While the state boys hockey tournament takes place in St. Paul and girls basketball teams are vying for a berth at state the following week, boys basketball gets ready for section play. First up is a preview of the eight Class AAAA sections.
It could be a three team race in Section 1 that's led by the top seeded Lakeville North Panthers. The Panthers are on a seven game winning streak. Look out for the second seeded New Prague Trojans and the third seeded Rochester John Marshall Rockets that have won 20 games in a row and there's is an outstanding field in southern Minnesota basketball. The Rockets are led by one of the state's best sophomores, Matthew Hurt, whose brother Michael wears maroon and gold at Minnesota. Who will come out of this section? Take your pick.
In Section 2, the top seeded Chaska Hawks are on a 13 game winning streak but the second seeded Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars are on a five game run. Last time the Jaguars played in a state tournament was when they had a guy who now plays for the Timberwolves at center, Cole Aldrich. The Jaguars are led by Tyler Riemersma and have a plethora of juniors on their roster, including the son of head coach Jeff Evens, Mike. Can Jefferson break their state tournament drought? First they have to get past third seeded Eden Prairie.
You'll only need two words to describe Section 3, Apple Valley. The top seeded Eagles are one of the state's top teams and are led by one of the state's best juniors Tre Jones. Apple Valley is the only am in Section 3 with a winning record but they could be derailed by the second seeded Eastview Lightning or the third seeded Rosemount Irish.
Section 4 looks pretty competitive with four teams worth a shot at heading to Minneapolis. The top two seeds are both from the city of Woodbury. The top seeded East Ridge Raptors and the second seeded Woodbury Royals. The third seeded Tartan Titans have won five straight games and the fourth seeded Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders are led by another of the state's top juniors Daniel Oturu, who has committed to the Gophers. Another section race worth watching.
Going to Section 5, the top seed is the top ranked team in Class AAAA, the unbeaten Champlin Park Rebels. The Rebels have been led this season by a couple of Division I signees. McKinley Wright, who will play at Dayton next season and Theo John, who heads to Marquette. Champlin Park has a high powered offense that has beaten nonconference powers Rochester John Marshall, Apple Valley and Hopkins this season. They are the favorites to win the section but don't count out the second seeded Park Center Pirates or the third seeded Osseo Orioles.
There could be a changing of the guard this season in Section 6 as for the first time in years, the Hopkins Royals are not the top seed. They are seeded second behind their Lake Conference rivals the Wayzata Trojans. There could be a rematch in the section final. On February 17, Hopkins beat Wayzata 70-62. Also in the hunt are the third seeded Armstrong Falcons and the fourth seeded St. Louis Park Orioles.
In Section 7, the top seeded is the Forest Lake Lakers with the Blaine Bengals seeded second. The Coon Rapids Cardinals are seeded third and the Duluth East Greyhounds are the fourth seed. There's no clear favorite in Section 7.
That's the same in Section 8. The top seeded Maple Grove Crimson, led by Brad Davison who will play at Wisconsin next season are one of three teams that could head down I-94 toward Target Center. The second seeded St. Cloud Tech Tigers have won four straight games after losing by one point to the Minnetonka Skippers in overtime and the third seeded Rogers Royals have gone 15-1 since January 3.
Next up, the eight Class AAA sections.
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