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.