Class AAAA looks to be pretty wide open this year though I would agree with most of the rankings I've seen--and this is, Park Center and Eden Prairie look like #1 and #2. But a number of teams will be breathing down their necks, most notably Prior Lake, Wayzata and Cretin, and can you ever really count Hopkins out? Let's take a look at the sections.
Section 1 looks like a 2-team race, though Lakeville South can probably surround juniors Riley Mahlman and Reid Patterson with a better supporting cast than Rochester Mayo can surround senior twin guards Gabe and Mason Madsen.
Section 2 also looks like a 2-team race though the gap behind Eden Prairie and Prior Lake to #3, #4 and #5 (Shakopee, Chaska and Edina) is a lot smaller. EP has everybody back but Prior Lake has the top player in Class AAAA in 6-11 Dawson Garcia.
Lakeville North moves to Section 3, where we think arch-rival Eastview will have the edge this year with 6-11 Steve Crowl.
Section 4 looks like another 2-team race, but defending champion East Ridge lost a transfer in Kendall Brown, while Cretin gained one in 6-6 senior wing J'Vonne Hadley. Advantage Cretin.
Section 5--Park Center is big and strong and athletic everywhere you look. Osseo has a super sophomore class but their time is not yet in 2020.
Geez, another 2-team race in Section 6. Wayzata edged Hopkins in 2017 and 2018 and looks to do so again. Each team is likely to start 4 sophomores and juniors. Wayzata's might be a little bit ahead, but Hopkins has the best senior in guard Kerwin Walton.
Section 7--Anoka has a great group of youngsters, if it can keep them together. Cambridge has guard Henry Abraham back for one more go. Coon Rapids and Duluth East have some talent and some depth. I like Anoka.
Section 8--Buffalo or Moorhead, your pick.
State Tournament Matchups
#1 Park Center vs. Anoka
#4 Hopkins vs. #5 Eastview
#2 Eden Prairie vs. Buffalo or Lakeville South
#3 Cretin vs. Lakeville South or Moorhead
Class AAAA All-State
Steven Crowl, Eastview, 6-11, senior, PF, 20 pp
Dan Dainja, Park Center, 6-9, senior, C
Dawson Garcia, Prior Lake, 6-11, senior, PF
Gabe Madsen, Rochester Mayo, 6-5, senior, CG
Kerwin Walton, Hopkins, 6-5, senior, PG, 17 peg
Henry Abraham, Cambridge, 6-0, senior, PG, 23 ppg
Ben Carlson, East Ridge, 6-8, senior, PF, 17 ppg
Drake Dobbs, Eden Prairie, 6-0, senior, PG
Tre Holloman, Cretin, 6-3, soph, PF, 12 ppg
Riley Mahlman, Lakeville South, 6-9, junior, C, 14 pp
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
2019-2020 Season Preview: Boys Class AAA
OK, this one is simple. DeLaSalle or Minnehaha? Minnehaha or DeLaSalle? Minnehaha won 3 straight Class AA titles and so they did the courageous thing, the right thing, moving up to Class AAA. Courageous for themselves, seeking tougher competition. The right thing for everybody else in Class AA, who now has a chance to win a state title.
Meanwhile, those of you who are regulars to this blog don't need me to say much about DeLaSalle. Eight straight section titles, 9 of 10. 7 of 8 state titles. And moving up. doing the right thing, doing the courageous thing would be the furthest thing from their mind.
So if it's gonna be DeLaSalle or Minnehaha, Minnehaha or DeLaSalle, well, all's a person can say is, Go Hawks! But, if anybody else has a snowball's chance, it would appear to be Austin or Mankato East from the Big 9. Same conference, different sections, so both could make it to the state semis against the 2 very big dawgs.
Center--In the post, it is advantage Minnehaha all the way with 7-foot junior Chet Holmgren, Minnesota's top junior and one of the top 3 to 5 juniors in the nation. As Chet himself says, "I'm really good at being tall." Coach Lance Johnson says he's a shot-blocking machine, who can also handle it like a guard. DeLaSalle counters with 6-7 Jalen Travis and Mankato with 6-5 Jordan Merseth, while Austin really doesn't have what you'd call size. 1) Minnehaha, 2) De and Mankato, 4) Austin.
Forwards--Again, Minnehaha looks pretty awesome with 6-7 soph Prince Aligbe, one of the top 3 sophomores in the state; 6-3 senior defensive whiz Kaeden Johnson; and 6-4 sophomore Chase Carter, a transfer from Maranatha. De loses Jamison Battle and so their forwards and wings will be a work in progress, though no doubt there are some great athletes in the wings. Mankato 6-4 sophomore B.J. Omot is a riser, while Austin has 6-2 senior Moses Idris. 1) Minnehaha 2) De 3) Mankato 4) Austin.
Point Guard--Three words: Jalen Suggs, Minnehaha. One of the top seniors in the country. De loses Tyrell Terry but returns 6-footers junior Keijuan White and señior Amir Whitlock. One or both is gonna be very good. Mankato has Joich Gong and Austin has Agwa Newesh. 1) Minnehaha 2) DeLaSalle 3) Mankato 4) Austin.
Shooting Guards--Minnehaha has Terry Lockett and Donovan Smith, while De answers with Evan Boyd and Andrew Irvin. Mankato has Jax Madsen, and Austin has several athletes competing for minutes. 1) Mankato 2) Minnehaha 3) DeLaSalle 4) Austin.
Only Mankato among the 4 will get a serious challenge in the section--that from Marshall. But, it says here that Minnehaha, De, Mankato East and Austin will be the #1, 2, 3 and 4 seeds at state next March.
#5 should be Holy Angels, though they'll face a stiff test in Section 3AAA from St. Croix Lutheran.
The non-seeds should be Delano from 5AAA, Hibbing from 7AAA, and St. Cloud Tech in 8AAA. Tech goes 6-8, 6-8, 6-7, 6-4 in a section without an obvious powerhouse, so that size is the deal-maker for now.
State Tournament Matchups
#1 Minnehaha vs. Delano
#4 Austin vs. #5 Holy Angels
#2 DeLaSalle vs. Hibbing
#3 Mankato East vs. St. Cloud Tech
Class AAA All-State
P.J. Hayes, Waconia, 6-6, senior, CG, 24 ppg
Chet Holmgren, Minnehaha, 7-0, junior, C, 17 peg
Jax Madsen, Mankato East, 6-2, senior, SG, 20 ppg
Jalen Suggs, Minnehaha, 6-5, senior, PG, 24 ppg
John Sutherland, Grand Rapids, 6-6, senior, PF, 27 ppg
Prince Aligbe, Minnehaha, 6-7, soph, F, 11 peg
Mekhi Collins, Mankato West, 6-4, soph, F, 14 ppg
Emmett Johnson, Holy Angels, 5-11, soph, SG, 14 ppg
Ayden McDonald, Hibbing, 6-3, soph, PG, 16 ppg
Agwa Nywesh, Austin, 6-3, senior, PG, 16 ppg
Meanwhile, those of you who are regulars to this blog don't need me to say much about DeLaSalle. Eight straight section titles, 9 of 10. 7 of 8 state titles. And moving up. doing the right thing, doing the courageous thing would be the furthest thing from their mind.
So if it's gonna be DeLaSalle or Minnehaha, Minnehaha or DeLaSalle, well, all's a person can say is, Go Hawks! But, if anybody else has a snowball's chance, it would appear to be Austin or Mankato East from the Big 9. Same conference, different sections, so both could make it to the state semis against the 2 very big dawgs.
Center--In the post, it is advantage Minnehaha all the way with 7-foot junior Chet Holmgren, Minnesota's top junior and one of the top 3 to 5 juniors in the nation. As Chet himself says, "I'm really good at being tall." Coach Lance Johnson says he's a shot-blocking machine, who can also handle it like a guard. DeLaSalle counters with 6-7 Jalen Travis and Mankato with 6-5 Jordan Merseth, while Austin really doesn't have what you'd call size. 1) Minnehaha, 2) De and Mankato, 4) Austin.
Forwards--Again, Minnehaha looks pretty awesome with 6-7 soph Prince Aligbe, one of the top 3 sophomores in the state; 6-3 senior defensive whiz Kaeden Johnson; and 6-4 sophomore Chase Carter, a transfer from Maranatha. De loses Jamison Battle and so their forwards and wings will be a work in progress, though no doubt there are some great athletes in the wings. Mankato 6-4 sophomore B.J. Omot is a riser, while Austin has 6-2 senior Moses Idris. 1) Minnehaha 2) De 3) Mankato 4) Austin.
Point Guard--Three words: Jalen Suggs, Minnehaha. One of the top seniors in the country. De loses Tyrell Terry but returns 6-footers junior Keijuan White and señior Amir Whitlock. One or both is gonna be very good. Mankato has Joich Gong and Austin has Agwa Newesh. 1) Minnehaha 2) DeLaSalle 3) Mankato 4) Austin.
Shooting Guards--Minnehaha has Terry Lockett and Donovan Smith, while De answers with Evan Boyd and Andrew Irvin. Mankato has Jax Madsen, and Austin has several athletes competing for minutes. 1) Mankato 2) Minnehaha 3) DeLaSalle 4) Austin.
Only Mankato among the 4 will get a serious challenge in the section--that from Marshall. But, it says here that Minnehaha, De, Mankato East and Austin will be the #1, 2, 3 and 4 seeds at state next March.
#5 should be Holy Angels, though they'll face a stiff test in Section 3AAA from St. Croix Lutheran.
The non-seeds should be Delano from 5AAA, Hibbing from 7AAA, and St. Cloud Tech in 8AAA. Tech goes 6-8, 6-8, 6-7, 6-4 in a section without an obvious powerhouse, so that size is the deal-maker for now.
State Tournament Matchups
#1 Minnehaha vs. Delano
#4 Austin vs. #5 Holy Angels
#2 DeLaSalle vs. Hibbing
#3 Mankato East vs. St. Cloud Tech
Class AAA All-State
P.J. Hayes, Waconia, 6-6, senior, CG, 24 ppg
Chet Holmgren, Minnehaha, 7-0, junior, C, 17 peg
Jax Madsen, Mankato East, 6-2, senior, SG, 20 ppg
Jalen Suggs, Minnehaha, 6-5, senior, PG, 24 ppg
John Sutherland, Grand Rapids, 6-6, senior, PF, 27 ppg
Prince Aligbe, Minnehaha, 6-7, soph, F, 11 peg
Mekhi Collins, Mankato West, 6-4, soph, F, 14 ppg
Emmett Johnson, Holy Angels, 5-11, soph, SG, 14 ppg
Ayden McDonald, Hibbing, 6-3, soph, PG, 16 ppg
Agwa Nywesh, Austin, 6-3, senior, PG, 16 ppg
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
2019-2020 Season Preview: Boys Class AA
With 3-time defending state AA champion Minnehaha voluntarily moving up to Class AAA, in a show of guts we haven't seen in almost 20 years (Mpls. North 1995-2003), Class AA looks a lot different this year. Mpls. North, now in Class AA itself, hopes to have something to say about it, of course, but, still, Class AA looks a lot more like the small town tournament that it used to be. Here's a look by section.
Section 1--Caledonia and Lake City have won the last 6 Section 1AA titles, and they will almost surely be #1 and #2 again this year. The Tigers are the defending champs and will go 6-5, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 this year with 6-4 senior point guard Nathan Heise (22 ppg-7 reb-4 ast-2 stl-1 block) at the controls. Caledonia will go 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 with Noah and Eli King scoring well over 30 ppg between them. Lake City is a little deeper.
Section 2--Waseca drops down from Class AAA, where they finished 2nd to DeLaSalle last year. They return 3 starters and go 6-9, 6-5 up front. It will be a surprise if they're not playing for the state title again next March.
Section 3--Redwood Valley was the surprise winner last year and it should be pretty wide open again. On the other hand, Jackson County Central has 14 players back from last year's 18-11 group. 6-3 guard Rudy Voss is the #2 career scorer and #1 in career 3s. Morris/Chokio-Alberta, with 6-8 post Jackson Loge, could challenge.
Section 4--With Minnehaha leaving, Cristo Rey Jesuit seems poised to advance. Juniors Derek and Erick Burgess lead the way.
Section 5--Minneapolis North should advance though Blake and Rockford also look good. Blake returns 3 speedy juniors, and Rockford has 7-footer Calvin Sisk and 6-4 Luke Pepin.
Section 6--Eden Valley Watkins, Melrose, Osakis, Pine City and Sauk Centre will all compete for the title. The long and short of it are Daniel Savageau, Osakis 5-11 guard, and Jacob Jennissen, Sauk's 7-foot post. We'll take the little guy.
Section 7--Esko should make it 7 section championships in 8 years.
Section 8--Perham should repeat in 8AA.
State Tournament Matchups
#1 seed Waseca vs. Esko
#4 Perham vs. #5 Cristo Rey Jesuit
#2 Mpls. North vs. Jackson CC
#3 Lake City vs. Osakis
Class AA All-State
Nathan Heise, Lake City, 6-4, sr., PG, 22 ppg
Noah King, Caledonia, 6-2, sr., PG, 19 ppg
Jackson Loge, Morris, 6-8, jr., C, 19 ppg
Andrew Morgan, Waseca, 6-9, jr., PF
Willie Wilson, Mpls. North, 6-0, soph., G, 16 ppg
Jacob Jennissen, Sauk Centre, 7-0, sr., C, 12 ppg-10 reb
Luke Pepin, Rockford, 6-4, sr., F, 17 ppg
Daniel Savageau, Osakis, 5-11, sr., PG, 21 ppg
Trevor Spindler, Esko, 6-1, sr., CG, 19 ppg
Will Tschetter, Stewartville, 6-8, jr., F, 22 ppg
Section 1--Caledonia and Lake City have won the last 6 Section 1AA titles, and they will almost surely be #1 and #2 again this year. The Tigers are the defending champs and will go 6-5, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 this year with 6-4 senior point guard Nathan Heise (22 ppg-7 reb-4 ast-2 stl-1 block) at the controls. Caledonia will go 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 with Noah and Eli King scoring well over 30 ppg between them. Lake City is a little deeper.
Section 2--Waseca drops down from Class AAA, where they finished 2nd to DeLaSalle last year. They return 3 starters and go 6-9, 6-5 up front. It will be a surprise if they're not playing for the state title again next March.
Section 3--Redwood Valley was the surprise winner last year and it should be pretty wide open again. On the other hand, Jackson County Central has 14 players back from last year's 18-11 group. 6-3 guard Rudy Voss is the #2 career scorer and #1 in career 3s. Morris/Chokio-Alberta, with 6-8 post Jackson Loge, could challenge.
Section 4--With Minnehaha leaving, Cristo Rey Jesuit seems poised to advance. Juniors Derek and Erick Burgess lead the way.
Section 5--Minneapolis North should advance though Blake and Rockford also look good. Blake returns 3 speedy juniors, and Rockford has 7-footer Calvin Sisk and 6-4 Luke Pepin.
Section 6--Eden Valley Watkins, Melrose, Osakis, Pine City and Sauk Centre will all compete for the title. The long and short of it are Daniel Savageau, Osakis 5-11 guard, and Jacob Jennissen, Sauk's 7-foot post. We'll take the little guy.
Section 7--Esko should make it 7 section championships in 8 years.
Section 8--Perham should repeat in 8AA.
State Tournament Matchups
#1 seed Waseca vs. Esko
#4 Perham vs. #5 Cristo Rey Jesuit
#2 Mpls. North vs. Jackson CC
#3 Lake City vs. Osakis
Class AA All-State
Nathan Heise, Lake City, 6-4, sr., PG, 22 ppg
Noah King, Caledonia, 6-2, sr., PG, 19 ppg
Jackson Loge, Morris, 6-8, jr., C, 19 ppg
Andrew Morgan, Waseca, 6-9, jr., PF
Willie Wilson, Mpls. North, 6-0, soph., G, 16 ppg
Jacob Jennissen, Sauk Centre, 7-0, sr., C, 12 ppg-10 reb
Luke Pepin, Rockford, 6-4, sr., F, 17 ppg
Daniel Savageau, Osakis, 5-11, sr., PG, 21 ppg
Trevor Spindler, Esko, 6-1, sr., CG, 19 ppg
Will Tschetter, Stewartville, 6-8, jr., F, 22 ppg
Monday, November 25, 2019
2019-2020 Season Preview: Boys Class A
Section 1—It should be Hayfield vs. Rushford-Peterson for the section title. The Vikings were 24-5 last year and return 3 starters led by 6-8 senior Luke Dudycha. The 3-time state champion Trojans look for their 1st state title since the retirement of legend Tom Vix. Junior guard Luke O’Hare leads the way.
Section 2 is ridiculous. Ryan James and the Breakdown Guidebook have BOLD, Mayer Lutheran, Springfield and New Ulm Cathedral #2 through #5 in the state. I agree with BOLD as the favorite here, with Jordan Sagedahl, Gavin Vosika and Drew Sagedahl scoring 51 points among them last year. I kinda like defending section champ Springfield as their top challenger with Decker Scheffler back for his senior season.
Section 3—Minneota (24-3 last year) looks to be poised for what I believe would be their 1st state tournament trip ever.
Section 4—CHOF is favored to repeat but there’s probably a half dozen teams that think they can challenge, and can. Heritage was just 9-19 last year but could surprise.
Section 5 is pretty wide open with Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Cromwell-Wright, Nevis and Pine River-Backus all returning a 15+ ppg scorer and more. Nevis has the best depth though not quite as much experience as the others. Still, I’ll take the Tigers.
Section 6—Henning won it all last year and returns Isaac Fisher, Parker Fraki and Blake Wallevand. Still, Parkers Prairie (24-5 last year) could challenge.
Section 7—3-time defending champ and 2-time state runnerup North Woods loses the great Cade Goggleye but returns 3 starters, but so do Deer River and Nash-Kee. Still, I’ll take North Woods.
Section 8—Ada returns 6-8 Mason Miller from last year’s state tournament entry but loses 3 starters. So Cass Lake-Bena will challenge again.
State Tournament Matchups
#1 seed BOLD vs. CHOF
#4 seed Ada vs. #5 seed Hayfield
#2 seed Henning vs. Nevis
#3 seed Minneota vs. North Woods
Class A All-State
Caleb Holien, Hope Academy, 6-5, senior, 25 ppg
Jarell Jacobs, Cass Lake-Bena, 6-2, senior, 30 ppg
Mason Miller, Ada-Borup, 6-8, senior
Micah Pocrnich, Cromwell-Wright, 6-2, senior, 19 ppg
Decker Scheffler, Springfield, 6-3, senior, 22 ppg
2nd Team
Ashton Dingmann, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, 6-4, sophomore, 17 ppg
Colt Landers, Grand Meadow, 6-4, junior, 20 ppg
Broden Lien, Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal, 6-6, junior, 17 ppg
Jordan Sagedahl, BOLD, 6-1, senior, 19 ppg
Asher Zubich, Mountain Iron-Buhl, 6-0, freshman, 23 ppg
Sunday, November 24, 2019
I hate the Breakdown Tip-Off, I love the Breakdown Tip-Off
I hate the Breakdown Tip-Off! It's the best day of basketball til March, and here it comes on practically the 1st day of the season, and the entire rest of he regular season is like a giant anticlimax. The best part of it is I get to see a whole bunch of my favorite people. But I also get to see some great basketball. Well, sure, and some not-so-great basketball. Hey, it's November.
But the other day I wrote a Breakdown Tip-Off preview and I recommended you watch Cromwell vs. Minneota. (Minneota 49 Cromwell 47.) I suggested you might want to see Minnehaha vs. Sauk Centre. (Minnehaha 89 Sauk 86 in 3 OT.) I suggested Park Center vs. St. Michael. (Park Center 72 St. Michael 69.) I recommended Farmington vs. St. Michael. (Farmington 92 St. Michael 79.) I recommended Park Center vs. Stillwater. (Park Center 75 Stillwater 69.) And so on and so forth.
Now, just to be clear. I didn't get out to the Friday night games, and I didn't stay on Saturday until the last dog was hung. But here's what I did see.
The Best Game
It wasn't the closest game but the 2 teams that displayed the closest to mid-season form were Farmington and St. Michael. There were 26 turnovers, the 2nd fewest on the day. The #3 Tigers were ahead pretty much the whole way, though I hesitate to say they were in control. St. Michael kept on pushing but in the end it was Farmington 92 St. Michael 79. Farmington has a remarkable array of weapons. 6-5 junior Sophie Hart had 22 points and, well, the official scorebook doesn't agree but a stats geek who is a college recruiting consultant sitting next to me had her down for 29 boards and 6 blocks. And, she wasn't even the MVP. That was guard Molly Mogenson with 25 points and a triple double. Paige Kindseth added 23 points. Farmington made 7-of-13 3s, 25-of-45 2s and 21-of-30 FT.
St. Michael just didn't shoot it well enough, under 40%, but freshman guard Tess Johnson scored 30 while Kendal Cox added 21. With its loss to Park Center, St. Michael is starting 0-2. I don't think that has happened in a long, long time, and now they're heading into the Lake Conference for the 1st time. 2 games vs. Hopkins. 2 games vs. Wayzata. St. Michael could lose 10 games this year and they'll still be a top 5 team.
Nail-Biter Award
Obviously, that's the Minnehaha-Sauk marathon matching up the last 2 Class AA champions. Sauk came in rated #1 in AA, 'Haha just #11, and Sauk indeed ran out to an 18-point margin early on (24-6, I think). Minnehaha got back to within 39-25 at the half and you knew it was gonna get tighter before it was done, but not that tight. In the end, RedHawks star Mia Curtis outscored Sauk star Tori Peschel 42-35 and Kate Pryor and Tanna Gallo chipped in with another 36. Julia and Michaela Dammann chipped in another 30 for Sauk, so Minnehaha won the 3-on-3 battle 78-65. Neither team looked like a state champion on the defensive end but no doubt both will be in the mix come March.
Nail-Biter II
Cromwell broke out of a 22-22 tie on 3 Shailey Hakamaki 3s to lead 31-23 at the half and the Cardinals looked to be on their way. But Minneota coach Chad Johnston "yelled at" his girls at halftime, he said, and they started guarding Shailey Hakamaki--and her cousin Taya Hakamaki, too--in the 2nd half and came back to win 49-47. The Hakamakis outscored Abby and Morgan Hennen of Minneota 37-24 but the Vikings depth was substantially better than Cromwell's. Once again, neither of them looked like a state champion but it's November and Minneota just won the state volleyball title. Somebody said, they're still playing volleyball.
Bombs Away
The bombs away award goes to Rosemount, whose starters made 16-of-28 3s, led by Larissa O'Neil with 9 of 15 for 27 points. Taylor Janssen and Alexa Ratliff made another 6 or 7 between them for 32 points. Rosemount clobbered Waconia 83-57.
Another Comeback
Maple Grove led Eden Prairie most of the way, including 33-27 at the half, but then the shots stopped falling and EP came back to win 68-65. EP sophomore guard Myra Moorjani played very sparingly most of the way, then came off the bench to score 10 points down the stretch. Guard Abby Schulte led all scorers for MG with 21 while Natalie Mazurek scored 20 for EP.
Let's Get Physical
They let Park Center and Stillwater get after it and so that's what they did. And the physical action favored Park Center who led 36-28 at the half and 48-32 midway through the 2nd. Stillwater fought back but it was too little, too late, and the Pirates won 75-69. The rebounds were 46-33 Stillwater but the Ponies had 29 turnovers and made just 4-of-22 3s. Adalia Mackenzie scored 29 after scoring 28 the previous night, while Lauren Frost added 17 to go with 18 on Friday. Alexis Pratt scored 25 for the Ponies. Mary Fultz was the most improved player I saw compared to a year ago, scoring 14. Delaney Wagner is out for the season for Stillwater with a torn ACL.
Also MIA
Along with Wagner, Alexandria's Ella Grove and Big Lake's Regan Sternquist and Simley's Ravyn Miles and Stewartville's Erin Lamb were the most notable MIAs. Grove and Sternquist will return shortly, but Grove is Alex's best player and without her Alex fell to New Prague 55-48. The Trojans' Amanda Giesen was terrific, scoring 19 points, while Emily Russo was solid. The surprises were the sister act(s) of junior Rachel Russo and 6-foot 8th grade forward Katie Vasecka (sister of senior guard Bethany). Katie was the breakout player of the day with 9 points and a lot of length and mobility.
Big Lake fell to Austin 59-37 without Sternquist. Austin felt no ill effects from playing on a 3rd straight evening.
Miles has been hurt a lot over the past year. She's expected back fairly soon but, without her, Simley wasn't going to score enough points to beat Chaska. But Simley was the single most physical team of the day. Erstwhile power forward Ysareia Chèvre did a nice job at the point, but then she wasn't posting up. Meanwhile, Chaska has a lot of weapons. Mallory Heyer and Kaylee Van Eps combined for 22 but against Simley's ultra-physical inside defense, it was freshman guard Kennedy Sanders from the outside who led the way with 17.
Stewartville's Lamb will not be coming back. She is a volleyball player and her basketball playing days are over. And, so, Albany was in control most of the way, including 40-28 at the half, but then Stewartville roared back to take a 65-61 lead with a minute-and-a-half to go. But they couldn't close it out, and Albany ended up squeezing by 68-67 as Paige Meyer made 4-of-4 FT inside of 30 seconds. Albany had 32 turnovers. Meyer, who never met a double-team she won't try to split, finished with 31 while Lily Welch scored 28 for Stew.
The Big 5
Center--Sophie Hart, Farmington, junior
Forward--Jenna Johnson, Wayzata, junior
Point Guard--Molly Mogenson, Farmington, senior
Shooting Guard--Adalia Mackenzie, Park Center, junior
Athlete--Alyssa Ustby, Rochester Lourdes, senior
Second 5
Center--Natalie Mazurek, Eden Prairie, senior
Forward--Taylor Janssen, Rosemount, senior
Point Guard--Abby Schulte, Maple Grove, senior
Shooting Guard--Mia Curtis, Minnehaha, senior
Combo Guard--Alexis Pratt, Stillwater, junior
Below AAAA
Center--Michaela Dammann, Sauk Centre, junior
Forward--Rachel Kawiecki, Holy Angels, junior
Point Guard--Paige Meyer, Albany, junior
Shooting Guard--Frankie Vascellero, Holy Angels, junior
Athlete--Tori Peschel, Sauk Centre, senior
Plus of course Ustby and Curtis from above
Underclassmen
Center--Emma Dasovich, Minnetonka, 6-1, 8th grade
Forward--Mallory Heyer, Chaska, 6-1, soph
Point Guard--Kennedy Sanders, Chaska, 5-8, frosh
Combo Guard--Mara Braun, Wayzata, 5-11, soph
Shooting Guard--Tess Johnson, St. Michael-Albertville, 5-9, frosh
Underclassmen II
Forward--Nia Holloway, Eden Prairie, 6-1, frosh
Forward--Ari Gordon, Maple Grove, soph
Forward--Katie Vasecka, New Prague, 6-0, 8th grade
Point Guard--Caroline Adamson, Rochester Lourdes, 5-9, soph
Combo Guard--Myra Moorjani, Eden Prairie, 5-7, soph
Combo Guard--Alexa Ratlaff, Rosemount, 5-9, soph
Combo Guard--Desiree Ware, Minnetonka, 5-6, soph
But the other day I wrote a Breakdown Tip-Off preview and I recommended you watch Cromwell vs. Minneota. (Minneota 49 Cromwell 47.) I suggested you might want to see Minnehaha vs. Sauk Centre. (Minnehaha 89 Sauk 86 in 3 OT.) I suggested Park Center vs. St. Michael. (Park Center 72 St. Michael 69.) I recommended Farmington vs. St. Michael. (Farmington 92 St. Michael 79.) I recommended Park Center vs. Stillwater. (Park Center 75 Stillwater 69.) And so on and so forth.
Now, just to be clear. I didn't get out to the Friday night games, and I didn't stay on Saturday until the last dog was hung. But here's what I did see.
The Best Game
It wasn't the closest game but the 2 teams that displayed the closest to mid-season form were Farmington and St. Michael. There were 26 turnovers, the 2nd fewest on the day. The #3 Tigers were ahead pretty much the whole way, though I hesitate to say they were in control. St. Michael kept on pushing but in the end it was Farmington 92 St. Michael 79. Farmington has a remarkable array of weapons. 6-5 junior Sophie Hart had 22 points and, well, the official scorebook doesn't agree but a stats geek who is a college recruiting consultant sitting next to me had her down for 29 boards and 6 blocks. And, she wasn't even the MVP. That was guard Molly Mogenson with 25 points and a triple double. Paige Kindseth added 23 points. Farmington made 7-of-13 3s, 25-of-45 2s and 21-of-30 FT.
St. Michael just didn't shoot it well enough, under 40%, but freshman guard Tess Johnson scored 30 while Kendal Cox added 21. With its loss to Park Center, St. Michael is starting 0-2. I don't think that has happened in a long, long time, and now they're heading into the Lake Conference for the 1st time. 2 games vs. Hopkins. 2 games vs. Wayzata. St. Michael could lose 10 games this year and they'll still be a top 5 team.
Nail-Biter Award
Obviously, that's the Minnehaha-Sauk marathon matching up the last 2 Class AA champions. Sauk came in rated #1 in AA, 'Haha just #11, and Sauk indeed ran out to an 18-point margin early on (24-6, I think). Minnehaha got back to within 39-25 at the half and you knew it was gonna get tighter before it was done, but not that tight. In the end, RedHawks star Mia Curtis outscored Sauk star Tori Peschel 42-35 and Kate Pryor and Tanna Gallo chipped in with another 36. Julia and Michaela Dammann chipped in another 30 for Sauk, so Minnehaha won the 3-on-3 battle 78-65. Neither team looked like a state champion on the defensive end but no doubt both will be in the mix come March.
Nail-Biter II
Cromwell broke out of a 22-22 tie on 3 Shailey Hakamaki 3s to lead 31-23 at the half and the Cardinals looked to be on their way. But Minneota coach Chad Johnston "yelled at" his girls at halftime, he said, and they started guarding Shailey Hakamaki--and her cousin Taya Hakamaki, too--in the 2nd half and came back to win 49-47. The Hakamakis outscored Abby and Morgan Hennen of Minneota 37-24 but the Vikings depth was substantially better than Cromwell's. Once again, neither of them looked like a state champion but it's November and Minneota just won the state volleyball title. Somebody said, they're still playing volleyball.
Bombs Away
The bombs away award goes to Rosemount, whose starters made 16-of-28 3s, led by Larissa O'Neil with 9 of 15 for 27 points. Taylor Janssen and Alexa Ratliff made another 6 or 7 between them for 32 points. Rosemount clobbered Waconia 83-57.
Another Comeback
Maple Grove led Eden Prairie most of the way, including 33-27 at the half, but then the shots stopped falling and EP came back to win 68-65. EP sophomore guard Myra Moorjani played very sparingly most of the way, then came off the bench to score 10 points down the stretch. Guard Abby Schulte led all scorers for MG with 21 while Natalie Mazurek scored 20 for EP.
Let's Get Physical
They let Park Center and Stillwater get after it and so that's what they did. And the physical action favored Park Center who led 36-28 at the half and 48-32 midway through the 2nd. Stillwater fought back but it was too little, too late, and the Pirates won 75-69. The rebounds were 46-33 Stillwater but the Ponies had 29 turnovers and made just 4-of-22 3s. Adalia Mackenzie scored 29 after scoring 28 the previous night, while Lauren Frost added 17 to go with 18 on Friday. Alexis Pratt scored 25 for the Ponies. Mary Fultz was the most improved player I saw compared to a year ago, scoring 14. Delaney Wagner is out for the season for Stillwater with a torn ACL.
Also MIA
Along with Wagner, Alexandria's Ella Grove and Big Lake's Regan Sternquist and Simley's Ravyn Miles and Stewartville's Erin Lamb were the most notable MIAs. Grove and Sternquist will return shortly, but Grove is Alex's best player and without her Alex fell to New Prague 55-48. The Trojans' Amanda Giesen was terrific, scoring 19 points, while Emily Russo was solid. The surprises were the sister act(s) of junior Rachel Russo and 6-foot 8th grade forward Katie Vasecka (sister of senior guard Bethany). Katie was the breakout player of the day with 9 points and a lot of length and mobility.
Big Lake fell to Austin 59-37 without Sternquist. Austin felt no ill effects from playing on a 3rd straight evening.
Miles has been hurt a lot over the past year. She's expected back fairly soon but, without her, Simley wasn't going to score enough points to beat Chaska. But Simley was the single most physical team of the day. Erstwhile power forward Ysareia Chèvre did a nice job at the point, but then she wasn't posting up. Meanwhile, Chaska has a lot of weapons. Mallory Heyer and Kaylee Van Eps combined for 22 but against Simley's ultra-physical inside defense, it was freshman guard Kennedy Sanders from the outside who led the way with 17.
Stewartville's Lamb will not be coming back. She is a volleyball player and her basketball playing days are over. And, so, Albany was in control most of the way, including 40-28 at the half, but then Stewartville roared back to take a 65-61 lead with a minute-and-a-half to go. But they couldn't close it out, and Albany ended up squeezing by 68-67 as Paige Meyer made 4-of-4 FT inside of 30 seconds. Albany had 32 turnovers. Meyer, who never met a double-team she won't try to split, finished with 31 while Lily Welch scored 28 for Stew.
The Big 5
Center--Sophie Hart, Farmington, junior
Forward--Jenna Johnson, Wayzata, junior
Point Guard--Molly Mogenson, Farmington, senior
Shooting Guard--Adalia Mackenzie, Park Center, junior
Athlete--Alyssa Ustby, Rochester Lourdes, senior
Second 5
Center--Natalie Mazurek, Eden Prairie, senior
Forward--Taylor Janssen, Rosemount, senior
Point Guard--Abby Schulte, Maple Grove, senior
Shooting Guard--Mia Curtis, Minnehaha, senior
Combo Guard--Alexis Pratt, Stillwater, junior
Below AAAA
Center--Michaela Dammann, Sauk Centre, junior
Forward--Rachel Kawiecki, Holy Angels, junior
Point Guard--Paige Meyer, Albany, junior
Shooting Guard--Frankie Vascellero, Holy Angels, junior
Athlete--Tori Peschel, Sauk Centre, senior
Plus of course Ustby and Curtis from above
Underclassmen
Center--Emma Dasovich, Minnetonka, 6-1, 8th grade
Forward--Mallory Heyer, Chaska, 6-1, soph
Point Guard--Kennedy Sanders, Chaska, 5-8, frosh
Combo Guard--Mara Braun, Wayzata, 5-11, soph
Shooting Guard--Tess Johnson, St. Michael-Albertville, 5-9, frosh
Forward--Nia Holloway, Eden Prairie, 6-1, frosh
Forward--Ari Gordon, Maple Grove, soph
Forward--Katie Vasecka, New Prague, 6-0, 8th grade
Point Guard--Caroline Adamson, Rochester Lourdes, 5-9, soph
Combo Guard--Myra Moorjani, Eden Prairie, 5-7, soph
Combo Guard--Alexa Ratlaff, Rosemount, 5-9, soph
Combo Guard--Desiree Ware, Minnetonka, 5-6, soph
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Preview: The Breakdown Girls Tip Off this Friday and Saturday
So, the girls basketball season is upon us. Actually it starts with a bunch of games Thursday night. But the really big show is of course the Breakdown Tip-Off now expanded to two "days"--OK, Friday night starting at 5 p.m. and then all day Saturday starting around 9 a.m. All games at Hopkins Lindbergh.
Everybody will have their favorite matchups. Here are some of mine. The rankings are mine though the guys at the Breakdown often seem to agree with me.
Friday night 8:30 Main Court #5 St. Michael-Albertville vs. #4 Park Center
Remember last year when Park Center scored 99 at the Breakdown. Well, I think that all of those 99 points are back. Adalia Mackenzie is the state's #1 rated 2021 and she is joined by T'Naye Griffin, Lauren Frost, Aaliyah Ragulen, Kayla Cox and more. A really explosive team. And St. Michael, led by senior Kenzie Kramer and freshman Tessa Johnson, can run with anybody. Still, a win for St. Michael will more likely be in he 60s or 70s. Another 90-pointer bodes well for the Pirates. I'll take the Pirates by 5.
Saturday afternoon 12:15 East Court #4 Cromwell vs. #2 Minneota
The Breakdown guys invited Cromwell, from Section 7A, to this year's soiree and not 9-time Section 7A defending champion Mountain Iron-Buhl. There's some bulletin board material. So Cromwell wants to show it belongs. Meanwhile, Minneota wants to show it's still a contender despite losing 3 starters from last year's state champs. In fact, the Breakdown guys have Minneota rated #1, I have 'em #2. It will probably come down to some role player but in the meantime all eyes will be on Shailey Hakamaki and Taya Hakamaki of Cromwell and Abby Hennen and Morgan Hennen of Minneota. This is a toss-up but if I gotta pick, I'll take Minneota by 2.
Saturday afternoon 1:45 East Court #1 Sauk Centre vs. #11 Minnehaha
This one matches the past 2 Class AA state champions. Minnehaha lost 4 starters from last year's state champs while Sauk has everybody back from a team that failed to make it to state last year for just the 2nd time in 10 years. So both teams come in with something to prove but, of course, doesn't everybody at this time of year. Minnehaha's Mia Curtis will probably be staring at Sauk's Tori Peschel most of the day. Sauk by 7.
Saturday afternoon 3:45 Main Court #3 Farmington vs. #5 St. Michael-Albertville
Farmington comes out with something to prove after their big flop in the Section 1AAAA final last year. From 6-5 Sophie Hart to point guard Molly Mogenson, the talent is as good as anybody's, but they need to win the big game. Farmington by 2.
Saturday afternoon 5:30 Main Court #4 Park Center vs. #7 Stillwater
Can't wait to see Stillwater without Sara Scalia. I think they'll surprise people before they're done. Lexi Karlen and Alexis Pratt are as good of a one-two punch as almost anybody's. Stillwater by 3.
Saturday night 8:30 Main Court #2 Becker vs. #1 Hopkins
Now, being honest, I'm not expecting a close game here. Hopkins is poised to rout just about anybody at this time of the year and matching them up against an AAA team? I wouldn't have recommended it. Becker got manhandled inside last year by DeLaSalle. Maya Nnaji and Sunny Agara could got wild. Still, I love Becker and I know they're going to come out and play hard and run and run and make plays. So it will be entertaining in that respect.
These are just 6 of 21 games, and the others, most of them, also promise some excitement. It's always fun to see Albany's Paige Meyer; and Chaska's great young team; and Holy Angels' Frankie Vascellero; and coaches Wendy Kohler and Molly Kasper work; among many others. My only regret is that after the Tip-Off, the rest of the season seems almost like a let-down, until March and Williams Arena.
Everybody will have their favorite matchups. Here are some of mine. The rankings are mine though the guys at the Breakdown often seem to agree with me.
Friday night 8:30 Main Court #5 St. Michael-Albertville vs. #4 Park Center
Remember last year when Park Center scored 99 at the Breakdown. Well, I think that all of those 99 points are back. Adalia Mackenzie is the state's #1 rated 2021 and she is joined by T'Naye Griffin, Lauren Frost, Aaliyah Ragulen, Kayla Cox and more. A really explosive team. And St. Michael, led by senior Kenzie Kramer and freshman Tessa Johnson, can run with anybody. Still, a win for St. Michael will more likely be in he 60s or 70s. Another 90-pointer bodes well for the Pirates. I'll take the Pirates by 5.
Saturday afternoon 12:15 East Court #4 Cromwell vs. #2 Minneota
The Breakdown guys invited Cromwell, from Section 7A, to this year's soiree and not 9-time Section 7A defending champion Mountain Iron-Buhl. There's some bulletin board material. So Cromwell wants to show it belongs. Meanwhile, Minneota wants to show it's still a contender despite losing 3 starters from last year's state champs. In fact, the Breakdown guys have Minneota rated #1, I have 'em #2. It will probably come down to some role player but in the meantime all eyes will be on Shailey Hakamaki and Taya Hakamaki of Cromwell and Abby Hennen and Morgan Hennen of Minneota. This is a toss-up but if I gotta pick, I'll take Minneota by 2.
Saturday afternoon 1:45 East Court #1 Sauk Centre vs. #11 Minnehaha
This one matches the past 2 Class AA state champions. Minnehaha lost 4 starters from last year's state champs while Sauk has everybody back from a team that failed to make it to state last year for just the 2nd time in 10 years. So both teams come in with something to prove but, of course, doesn't everybody at this time of year. Minnehaha's Mia Curtis will probably be staring at Sauk's Tori Peschel most of the day. Sauk by 7.
Saturday afternoon 3:45 Main Court #3 Farmington vs. #5 St. Michael-Albertville
Farmington comes out with something to prove after their big flop in the Section 1AAAA final last year. From 6-5 Sophie Hart to point guard Molly Mogenson, the talent is as good as anybody's, but they need to win the big game. Farmington by 2.
Saturday afternoon 5:30 Main Court #4 Park Center vs. #7 Stillwater
Can't wait to see Stillwater without Sara Scalia. I think they'll surprise people before they're done. Lexi Karlen and Alexis Pratt are as good of a one-two punch as almost anybody's. Stillwater by 3.
Saturday night 8:30 Main Court #2 Becker vs. #1 Hopkins
Now, being honest, I'm not expecting a close game here. Hopkins is poised to rout just about anybody at this time of the year and matching them up against an AAA team? I wouldn't have recommended it. Becker got manhandled inside last year by DeLaSalle. Maya Nnaji and Sunny Agara could got wild. Still, I love Becker and I know they're going to come out and play hard and run and run and make plays. So it will be entertaining in that respect.
These are just 6 of 21 games, and the others, most of them, also promise some excitement. It's always fun to see Albany's Paige Meyer; and Chaska's great young team; and Holy Angels' Frankie Vascellero; and coaches Wendy Kohler and Molly Kasper work; among many others. My only regret is that after the Tip-Off, the rest of the season seems almost like a let-down, until March and Williams Arena.
2019-2020 Season Preview: Girls Class A
I had a heck of a time settling on my #1 in Class A. Experience has shown that in Class A, success usually comes in stages. First, a team gets to the state tournament. Then, the following year, they win a state tournament game. Then, in the third year, they win it all. So our #1, our favorite to win the Class A state title would be a team that won a state tournament game last year. Well, Goodhue and Menahga won a game or two, but they’ve both moved up to Class AA. BOLD and Red Lake made it to state, but lost twice.
So that leaves Minneota, Heritage Christian, Ada-Borup and Mountain Iron-Buhl as potential #1s.
• Minneota won 3 state tournament games and the state title last year, and they’ve got 2 starters back in guards Abby and Morgan Hennen.
• Heritage took 3rd place and has 3 starters back, but lost their leader in Taylie Scott.
• Ada finished 6th and has 2 starters back.
• Mountain Iron-Buhl finished 5th but lost everybody—well, 95 percent of its scoring, anyway. Coach Jeff Buffetta said that Cromwell should be rated #1 but then said, “Do we have a chance to beat ‘em? Sure.” And then, sure enough, MIB beat ‘em in the Breakdown Summer State tournament.
The Sections
Section 1—Goodhue moves up to Class AA, leaving Blooming Prairie as the favorite, ahead of last year’s favorite and #1 seed Grand Meadow.
Section 2—BOLD is favored but Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s, with sophomore guard Madison Mathiowetz, is a threat.
Section 3—Minneota is favored with Southwest Christian, as always, on their heels.
Section 4—Heritage looks like the surest thing at this level.
Section 5—With Menahga moving up, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley is favored but there’s plenty of competition.
Section 6—Here’s the one big upset. We like a young Henning team over Ada this year.
Section 7—We like Mountain Iron-Buhl over Cromwell. Cherry is also a top 10 power.
Section 8—Red Lake should repeat.
The Fab 15
1. Heritage Christian
2. Minneota
3. Mountain Iron-Buhl
4. Cromwell
5. BOLD
6. Henning
7. Red Lake
8. Walker-Hackensack-Akeley
9. Ada-Borup
10. Cherry
11. Blooming Prairie
12. Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s
13. Southwest Minnesota Christian
14. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa
15. Sebeka
If all goes according to Hoyle, the state tournament matchups will be:
Heritage vs. Blooming Prairie
BOLD vs. Henning
Minneota vs. Red Lake
Mountain Iron-Buhl vs. Walker-Hackenack-Akeley
Top Seniors
Olivia Christianson, Lyle/Austin Pacelli
Taya Hakamaki, Cromwell
Karley Motschenbacher, Park Christian
Jazlyn Prinz, Southwest Minnesota Christian
Kirsten Robbins, Heritage Christian
Top Underclassmen
Faith Alberts, Parkers Prairie
Ellie Dague, Henning
Sage Ganyo, Mountain Iron-Buhl
Abby Hennen, Minneota
Madison Mathiowetz, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s
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