The events leading up to the section 5AA first-round game between Southwest Christian and Minneapolis Edison March 9 were just like those of any normal basketball game.

Teams were going through the layup line, doing half court three-on-three or five-on-five drills and getting some warm-up shots in before the beginning of the game. But then something was a bit… off.

Players from Southwest Christian continued their warm-ups, but the Edison team stopped shooting and watched coaches and maintenance staff attend to what posed a significant problem to the playing of this playoff game: a slanted hoop. From the time Edison athletic director Brett McNeal finished setting up the gym at 3:30 p.m. to when the game was supposed to tip off at 5 p.m., one of the hoops in the Tommies’ gym had become slanted and could not be fixed in time for the game.

Edison staff continuously tried to pull the hoop and backboard down to their normal position so the game could be played at the school’s gym. However, every time it was brought back and staff let go of the hoop, it slid back into a slanted position. Busy with other responsibilities of hosting the event, McNeal did not see exactly what had happened to the hoop but said someone would have to not only dunk on it but aggressively hang on it in order for this to happen.

As tipoff was supposed to be happening, McNeal instead grabbed the microphone and told the fans that the game would be moved to North Central University in Minneapolis. Both teams arrived to the new game location by 5:30 p.m., and the game was set to start only an hour after its originally scheduled time.

Looking to pull an upset as the No. 13 seed in the 16-team tournament, the Stars jumped out to a 7-0 lead within the first three minutes of play. But the North Central gym soon felt like a home game for the Tommies as they climbed back into the game by forcing two Southwest Christian turnovers with a full-court press.

Southwest Christian sophomore Brayden Beckering then scored seven straight points for the Stars to keep the team within striking distance before the Tommies took a timeout with a 20-19 lead about seven minutes to play. Edison then finished the half on a 21-10 run to give the Tommies a 12-point lead at the half before they pulled away for a 90-55 win.

Beckering finished with a team-high 21 points while junior Gordie Molin scored 14 in the loss.

McNeal said he has a good relationship with North Central University and that it is a strong backup plan for the school in case something like this happens for basketball or other sporting events. With Edison beating Southwest Christian, the Tommies will either need to again work something out with the NCAA D-III school or hope they can fix the hoop before their next home contest on March 11.

With the loss, Southwest Christian’s season comes to an end at 8-19. The Stars graduate two seniors in Sam Arnold and Todd Holloway. It is also the Stars’ first season without a section tournament win since the 2018-19 season.