MSHSL Class AA Girls Basketball State Tournament Preview

The Class 2A MSHSL State Girls Basketball Tournament opens Wednesday evening with games at Williams Arena and Maturi Pavilion on the University of Minnesota campus.

6:00 p.m. in the Arena Top seed Providence Academy Lions (26-4) Plays Montevideo Thunderhawks (25-3).

The Lions four losses came against a Des Moines school, fellow Independent Metro Athletic Conference member and State Tournament entrant Minnehaha Academy, Class 3A state qualifiers St. Paul Como Park 74-72, and Becker 73-64.

Providence Academy averages 71.8 points and allows 45.0 points per game.

The Thunderhawks are averaging 57.2 while giving up 40.6 this season.  Their 3 losses came against Class 2A competition. 69-44 to Minneota, 48-38 to Minnewaska Area and 47-45 against Luverne.

Montevideo was the West Central Conference Champions.

At 8:00 p.m. Wednesday in The Barn Section 1 representative #5 seed Rochester Lourdes takes the floor against the Albany Huskies.  The Eagles (21-7) avenged an earlier loss to Lake City in the Section Final to advance to go dancing at State.

Rochester Lourdes averages 56.2 points and gives up 45 points per contest.

They have an excellent inside and outside game offensively and have proven they can defend at a high level.

The #4 seed Albany Huskies (23-5) were Granite Ridge Conference Champions.  They have lost to Minnehaha Academy 74-32, Providence Academy 55-32, Sauk Centre 55-53, Minnetonka 81-37 and Pierz 52-48.

The avenged their loss to Pierz by defeating them in the Section Finals.

At 6:00 p.m. in Maturi Pavilion #2 seed Fergus Falls Otters (24-5) will play a team with a 24 game winning streak that didn't even get seeded.  The Pequot Lakes Patriots (29-1) only loss came against Albany 59-54.

The Otters lost to Class 4A Brainerd 63-62, Class 3A teams Becker 73-58 and Willmar 67-52.  Their other losses were to Crookston 46-45 and Perham 67-55.

Fergus Falls averaged 67.4 points while allowing 48.3.  Pequot Lakes scores 71.4 and gives up 42.2 points per game.

Four of the Patriots wins came against Class 3A schools including a sweep of State 3A entrant Detroit Lakes in Mid-State Conference competition.

The 8:00 p.m. Maturi Pavilion game should be interesting.  #3 seed Minnehaha Academy (24-5) faces Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial (26-4).  It's a bit of a head scratcher the RedHawks received the number 3 seed because they have wins over top seed Providence, #4 seed Albany and Rochester Lourdes.

They also lost to Providence as well as Nationally ranked Class 4A Hopkins, Class 3A State entrant St. Paul Como Park, Chaska and Lacross Aquinas.

The Knights lost twice to St. Clair, fell to Norwood-Young America and Sleepy Eye St. Mary's.

Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial scored 64.9 points and gave up 48.3 this season while Minnehaha is the highest scoring team in the Class 2A field averaging 79.9 points they still defend allowing 46.5 per game.

The 2021 State Champions were the Albany Huskies with a 57-43 win over Providence Academy in the final.  That obviously can't happen this year because they are on the same side of the bracket.

Let's try to make a difference.