2013 All Journal Boys Basketball
The following is the 2013 All-Journal boys basketball team, as voted on by The Journal’s sports writers. The players are nominated by their coach and The Journal staff writers rank their top 10 players based on all of the nominees and circle an additional five. Points are as follows: 15 points for first-place vote, 14 for second, etc. First-place votes are in parentheses.
First Team
1. Sean Mathiowetz, St. Mary’s – 135 (9)
2. Sam Pendleton, CM/C – 117
3. Jeff DeCock, RRC – 116
4. Zach Brandts, St. James – 96
5. Neil Eichten, Wabasso – 90
Second Team
6. Kansas Adams, St. Mary’s – 82
7. Henry Rogotzke, RRC – 79
8. Mason Clark, BLHS – 71
9. Tyler Bates, Sibley East – 66
10. Brandon Polesky, Sleepy Eye – 42
Third Team
11. Cole Milbrath, Springfield – 30
12. Zach Kerkhoff, CM/C – 29
13. Christopher Kretsch, Springfield – 28
T14. Jordan Anderson, St. Mary’s -24
T14. Kyle Kubesh, BLHS – 24
Honorable Mention
Brett Rickheim, GFW; Matt Christenson, Nicollet; Walker Froehling, St. James; Jeff Osborne, Cathedral; Brody Rodning, Sibley East.
Editor’s Note: Nominations were not submitted from Minnesota Valley Lutheran, Madelia and Redwood Valley.
12-14-12 at SESM
Teams |
Half |
Final |
Sleepy Eye |
23 |
50 |
SESM |
32 |
68 |
Player |
Pts |
Reb |
Ast |
Stl |
Blks |
Lauren Laffen |
2 |
11 |
|||
Kabrie Weber |
|||||
Diana Villanueva |
|||||
Natalie Stevens |
|||||
Justine Gonzalez |
6 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
|
Tia Cselovzski |
1 |
||||
Jeni Kotten |
|||||
Alicia Ibarra |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
|
Bethany Seifert |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
McKayla Ahlrich |
6 |
2 |
1 |
||
Kayln Haas |
|||||
Claire Krumbach |
25 |
10 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
Kaylee Hillmer |
|||||
Josie Schieffert |
4 |
10 |
2 |
2 |
Coach’s Comments (Ryan Hulke):
Until we stop turning the ball over 25+ times a game we are not giving ourselves chances to win games. We are losing games by an average of 11 points right now and averaging 29.3 turnovers a game. If we cut those down by ten a game and score on half those possessions, it’s a whole new ball game every night. This is very possible for us as so many of these turnovers are unforced.
Tonight was probably overlooked by Claire scoring her 1000 career point; but we did some good things but just too many obvious mistakes. We allowed SESM to go on a 16-6 between the ten and five minute mark in the second half that put the game away for them.
HamlineUniversity
Warm, windy conditions
Sleepy Eye’s 4×200 relay qualified for the finals with a time of 1:46.78 on Friday in the Prelims. In the finals, held Saturday (6/9), Nikki Carr, Courtney Schmitt, Jessica Schmitz and Jamie Marti ran a time of 1:45.18, just .01 seconds out of second place and .4 seconds off the winning pace.
Event 7 Girls 4×200 Meter Relay Class A
4×200 Relay
’11 Champion: 1:44.20 2011 BreckSchool,BreckSchool
K Howard*, H Gustafson, M George, M George
Class A Rec: # 1:43.62 1985 Blue Earth
S Johnson, S Johnson, Lewis, S Johnson
MN All Time: ! 1:40.25 2011 Hopkins, Hopkins
A Cich, T Anderson, M Tanoe, B Sweeney
Nat’l H.S.: + 1:33.87 2004 Long BeachPoly, CA
Shana Solomon, Lee, Woods, Shalonda Solomon
School Prelims Finals Points
1 Osakis 1:45.65 1:44.78 12
1) 623 Abby Stroup 8 2) 620 Brittney Sadlemyer 8
3) 624 Hannah Szech 9 4) 619 Becka Sadlemyer 11
2 Esko 1:45.88 1:45.17 10
1) 716 Olivia Rengo 8 2) 719 Marisa Shady 11
3) 713 Caitlin Lilly 12 4) 718 Erika Shady 10
3 Sleepy Eye Unified* 1:46.78 1:45.18 8
1) 233 Nikki Carr 10 2) 236 Courtney Schmitt 11
3) 238 Jessica Schmitz 11 4) 234 Jamie Marti 10
4 Chatfield 1:45.50 1:45.21 6
1) 110 Erin Kammer 12 2) 108 Ashley Baker 10
3) 109 Autum Erickson 8 4) 111 Madalyn Kammer 9
5 Belle Plaine/Holy Family Acade 1:46.79 1:46.01 5
1) 207 Amara Meyer 10 2) 205 Jenna Gatz 8
3) 208 Jamie Read 11 4) 201 Celeste Borchardt 12
6PequotLakes 1:45.72 1:46.07 4
1) 632 Brittany Bzdok 8 2) 636 Nicole Traut 11
3) 634 Mattie Lueck12 4) 633 Vanessa Lane10
7ProvidenceAcademy 1:46.84 1:46.22 3
1) 429 Rebecca Dykhoff 10 2) 431MadisonLerum 10
3) 433 Nathalie Ratliff 11 4) 430 AnnMarie Healy 12
8 Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ost/Southla 1:47.26 1:46.90 2
1) 114 Sydney Bendtsen 8 2) 117ElizabethMay 11
3) 120AddisonTapp 11 4) 118 Betsy Oswald 12
9 Park Rapids Area 1:47.18 1:50.76 1
1) 825 Sarah Harshman 8 2) 824 Megan Grimes 9
3) 821 Grace Bateman 11 4) 838 Mady Vaudrin 10
Tomahawk All Conference Softball 2012
BLHS – Jessie Kalenberg
GFW – Erin Mcdormont, Kelly Lehrke
MVL – Carlie Maasz, Emily Wessel, Mikyla Weilage
New Ulm Cathedral – Lisa Helget, Paige Pautzke, Amy Eckstein, Anne Schwarz, Karlee Pfaff
Sleepy Eye Public – Sydney Remus
Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s – Mandee Heiderscheidt, Maddy Helget, Laura Pelzel
Springfield – Kendra Brown
Wabasso – Kimberly Frank, Shawna Rogotzke, Desi Kramer
Honorable Mention
BLHS – Erika Zanoth
Comfrey/Cedar Mountain – Cat Gronau
GFW – Breanna Ahlers, Katelin Goebel
MVL – Charlotte Pfingsten
New Ulm Cathedral – Kristi Larson
Sleepy Eye Public – Rachel Schroeder, Samantha Krebsbach
Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s – Larissa Helget
Springfield – Tiffany Schwanke
Wabasso – Becky Franta
Player of the year – Mandee Heiderscheidt, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s
Coach of the Year – Wendy Owens, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s
Team Record: 41-0
Accomplishments: Conference Champs (won all (3) legs of conference series meets in 2012)
Sub-Section 2A champs (won by 47 strokes)
Section 2A champs (won by 29 strokes and shot season best 368)
Average Score for 2012: 193 (trending even lower for 2nd half of season averaging 187)
(Indians led after the first 9 holes at North Links by only a handful of strokes over USC and NUC)
Best 18 hole score: 368 (at the Section 2A meet)
Carissa Hillmer: 1x All Conference Member. (Senior)
Average Score for 2012: 96
Season Low: 90 for 18 holes and 44 for 9 holes.
“Carissa always seems to play her best during the big meets and has really improved from last year.” She is a
very good driver of the ball and has really improved her short game since last season,” said coach Kaleb Walter
Anna Ibberson: Just missed Honorable Mention All Conference (Senior)
Average Score for 2012: 110.
Season Low: 103 for 18 holes 50 for 9 holes.
“Anna has done a nice job for us. This season was her first year out for golf since the 7th grade and if she had just one more season her scores would be much much lower”. Anna provides some great extra depth for us and she has been playing some really good golf as of late, her 103 during a conference meet and 106 at Sections are both very good scores that most any team would love to have.” said Walter.
Aileen Roman: (Senior)
Average Score for 2012: 118
Season Low: 118 for 18 holes and 51 for 9 holes.
“Aileen in her 2nd year out for golf has been a good addition to the team. Aileen started the season out on JV and with hard work, continued improvevement and a great attitude earned a spot on the team.” The team is really going to miss Aileen next season as she does a good job reminding everyone that golf is just a game and its supposed to be fun,” said Walter.
Emily Curtis: 3x All Conference Member. (Junior) Qualified for State Class A Golf Tournament back in 2010 as an Individual.
Average Score for 2012: 93
Season Low: 90 for 18 holes and 43 for 9 holes
“Emily has been the leader for our program for the past (4) seasons and its nice to see her scores continue to improve from
year to year.” Emily is an excellent driver of the ball and makes solid consistent contact with her irons. If Emily continues to
improve on her short game she will be shooting in the low 80’s in no time,” said Walter
Karrah Remus: 1x All Conference Member (Sophomore)
Average Score for 2012: 104
Season Low: 97 for 18 holes and 47 for 9 holes.
“Karrah is a naturally gifted golfer who posesses very good length off the tee and has made nice strides to become a very consistent player for us this season. If Karrah decides to spend a little more time on her game during the summer she could be a contender for an individual state tournament berth in 2013,” said Walter.
Lauren Laffen: 1x All Conference Member. (8th Grader)
Average Score for 2012: 93
Season Low: 89 for 18 holes and 38 for 9 holes.
“Lauren has improved her chipping and pitching immensely since last season. She also gotten a year stronger and thus
her distance has really improved as well. If Lauren continues to work on her game she should
have multiple state tournament appearances in her future,” said Walter
Coach Kaleb Walter
Section 2A Meet
North Links Golf Course, North Mankato
Sunny, warm, 80 degrees
GIRLS RESULTS
Sleepy Eye 368 – SECTION CHAMPS / STATE QUALIFYER
USC 397, NU Cathedral 409, MCW 438
Meet Medalist Ali Wood USC 88
Sleepy Eye team members
Lauren Laffen 89
Carissa Hillmer 90
Emily Curtis 92
Karrah Remus 97
Anna Ibberson 106
Aileen R0man 122
St. Mary’s McKenzie Schutz 95 (missed advancing by one stroke)
BOYS RESULTS
USC 320 SECTION CHAMPS / STATE QUALIFYER
Medalist Cordell WEber MCW 69
2nd place St. Mary’s Mikail Sellner STATE QUALIFYER (shot hole-in-one on the 16th hole)
C.J. Windschitl 81 (lost in a one hole playoff – with winner advancing to state)
St. Mary’s basketball player Sean Mathiowetz was named the 2012 All-Journal Player of the Year. Mathiowetz averaged 17 points and nine rebounds in leading his team to a sub-section championship. READ JOURNAL STORY>>>
Sleepy Eye had three other representatives on the squad including Knights Kansas Adams (second team) and Jon Milliard (third team), Indians Brandon Polesky (third team) and Tyler Hadley (Honorable Mention.)
FIRST TEAM
Sean Mathiowetz, St. Mary’s
Alex Fink, Springfield
Mike Busack, Red. Valley
Nate Siemers, MVL
Kendall Peterson, Madelia
SECOND TEAM
Brian Nosbush, Cathedral
Sam Pendleton, CMC
Zach Brandts, St. James
Kansas Adams, St. Mary’s
Jeff DeCock, RRC
THIRD TEAM
Ben Wolf, Cathedral
Henry Rogotzke, RRC
Andy Hawkins, NUHS
Jon Milliard, St. Mary’s
Brandon Polesky, Sleepy Eye
HONORABLE MENTION: KT Farasyn, New Ulm; Tyler Hadley, Sleepy Eye; Marcus Heiling, CMC; Ryan Pendleton, CMC
If games were decided by effort alone, then Sleepy Eye would be playing for the state championship. Unfortunately for the Indians, the game of basketball is decided by who puts the ball in the hoop most often. Mountain Iron-Buhl scored the first 11 points of the game and never trailed in defeating the local girls 50-31 Thursday in the Class A high school girls basketball state tournament quarterfinals at Williams Arena.
The Indians struggled the entire game against the much taller and very aggressive MIB squad. SE shot just 25% in the contest, even when they got good looks (which wasn’t often) they would misfire on the shot.
The Rangers made a pair of steals then forced the Indians to turn the ball over allowing them to build a 11-0 lead just 2:20 into the game. Jessica Busch finally was able to get the Indians on the board at the 15:00 mark.
SE trailed 20-7 with just under eleven minutes to go. The Indians cut their deficit to 25-17 at the half, courtesy of four free throws and a trey by Carissa Hillmer.
MIB hit a three pointer fifteen seconds into the second half. Their lead was back to 13 less than a minute into the half. The closest things would get again was nine points at 36-27 when McKayla Ahlrich grabbed an offensive rebound and banked it in. It was all MIB the rest of the way.
“We got some good looks, we just couldn’t finish,” said coach Ryan Hulke. “I think we were a little star struck by the atmosphere early and that put us in a hole. MIB averages 64 points offensively and we held them to 50, so I can’t fault our effort on the defensive end.”
“This experience is something these girls will never forget. From the banquet Wednesday night, to arriving on campus Thursday morning, the looks and expressions on the girl’s faces is something I personally will never forget,” added Hulke.
“It’s such a huge momentum builder for the program. I have heard from so many young kids and players now that their goal is to play at Williams Arena someday because they got to see their role models do the same and realize it is possible for Sleepy Eye to play in the State Tournament. I have already had phone calls about a couple girls joining select AAU teams from the area, and everyone is already talking about how they are going to make themselves better this offseason. I couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come!” said Hulke.
“Unfortunately we lose a group of seniors that can’t be replaced. Three out of five have been playing varsity for four or more years, and that experience and leadership is going to be terribly missed.” explained Hulke. “I came in that first week and made some changes from day one, and at first they may not have seen the big picture, but as the season went on they really started to understand why I made them and accepted it’s better for the team. I could talk about these five girls forever, but the bottom line is they will be missed on and off the court.”
The Indians finish the year with a 19-11 mark
VIEW OFFICIAL GAME STATS 20120315psgbbstats
State Girls’ Basketball Tournament
All four 2011 champions return to defend titles;
Richfield, Hopkins earn top seeds; Eight teams making first appearances
All four teams return to defend their 2011 titles: Maranatha Christian Academy of Brooklyn Park in Class A, Braham in Class AA, DeLaSalle of Minneapolis in Class AAA, and Hopkins in Class AAAA.
Coaches of the Class AAA and Class AAAA teams voted and seeded the top four teams of each class, choosing Richfield as the top seed in Class AAA and Hopkins as the top seed in Class AAAA.
Eight teams are making first appearances: Sleepy Eye, Isle, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo (as a consolidated school), Spring Grove, Zumbrota-Mazeppa, Richfield, Chisago Lakes Area of Lindstrom, and Monticello.
This is the 16th year of the four-class format and the ninth year with all games being played in Minneapolis. This is also the sixth year that the Class AAA and Class AAAA tournaments were seeded by the participating coaches.
The 2012 State Girls’ Basketball Tournament starts Wednesday, March 14, with quarterfinal games being played at Target Center and Williams Arena in Minneapolis, as well as on Thursday, March 15 at Williams Arena only. Semifinals start at Target Center on Thursday, March 15, and conclude on Friday, March 16. The championship games of all four classes will be played at Target Center on Saturday March 17. Third-place games will be played on Saturday at Concordia University in St. Paul.
Detailed statistics provided by qualified teams are available on the League’s Web site —www.MSHSL.org — as a Media Guide link under Tournaments, then Winter, then Girls’ Basketball.
Class A Preview
(Section 7) Mountain Iron-Buhl (29-1) vs. (Section 2) Sleepy Eye (19-10): Mountain-Iron Buhl is making its third overall and second consecutive appearance, with a third-place finish in 2011. Mountain Iron previously competed in the tournament in 1978; Buhl in 1977. The Rangers finished the season ranked No. 6 in the final Minnesota Basketball News (MBN) poll. Senior Dakotah Winans leads the team with 10.3 points and 4.6 assists per game. Junior Kathy Ostman averages 10.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. The unranked Indians of Sleepy Eye are making their first appearance at the tournament. Senior Sydney Remus, Sleepy Eye’s all-time leader in points and steals, averages 14.2 points per game. Sophomore Claire Krumbach contributes 11.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
(Section 6) Ada-Borup (26-2) vs. (Section 3) Minneota (29-1): The Cougars of Ada-Borup are making their fifth overall tournament appearance and first since winning back-to-back championships in 2008 and 2009. Ada-Borup finished the season ranked No. 9 in the final MBN poll. The school did not provide individual or team statistics. No. 7 Minneota is making its second consecutive and third overall tournament appearance. Ninth-grader Taylor Reiss leads the Vikings in scoring and rebounds, averaging 19.4 points and 10.3 boards per game. Senior Kelsey Hennen adds 9.5 points and 4.6 assists per game.
(Section 5) Isle (25-5) vs. (Section 4) Maranatha Christian Academy, Brooklyn Park (25-5): Ranked No. 10 in the final MBN poll, Isle is making its first tournament appearance. The Huskies are led by seniors Lindsey Lahr and Maya Coomes. Lahr averages 15.6 points and 5.7 assists per game. Coomes adds 14.1 points per game and shoots 45.4 percent from 3-point range. The Maranatha Mustangs look to defend their championship of 2011 in their third consecutive and overall tournament appearance. The team finished the season ranked No. 1 in the final MBN poll. Junior Onye Osemenam averages 16.3 points per game on 56 percent field goal shooting; she also pulls down 11.5 rebounds per game. Senior Alexis Long contributes 12.1 points per game. The Mustangs outscored opponents this season by an average of 31.4 points per game.
(Section 8) Spring Grove (27-3) vs. (Section 1) Warren-Alvarado-Oslo (26-4): The unranked Ponies of Warren-Alvarado-Oslo are making their first appearance under this name. Warren competed in the state tournament in 1980. Senior Sarah Durand, the team’s all-time leading scorer, paces the team with an average of 13.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. Junior Alexandra Erickson contributes 10.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game; senior Angie Erickson adds 10.6 points per game. Spring Grove is appearing in the tournament for the first time. The Lions closed out the year ranked No. 4 in the final MBN poll. Senior Richell Mehus posted an all-around strong season, leading the team in scoring at 23.0 points per game and adding 8.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 5.2 steals, respectively. She holds the school’s career record for both scoring (1,661 points) and steals (463). Senior Taylor Elton adds 14.5 points and 4.9 assists per game.
Class A Quarterfinal Schedule — Thursday, March 15
11:00 a.m. — Mountain Iron-Buhl vs. Sleepy Eye at Williams Arena, U of M
1:00 p.m. — Ada-Borup vs. Minneota at Williams Arena, U of M
3:00 p.m. — Isle vs. Maranatha Christian Academy at Williams Arena, U of M
5:00 p.m. — Spring Grove vs. Warren-Alvarado-Oslo at Williams Arena, U of M
Class AA Preview
(Section 7) Braham (29-1) vs. (Section 2) New Richland-H-E-G (30-0): The defending champions from Braham return to make their fourth consecutive and fifth overall appearance. They were ranked No. 3 in this year’s final MBN poll. Junior Rebekah Dahlman set school records for career free throws made and career free throws attempted this year. She averages 35.5 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, and has approximately 30 Division I offers to play basketball after she graduates. Senior Kelsey Sorenson-Griffrow, who is the Bombers’ No. 3 all-time scorer in school history, averages 15.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. She will play basketball for the University of Minnesota-Duluth next year. The No. 2-ranked Panthers of New Richland-H-E-G are making their second appearance but first since 2004. Sophomore Carlie Wagner leads the Panthers with 28.1 points per game and is the school’s all-time leading scorer. Senior Anna Schlaak is the school’s all-time leader in rebounds and averages 10.0 per game. Schlaak will play volleyball for Concordia University in St. Paul next year.
(Section 6) Sauk Centre (25-4) vs. (Section 3) Worthington (20-7): The Mainstreeters of Sauk Centre, who were No. 6 in the final MBN poll, are making their third consecutive and overall appearance. They are looking to improve on last year’s third-place showing. Junior Macy Weller averages 15.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game this season. Senior Kali Peschel, who will play basketball for the University of Iowa next year, adds an average of 14.1 points per game. The Worthington Trojans return to tournament action after a two-year absence. They were not ranked in the final MBN poll and are making their eighth appearance overall. Mackenzie Gerber, a senior, leads the Trojans in with 17.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. She also boasts 5.0 steals per game.
(Section 5) Providence Academy, Plymouth (25-4) vs. (Section 4) Minnehaha Academy, Minneapolis (20-8): Top-ranked Providence Academy returns for its second consecutive and overall appearance. The Lions placed fourth in 2011. Seniors AnnMarie Healy and Katie Nordick will both attend Ivy League schools next season; Healy will play basketball at Harvard and Nordick will compete on the track team at Dartmouth. Providence Academy did not provide individual statistics. Last year’s runners-up from Minnehaha Academy return for their fifth consecutive and seventh overall appearance. They were not ranked in this year’s final MBN poll. Junior Nicole Nipper averages 16.9 points per game, and senior Natalie Stevens grabs 6.9 rebounds per game.
(Section 8) Pequot Lakes (19-11) vs. (Section 1) Zumbrota-Mazeppa (17-11): The unranked Patriots of Pequot Lakes are making their second consecutive and fifth overall appearance at this year’s tournament. Senior Mattie Lueck paces the Patriots with 19.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Zumbrota-Mazeppa, which was not ranked in the final MBN poll, is making its debut appearance. Senior Ashley Hinsch, who set single-season records in both scoring (447) and assists (122) this year, leads the Cougars with 16.0 points and 4.4 assists per game. Junior Amber Jentsch corrals 5.8 rebounds per game for Zumbrota-Mazeppa.
Class AA Quarterfinals Schedule — Wednesday, March 14
6:00 p.m. — Braham vs. New Richland-H-E-G at Target Center
8:00 p.m. — Sauk Centre vs. Worthington at Target Center
6:00 p.m. — Providence Academy vs. Minnehaha Academy at Williams Arena, U of M
8:00 p.m. — Pequot Lakes vs. Zumbrota-Mazeppa at Williams Arena, U of M
Class AAA Preview
(Section 1) Red Wing (19-10) vs. (No. 1 Seed-Section 6) Richfield (25-4): Red Wing returns for its fourth overall and second consecutive state tournament appearance. The Wingers were unranked in the final MBN poll. Junior Tesha Buck leads the team in scoring with an average of 17.6 points per game, shooting 41.7 percent from three-point range. Senior Marisa Toivonen contributes 16.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. No. 3-ranked Richfield, seeded No. 1 by the coaches, is making its first tournament appearance. Junior Jessica January sets the tone for the Spartans with strong all-around averages: 22.1 points, 6.54 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 4.5 steals per game. Senior Bryann Guyton leads the team in rebounds at 6.7 per game and adds 10.7 points per game. Junior Sierra Ford-Washington adds 10.5 points per game on 57.5 percent field goal shooting.
(Section 2) Hutchinson (25-3) vs. (No. 4 Seed-Section 4) Hill-Murray, Maplewood (22-7): Hutchinson is making its fifth overall appearance, returning to tournament play for the first time since 2003. Scoring leader Alissa Retterath, a senior, averages 15.8 points per game. Junior Morgan Julius is the team’s top rebounder with 6.7 boards per game. The Tigers were ranked No. 5 in the final MBN poll. Seeded No. 4 by the coaches, the Pioneers of Hill-Murray are making their third consecutive and 12th overall tournament appearance; Hill-Murray was the runner-up in 2011 and 2010. Senior Tessa Cichy leads the team in scoring (22.4 points per game), rebounds (10.5 per game) and steals (4.8 per game). Cichy has passed career milestones of 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. The Pioneers closed the season ranked No. 9 in the final MBN poll.
(Section 7) Chisago Lakes Area, Lindstrom (24-5) vs. (No. 2 Seed-Section 8) Fergus Falls (28-1): Ranked No. 8 in the final MBN poll, Chisago Lakes Area is making its first appearance in the state tournament. Senior Whitney Tinjum averages a double-double with 24.6 points and 11.0 rebounds per game for the Wildcats. She will play at Washington State University next season. Sophomore Bryanna Fernstrom contributes 14.3 points per game, plus 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game. The Otters of Fergus Falls, seeded No. 2 by the coaches and ranked No. 2 in the final MBN poll, return to tournament competition after a four-year absence. It is their second overall appearance. The Fergus Falls offense features balanced scoring by three players averaging double figures: senior Sydney Schultz (13.6 points per game), sophomore Brianna Rasmusson (11.2), and senior Mariah Monke (10.9). Monke also leads the team in rebounds at 7.7 per game.
(Section 5) Monticello (17-12) vs. (No. 3 Seed-Section 3) DeLaSalle, Minneapolis (25-3): Unranked Monticello is making its first tournament appearance. The Magic’s leading scorers are senior Tish Jude with 13.2 points per game and sophomore Grace Sawatzke with 12.5 points per game. Senior Morgan Lindenfelser is the top rebounder for Monticello, averaging 9.1 boards per game. The Islanders of DeLaSalle are the defending Class AAA champion and are making their third consecutive and sixth overall tournament appearance. Ranked No. 1 in the final MBN poll, DeLaSalle was seeded No. 3 by the coaches. The team averages 72.3 points per game behind the double-digit scoring of four players: junior Tyseanna Johnson (17.8 points per game), junior Allina Starr (14.7), senior Mariah Adanene (14.0), and senior Mia Loyd (13.3). Loyd is the team’s top rebounder at 10.6 per game and Starr leads the Islanders in assists, averaging 8.0 per game.
The Class AAA Quarterfinal Schedule — Wednesday, March 14
10:00 a.m. — Red Wing vs. Richfield at Williams Arena, U of M
12:00 p.m. — Hutchinson vs. Hill-Murray at Williams Arena, U of M
2:00 p.m. — Chisago Lakes Area vs. Fergus Falls at Williams Arena, U of M
4:00 p.m. — Monticello vs. DeLaSalle at Williams Arena, U of M
Class AAAA Preview
(Section 1) Lakeville North (21-8) vs. (No. 1 Seed-Section 6) Hopkins (27-1): Lakeville North returns for its fourth overall and third consecutive tournament appearance. The Panthers, who placed third last year, were ranked No. 9 in the final MBN poll. Junior Taylor Stewart, who has over 800 career points and 300 career assists, averages 13.1 points per game. Senior McKenzie Hoelmenn, averaging 6.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, will attend Northern Illinois next year. The defending champions from Hopkins return for their second consecutive and seventh overall appearance. The Royals enter ranked No. 1 in the final MBN poll and also earned the No. 1 seed from the coaches. In addition to last year, they also won titles in 2004 and 2006. The Hopkins’ defense forces opponents into 27.4 turnovers per game and the Royals also average 17.1 steals per game. Junior Nia Coffey leads the Royals in both points (16.4) and rebounds (9.4) per game. Coffey’s older sister, senior Sydney, will play for Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, next season and senior Gracia Hutson will play for the University of Vermont.
(Section 8) St. Michael-Albertville (22-7) vs. (No. 4 Seed-Section 3) Eastview, Apple Valley (24-5): The Knights of St. Michael-Albertville are making their fifth overall appearance but first since 2010. They were not ranked in the final MBN poll and are in the hunt for their third championship. They won previously in 2001 and 2009. Senior Christine Thorn, who will play at the University of Minnesota-Crookston next year, leads the team with 16.4 points per game. Junior Karissa Pazen grabs 5.4 rebounds per game for the Knights. Rachel Valley, another senior, will play basketball at Bemidji State next season. Eastview returns to tournament action after a two-year absence. This is the fifth appearance for the Lightning, who finished the season ranked No. 10 in the final MBN poll. The Lightning were also seeded No. 4 by the coaches this year. Ninth-grader Madison Guebert averages 18.0 points per game, and senior Amber Mehr averages 6.1 rebounds per game. Senior Paige Palkovich will play softball at the University of Minnesota next year.
(Section 7) Duluth East (22-5) vs. (No. 2 Seed-Section 2) Edina (25-4): The Greyhounds of Duluth East are making their 10th tournament appearance but first since 2003. The team enters tournament play unranked in the final MBN poll. Seniors Alex Freeman and Shamika Hopkins pace the Greyhounds with averages of 14.7 and 14.4 points per game, respectively, and junior Elena Lushine has 11.6 rebounds per game. Freeman will play soccer at Drake University next year. The Edina Hornets are making their ninth tournament appearance but first since 2007. They are looking for their second title, having won previously in 1988. The No. 2-seeded Hornets enter the tournament ranked No. 2 in the final MBN poll. Senior Katybeth Biewen, who is the school’s all-time leader in both steals and assists, leads Edina with an average of 17.9 points per game.
(Section 5) Osseo (24-5) vs. (No. 3 Seed-Section 4) White Bear Lake Area (23-6): The unranked Osseo Orioles return for their 13th appearance but first since 2008. They won previous titles in 1989 and 2000. This year’s squad has four players that average eight-plus points per game: senior Olivia Antilla (8.9), senior Mikayla Bailey (8.8), junior Phillis Webb (8.5), and junior Janay Morton (8.3). Webb is also the top rebounder with 3.2 per game. The Bears of White Bear Lake Area, making their sixth overall and fourth consecutive tournament appearance, placed fourth in 2011. They finished the season ranked No. 7 in the final MBN poll and were seeded No. 3 by this year’s coaches. White Bear Lake Area did not provide individual statistics.
The Class AAAA Quarterfinal Schedule — Wednesday, March 14
10:00 a.m. — Lakeville North vs. Hopkins at Target Center
12:00 p.m. — St. Michael-Albertville vs. Eastview at Target Center
2:00 p.m. — Duluth East vs. Edina at Target Center
4:00 p.m. — Osseo vs. White Bear Lake at Target Center
Celebrating 100 Years of Basketball Tournaments
To mark the 100th boys’ basketball tournament next week, the milestone is being celebrated at both the girls’ and boys’ tournaments this year. In addition to special recognition of past achievements, a number of special on-court presentations are planned. The center-spreads of both tournament programs include timelines listing significant events, as well as listings of the top coaches, players and teams, plus the best shots, finishes and games.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the celebration is a collection of state tournament memorabilia that will be on display. Titled “A Century of Memories,” the display is sponsored by Wells Fargo, the League’s premier corporate partner. School personnel from around the state have lent trophies, uniforms, balls and the like that will be displayed at Target Center adjacent to the skyway entrance to the building. Among the items on display will be the very first trophy awarded to Fosston in 1913.
The display will be available for viewing throughout both the girls’ and boys’ tournaments.
Television and Webcast Coverage
All semifinal and championship games will be televised live by KSTC-TV Channel 45, and also streamed live and free on the Web at Prep45.com. GrandStadium is also recording all quarterfinal and third-place games for delayed viewing at Prep45.com. Live statistics of all games will also be displayed on the League website (www.MSHSL.org).
Ticket Information
Tickets will be available at Target Center and Williams Arena. Quarterfinal tickets cost $14.00 for adults and $9.00 for students. Quarterfinal wristbands, which are good at both venues on Wednesday only, are $19.00 for adults and $12.00 for students. Semifinal and championship tickets will be available at Target Center and cost $14.00 for adults and $9.00 for students per session. Third-place tickets will be available at Concordia University and cost $10.00 for adults and $7.00 for students.
A visit to any participating Wells Fargo metro location can yield you a $2 discount coupon for students 13 and younger. The discount coupons are also available for the Boys’ Basketball Tournament.
Construction Warning: I-35W / 4th Street SE Ramp Closure
The ramp from 4th Street SE to northbound 1-35W will be closed throughout the girls’ state basketball tournament. During the closure, posted detours will direct motorists north to New Brighton Boulevard in order to access northbound 1-35W. For real-time traveler information anywhere in Minnesota, please visit www.511mn.org or dial 5-1-1.