2019 State Class AAA Girls Basketball Tournament Preview

            2019 STATE CLASS AAA GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
                  (Games played Wednesday, March 13 at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis)

10:00:  Hibbing vs. DeLaSalle (Seed 1)
12:00:  Fergus Falls (Seed 5) vs. Holy Angels (Seed 4)
 2:00:  Austin vs. Cooper (Seed 2)
 4:00:  Marshall vs. Becker (Seed 3)

                                          EXAMINING THE FIELD
Leading off the action at Maturi Pavilion is the Hibbing Bluejackets, playing in their first state tournament since 2007.  Second seeded Hibbing beat the top seeded Grand Rapids Thunderhawks 55-48 in the Section 7 final.  They will go up against the top seeded DeLaSalle Islanders, in their 10th trip to state.  The Islanders have gone 20-2 since they started the season 1-3.  Former St. Paul Central and Gopher standout Ashley Ellis-Milan is an assistant to current head coach Tanysha Scott.  Will it be a happy homecoming with a state title?

Get ready for an influx of maroon and gold fans entering the Maturi Pavilion as the fifth seeded Fergus Falls Otters make their fifth trip to state and first since 2014.  But can they be as successful as the girls hockey team who got shut out by Breck in the Class A quarterfinals?  Brad Strand's bunch is on a roll with 15 wins in their last 16 games as they face the fourth seeded Holy Angels Stars who are making their fourth straight trip to Minneapolis and eight overall. Head coach Danny Woods has a young and talented team with eight sophomores.  It's a team with a very sold future and they could have a third chance to beat the Islanders, something they haven't done in the regular season.

It's been 40 years since the Austin Packers played in the state tournament and they clinched a state tournament berth with an upset win over the top ranked team in Class AAA the Red Wing Wingers and a section final victory over the second seeded Northfield Raiders.  Is another miracle possible? First they have to face the second seeded and defending state Class AAA champion Cooper Hawks.  Under the leadership of former Gopher Kiara Buford,  the Hawks make their second straight trip to state after starting the season 1-5 and have gone 19-3 since then.  Is another state final trip in the works?

Concluding the Class AAA quarterfinals is the Marshall Tigers and the third seeded Becker Bulldogs.  The Tigers make their 12th trip to Minneapolis and look to return to the title game for the sixth time.  The Tigers, seeded third in Section 2, beat the top seeded Waseca Bluejays.  They have gone 2-3 in state championship games.  The Bulldogs make their third trip down Highway 10 to state and their first since 2016.  Becker has won eight straight games since they lostto Hopkins by 35 points February 11.  It should be an interesting finish to the Class AAA quarterfinals.

Next will be the Class AA quarterfinals.