It seems like yesterday that I watched 15-20 games at Hamline and the Breakdown Tip-Off but, no, it wasn't yesterday. And, now, there are already girls teams that have packed up their uniforms and called it a year. But, for most, sections get underway this week. Here's what's gonna happen in Class AAAA and Class AAA.
Class AAAA
Section 1 Farmington (24-2) flubbed its big chance last year in the section final to Lakeville North. But, North has moved to Section 3, so now Rochester Mayo (21-4), probably the biggest surprise team in the state in any section, is the Tigers biggest challenger. Still, Farmington is a prohibitive favorite.
Section 2 looked to be wide open last fall but Chaska (22-4) has pulled away from Eden Prairie (15-11) as the obvious favorite. While it's hard to count EP out, Chaska should win.
Section 3 Rosemount (22-4), Lakeville North (15-10) and Eastview also looked pretty even last fall but a late-season 59-47 win over North makes Rosemount the favorite. Still, don't let North's record fool you. They had some injuries and played well down the stretch.
Section 4 Stillwater (20-5) is a heavy favorite here.
Section 5 This will be exciting. Park Center (22-4) is the #1 seed with Centennial (19-7) at #2. But, Spring Lake Park (19-7), who beat Park Center in the sections last year, beat the Pirates again last week. They're only seeded #4 but they've shown that anything can happen.
Section 6 Hopkins (25-0) would be favored in any event but with Jenna Johnson out, Wayzata's (22-4) hill got a lot steeper.
Section 7 QRF has Andover (16-10) #1, Blaine (17-9) #2 and Forest Lake (18-8) #3. That seems backwards.
Section 8 Here, QRF has Maple Grove (21-5) at #1 and St. Michael-Albertville (17-8) #2, but here it was a coach's vote and St. Michael got the nod based on a 58-38 win over the Crimson.
So in case we've been ambiguous, here are our predictions including seeds.
#1 Hopkins over Forest Lake
#2 Farmington avenges last year's section loss to Lakeville North
#3 Park Center vs. Stillwater--a great game, I like Stillwater
#4 Chaska beat #5 St. Michael-Albertville 3 weeks ago, two on a match?
Hopkins over St. Michael for the 3rd time
Farmington over Stillwater for the 2nd time
Hopkins over Farmington for the 2nd time
Class AAA
Section 1 Austin (20-6) has slipped a little bit with some injuries, and Red Wing (24-2) is a solid fave.
Section 2 Marshall (25-0), Mankato West (19-7) and Waconia (16-10) started out looking pretty even. Not anymore, though it's true that Waconia plays a killer schedule and Marshall only beat them 79-75 at home. And Jordyn Hilgemann didn't play against Waseca....
Section 3 Simley (24-2) has pulled ahead of St. Paul Como (20-4) as the fave. St. Croix Lutheran (19-7) lost Clara Avery and lacks the depth for an extended run.
Section 4 DeLaSalle (21-4) is a big favorite.
Section 5 Becker (24-2) is also a big favorite.
Section 6 And Holy Angels (19-6) is a solid fave, too.
Section 7 Hermantown (23-3) is another big favorite.
Section 8 Alexandria (19-7) will have to get by Bemidji (17-8).
And, so, the picks and seeds are:
#1 DeLaSalle over Alexandria
#2 Becker over Hermantown
#3 Marshall (if Hilgemann is healthy, otherwise Waconia who would not get a seed and Simley and Red Wing and Holy Angels would move up but for now Marshall) vs. Holy Angels is a repeat of a 2016 state tournament matchup in which Holy Angels upset Marshall, then went on to win a surprise state title. Here I'll take Holy Angels again.
#4 Simley over #5 Red Wing. Simley is a great defensive team.
Simley surprises DeLaSalle
Holy Angels surprises Becker
Simley defeats Holy Angels
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete