2021 Class AAA Girls Basketball State Tournament Preview

 2021 CLASS AAA STATE GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE

                              Games played Tuesday, March 30

7:30:  Grand Rapids (Seed 4 North) vs. Holy Angels (Seed 1 North) at St. Cloud Tech

7:30:  St. Croix Lutheran (Seed 3 South) vs. Marshall (Seed 2 South) at Mankato East

7:00:  Austin (Seed 4 South) vs. Hill-Murray (Seed 1 South) at Rochester Mayo

8;00:  Alexandria (Seed 3 North) vs. Becker (Seed 2 North) at Perham

Examining the Field:  It's been a big year for the Holy Angels Stars.  First, veteran head coach Dan Woods gets his 500th career win in the regular season and second the Stnrs, playing in their ninth state tournament have the number one seed.  They go up against the Grand Rapids Thunderhawks, making their eight trip to state but have never taken home a trophy.  Can the Thunderhawks pull of the upset or will the Stars shine bright en route to Target Center?  

Making their state tournament debut is the St. Croix Lutheran Crusaders, who beat the top seeded St. Paul Como Park Cougars in the Section 3AAA finals.  They have a tough task ahead as they face the Marshall Tigers, playing in their 13th tournament under veteran head coach Dan Westby.  The Tigers are 2-3 in state title games and in the hunt for their first Class AAA title since 2002.  Could they even their state title game record at .500?

In the lower bracket, the Austin Packers are in their fifth state tournament.  They were the number three seed in Section 1AAA and beat the surprising Albert Lea Tigers who won seven games all season.  Their opponent, the Hill-Murray Pioneers are in their 14th state tournament, led by veteran head coach Erin Herman.  The Pioneers are 0-3 in championship games.  Can the fourth time be the charm for the Maplewood school?  

Concluding quarterfinal play is the Alexandria Cardinals, in their 11th trip to state and the Becker Bulldogs, playing in their fourth consecutive and fifth overall state tournament.  The Cardinals, coached by Wendy Kohler have been hot, going 16-4 since a 1-2 start and hoping to go for their first state title since 2007.  The Bulldogs have most of their players back from last season's team that had their state title hopes perish when COVID 19 cancelled the state finals.  Dan Baird's bunch has been number one throughout the season and has an outstanding chance of bringing a championship trophy home up Highway 10.