Well, that's different. For the first time in 108 years of state tournament basketball, there will be no finals and no champion decided on the floor. Hopkins coach Brian Cosgriff asked, this morning, speaking rhetorically, I think, "So, what are they going to do? Have co-champions?" I don't know. But, the fact is that people are going to have an opinion as to who the champion is or who the best team is....
And, in Class AAAA, it's obviously Hopkins. They 31-0, #1 in QRF, and ran roughshod over Stillwater in the semis 66-40. They've got the state's best player and its soon-to-be best player in sophomore post Maya Nnaji. It will be interesting to see how Sunny Agara and Taylor Woodson develop. They're already awesome athletes with some excellent skills, and other areas not quite as excellent but, hey, they're freshmen.
So, here's the rest of the top 10.
2. Farmington 29-2, with a 2nd-best 8-2 record and 67-62 scoring edge vs. the top 13 teams. And, they did it with point guard Molly Mogenson hurt the last 5-6 weeks and Paige Kindseth out for a goodly portion of the last month. A 19-point win over St. Michael-Albertville speaks volumes.
3. Wayzata 24-5, 7-5 and 70-69 vs. the top 13, and they lost Jenna Johnson for the last month of the season. 3 of their losses came to Hopkins, by just 10 points in the section final.
4. St. Michael-Albertville was 20-9 overall, but 5-8 against the top 13 and 15-1 against the rest. They played Hopkins pretty tough a couple of times.
5. Stillwater 24-6, but just 1-4 against top 13 teams. But, they hammered Park Center by 30 when it really counted.
6. Park Center was 26-5 and 6-3 against the top 13. They lost T'Naye Griffin to injury for the last 6 weeks and fared pretty well without her. She was cleared to come back in the sectional semi-final. Coach Barb Metcalf decided not to play her. One opposed NWSC coach said they were much better without her. Griffin quit the team, and this was just one week before state. The drama obviously got to them and they lost to Stillwater 82-52. But, they were 3rd best against the top 13 at 6-3.
7. Eden Prairie was just 18-11 but played Hopkins, Wayzata and St. Michael twice each in the Lake Conference. They were 5-10 against the top 13.
8. Chaska had a great season at 24-5 and 3-4 vs. the top 13, but got knocked off by Eden Prairie 70-56 in the section final.
9. Maple Grove 23-6 and 3-5 vs. the top 13. Lost to St. Michael by 18in the sections.
10. Lakeville North beat Rosemount in the section. They were a respectable 4-7 against top 13 teams.
Honorable Mention--Cambridge-Isanti made it to state. That's what it's all about. Rochester Mayo lost to Farmington by 2 and is for sure the most-improved team in the state regardless of class. Rosemount had a great season but just 2-5 against the top 13.
Class AAAA Player of the Year is of course Paige Bueckers. The rest of the Big 5 are Adalia Mackenzie, Park Center; Kenzie Kramer, St. Michael; Lauren Jensen, Lakeville North; and Maya Nnaji, Hopkins.
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Day 1 Girls State Tournament: Class AA
The big news in Class AA was upset, upset, upset. #1 seed Rochester Lourdes defeated unseeded Concordia 71-55. But then #5 Waseca throttled #4 and undefeated Pelican Rapids 38-22. Unseeded Providence shocked #2 Sauk Centre 47-42. And unseeded Duluth Marshall came from behind to defeat #3 (and my pick to win it all) New London-Spicer 60-56.
It was a crazy evening, and it was during the Class AA games that the news came about the NBA suspending its season and the NCAA playing its tournament in empty halls. I asked an MSHSL staffer if they would be playing tomorrow (today) and the answer was, "So far."
Lourdes 71 Concordia 55
Lourdes was never in any danger, leading 39-26 at the half. Concordia made a run in the 2nd half but Lourdes then pulled away again. Lourdes took the early leads of 12-6 and 23-11, as Alyssa Ustby scored the first 5 points and 18 in the first half. Caroline Adamson scored 6 in a row to make it 16-6, and finished with 11 in the half. Concordia got within 48-40 in the second half, but no closer.
The points in the paint were 40-18, and Lourdes shot 50 percent despite making just 3-of-19 3s. They made a crazy 24-of-35 2s. Ustby finished with 25, Adamson 23, and Ivane Tensaie of Concordia 19.
Providence 47 Sauk Centre 42
Sauk Centre led Providence 20-14 at the half as Sauk shot 21 percent, Providence 14. In the second half, Sauk shot 23 while Providence founds it rhythm, shooting 46 percent and pulling away for the win.
Providence had its first lead of the 2nd half at 22-21, while Sauk had its final lead at 23-22. A 16-5 run over the next 5 minutes made it 38-28 Providence at 8:20, as freshman Kyra Miller scored a 3 and a pair of 2s. Sauk got within 39-33 at 6 minutes, but Grace Counts hit 3 buckets to make it 45-35 with 2:26 to go. Still Sauk rallied, but another Miller bucket with 23 ticks left on the clock made it 47-42 to ice it for the Lions.
Miller scored 14, Counts 12 and point guard Hailey Hohenecker provided 11 and lots of glue. These three shot 14-for-42 for Providence, everybody else was 3-of-13. Tori Peschel and Michaela Dammann scored 14 each for Sauk and added 30 rebounds between them. They shot 9-of-24. Everybody else was 4-for-36.
Waseca 38 Pelican Rapids 22
Waseca put on a defensive clinic, holding unbeaten Pelican Rapids to 7-of-35 shooting. Waseca wasn't much better and led 8-7 with 3 minutes left in the 1st half. They pulled away from a 16-15 lead early in the 2nd half, outscoring the Vikings 22-7 the rest of the way. Hannah Potter scored 12 for Waseca on 4-of-11 3s. She did not shoot a 2.
Waseca was playing without their best player, guard Gus Boyer, who appears to be out for the duration.
Duluth Marshall 60 New London-Spicer 56
Like the Sauk-Providence game, both teams shot poorly in the 1st half--NLS 28 percent, Marshall 20 percent--and NLS took a 26-21 lead. Points in the paint were 10-2, 2nd chance points 11-2 NLS as the 3 Wildcats bigs scored just 8 points but also grabbed 15 boards. Mackenzie Rich added a pair of 3s, including one that opened the scoring and set a tone as Marshall never led in the 1st half.
But, Marshall caught up right away at 26 to open the 2nd half. NLS went back up by 9 at 41-32 at 11 minutes. From there, Marshall made 9-of-13 shots (they were 8-of-35 previously). They caught up again at 45-all, went ahead 47-45 and never trailed. It was a one-possession game for all but 21 seconds of the final 3:13 but after leading 41-32 NLS made 3-of-14 shots.
Wing Giana Kneepkens and point guard Grace Kirk combined for 51 points on 15-of-40 shooting for Marshall. They were 5-of-22 in the 1st half and 10-of-18 in the 2nd. Merlea Mrozik added 9, including a big 3 to open the 2nd half. If you want to check your math, you'll see that those 3 accounted for all 60 Marshall points. Everybody else was 0-for-2. Emma Hanson, Mackenzie Rich and Payton Mages scored in double figures for the Wildcats but even they shot 5-of-19 in the 2nd half.
Top Performers in AA
Center--Michaela Dammann, Sauk, 6-1, junior, 14 pst, 17 reb
Forward--Rachel Breck, Waseca, 6-0, senior, 6 points, 9 reb
Wing--Alyssa Ustby, Lourdes, 6-2, senior, 25 points
Point Guard--Grace Kirk, Marshall, 5-5, senior, 25 points
Shooting Guard--Gianna Kneepkens, Marshall, 5-11, junior, 26 points, 15 reb
Looking Ahead
For those who assume that the 3 upsets clear the path for Lourdes, consider that Lourdes lost to Waseca at home 64-59. If anybody can derail Ustby, it is the Bluejays. Still I'll go with Lourdes 52-48.
In the second semi, I'll take Duluth Marshall 58 Providence 57.
In the final Lourdes 63 Marshall 61.
It was a crazy evening, and it was during the Class AA games that the news came about the NBA suspending its season and the NCAA playing its tournament in empty halls. I asked an MSHSL staffer if they would be playing tomorrow (today) and the answer was, "So far."
Lourdes 71 Concordia 55
Lourdes was never in any danger, leading 39-26 at the half. Concordia made a run in the 2nd half but Lourdes then pulled away again. Lourdes took the early leads of 12-6 and 23-11, as Alyssa Ustby scored the first 5 points and 18 in the first half. Caroline Adamson scored 6 in a row to make it 16-6, and finished with 11 in the half. Concordia got within 48-40 in the second half, but no closer.
The points in the paint were 40-18, and Lourdes shot 50 percent despite making just 3-of-19 3s. They made a crazy 24-of-35 2s. Ustby finished with 25, Adamson 23, and Ivane Tensaie of Concordia 19.
Providence 47 Sauk Centre 42
Sauk Centre led Providence 20-14 at the half as Sauk shot 21 percent, Providence 14. In the second half, Sauk shot 23 while Providence founds it rhythm, shooting 46 percent and pulling away for the win.
Providence had its first lead of the 2nd half at 22-21, while Sauk had its final lead at 23-22. A 16-5 run over the next 5 minutes made it 38-28 Providence at 8:20, as freshman Kyra Miller scored a 3 and a pair of 2s. Sauk got within 39-33 at 6 minutes, but Grace Counts hit 3 buckets to make it 45-35 with 2:26 to go. Still Sauk rallied, but another Miller bucket with 23 ticks left on the clock made it 47-42 to ice it for the Lions.
Miller scored 14, Counts 12 and point guard Hailey Hohenecker provided 11 and lots of glue. These three shot 14-for-42 for Providence, everybody else was 3-of-13. Tori Peschel and Michaela Dammann scored 14 each for Sauk and added 30 rebounds between them. They shot 9-of-24. Everybody else was 4-for-36.
Waseca 38 Pelican Rapids 22
Waseca put on a defensive clinic, holding unbeaten Pelican Rapids to 7-of-35 shooting. Waseca wasn't much better and led 8-7 with 3 minutes left in the 1st half. They pulled away from a 16-15 lead early in the 2nd half, outscoring the Vikings 22-7 the rest of the way. Hannah Potter scored 12 for Waseca on 4-of-11 3s. She did not shoot a 2.
Waseca was playing without their best player, guard Gus Boyer, who appears to be out for the duration.
Duluth Marshall 60 New London-Spicer 56
Like the Sauk-Providence game, both teams shot poorly in the 1st half--NLS 28 percent, Marshall 20 percent--and NLS took a 26-21 lead. Points in the paint were 10-2, 2nd chance points 11-2 NLS as the 3 Wildcats bigs scored just 8 points but also grabbed 15 boards. Mackenzie Rich added a pair of 3s, including one that opened the scoring and set a tone as Marshall never led in the 1st half.
But, Marshall caught up right away at 26 to open the 2nd half. NLS went back up by 9 at 41-32 at 11 minutes. From there, Marshall made 9-of-13 shots (they were 8-of-35 previously). They caught up again at 45-all, went ahead 47-45 and never trailed. It was a one-possession game for all but 21 seconds of the final 3:13 but after leading 41-32 NLS made 3-of-14 shots.
Wing Giana Kneepkens and point guard Grace Kirk combined for 51 points on 15-of-40 shooting for Marshall. They were 5-of-22 in the 1st half and 10-of-18 in the 2nd. Merlea Mrozik added 9, including a big 3 to open the 2nd half. If you want to check your math, you'll see that those 3 accounted for all 60 Marshall points. Everybody else was 0-for-2. Emma Hanson, Mackenzie Rich and Payton Mages scored in double figures for the Wildcats but even they shot 5-of-19 in the 2nd half.
Top Performers in AA
Center--Michaela Dammann, Sauk, 6-1, junior, 14 pst, 17 reb
Forward--Rachel Breck, Waseca, 6-0, senior, 6 points, 9 reb
Wing--Alyssa Ustby, Lourdes, 6-2, senior, 25 points
Point Guard--Grace Kirk, Marshall, 5-5, senior, 25 points
Shooting Guard--Gianna Kneepkens, Marshall, 5-11, junior, 26 points, 15 reb
Looking Ahead
For those who assume that the 3 upsets clear the path for Lourdes, consider that Lourdes lost to Waseca at home 64-59. If anybody can derail Ustby, it is the Bluejays. Still I'll go with Lourdes 52-48.
In the second semi, I'll take Duluth Marshall 58 Providence 57.
In the final Lourdes 63 Marshall 61.
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Day 1 Girls State Tournament: Class AAA
The QF in Class AAA are done and I'm sorry to say that tomorrow will be the finals and the 3rd place game, instead of Saturday as previously scheduled. DeLaSalle and Simley won the first 2 games and they will play for the state title tomorrow (Thursday) at noon. This is Ali-Frazier stuff. Meanwhile, at 2 p.m. Becker and Waconia will play for 3rd--well, OK, 2nd.
I'm sorry if this sounds harsh. But, the seeds this year set all of this up. The heavyweights all ended up in the upper bracket. Simley and Holy Angels should have been #2 and #3, not #4 and #5. They should be playing in a semi, not the 1st round. But, anyway.
Game 1
Hermantown stayed closer than expected for awhile. They were down 29-27 late in the 1st half. It was 38-29 at the half. But, the 2nd half was all De and it ended up 85-52. It was closer than that but that isn't saying a whole lot, I know. Hermantown had a couple of nice players--senior guard Ava Asgard, who scored 15, and junior 6-0 forward Elly Schmitz, who scored 16.
But DLS, well they've got 7 or 8 or 9 nice players. The best is sophomore guard Kiani Lockett, a glue-type player who can also score 19 point against state tournament competition (with 8 assists). Senior post Nurjei Weems is a handful, and sophomore guard Sydney Runsewe is, too. They each scored 20. De made 13-of-23 3s and 14-of-27 2s, and turned it over just 10 times. Tough.
Game 2
Simley beat Holy Angels in what should have been a semi-final. Simley led 33-30 at the half. Holy Angels took leads of 41-40 and 44-42 but Simley scored the next 10. Champ Danso scored down low, then the Spartans scored in transition 4 times, with Ravyn Miles, Danso, Miles and Ysareia Chèvre doing the honors. The Stars got within 5 3 times, but Simley had too many weapons, moved and shared the ball really well, got really good shots, and made 'em, 7 in a row, 8-of-11 and 11-of 14 down the stretch. For the day, they made 27-of-49 and all 5 starters scored in double figures.
Meanwhile, Simley was able to defend Holy Angels mid-range game (Frankie Vascellero and Grace Massaquoi) who shot 8-of-24 between them. The final was 70-62.
Game 3
Unseeded Alexandria trailed #2 Becker 29-27 at the half, but heading into the stretch Alex was up 45-43 and coach Wendy Kohler thought she had Becker where she wanted them. But a couple of late 3s put Becker ahead 51-45. From there, Alex shot 4-of-12 with 2 turnover while Becker made 15-of-18 FT. Becker won 63-55.
Ella Grove had 21 for Alex playing on a sprained ankle, while Julia Bengtson led Becker with 16.
Game 4
Finally, unseeded Waconia needed OT but beat #3 Red Wing 52-45. It was 37-all at the end of regulation as both teams struggled offensively, shooting around 25 percent. In OT, Waconia's Addy Salzer hit a 3 and 4-for-4 FT to put it away.
Tomorrow, Tomorrow
As I saids, the upper bracket is where the power is. I still like Simley. They moved the ball so well today, got such good shots, and made 'em, that I think they can repeat that performance even against the Islanders. Sub-plot: The Islanders Runsewe and I'Tianna Salaam transferred from Simley to De after their 8th grade seasons. Simley by 3.
In the lower bracket, hopefully somebody will bring their shooting touch with them tomorrow. Whoever does that will win. More likely Becker than Waconia, but it's almost a toss-up. Becker by 4.
I'm sorry if this sounds harsh. But, the seeds this year set all of this up. The heavyweights all ended up in the upper bracket. Simley and Holy Angels should have been #2 and #3, not #4 and #5. They should be playing in a semi, not the 1st round. But, anyway.
Game 1
Hermantown stayed closer than expected for awhile. They were down 29-27 late in the 1st half. It was 38-29 at the half. But, the 2nd half was all De and it ended up 85-52. It was closer than that but that isn't saying a whole lot, I know. Hermantown had a couple of nice players--senior guard Ava Asgard, who scored 15, and junior 6-0 forward Elly Schmitz, who scored 16.
But DLS, well they've got 7 or 8 or 9 nice players. The best is sophomore guard Kiani Lockett, a glue-type player who can also score 19 point against state tournament competition (with 8 assists). Senior post Nurjei Weems is a handful, and sophomore guard Sydney Runsewe is, too. They each scored 20. De made 13-of-23 3s and 14-of-27 2s, and turned it over just 10 times. Tough.
Game 2
Simley beat Holy Angels in what should have been a semi-final. Simley led 33-30 at the half. Holy Angels took leads of 41-40 and 44-42 but Simley scored the next 10. Champ Danso scored down low, then the Spartans scored in transition 4 times, with Ravyn Miles, Danso, Miles and Ysareia Chèvre doing the honors. The Stars got within 5 3 times, but Simley had too many weapons, moved and shared the ball really well, got really good shots, and made 'em, 7 in a row, 8-of-11 and 11-of 14 down the stretch. For the day, they made 27-of-49 and all 5 starters scored in double figures.
Meanwhile, Simley was able to defend Holy Angels mid-range game (Frankie Vascellero and Grace Massaquoi) who shot 8-of-24 between them. The final was 70-62.
Game 3
Unseeded Alexandria trailed #2 Becker 29-27 at the half, but heading into the stretch Alex was up 45-43 and coach Wendy Kohler thought she had Becker where she wanted them. But a couple of late 3s put Becker ahead 51-45. From there, Alex shot 4-of-12 with 2 turnover while Becker made 15-of-18 FT. Becker won 63-55.
Ella Grove had 21 for Alex playing on a sprained ankle, while Julia Bengtson led Becker with 16.
Game 4
Finally, unseeded Waconia needed OT but beat #3 Red Wing 52-45. It was 37-all at the end of regulation as both teams struggled offensively, shooting around 25 percent. In OT, Waconia's Addy Salzer hit a 3 and 4-for-4 FT to put it away.
Tomorrow, Tomorrow
As I saids, the upper bracket is where the power is. I still like Simley. They moved the ball so well today, got such good shots, and made 'em, that I think they can repeat that performance even against the Islanders. Sub-plot: The Islanders Runsewe and I'Tianna Salaam transferred from Simley to De after their 8th grade seasons. Simley by 3.
In the lower bracket, hopefully somebody will bring their shooting touch with them tomorrow. Whoever does that will win. More likely Becker than Waconia, but it's almost a toss-up. Becker by 4.
Day 1 Girls State Tournament Action: Class AAAA
Class AAAA 1st round action went almost according to hoyle, and almost went all to heck. #1 Hopkins indeed defeated unseeded Cambridge-Isanti, as expected, 85-55.
• But then #5 seed Stillwater hammered #4 Park Center 82-52. That's an upset any way you look at it. It shoulda been a close game. Modesty does not prevent me from saying I had picked Stillwater, but 30 points? No way.
• Then #2 seed Farmington edged Eden Prairie 58-54 and in this case I have to admit I had also picked the upset here. So I got 2 of the 1st 3.
• #3 St. Michael-Albertville and Lakeville North are playing as we speak. St. Michael has the early lead and it will be a big surprise if St. Michael doesn't win. These 2 teams were scheduled to play January 18 at the Hall of Fame Winter Classic, but the game was snowed out and was not rescheduled. Lakeville North declined to play on January 25 because they had too many games right around that.
Hopkins 85 Cambridge 55
Here the big story is Hopkins won easily despite Paige Bueckers taking 4 shots, making 3 for 7 points and adding 7 assists. She played 27 minutes, and she was out there today to make her teammates look good and, well, she sure as heck made Maya Nnaji look good. The 6-2 freshman post had 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting with 7 boards and 3 blocks.
It was 54-24 at the half. Cambridge got a tie in the 2nd half. Cambridge shot a respectable 21-of-53 and got out rebounded 37-27 and had 17 turnovers to 9 for Hopkins. There was nothing where Cambridge got totally hammered, it's just that Hopkins won every aspect by enough that the cumulative effect was a blowout.
Stillwater 82 Park Center 52
Stillwater won the rebounding battle 60-27. It might have been a case of too much drama for Park Center, or maybe it was simply a case of too much size for Stillwater. Park Center forward T'Naye Griffin has been hurt, but she was cleared to play in last week's section final. Coach Barb Metcalf decided not to play her, and she quit the team. Clearly, Park Center did not have their heads entirely into this game.
Alexis Pratt had 23 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists while Aliza Karlen scored 19 with 15 boards. Sillwater's big guns shot 17-of-34, Park's big guns--Adalia McKenzie and Lauren Frost--shot 13-for-39. 'Nuff sed.
Farmington 58 Eden Prairie 54
Finally a close game, and it was a very good game in the 1st half, which ended with Farmington up 36-31. Farmington's 6-of-10 shooing from 3-point range was the difference.
The 2nd half, on the other hand, was pretty sloppy. Farmington shot just 6-of-18. After leading 50-42 at 6:30, they made just 1-of-3 FG and 6-of-11 FT, and they turned it over 4 times, so EP was able to hang around. Destinee Bursch, who led EP with 19 points, got the Eagles within 55-54 at one minutes with a steal-and-2 but missed a potential tying FT. They had two chances to tie, but never scored again.
The rebounds were 41-24 Farmington, with Sophie Hart getting 16. But the Tigers turned it over 18 times and missed 7 FT. Peyton Blandin was solid offensively, however, with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3-for-3 3s, and 3-for-4 FT.
St. Michael 45 Lakeville North 25 (half)
Kenzie Kramer scored 18 1st half points as St. Michael threatened to make the 4th game into the 3rd blowout.
Looking Ahead
It will be Hopkins vs. St. Michael. Trust me.
• But then #5 seed Stillwater hammered #4 Park Center 82-52. That's an upset any way you look at it. It shoulda been a close game. Modesty does not prevent me from saying I had picked Stillwater, but 30 points? No way.
• Then #2 seed Farmington edged Eden Prairie 58-54 and in this case I have to admit I had also picked the upset here. So I got 2 of the 1st 3.
• #3 St. Michael-Albertville and Lakeville North are playing as we speak. St. Michael has the early lead and it will be a big surprise if St. Michael doesn't win. These 2 teams were scheduled to play January 18 at the Hall of Fame Winter Classic, but the game was snowed out and was not rescheduled. Lakeville North declined to play on January 25 because they had too many games right around that.
Hopkins 85 Cambridge 55
Here the big story is Hopkins won easily despite Paige Bueckers taking 4 shots, making 3 for 7 points and adding 7 assists. She played 27 minutes, and she was out there today to make her teammates look good and, well, she sure as heck made Maya Nnaji look good. The 6-2 freshman post had 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting with 7 boards and 3 blocks.
It was 54-24 at the half. Cambridge got a tie in the 2nd half. Cambridge shot a respectable 21-of-53 and got out rebounded 37-27 and had 17 turnovers to 9 for Hopkins. There was nothing where Cambridge got totally hammered, it's just that Hopkins won every aspect by enough that the cumulative effect was a blowout.
Stillwater 82 Park Center 52
Stillwater won the rebounding battle 60-27. It might have been a case of too much drama for Park Center, or maybe it was simply a case of too much size for Stillwater. Park Center forward T'Naye Griffin has been hurt, but she was cleared to play in last week's section final. Coach Barb Metcalf decided not to play her, and she quit the team. Clearly, Park Center did not have their heads entirely into this game.
Alexis Pratt had 23 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists while Aliza Karlen scored 19 with 15 boards. Sillwater's big guns shot 17-of-34, Park's big guns--Adalia McKenzie and Lauren Frost--shot 13-for-39. 'Nuff sed.
Farmington 58 Eden Prairie 54
Finally a close game, and it was a very good game in the 1st half, which ended with Farmington up 36-31. Farmington's 6-of-10 shooing from 3-point range was the difference.
The 2nd half, on the other hand, was pretty sloppy. Farmington shot just 6-of-18. After leading 50-42 at 6:30, they made just 1-of-3 FG and 6-of-11 FT, and they turned it over 4 times, so EP was able to hang around. Destinee Bursch, who led EP with 19 points, got the Eagles within 55-54 at one minutes with a steal-and-2 but missed a potential tying FT. They had two chances to tie, but never scored again.
The rebounds were 41-24 Farmington, with Sophie Hart getting 16. But the Tigers turned it over 18 times and missed 7 FT. Peyton Blandin was solid offensively, however, with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3-for-3 3s, and 3-for-4 FT.
St. Michael 45 Lakeville North 25 (half)
Kenzie Kramer scored 18 1st half points as St. Michael threatened to make the 4th game into the 3rd blowout.
Looking Ahead
It will be Hopkins vs. St. Michael. Trust me.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Girls State Tournament Preview, Part III: Class AA
Class AA tips off tomorrow (Wed.) at 6 p.m. with 2 games at the Pav and 2 at Williams. Here's what's gonna happen.
Seeds
The 5 seeds are 1) Rochester Lourdes, 2) Sauk Centre, 3) New London-Spicer, 4) Pelican Rapids and 5) Waseca. The unseeds are Concordia, Duluth Marshall and Providence.
So, are seeds meant to reward teams for their regular season and playoff performances? Or, are they supposed to make for the best matchups and to reflect who has the best chance to win? Both, I suppose but, seriously, those are different things. And, everybody knows, well, this year in particular, everybody knows the seeds are meant to reflect something about the season prior to today rather than to try to make the best possible state tournament. Because, otherwise, why would you have semi-final games like Park Center-Stillwater and Simley-Holy Angels in the 1st round?
It's not as egregious in AA, but I would have seeded them 1) Sauk, 2) Pelican, 3) New London, 4) Lourdes and 5) Duluth Marshall if my point was to have the best possible tournament. As it is, you'll probably get my top 4 seeds in the semis anyway but Duluth Marshall and New London seem to have gotten an especially difficult draw, more so than 4 and 5.
Predictions
#1 Lourdes gets Concordia. It's not impossible that we might see an upset right away here. Providence has been playing very well since starting out 0-6 and 1-8. I mean, they're 20-9, or 19-1 in 2020. Lourdes is 16-1 in 2020. So the difference between a #1 seed and an unseed grossly exaggerates the spread between these 2 teams. Still, I like Lourdes 56-54.
#4 Pelican Rapids gets #5 Waseca. Pelican is unbeaten 29-0 and could have been as high as #1. It's true they don't play a particularly tough schedule but they did beat Fergus Falls 43-41 in the section. Waseca won at Rochester Lourdes but then lost 6 times. Still, Waseca would be favored except I don't know if Gus Boyer will be playing. If not or if she's 75 percent, Pelican is the favorite. I'll hedge my bets by calling it close, Pelican 47-46.
#2 Sauk Centre gets Providence. It would be easy to underestimate Providence with their 5 losses, but they're 16-2 in 2020. Both teams lost to Minnehaha, Sauk by 3 in 3OT at the Breakdown Tip-Off, Providence by 6 at Minnehaha. Still, the state tournament is like a home game for Sauk and I'll take the Mainstreeters 60-52.
#3 New London-Spicer gets Duluth Marshall. Now, in my book, Marshall was a seed, so this is more like a semi-final game. Duluth Marshall has 2 of the top players in AA in Gianna Kneepkens and Grace Kirk. Don't know how they left Kneepkens off the coach's all-state team. But, New London is probably the deepest team in AA while Marshall is the top-scoring team with 75 ppg. I would have liked to see them both in the semis. I do have to take New London, say, 64-57.
Semis
Pelican 52 Lourdes 49
New London 55 Sauk 52
Finals
5th--Duluth Marshall 71 Concordia 69
3rd--Sauk 55 Lourdes 54
1st--New London 50 Pelican 47
All-Tournament 5
W- Alyssa Ustby, Rochester Lourdes
W- Tori Peschel, Sauk Centre
PG- Grace Kirk, Duluth Marshall
SG- Gianna Kneepkens, Duluth Marshall
SG- Ivane Tensaie, Concordia
Second 5
F- Greta Tollefson, Pelican Rapids
F- Rachel Breck, Waseca
F- Ava Kraemer, New London-Spicer
PG- C.J. Adamson, Rochester Lourdes
SG- Mackenzie Rich, New London-Spicer
Wild Card- Gus Boyer, Waseca, PG, has been hurt. If she's healthy, Waseca could be in the final.
Seeds
The 5 seeds are 1) Rochester Lourdes, 2) Sauk Centre, 3) New London-Spicer, 4) Pelican Rapids and 5) Waseca. The unseeds are Concordia, Duluth Marshall and Providence.
So, are seeds meant to reward teams for their regular season and playoff performances? Or, are they supposed to make for the best matchups and to reflect who has the best chance to win? Both, I suppose but, seriously, those are different things. And, everybody knows, well, this year in particular, everybody knows the seeds are meant to reflect something about the season prior to today rather than to try to make the best possible state tournament. Because, otherwise, why would you have semi-final games like Park Center-Stillwater and Simley-Holy Angels in the 1st round?
It's not as egregious in AA, but I would have seeded them 1) Sauk, 2) Pelican, 3) New London, 4) Lourdes and 5) Duluth Marshall if my point was to have the best possible tournament. As it is, you'll probably get my top 4 seeds in the semis anyway but Duluth Marshall and New London seem to have gotten an especially difficult draw, more so than 4 and 5.
Predictions
#1 Lourdes gets Concordia. It's not impossible that we might see an upset right away here. Providence has been playing very well since starting out 0-6 and 1-8. I mean, they're 20-9, or 19-1 in 2020. Lourdes is 16-1 in 2020. So the difference between a #1 seed and an unseed grossly exaggerates the spread between these 2 teams. Still, I like Lourdes 56-54.
#4 Pelican Rapids gets #5 Waseca. Pelican is unbeaten 29-0 and could have been as high as #1. It's true they don't play a particularly tough schedule but they did beat Fergus Falls 43-41 in the section. Waseca won at Rochester Lourdes but then lost 6 times. Still, Waseca would be favored except I don't know if Gus Boyer will be playing. If not or if she's 75 percent, Pelican is the favorite. I'll hedge my bets by calling it close, Pelican 47-46.
#2 Sauk Centre gets Providence. It would be easy to underestimate Providence with their 5 losses, but they're 16-2 in 2020. Both teams lost to Minnehaha, Sauk by 3 in 3OT at the Breakdown Tip-Off, Providence by 6 at Minnehaha. Still, the state tournament is like a home game for Sauk and I'll take the Mainstreeters 60-52.
#3 New London-Spicer gets Duluth Marshall. Now, in my book, Marshall was a seed, so this is more like a semi-final game. Duluth Marshall has 2 of the top players in AA in Gianna Kneepkens and Grace Kirk. Don't know how they left Kneepkens off the coach's all-state team. But, New London is probably the deepest team in AA while Marshall is the top-scoring team with 75 ppg. I would have liked to see them both in the semis. I do have to take New London, say, 64-57.
Semis
Pelican 52 Lourdes 49
New London 55 Sauk 52
Finals
5th--Duluth Marshall 71 Concordia 69
3rd--Sauk 55 Lourdes 54
1st--New London 50 Pelican 47
All-Tournament 5
W- Alyssa Ustby, Rochester Lourdes
W- Tori Peschel, Sauk Centre
PG- Grace Kirk, Duluth Marshall
SG- Gianna Kneepkens, Duluth Marshall
SG- Ivane Tensaie, Concordia
Second 5
F- Greta Tollefson, Pelican Rapids
F- Rachel Breck, Waseca
F- Ava Kraemer, New London-Spicer
PG- C.J. Adamson, Rochester Lourdes
SG- Mackenzie Rich, New London-Spicer
Wild Card- Gus Boyer, Waseca, PG, has been hurt. If she's healthy, Waseca could be in the final.
Girls State Tournament Preview, Part II: Class AAA
So, Sunny bought a house and I've spent the past 4 days filling out forms. But, state tournament previews must go on even I'm running a little late. Class AAA tips off tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Maturi Pavilion and I will be there.
DeLaSalle got the #1 seed and of course they deserve it. 24-4 with a 23 point average winning margin, a 16 game win streak and a 31 point thrashing of Hill-Murray in the section final. Nurjei Weems in the post and Kiani Lockett at the point lead the way, but if either, or even if both have an off night, there are reinforcements. They're legit.
But, they're not invincible. They might be invincible the next couple of years, so if you're going to beat DeLaSalle, do it now. And if anybody can do that, it's gonna have to be Simley. Last fall I told Kevin Anderson that St. Paul Como was going to win Section 3 and he just looked at me like I was the biggest idiot in history. He was right and I was wrong. Now, Simley is the 2nd-lowest scoring team in the field at 62 ppg, but they've given up 4 points less than anybody and 11 less than DeLaSalle. So the Islanders outscored their opponents by 23. Simley outscored their opponents by 23. Nobody plays defense like Simley.
Not only that, but with Ravyn Miles back, even (still) running at 3/4 speed, that frees everybody else up to play where they belong, and Sydney Stensgard in particular has benefitted from being able to catch and shoot, and not handle the ball too much. So if anybody's going to beat De, it's probably going to have to be Simley.
Still, Simley is the #4 seed and Becker is #2. But Simley at 27-2 played a tougher schedule than Becker at 26-2. Of course Becker outscored its opponents by 28. So they've got lots of weapons. But, we saw what happened to them against DeLaSalle in the final last year, and I don't know why things would be a whole lot different this year.
Red Wing is #3 and I'm kind of underwhelmed there.
Simley and #5 Holy Angels would beat Red Wing. Simley vs. Holy Angels should be a semi-final game. As tough as Simley is inside, the Stars Caron and Kawiecki can hang with them. Simley has an edge at the guards but a small one with Miles and Stensgard but Holy Angels has more depth, which could be a factor. In fact, guard Grace Massaquoi is perhaps the biggest surprise player of the year, any class. Then there's Ysareia Chèvre vs. Frankie Vascellero on the wing. That is the matchup of the day. This should be a great game. (Unfortunately it goes against the other best game of the day, at the same time, that is, which is the Park Center-Stillwater matchup in AAAA.
The unseeds are Alexandria, Hermantown and Waconia. Among the 3 of them, it's no secret that you don't want to play Waconia, as unbeaten Marshall found out in Section 2. As it happens #1 De gets Hermantown, #2 Becker gets Alex, and #3 Red Wing gets Waconia. That's how it ought to be, and that third game is an upset waiting to happen.
So here are the picks.
DeLaSalle 64 Hermantown 51
Simley 59 Holy Angels 57
Becker 70 Alexandria 54
Waconia 60 Red Wing 59
Simley 57 DeLaSalle 56
Becker 70 Waconia 59
Simley 63 Becker 61
3rd: DeLaSalle 78 Waconia 69
5th: Holy Angels 65 Red Wing 64
All-Tournament 5
C- Weems
F- Chevre
W- Vascellero
PG- Lockett
SG- Stensgard
2nd 5
C- Tiwaah Danso, Simley
F- Savannah White, DLS
W- Audrey Swanson, Waconia
PG- Julia Bengtson, Becker
SG- Ella Grove, Alex
DeLaSalle got the #1 seed and of course they deserve it. 24-4 with a 23 point average winning margin, a 16 game win streak and a 31 point thrashing of Hill-Murray in the section final. Nurjei Weems in the post and Kiani Lockett at the point lead the way, but if either, or even if both have an off night, there are reinforcements. They're legit.
But, they're not invincible. They might be invincible the next couple of years, so if you're going to beat DeLaSalle, do it now. And if anybody can do that, it's gonna have to be Simley. Last fall I told Kevin Anderson that St. Paul Como was going to win Section 3 and he just looked at me like I was the biggest idiot in history. He was right and I was wrong. Now, Simley is the 2nd-lowest scoring team in the field at 62 ppg, but they've given up 4 points less than anybody and 11 less than DeLaSalle. So the Islanders outscored their opponents by 23. Simley outscored their opponents by 23. Nobody plays defense like Simley.
Not only that, but with Ravyn Miles back, even (still) running at 3/4 speed, that frees everybody else up to play where they belong, and Sydney Stensgard in particular has benefitted from being able to catch and shoot, and not handle the ball too much. So if anybody's going to beat De, it's probably going to have to be Simley.
Still, Simley is the #4 seed and Becker is #2. But Simley at 27-2 played a tougher schedule than Becker at 26-2. Of course Becker outscored its opponents by 28. So they've got lots of weapons. But, we saw what happened to them against DeLaSalle in the final last year, and I don't know why things would be a whole lot different this year.
Red Wing is #3 and I'm kind of underwhelmed there.
Simley and #5 Holy Angels would beat Red Wing. Simley vs. Holy Angels should be a semi-final game. As tough as Simley is inside, the Stars Caron and Kawiecki can hang with them. Simley has an edge at the guards but a small one with Miles and Stensgard but Holy Angels has more depth, which could be a factor. In fact, guard Grace Massaquoi is perhaps the biggest surprise player of the year, any class. Then there's Ysareia Chèvre vs. Frankie Vascellero on the wing. That is the matchup of the day. This should be a great game. (Unfortunately it goes against the other best game of the day, at the same time, that is, which is the Park Center-Stillwater matchup in AAAA.
The unseeds are Alexandria, Hermantown and Waconia. Among the 3 of them, it's no secret that you don't want to play Waconia, as unbeaten Marshall found out in Section 2. As it happens #1 De gets Hermantown, #2 Becker gets Alex, and #3 Red Wing gets Waconia. That's how it ought to be, and that third game is an upset waiting to happen.
So here are the picks.
DeLaSalle 64 Hermantown 51
Simley 59 Holy Angels 57
Becker 70 Alexandria 54
Waconia 60 Red Wing 59
Simley 57 DeLaSalle 56
Becker 70 Waconia 59
Simley 63 Becker 61
3rd: DeLaSalle 78 Waconia 69
5th: Holy Angels 65 Red Wing 64
All-Tournament 5
C- Weems
F- Chevre
W- Vascellero
PG- Lockett
SG- Stensgard
2nd 5
C- Tiwaah Danso, Simley
F- Savannah White, DLS
W- Audrey Swanson, Waconia
PG- Julia Bengtson, Becker
SG- Ella Grove, Alex
Friday, March 6, 2020
Girls State Tournament Preview Part 1: Class AAAA
The girls state tournament field is set. The seeds are out tomorrow, but I'll jump the gun with this one preview at least, Class AAAA. So, here I'll not only tell you who's going to win but also what the seeds should be. Not what they will be, but what they should be. (See below for the actual seeds and some comments thereto.)
#1 Hopkins will obviously get the #1 seed at 28-0. They've not looked completely invincible lately in close wins over St. Michael-A. and Wayzata, but they're certainly #1. Their likelihood of winning has been downgraded from 100% to, oh, 98, maybe. They will score a lot of points, but they've also given up a fair number of points this year so you gotta ask yourself, who can score with Hopkins? Anybody?
Cambridge-Isanti will be unseeded and I'll just take a guess that they'll play Hopkins. They were just the #4 seed in their section, but came out of a pretty weak section.
#2 Stillwater. OK, I don't think Stillwater will get the #2 seed with their #7 QRF and 5 losses, but right now I think they should. They've been the second-best team in AAAA the past couple of weeks. They've got a lot of weapons. They've outscored their opponents by the 2nd biggest margin in AAAA at 75-48.
Eden Prairie will be unseeded and so I'll take a guess that they'll draw Stillwater. In any event, EP will be one scary unseeded team, having beaten a very good Chaska team in the 2AAAA finals and by 14 points, no less. Their size is really intimidating, and they could beat anybody including Stillwater.
#3 Park Center (25-4) scores 75 ppg, like Stillwater. I don't think they're quite as good on D as the Ponies. But a Stillwater-Park Center semi (or a Park Center-Eden Prairie semi, for that matter) would be toss-ups.
Lakeville North will be unseeded so I'll take a wild guess that they draw Park Center. Like EP, they are an unseed with a shot at a win but, sure, they're the underdog.
#4 Farmington vs.
#5 St. Michael-Albertville I would say this is a pretty good 4-5 game. It could easily be 2-3 in the semis. Farmington, in particular, with the second-best won-lost record at 27-2, could just as well be a #2 seed, but their leader and point guard Molly Mogenson is out and scorer Paige Kindseth has been hurt. So, they're not the team they were before those 2 got hurt. And, St. Michael, with guards Kenzie Kramer and Tess Johnson could hardly be more dangerous.
Semi-Finals
Hopkins 81 St. Michael-Albertville 71
Stillwater 72 Park Center 66
Finals
Hopkins 77 Stillwater 63
All-Tournament 5
C- Maya Nnaji, Hopkins
F- Adalia McKenzie, Park Center
G- Paige Bueckers, Hopkins, AAAA MVP
G- Alexis Pratt, Stillwater
G- Kenzie Kramer, St. Michael
2nd 5
C- Aliza Karlen, Stillwater
F- Nia Holloway, Eden Prairie
G- Lauren Jensen, Lakeville North
G- Lauren Frost, Park Center
G- Tess Johnson, St. Michael
Actual Seeds--just came out Saturday morning after the above was already published.
Hopkins got #1 and plays Cambridge. Fair enough.
Farmington got #2. They earned it but with the injuries they've had, they're not the 2nd best team at this point. They get Eden Prairie. That's a tough draw for both teams but for unseeded Eden Prairie, it's pretty good. They coulda gotten Hopkins. With Farmington's injuries, this is a tossup or maybe EP should even be a slight fave. Natalie Mazurek vs. Sophie Hart is huge, you could say.
St. Michael-Albertville got #3. They played a tough schedule but, still, with 8 losses, this is a pretty good seed, and they get Lakeville North, which is a favorable draw. I had them at #5 which, with the official seeds, might have gotten them Park Center or Stillwater.
I'm gonna say St. Michael gets out of this bracket to the finals for a 3rd meet up with Hopkins.
Park Center got #4, Stillwater got #5, and they got each other. This is a tough draw for both of them and this will be the best 1st round game. As you saw, I had them seeded #2 and #3. This should have been a semi-final. As you also saw, I had Stillwater 72 Park Center 66 in the semis. Now, one of them will get Hopkins in the semis.
#1 Hopkins will obviously get the #1 seed at 28-0. They've not looked completely invincible lately in close wins over St. Michael-A. and Wayzata, but they're certainly #1. Their likelihood of winning has been downgraded from 100% to, oh, 98, maybe. They will score a lot of points, but they've also given up a fair number of points this year so you gotta ask yourself, who can score with Hopkins? Anybody?
Cambridge-Isanti will be unseeded and I'll just take a guess that they'll play Hopkins. They were just the #4 seed in their section, but came out of a pretty weak section.
#2 Stillwater. OK, I don't think Stillwater will get the #2 seed with their #7 QRF and 5 losses, but right now I think they should. They've been the second-best team in AAAA the past couple of weeks. They've got a lot of weapons. They've outscored their opponents by the 2nd biggest margin in AAAA at 75-48.
Eden Prairie will be unseeded and so I'll take a guess that they'll draw Stillwater. In any event, EP will be one scary unseeded team, having beaten a very good Chaska team in the 2AAAA finals and by 14 points, no less. Their size is really intimidating, and they could beat anybody including Stillwater.
#3 Park Center (25-4) scores 75 ppg, like Stillwater. I don't think they're quite as good on D as the Ponies. But a Stillwater-Park Center semi (or a Park Center-Eden Prairie semi, for that matter) would be toss-ups.
Lakeville North will be unseeded so I'll take a wild guess that they draw Park Center. Like EP, they are an unseed with a shot at a win but, sure, they're the underdog.
#4 Farmington vs.
#5 St. Michael-Albertville I would say this is a pretty good 4-5 game. It could easily be 2-3 in the semis. Farmington, in particular, with the second-best won-lost record at 27-2, could just as well be a #2 seed, but their leader and point guard Molly Mogenson is out and scorer Paige Kindseth has been hurt. So, they're not the team they were before those 2 got hurt. And, St. Michael, with guards Kenzie Kramer and Tess Johnson could hardly be more dangerous.
Semi-Finals
Hopkins 81 St. Michael-Albertville 71
Stillwater 72 Park Center 66
Finals
Hopkins 77 Stillwater 63
All-Tournament 5
C- Maya Nnaji, Hopkins
F- Adalia McKenzie, Park Center
G- Paige Bueckers, Hopkins, AAAA MVP
G- Alexis Pratt, Stillwater
G- Kenzie Kramer, St. Michael
2nd 5
C- Aliza Karlen, Stillwater
F- Nia Holloway, Eden Prairie
G- Lauren Jensen, Lakeville North
G- Lauren Frost, Park Center
G- Tess Johnson, St. Michael
Actual Seeds--just came out Saturday morning after the above was already published.
Hopkins got #1 and plays Cambridge. Fair enough.
Farmington got #2. They earned it but with the injuries they've had, they're not the 2nd best team at this point. They get Eden Prairie. That's a tough draw for both teams but for unseeded Eden Prairie, it's pretty good. They coulda gotten Hopkins. With Farmington's injuries, this is a tossup or maybe EP should even be a slight fave. Natalie Mazurek vs. Sophie Hart is huge, you could say.
St. Michael-Albertville got #3. They played a tough schedule but, still, with 8 losses, this is a pretty good seed, and they get Lakeville North, which is a favorable draw. I had them at #5 which, with the official seeds, might have gotten them Park Center or Stillwater.
I'm gonna say St. Michael gets out of this bracket to the finals for a 3rd meet up with Hopkins.
Park Center got #4, Stillwater got #5, and they got each other. This is a tough draw for both of them and this will be the best 1st round game. As you saw, I had them seeded #2 and #3. This should have been a semi-final. As you also saw, I had Stillwater 72 Park Center 66 in the semis. Now, one of them will get Hopkins in the semis.
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