Caledonia won a state title in 2009. Redwood Valley won in what was then billed as the 1st official girls tournament in 1976, when it was still called Redwood Falls. Minnehaha won in 2010 and they're appearing in their sixth straight tournament. Albany won in 1980, 1983 and 2008. In 2007, they lost to Pipestone in the final on a last-second 3 that was an obvious 2 pointer. Foot squarely on the line. Oops. So Albany came back and upset Jordan in the 2008 final. Roseau won the title in 2017 and is appearing in their 5th straight tournament.
St. Peter is making its 7th appearance but its 1st since 2011. Holy Family is here for just the 2nd time and Proctor for just the 3rd.
So, that's the history lesson. Meanwhile, the reality is that four of them were #1 section seeds and they're seeded #1 (Roseau), #2 (Holy Family), #3 (Minnehaha) and #5 (Proctor). #4 Caledonia and unseeded Redwood were #2s and unseeded St. Peter and Albany were #4s.
So, Roseau and Minnehaha have both history and reality on their side.
#1 seed Roseau 28-2 with an average margin of 79-52. They're led by sisters Kacie (a senior) and Katie (a sophomore) Borowicz. Big sister Kiley led them to that 2017 title. All three were or are top 7 or 8 in their class. Last year in the state tournament they outran the runningest team of all, Maranatha, 78-66, in the semis, and they'll be looking to run again in 2019.
#3 Minnehaha 22-6 got off to a slow (3-5) start, but went 19-1 after that. They're led by junior guard Mia Curtis and senior forwards Nevaeh Gallaway and Avery New. They gave up an average of 68 points in their losses, but they can score (65 ppg in the regular season, 67 in the sections).
#2 Holy Family 23-5 with an average margin of 60-42. More indicative of what you can expect at state, however, was their 52-38 average margin in the sections. If it's close, they'll grind it out behind big, strong 6-0 senior point guard Leigh Steiner.
#4 Caledonia 24-4 and 64-48, is led by guard Katie Tornstrom, a Moorhead State recruit. They can win either way. In their last 2 section games they defeated Lourdes 74-64 and Cotter 49-39.
#5 Proctor 24-6 and 58-44. They gave up just 39 ppg in the sections and they''ll grind it out at state.
Unseeded St. Peter 16-10 and 53-48 is a dark horse at best after surprising unbeaten Medford and then Jordan in the section.
Unseeded Redwood Valley 19-8 and 59-56 surprising Eden Valley Watkins in the section final 62-58. They started 4-3 then won 5 straight, including 2 in OT, to get their season on the right track. But then they finished 6-5 before really putting it together in the section. They gave up 71 ppg in their losses.
Finally, unseeded Albany is just 18-10 but came out of the state's toughest section and has to be regarded as a contender. Sophomore guard Paige Meyer is the real deal. She was the best player on the floor in every section game including the big 47-41 upset of defending state champion Sauk Centre in the semis. Their average margin with just 54-48 but then 54-40 in the toughest section in the state.
The Matchups Wednesday at Williams
6 p.m. #1 Roseau 28-2 vs. Redwood Valley 19-8. Roseau is a prohibitive favorite. Roseau 71 Redwood 50.
8 p.m. #4 Caledonia 24-4 vs. #5 Proctor 24-6. Caledonia is dangerously close to being a 1-girl band but, hey, Tornstrom scores 25 ppg. Proctor relies on a more balanced attack led by guard Sam Pogatchnik with 15 ppg while 5 other girls score from 6 to 9 ppg. Proctor 53 Caledonia 52.
Wednesday at the Pavilion
6 p.m. #2 Holy Family 23-5 vs Albany 18-10. The Fire is too big and too strong and too experienced for Albany and even for guard Paige Meyer. Holy Family 50 Albany 47.
8 p.m. #3 Minnehaha 22-6 vs. St. Peter 16-10. The RedHawks are not gonna lose this game. Minnehaha 60 St. Peter 43.
Consolation Semi-Finals Thursday at Concordia St. Paul
6 p.m. Caledonia 62 Redwood 53.
8 p.m. Albany 50 St. Peter 43.
Championship Semi-Finals Friday at Williams
6 p.m. Roseau 66 Proctor 54.
8 p.m. Holy Family 52 Minnehaha 49.
Consolation Final Friday at Concordia St. Paul
2 p.m. Albany 60 Caledonia 58.
3rd Place Saturday at Concordia St. Paul
1 p.m. Minnehaha 58 Proctor 51.
Championship Final Saturday at Williams
2 p.m. Roseau 59 Holy Family 53.
All-Tournament Team
Roseau--Kacie Borowicz, Katie Borowicz, Julia Braaten
Holy Family--Leigh Steiner, Julia Geurs
Minnehaha--Mia Curtis, Nevaeh Gallaway
Proctor--Sam Pogatchnik
Albany--Paige Meyer
Caledonia--Katie Tornstrom
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