In Class A we had 3 section champions crowned on Thursday night. Blooming Prairie beat Hayfield 59-51 in 1A to win just their 2nd state tournament berth ever and 1st since 1966. Perennial power and 5 time champion Southwest Minnesota Christian beat Central Minnesota Christian 71-64 in 2A. And in 6A defending state champ and #1 rated Henning beat West Central 57-45 to return to the tournament for just the 4th time.
So here are all of the tournament entries in our fantasy version of the 2020 Class A boys tournament.
Section 1A--Blooming Prairie 25-3 #8 QRF
Section 2A--We had 2 upsets in this loaded section on Monday night. #6 QRF New Ulm Cathedral beat #1 BOLD 82-68, and #5 Springfield beat #4 Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 70-66. So the section final Friday night had Cathedral (26-3) and Springfield (also 26-3 and the defending section champion). I have Springfield repeating over Cathedral 70-69 and now with a record of 27-3.
Section 3A--Southwest MN Christian 29-0 but only #9QRF!?
Section 4A--CHOF vs. Legacy was the final. Legacy 64-63 to advance at 25-4 and #16 QRF.
Section 5A--Nevis plays 14-14 Hinckley-Finlayson in the final. Nevis 77 Hinckley 41.
Section 6A--Henning 29-1 #3 QRF. BOLD gave Henning its only loss.
Section 7A--Nashwauk-Keewatin beats 3-time defending champion North Woods 73-68 to advance at 25-4 and #11 QRF.
Section 8A--Ada defeats Class Lake 76-62 to repeat as section champ. They're 28-1 and #2QRF.
The Seeds and Matchups
1. Henning draws Legacy. Last year Henning rode roughshod over everybody, forcing turnovers by the bushel basket. But that was mostly guard Sam Fisher, who is now gone. But, Henning remains very quick, maybe not as explosive but with more depth than a year ago. Senior guards Peter Frakl, Blaine Wellevand and Isaac Fisher lead the way but, hey, forward Brandon Trana, who scored 5 ppg in the regular season, scored 19 in a section game. Lots of weapons.
2. Ada draws Nash-Kee. Contrary to popular opinion, Ada is not a one-man band, but Mason Miller is one big, big man and scores 21 ppg. But, 6-0 guard Preston Gwin adds 18. Like Henning, they've got just one loss. Henning lost to BOLD, Ada lost to...Henning. 4 guys scored in double figures for Nash-Kee, so they're no pushover.
3. Southwest Christian draws Nevis. How does a 5-time state champion go undefeated and finish #9 in QRF. Wow. But, OK, they only played one ranked team all year, that being Central MN Christian. They won both times. 6 guys averaged in double figures for Southwest Christian. Absolutely a threat. Meanwhile, Nevis had 4 guys in double figures led by Eddie Kramer at 21.
4. Blooming Prairie plays Springfield. High scoring Isaac Fink is gone for Springfield, but Decker Scheffler assumed the mantle, scoring 28 ppg, while Mitch Buerkle added 20.
5. Springfield
X. Legacy Christian
X. Nash-Kee
X. Nevis
1st Round
Henning 80 Legacy 56
Ada 70 Nash-Kee 67
Southwest Christian 71 Nevis 58
Springfield 65 Blooming Prairie 62
Semis
Nash-Kee and Blooming Prairie advance in the consolation bracket.
Henning 70 Ada 64
Southwest Christian 70 Springfield 69
Finals
5th--Blooming Prairie 63 Nash-Kee 61
3rd--Springfield 70 Ada 69
Championship Henning 69 Southwest Christian 63. Henning repeats.
All-Tournament
Peter Frakl, Blaine Wellevand and Isaac Fisher--Henning
Cade Fey, Avery Pater--Southwest Christian
Decker Scheffler--Springfield
Mason Miller--Ada
Gabe Hagen--Blooming Prairie
Jager Nash--Nash-Kee
Eddie Kramer--Nevis
No comments:
Post a Comment