored 30, while also having 10 assists and six steals in the win. With the win, Prescott advanced to the championship game against Irondale the following night.

The title game felt like a heavyweight fight, as Prescott and Irondale traded haymakers late into the second half. With just over a minute left in regulation, Prescott trailed by three points. That’s when the zone defense forced a steal which turned into a transition layup that cut the lead to one point.

Irondale went to the line on the following possession and made one of two, meaning Prescott trailed by two with just over 40 seconds to play. That’s when Malmlov came down the floor and buried a deep three-pointer to take a one-point lead and secure the 6564 win. Johnson spoke about those crucial closing seconds.

“Jordan came down 10 or 15 seconds into the possession and hit a stepback three in the guy’s face to put us up one,” Johnson said. “Then we got a big stop and that was it. It was a very exciting game with a lot of fans and it felt kind of like a sectional atmosphere.”

Prescott only had three players score in the championship game. Malmlov led all scorers with 34 points on 11-22 from the floor including 6-11 from beyond the three-point arc. Wallin had 16 and senior forward Brandon Stuart had 15 points in the win.

While Malmlov will get much-deserved attention, Wallin has been just as impactful on both ends of the floor. Wallin is an efficient scorer, leads the team in rebounding and is an elite wing defender that can generate steals and attack in transition.

“Dallas is such a smart player and it’s incredible to watch him know when to post up and when to beat a guy off the dribble. He just never forces things,” Johnson said. “He impacts both ends of the floor in ways that I’ve only seen a few Prescott kids do in the last 12 years and he’s one of those kids.”

With the sweep of the Hastings Holiday Tournament, Prescott improved to 8-0 for the season. The Cardinals currently rank No. 4 in the state and are alone atop the Middle Border Conference standings (4-0).

Prescott is back in action at home against Baldwin-Woodville in an MBC contest on Tuesday, Jan. 3. The Blackhawks are currently 3-0 in league play. With a win, Prescott would take a commanding lead in the league standings and put itself in a position to win a conference championship in the coming weeks.

Prescott and Baldwin-Woodville are slated to tip-off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, at Prescott High School.

Prescott senior guard Jordan Malmlov hits a jumper over two irondale defenders near the top of the key during the championship game of the Hastings Holiday Tournament on Thursday, Dec. 29. Malmlov finished the game with a game-high 34 points in the 65-64 win. Photo by Bruce Karnick