As boys hockey enters section final action, section play gets underway in Minnesota high school girls basketball. Here's a preview of the eight Class AAAA sections.
All roads lead to Rochester in Section 1. The city's Mayo Civic Auditorium is the site for the finals and two Rochester schools are among the top three seeds with the Rochester John Marshall Rockets the top seed and Mayo the third. Sandwiched between the two schools is the second seeded Lakeville North Panthers. Will fans in Med City get to celebrate or will Lakeville North take home the gold medals?
The defending state Class AAAA champion Chaska Hawks are the top seed in Section 2 but Hawks fans who look forward to seeing Mallory Heyer and her supporting cast at The Barn should hold off on making their hotel reservations because there's plenty of great competition in the section. The second seeded Eden Prairie Eagles, the third seeded Minnetonka Skippers, the fourth seeded Shakopee Sabers and the fifth seeded Chanhassen Storm could end Chaska's state title reign. Take your pick and get ready for some great high school basketball.
Rosemount Irish fans eyes are smiling since their team is the top seed in Section 3. Their smiles could even broader if they can beat the second seeded Eagan Wildcats for the third time this season in the section final.
In Section 4, the Stillwater Ponies have a great chance of returning down Highway 36 to Minneapolis. But they have to contend with the hot East Ridge Raptors who enter section play on a six game winning streak and the White Bear Lake Bears.
Crimson fans can get ready for another trip down I-94 because Maple Grove is the top seed in Section 5. The Crimson has not lost a game since December 21 when they lost 65-55 to the St. Michael-Albertville Knights. Can they extend their streak to 21 if they can beat the second seeded Roseville Raiders in the section final?
The most dominant team in Minnesota is the top seed in Section 6, the Hopkins Royals. Their only loss was to a school from the Washington DC area, Sidwell Friends. They're led by Amaya Battle, Maya Nnjai and Taylor Woodson and are the heavy favorites to head to Williams Arena. But can the second seeded Wayzata Trojans, led by future Gopher Mara Braun, pull off the upset?
There's no clear favorite in Section 7 as the top seeded Centennial Cougars, the second seeded Blaine Bengals and the third seeded Andover Huskies could earn a state tournament berth. Don't count out the fourth seeded Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets.
Over in Section 8, the St.Michael-Albertville Knights are the top seed. But looking to tarnish the Knights armor is the second seeded Roger Royals who have not lost since December 14. Also in the hunt is the third seeded Brainerd Warriors.
Next up, the eight Class AAA sections.
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