Fresh off two wins to close the conference season, Park drew the No. 2 seed as Section 3AAAA boys basketball play starts Wednesday. The Wolfpack will host seventh-seeded Apple Valley in a quarterfinal matchup, starting at 7 p.m.

Quarterfinal matchups will be:

n No. 1 Eastview (19-6) vs. No. 8 Hastings (5-21)

n No. 4 Rosemount (16-10) vs. No. 5 Eagan (7-19)

n No. 2 Park (18-8) vs. No. 7 Apple Valley (5-21)

n No. 3 Bloomington Jefferson (19-6) vs. Burnsville (3-21) Section semifinal games will be held Saturday at the higher seed site, with the section finals set for Thursday, March 17. Last season Park advanced to the section finals before falling. Park has not made the state basketball tournament since 1973. Park 55, White Bear Lake 40 Park’s boys basketball team wrapped up a strong finishing week to the regular season with a 55-40 win at White Bear Lake Friday evening.

The Wolfpack outscored the hosts 30-21 in the first half, then turned up the defense with a 25-19 edge in the second half.

Park ended the regular season with a 13-5 record and a second-place finish in the Suburban East Conference. The Wolfpack are 18-8 overall heading into section play.

White Bear Lake finished fourth in the conference with a 10-8 record and went 14-12 so far on the season.

Pharrel Payne scored 19 points and Jamari Walker 15 to lead Park in scoring. Josh Hatano had eight points and Evan Bearth seven.

Park 80, Forest Lake 71

Park got off to a fast start and then held off the visiting Forest Lake Rangers for an 80-71 win at Park Tuesday.

Pharrel Payne slammed in 31 points for the Wolfpack. Jamari Walker had 15, while Evan Bearth had 11, Brady Perryman nine and David Ola-Kazim seven.

Forest Lake guard Nick Bartlett scored 27 points and forward Owen Waldoch 22 to keep the Rangers in it.

Park jumped off to a fast start with first half leads of 10-0, 20-9 and 45-33 at the half. The second half was a different story as Forest Lake closed to 56-53 with 11 minutes to play and then 67 -66 with 5:35 left before Park closed out the game.

“We didn’t really want to be in that position, but they made it more of a close game and we found a way to fight on and win,” said Park’s Michael Suh.

“This was kind of a statement win we wanted to have going into sections,” said Devren Xiong of the Wolfpack. “They made it harder than it was supposed to be but we got it done.”