Girls Section Preview Class A and AA

Time flies when you're having fun, and suddenly the Class A and AA sections are moving right along. Some of the favorites have already been sent home. Here's what's going to happen beginning tonight.

Class A

Section 1 It's already down to the #1 seed Blooming Prairie, #2 Fillmore Central, #4 Hayfield and #6 Grand Meadow. Grand Meadow was supposed to win this thing a year ago. They've still got Riley Queensland who has scored 23 points in 2 section games. Their game against Fillmore is a tossup. But, the section champ will come out of the other bracket and that's a tossup, too. The Blossoms beat Hayfield twice by 2 and 5 points. Three on a match? No, I like Blooming Prairie with Megan Oswald and Julia Worke.

Section 2 Here 8 teams remain. The upper bracket is tough. The #1 and #2 seeds could both lose. Of course, they could both win. But, I like #4 BOLD and #3 Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart. And that's just the upper bracket. I like #1 Waterville-Elysian-Morristown in the lower bracket. In the end, it's hard not to like BOLD despite their #4 seed. They've lost just twice to Class A opponents including Minneota and they are the defending section champ. Still, Waterville EM is very good, too.

Section 3 They're down to the semis with #1 Minneota vs. #2 Lakeview and #1 Hills Beaver Creek vs. #2 Southwest MN Christian. The second game is a tossup, the first one is not. If everybody is healthy, Minneota is not gonna lose.

Section 4 OK, here you've got 16 teams still playing including #1 Mayer Lutheran and #2 Heritage. Mayer started 15-2 and finished 6-3 but they've beaten Heritage and a bunch of AAs. Heritage is 19-7 with 10 straight wins after the Mayer loss until they finished with losses to Mt. Iron-Buhl and Cherry. This is a tossup with the final on a neutral court.

Section 5 Eight teams remain. Walker-Hack-Akeley is 25-2 with losses only to Roseau and Pine River-Backus, whom they beat by 2 in a rematch. PRB finished with 10 losses, as did Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, but both are a threat. But WHA is certainly the fave.

Section 6 Tough, tough section. Toughest Class A section, so much so that perennial section champ Ada-Borup is 15-8 and seeded #4. They're a threat but not a favorite, not against #1 Henning in the semi, assuming both get there. In the lower bracket I like #3 Park Christian and Karley Motschenbacher but obviously somebody thinks that #2 Underwood is better. But, Henning is 24-2 and the obvious favorite.

Section 7 Can Cromwell or anybody finally beat Mt. Iron-Buhl after 9 straight MIB state tournaments? Cromwell has already done so, but they did it last year too and faltered in the section. And, Cherry is a threat. I like that #1 Cromwell has the easier path, but I'll still go with MIB beating Cherry and Cromwell.

Section 8 All 16 teams remain in what is the most wide open Class A section. In the north, Fosston is #1 and defending section champ Red Lake is #3. In the south, Warren-A-O is #1 while #2 Red Lake County Central and #3 Sacred Heart are a threat. Sacred Heart started 14-2 and finished 5-5. If everybody's healthy, I like Sacred Heart, but I don't think everybody's healthy. Red Lake started 4-8 and finished with 14 straight wins and a loss to Walker. Gotta like that if everybody's healthy and I think they are. They beat Pine River-Backus by 24. #1 Warren finished with 13 straight wins after losing to Sacred Heart by 20.

So, Red Lake, Sacred Heart or Warren. It's a tossup.

Summary of Picks and Seeds

1. Minneota beats Blooming Prairie
2. Henning beats BOLD
3. Walker beats Red Lake
4. Mayer Lutheran beats Mt. Iron
5. Mt. Iron-Buhl
X. Blooming Prairie
X. BOLD
X. Red Lake

In the semis, Minneota and Henning win and in the final Minneota repeats as Class A champion. All according to Hoyle.


Class AA

Section 1 Lake City and Winona Cotter have already been bounced, so its Rochester Lourdes vs. Stewartville and Goodhue vs. Dover-Eyota. Lourdes and Goodhue should advance and, then,  like Goodhue and its always stout defense. They're unsung, they're new to AA, they're #3 but they're 23-3.

Section 2 There are a bunch of good teams in 2AA but Belle Plaine has the upside to be, well, very good. Gus Boyer did not play for Waseca in their 1st round game.

Section 3 New London Spicer is a heavy fave. Only #2N Eden Valley Watkins has much chance to derail the Wildcat Express.

Section 4 Concordia has been playing well though they're only #3. Still, they're the only team with a chance of knocking off perennial state tournament entry and defending state champ Minnehaha. They (Concordia) started 1-8, losing to Minnehaha by 9, and finished 16-1. But, Grace Pelzer did not play in the final regular season game. Minnehaha was up and down. But, they certainly have a history of rising to the occasion.

Section 5 is wide open. Providence is #1 and Watertown-Mayer #2 and, well, I guess it's not that wide open because one of them will win it. Providence beat WM easily but that was in November. WM finished 9-2, Prov 10-1 .

Section 6 Toughest AA section with Albany #1, Sauk Centre #2, Pine City #3, Royalton #4, Holdingford #5. #4-#5 is a tossup, the other 3 faves should advance, and Albany has the advantage of not playing 2 of the top 3, and Pine City just lost to Sauk at home. So it looks like a repeat of last year's semi-final in which Albany shocked Sauk 47-41. This time, I think Sauk will win.

Section 7 Another very tough section, at least at the top, with Proctor, Duluth Marshall and Mesabi East. They've also got some very top talent including Ava Hill of Mesabi, and Gianna Kneepkens and Grace Kirk of Marshall. But Proctor is the deepest team and so they're #1 in the north while Marshall and Mesabi are #2 and #3 to Esko's #1 in the south for some reason. The Marshall-Mesabi game, if it happens, will be in a section QF and will be the best game. But, Proctor has by far the easier path playing in the north, though they're located in the south. I don't get these brackets at all.

Section 8 Roseau will probably not return this year. Hawley and Fergus Falls have the #1 seeds while Roseau and unbeaten Pelican Rapids are #2.

Summary of Picks and Seeds

1. Sauk Centre beats Belle Plaine
2. Fergus Falls sneaks by Minnehaha
3. New London-Spicer beats Providence
4. Goodhue beats Proctor
5. Proctor
X. Belle Plaine
X. Minnehaha
X. Providence

I'm not sure Sauk Centre beats Goodhue, this would be a highly competitive game.
New London-Spicer beats Fergus.
Then in the final New London-Spicer surprises Sauk or Goodhue.