2018 Class AAAA Girls Basketball Section Preview

Now that girls hockey has ended and boys hockey is heading into section finals week it's time for section play to get underway in girls basketball.  Here's a look at the eight Class AAAA sections.

In Section 1, The Lakeville North Panthers are on a roll with eight straight wins and the number one seed.  but a couple of South Suburban Conference rivals are on their heels.  They are the second seeded Farming Tigers and the third seeded Lakeville South Cougars.  Who could break up the South Suburban monopoly?  The fourth seeded Owatonna Huskies.

Over in Section 2, the pairings have not yet been posted but there is no dominant team in the section.  The Minnetonka Skippers and the Eden Prairie Eagles could be the top two seeds.

Now in Section 3, what a season it has been for head coach Molly Kasper and the Eastview Lightning.  They head into section play 26-0 and the number one seed.  Looking to pull the upset is the second seeded Park of Cottage Grove Wolfpack and the third seeded Apple Valley Eagles.  Could the section final be "The Battle of Apple Valley?

It could be a three team race in Section 4 with the top seeded Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders, the second seeded Stillwater Ponies and the third seeded Woodbury Royals vying for a trip to downtown Minneapolis.  This season, the Raiders and Ponies split their season series.  Could a rubber game be in the works in the section final?

So far, it's been an outstanding year for girls sports at Centennial.  First, the girls hockey team led by Gabbie Hughes and Anneke Linser lost by one goal to the Edina Hornets.  Second, the Cougar girls basketball team has the number one seed in Section 5.  Jill Becken's bunch has not lost a game since they lost to the Roseville Raiders December 30.  They might have to battle for the third time this season the second seeded Champlin Park Rebels.  The two teams split their season series.  Don't count out the third seeded Roseville Raiders and the fourth seeded Park Center Pirates.

The good news for the Hopkins Royals is that Paige Bueckers is healthy and the Royals are the number one seed.  The bad news is the second seeded Wayzata Trojans are a threat to keep Brian Cosgriff's team from returning to Target Center.  When Bueckers was sidelined, the Trojans were the state's number one team in Class AAAA.  Looking to end any hopes of an all Lake Conference final are the third seeded Mpls. South Tigers and an upcoming young team in the fourth seeded St. Louis Park Orioles.

Up north to Section 7 where another two team race is likely with the top seeded Anoka Tornadoes and the second seeded Forest Lake Rangers.  A rematch could be possible since the two schools met on December 1 with Anoka emerging victorious 58-52.

There will likely be a new state champion in Class AAAA because the Elk River Elks have the number seven seed and go up against the second seeded Maple Grove Crimson.  Who's the number one seed?  It's the St. Michael-Albertville Knights, who have won 12 straight games.  This season, the Knights beat the Crimson in their tournament December 28. There are three 17-9 teams that could contend.  The third seeded Moorhead Spuds, the fourth seeded Brainerd Warriors and the fifth seeded Buffalo Bison.

Next up,the eight Class AAA sections.