Unlike the Class AAA girls, the #1 seeds here mostly flew through their sections, and so we've got 6 of the top 7 teams in QRF in the tournament. #2 Mankato East fell to #4 Waseca (Waseca was the #1 seed) in section 2AAA. #12 (QRF) Holy Angels was the #1 seed in Section 3AAA. Only Monticello, a #3 seed in Section 5AAA and #24 in QRF, made the tournament as anything other than a #1 seed.
That makes this a great field, right? Well, that depends. On what, you say? On whether anybody can compete with DeLaSalle. The Islanders are #1 in QRF, the #1 seed, and have won 6 state championships in the past 7 years (a record 6 in a row, that is, from 2012 to 2017). Last year Columbia Heights shocked the Islanders at state, then lost to Delano in the final. But De is a prohibitive favorite again this year and if nobody can even push 'em, then, no, it's not a great field or a great tournament. And De went 5-1 against opponents that made it to state this year--2-0 against AAAA, 2-0 against AAA, and 1-1 against AA (with the loss coming to AA Minnehaha). 3 of the 5 total losses came to non-Minnesota teams. Only North St. Paul, along with Minnehaha, defeated De among MN teams and, ironically, they finished just 16-11.
OK, here's the contenders.
Section 1--Austin #3 QRF, #3 seed, 23-5, 73-60 average margin, 62-47 in sections, 4 game win streak
Section 2--Waseca #4, #2, 28-1, 84-56, 76-48, 5 game win streak
Section 3--Holy Angels #12, unseeded, 24-4, 76-62, 92-69, 6 game win streak
Section 4--Mahtomedi #5, #5, 24-5, 78-59, 73-49, 12 game win streak
Section 5--Monticello #24, unseeded, 14-15, 66-63, 63-59, 3 game win streak
Section 7--Princeton #6, #4, 26-3, 85-65, 87-70, 8 game win streak
Section 8--Bemidji #7 unseeded, 23-4, 67-57, 54-45, 4 game win streak
And of course the favorite.
Section 6--DeLaSalle #1, #1, 24-5, 78-54, 81-45, 5 game win streak
On paper Waseca looks like the toughest challenger. They're 3-0 against state tournament teams, and they won at Mpls. North by 13 while North lost at DeLaSalle by 9. So, who knows? Here are the matchups.
First Round Williams Arena Wednesday March 20
10 a.m. #1 DeLaSalle 24-5 vs. unseeded Bemidji 23-4
Wow, how do you go 23-4 while outscoring your opponents by an average of just 10 points. Bemidji won 4 straight but 5 of their last 6 games were losses or were decided by single digits. They beat Detroit Lakes by 27 in January, then by 7 and 8 in February and March. True to their image as the guys from Paul Bunyan land, they're led by 6-9 senior forward Spencer Konecne and his 15 ppg. They go 8 deep, which is a good thing at the state tournament, as long as you're not giving up too much skill against an opponent like De.
De counters with 2 of the Strib's 15 all-metro players--point guard Tyrell Terry, who is going to Stanford (1st team all-metro), and wide-body forward, 6-7 senior Jamison Battle. If De waltzes through this field, and it might, it will be because of its size and speed and scoring and defense. It has all of those things going for it and, after losing last year, they're probably pretty hungry. And, next year they won't be favored because AA Minnehaha is moving up. So, win now will be the mantra. And I think they will.
Bottom line: It's hard to beat size and speed and scoring and defense. DeLaSalle 75 Bemidji 45.
12 noon. #4 Princeton 26-3 vs. #5 Mahtomedi 24-5
OK, now this will be a great game between 2 explosive teams. 6-7 senior forward Jon Stimmler and 6-1 senior guard Adam Williams lead a Princeton team that consistently scored in the 80s and 90s. They go 7 deep at an average of 6-2. Mahtomedi basically beats you with 6-6 junior guard J'Vonne Hadley, who scored 29 ppg this year and who gets to the rim at will. They go 6 deep at an average of 6-5. Still, Princeton counters with decent size and a better balanced offense.
Bottom line: Princeton 75 Mahtomedi 71.
2 p.m. #2 Waseca 28-1 vs. unseeded Holy Angels 24-4
Wow, 24-4 with an average of 76 ppg in the metro area and no seed? That makes the Stars the big dark horse threat here. And Waseca can be feeling almost as disrespected as Holy Angels. 28-1, #2, and you gotta play these guys? So, in other words, this is our second consecutive great ballgame in AAA.
Waseca starts with 6-2 senior point guard Malik Willingham (18 ppg-6 asts). Then there's sophomores Andrew Morgan, 6-8 post, 17 ppg; 6-0 guard Ryan Dufault, 17 ppg; and 6-4 soph Kyreese Willingham, 15 ppg. Explosive with a capital X.
But then there's Holy Angels, who scored 92 ppg in the section. They're led by 6-6/6-5 bookend seniors Matt Banovetz and Thor Holien, who combine for 28 ppg, 13 boards and 4 blocked shots. Then there's 3 guards who averaged in double figures. These guys can score. But Malik W. will be the best player on the floor. So, how does that play out?
Bottom line: Waseca 77 Holy Angels 73.
4 p.m. #3 Austin 23-5 vs. unseeded Monticello 14-15
Austin returns to state for the 6th time in 8 years while Monticello returns for the 5th time since Joel Przybilla. Monticello was 11-15 in the regular season but won 3 section games by a total of 12 points against 3 teams against whom they were 2-2 in the regular season. So, let's be honest, this was a terrible section. On the other hand, Delano from Section 5AAA won it all a year ago.
In any event, Monti is led by 6-5 junior guard Austin Wetter, who scored 17 ppg on 50 percent shooting, 40 percent from 3. Unfortunately, his 5 compadres are all seniors, so you better win now. Austin Puppe provides some size at 6-5, and Puppe and Blake Thompson some scoring options at 12 ppg each.
And Austin is not the powerhouse they've been at time, though they do go an amazing 10-deep with players who score 5 ppg or more. Ten of them! 6-0 senior guard Medi Obang is the big man, figuratively, at 19 ppg, while, well, there is no big man, literally. 6-2 is as big as it gets. 6-2 junior guard Agwa Nywesh scores 18 ppg. So if the current lineup ain't workin,' there will be somebody new coming along pretty quick.
Bottom line: 14-15 don't lie. Austin 69 Monticello 58.
Consolation Semis Concordia Thursday March 21
2 p.m. Mahtomedi 69 Bemidji 57
4 p.m. Holy Angels 77 Monticello 65
Championship Semis Target Center Thursday March 21
6 p.m. DeLaSalle 73 Princeton 67
8 p.m. Waseca 66 Austin 59
Consolation Finals Concordia
5th Place 4 p.m. Friday Mahtomedi 70 Holy Angels 68
3rd Place 2 p.m. Saturday Princeton 69 Austin 67
Championship Final Saturday Target Center
8 p.m. DeLaSalle 65 Waseca 64
All-Tournament
DeLaSalle Tyrell Terry, Jamison Battle
Waseca Malik Willingham, Ryan Dufault
Princeton Jon Stimmler, Adam Williams
Austin Medi Obang
Mahtomedi J'Vonne Hadley
Holy Angels Matt Banovetz
Bemidji
Monticello Austin Wetter
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