Game of the Week: Park Center vs Centennial in 5AAAA semifinal

There has been a lot of focus all season on the battle of the big three in class 4A – Eastview, Hopkins, and Wayzata – but quietly lurking in the shadows is a state championship contender that everyone needs to pay attention to: the Centennial Cougars. On Saturday at 1 p.m., Centennial will face Park Center in the section 5AAAA semi-finals at Anoka High School. It is our Northstar Girls Hoops Game of the Week and it promises to be a good one.

Ranked #5 in our 4A poll, Centennial is 23-3 and has won 17 games in a row. The Cougars have not been beaten since Roseville did the deed by a margin of just one in the final of the Raiders' holiday tournament. Centennial boasts a loaded lineup of Division 1 talent that appears to have finally gelled into a cohesive unit capable of winning the whole thing. Led by seniors Sydney Stapleton (South Dakota State) and Claire Orth (North Dakota), and juniors Sara Stapleton (Wisconsin) and Taylor McAulay (Drake), Centennial has talent, size and experience. The Cougars also have a strong supporting cast in Lexi Mathews (7.5 points per game), Sarah Lavell (4.7) and Jodi Anderson (3.8). They are the top seed in the section and the favorite to win on Saturday. It hasn't been that way in recent years.

Let's face it, section 5AAAA has been one of the most difficult to master with several strong programs, including Roseville and Champlin Park, banging heads. Over the past four years, the section has been dominated by Park Center, which won a 3A state championship before being bumped up to 4A. Led by 6'3 post Mikayla Hayes (now at Florida), and a cast of college players with names like McMorris, Schaub, Schaub, DuBois and Simonet, Park Center has been impressive. This year, however, the Pirates are underdogs.

It has been a season of change for the Pirates, who are 17-9 and currently ranked #15. Coach Chris Vanderhyde departed to take a men's college assistant job at Gustavus. He was replaced by Barb Metcalf, a transplant from North Dakota whose approach to game preparation and strategy has been very different. The transition has not been easy. Senior center Azsha Michael left the team early in the season, and some of the veterans struggled in the beginning to adapt. There have been rumblings of discontent, and rumors that a couple of key players will transfer at season's end. In the meantime, however, Park Center is no pushover.

The Pirates are led by a pair of talented seniors, guards Sommer Blakemore and Meghan DuBois. Senior Charo Nickens is an undersized forward who has done her best to play the role of 'big.' Sophomore guards Lauren Frost, Aaliyah Ragulen and Kayla Cox all play key roles on the team as do two freshmen – forward T'Naye Griffin and wing Adalia McKenzie. The 6-foot Griffin is raw but gifted. She makes her share of freshman mistakes, but this is a talented player with a very bright future. She could very well be dominant in the next couple of years. McKenzie, on the other hand, has been dominant already.

One of the most athletic players in the state, the 5'10 freshman has blossomed this year. She is lightning quick and virtually impossible to defend one-on-one once she gets up a head of steam. McKenzie is averaging 14 points per game and is often the spark Park Center needs to get going. She skyrocketed up our most recent 2021 rankings, rising from #18 all the way up to #4. Win or lose, McKenzie is worth the price of admission and will need to bring her A game on Saturday if Park Center is to prevail.

Best 3A & 4A games to watch on Saturday

• Como Park vs Mahtomedi & Hill-Murray vs DeLaSalle (Section 4AAA) at East Ridge
• Mankato West vs New Ulm & Waseca vs Hutchinson (Section 2AAA) at MSU-Mankato
• Hibbing at Grand Rapids (Section 7AAA)
• Chisago Lakes at Hermantown (Section 7AAA)
• Prior Lake vs Eden Prairie & Minnetonka vs Edina (Section 2AAAA) at Minnetonka
• St. Michael-Albertville vs Buffalo & Moorhead vs Maple Grove (Section 8AAAA) at Alexandria