#1, #2, #3 and #4 seeds win in Class A

The Results

Red Lake got the day off to a fast-paced start, running out to a 14-4 lead over #1 seed Minneota. Asked later if Red Lake was the most physical team they had played this year, Minneota's Lizzie Gillingham, Abby Hennen and Lydia Sussner all shouted in unison, "Yeah!" But Minneota gathered its composure and fought back with a 16-0 run and, later, a 13-2 run to close the 1st half with a 35-21 lead. Red Lake returned the favor with an 11-0 run to get within 46-39 but Minneota got the last run of 15-4 for a final of 66-46.

#4 Heritage Christian then outlasted #4 Ada-Borup 67-59 with a 3-headed monster at the guard spot. Senior Taylie Scott score 23 points, junior Kirstin Robbins 18 and sophomore Taylor Schuck 16. Ada countered with junior Kora Kritzberger who scored 21 points on 10-of-20 shots. Heritage ran out to a 16-1 lead early. Ada got within 21-20 and got within 2 twice in the 2nd half but never quite caught up.

#2 Goodhue edged Mountain Iron-Buhl 50-48 in a replay of the 2017 state championship game. MIB led 4-0 but Goodhue took the lead 6-4 and never trailed. Goodhue was a little bigger and a little stronger, and parlayed those advantages to a 28-19 halftime lead. MIB used its quickness to greater advantage in the 2nd half and finally got within 49-48 around the 1:00 mark, but they turned it over and then missed a half-court 3 at the buzzer.

Finally #3 Menahga was too quick for BOLD, swarming the bigger Warriors into a 7-of-32 shooting 1st half and a 28-19 halftime lead. The Braves extended the lead to 20+ points before BOLD fought back for a 65-54 final.

Top Performers

Taylie Scott, Heritage, senior, guard. Last year, it was the Taylie Scott show. This year, she's got more and more mature talent around her and she plays with a team approach and helps her teammates to succeed. So, along with those 23 points including 5-of-7 3s, she also had 6 boards and 3 assists.

Lizzy Gillingham and Lydia Sussner, seniors, and Abby Hennen, a sophomore, Minneota. They combined for 53 points on 17-of-39 shooting, 4-of-9 3s, and 15-of-26 FT. OK, not super great shooting. But they also added 39 boards, 8 assists and 4 steals. Sussner is a great finisher inside, Gillingham is the everready bunny and fearless inside despite her 5-8 size, while Hennen is the primary ball handler and also does a little bit of everything. Nobody has a 3some to match these 3, not even Heritage.

Kora Kritzberger, Ada, junior, forward. A throwback who puts everything off the backboard, the way it should be.

Allie Negen, MIB, senior, forward, did it all for the Rangers. 15 points, 10 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals.

More Top Performers

Cierra Ahlf, Menahga, senior, wing, did it all for the Braves. Well, everything that spark plug Alyssa Peterson doesn't do. Peterson did her thing, to be sure (18 points), but Ahlf scored 21 and had 11 rebounds in just the 1st half.

Robbins and Schuck of Heritage.

Gerika Kingbird, Red Lake, junior, guard, scored 17 to lead the Warriors.

The Outlook

The upper half of the draw has the look of a state championship game. Minneota took a haymaker to the side of the head and fought back for a 20-point win. The can score inside and out, they can protect the ball, they hit the boards, they do it all. Coach Johnston as asked what the takeaway might be for other teams regarding his team after the Red Lake game. He said, well, they might think that defensive pressure will get us off our game.

Meanwhile, Heritage has that 3-headed monster of its own plus 6-2 Jordyn Allen at the forward spot. Ada coach Dave Smart said he focused a lot of defense on Allen. The good news is it worked. The bad news is it left the perimeter a little too open. Minneota can probably defend Allen inside, too, but can they handle all 3 players on the perimeter?

This should be a great game, and it would have to be considered a toss-up. Heritage is only a #4 seed but, as coach Smart noted, they were #1 on the QRF.

In the lower bracket, it's a classic matchup of Goodhue's size and strength and defense vs. Menahga's speed and its attacking mentality. Goodhue is not going to outscore Menahga but they might grind them down. If the game is in the 60s, Menahga wins. The 40s? Goodhue. The 50s? Who the heck knows.