Bishop Ryan junior guard Peyton Seay and the Lions are back in the state tournament for a third consecutive year and are looking to defend their state championship this weekend at the MSU Dome. Mike Kraft/MDN

Label them an underdog, put a target on their back as the favorite or place them somewhere in the middle of the pack, but the Bishop Ryan boys basketball team is heading into the state tournament with the same mindset and expectations they set forward when the season first started in December.

Even if few outside of the Lions’ locker room thought they would make a return trip to the state tournament this season after capturing the program’s second title last year, Bishop Ryan believed it would be back.

But the Lions aren’t going to the MSU Dome this week just to make an appearance. They are there to compete and they are there to win. The sixth-seeded Lions begin their title defense with a quarterfinal round matchup with No. 3 seed Our Redeemer’s on Thursday, March 19, at 2:45 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s state semifinal, won by the Lions in overtime.

“We have the same expectations, the same will to fight,” Bishop Ryan senior guard Hayden Seay said. “We’re going to give it our best to try and get it done like we did last year.”

The Lions are back in the state tournament for the third consecutive year after a last-second shot from Jack Passa lifted Bishop Ryan to a 55-53 victory over Wilton-Wing in a state qualifier last weekend. It’s the third time in program history that the Lions have made three straight trips to the state tournament. The first instance was from 1937-39 as St. Leo’s and the second was from 2017-19. St. Leo’s won titles in 1938 and 1939 and Bishop Ryan advanced to the state title game in 2018.

The Lions lost two key contributors from last year’s title team in Jett Lundeen and Ramsey Walz. Their absence was felt on the offensive end of the court, as the Lions averaged roughly nine points per game fewer this season at 54.8.

The defense hasn’t missed a beat and has been their bread and butter all season. The Lions’ defense ranks third in Class B, allowing just 44.3 points per game. Only Central McLean (41.6) and Our Redeemer’s (43.3) are allowing fewer points to opponents this season. The Lions held 12 opponents under 40 points this season. Their best game came against Surrey in the District 6 Tournament, when they yielded just 12 points to the Mustangs.

“A team with one of the best defenses is going to be successful, but combine that with you have to play a really good motion offense,” Bishop Ryan coach Broderick Bosch said. “When things break down, you need to know what to do, where your reads are. If you can play unstructured basketball and do the dirty work, that team is going to have the best chance.”

Bishop Ryan finished second in District 6 during the regular season and advanced to the District 6 Tournament championship. The Lions defeated Alexander in the Region 3 Tournament quarterfinals before dropping their semifinal game to Ray. They kept their season alive with a 39-38 victory over Velva, setting up a do-or-die contest with Wilton-Wing.

“Nobody thought we were going to get here,” Bishop Ryan senior Jack Passa said. “Losing guys like Jett and Ramsey – two great players – nobody thought we were going to make it to the state tournament.”

Seay and Passa are the two senior leaders on the squad and saw ample playing time during the key moments of their state tournament run last season. They have first-hand experience of what it takes to make a deep run through the tournament.

“It takes hard work and complete trust and ultimately mental toughness,” Seay said. “There’s not going to be any easy games in the tournament. Every game is going to be close. Every game is going to be competitive. The ability to keep your cool and trust each other is going to get you there.”

The Lions have plenty of experience in close games. They played seven games decided by fewer than 10 points, winning five of those contests. Two of those games have come in the past week.

Along with Seay and Passa, the Lions have received key contributions from junior Peyton Seay and sophomores Gryphen Leier-Wangler, Izaac Strandlien, Justice Lundeen and Cohen Schneider.

This year’s state tournament field looks vastly different from the one Bishop Ryan overcame to claim the title. Only the Lions and Our Redeemer’s are making the return trip. Bishop Ryan is 0-3 against the current field, dropping a pair of games to Our Redeemer’s and one to Ray, which represents the No. 2 seed.

“It seems like it’s anybody’s tournament, which is awesome,” Bosch said. “You get to see some new teams in there. It’s going to be a wild one.”

If the Lions want to repeat as state champions, they will need to solve Our Redeemer’s for the first time this season. The Knights won the regular-season matchup 67-44 – the most points Bishop Ryan has allowed in a game this year – as well as the first postseason meeting in the District 6 Tournament title game 61-43. It’ll be the second time in as many years the two programs meet in the state tournament. Bishop Ryan topped Our Redeemer’s in overtime in the state semifinals last season.

Of all the potential quarterfinal opponents, Our Redeemer’s was one of the more unexpected scenarios.

“It was a little surprising,” Bosch said. “Playing someone in your own district is kind of odd for the first round of the state tournament, but you have to play everybody to get to the championship, so it is what it is.”

The good news for Bishop Ryan is its string of success in its first game of the tournament. The Lions have won five straight quarterfinal games dating back to 2018. Bishop Ryan is the only team in the field with a title in the last decade, and one of just two teams that has a championship. North Star won a title in 2011.

“Everyone knows that we got it done last year and we’re the only team in the tournament that knows how to get it done in terms of recent years, so everyone is going to be looking out to get us,” Hayden Seay said.

The Lions enter the state tournament wearing a number of hats. They are the defending state champion, which comes with the inevitable bullseye on the back, an underdog and a dark horse. Whichever the label, every team the Lions face will get their best shot.

“If we’re the underdog or one of the teams with a target on our back, we’re going to have the same mindset each night,” Bosch said.