A Final Look at the Sections, Part 1

Marc Hugunin

February 21, 2017 @ 01:45 PM

We’ve previously previewed all 8 sections in Class A. Have we changed our minds about anybody? Sections 2, 3 and 8 are the ones that deserve the closest look. Section 2A Sleepy Eye was our favorite last fall. Since then, they’re a respectable 17-7, 8-2 in their last 10. Cedar Mountain-Comfrey is 17-5, and the 2 teams have split a pair of games, Sleepy Eye winning most recently at CMC. Their rubber match will decide things in the north. Mankato Loyola is rolling in the south at 21-2, 15-0 in the section and with 6 straight wins. Both losses are to AA teams. But the new coop of GHEC plus T for Truman plus ML for Martin Luther—well, how could they not be a threat? They’re in the mix at 21-4. Loyola beat them twice, both times at Loyola, by 4 and 3 points. Our semi-final picks are Sleepy Eye 57 Cedar Mountain-Comfrey 55 and Loyola 53 GHEC/T/ML 52. Something about 3 on a match. In the section final, our pick: Mankato Loyola 56 Sleepy Eye 49. Section 3A In Section 3A we picked the defending section champ Southwest Christian. They’re doing well enough at 18-3. Just one of the 3 losses is in the section, at Red Rock Central 75-58. Red Rock is 21-3 and unbeaten in the section. Then in the North, there’s Canby, also with 3 losses but also unbeaten in the section. SWC has 3 especially accomplished players in wing Chantel Groen, who scored 30 in their only state tournament game last year, plus guards Emily Nerem and Brooklyn DeKam. Red Rock goes 5-11, 5-11, 5-10 and 5-10, while Canby has 4 outstanding players led by guard Natalie Dinius. We still like SWC in the south, and Canby in the north. In the final, our pick: SWC 69 Canby 59. Section 8A In 8A we picked Sacred Heart and then Stephen-Argyle at different times. But Red Lake has now emerged as an obvious favorite at 19-2 with a win at Maranatha. Our pick: Red Lake 66 Stephen-Argyle 56. The Rest of the Best • Goodhue remains the favorite in Section 1A though they’ve not been as dominant as we expected. Lyle/Pacelli continues as the main challenger though they, too, have been a surprise with their 6 losses. But, they took Goodhue into OT at Goodhue. Our pick: If the real Goodhue shows up, which they don’t always do, then Goodhue 57 Lyle/Pacelli 50. • Maranatha remains a prohibitive favorite in Section 6A despite their 6 losses. Heritage Christian is just as good in the front of the rotation. The back, not so much. Our pick: Marantha 67 Heritage 64. • Cromwell is a heavy favorite in 5A, but Kimball is a solid team. Our pick: Cromwell 62 Kimball 56. • Wheaton-Herman-Norcross remains unbeaten in 6A. Ada-Borup has emerged as the principal challenger with the addition of guard Mariah McKeever, who transferred over to Ada from Win-E-Mac. They’re 20-1. New York Mills and Parkers Prairie are next, but our pick: Wheaton 60 Ada 55. • Finally, MIB should return in 7A. Bigfork is probably not really a threat even though they’re 24-0. Our pick: MIB 71 Bigfork 59. Seeds and State Possible seeds and potential 1st round matchups. 1) MIB, 2) Wheaton, 3) Cromwell, 4) Goodhue, 5) Maranatha. Not seeded—SW Christian, Loyola and Red Lake. Mountain Iron-Buhl vs. Mankato Loyola, Chelsea Mason vs. Lindsey Theuninck, but nobody can match up with Mary Burke Wheaton vs. Red Lake—Emma Schultz vs. Grace White Cromwell vs. SW Christian—Bailey Gronner vs. Chantel Groen, this could be your upset special Goodhue vs. Maranatha—a replay of last year’s state championship final