Minnesota State Finals Preview for class 2A and 3A

Finally, the time has come, the time every team dreams of when practice starts in November. With the lingering doubt of even having a State Tournament, it's even more exciting that we can see a championship game this season. The four teams left in Class 2A and 3A know how to win with most teams having less than 2 losses this year. Here is a preview and breakdown of the two final games. <strong>Class 2A - #1 Albany vs #2 Providence Academy</strong> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>What to expect:</strong></span> Albany wants to get up and down the court at a fast pace. They hold other teams to a very low score by playing aggressive defense and jumping the passing lanes. Providence has a good balance of getting the ball inside and outside. The Counts sisters connect a lot on offense and the two young guards can attack and shoot. Look for the players to watch, to make big plays for their teams. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Players to watch:</strong></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="57963" first="Maria" last="Counts"] - junior post, Providence</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="148338" first="Grace" last="Counts"] - sophomore post, Providence</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="252381" first="Maddyn" last="Greenway"] - 7th grade point guard, Providence</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109739" first="Paige" last="Meyer"] - senior guard, Albany</strong> <strong>Abbie Christen - senior guard, Albany</strong> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Keys to win:</b></span> <strong>Albany -</strong> <ul> <li>Attack on offense and get Providence in foul trouble</li> <li>Pound the ball inside</li> <li>Stay aggressive on the zone defense</li> </ul> <strong>Providence - </strong> <ul> <li>Out-rebound Albany on both offense and defense</li> <li>Knock down 6+ threes</li> <li>Shut down Meyer who leads team in points, assists, rebounds and steals</li> <li>Stay active against zone, and make the extra pass.</li> </ul> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>X factors:</b></span> <strong><a class="" title="View Brooke Hohenecker’s Player Profile" href="https://www.mngirlsbasketballhub.com/roster_players/43504958">Brooke Hohenecker</a> - Freshman, Providence</strong> The freshman guard has a great stroke from beyond the arc. She hit four threes and two mid-range jumpers in the semifinals shooting 60% from the field. Providence will need to make the extra pass to get her the ball when she’s open at the three. <strong><a class="" title="View Joran Carlson’s Player Profile" href="https://www.mngirlsbasketballhub.com/roster_players/43603520">Joran Carlson</a> - Junior, Albany</strong> Carlson runs the floor on transition very well, looking for the fast break pass. She averages 6.5 points per game but put up 11 in the semifinal. She will need to stay active on defense and continue to run the floor. <strong>Class 3A - #2 Becker vs #2 Marshall</strong> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>What to expect:</strong></span> Becker is a very unselfish team and will look to push the ball up on transition on almost every offensive possession. They scored 29 fast break points in the semifinals. Marshall plays a team game and has a lot of cuts and screens on offense. Look for the players to watch to make big plays for their teams. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Players to watch:</strong></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="2122" first="Julia" last="Bengtson"] - senior point guard, Becker</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="30163" first="Adeline" last="Kent"] - junior guard, Becker</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="29532" first="Megan" last="Gamble"] - senior forward, Becker </strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109774" first="Courtney" last="Nuest"] - senior guard, Becker </strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109746" first="Jordyn" last="Hilgemann"] - senior forward, Marshall</strong> <strong>Emily Meier - senior forward, Marshall</strong> <strong>Abigail Wendorff - senior forward, Marshall</strong> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Keys to win:</strong></span> <strong>Becker -</strong> <ul> <li>Push the ball on transition</li> <li>25+ points off the bench</li> <li>Box out and keep Marshall off the offensive boards</li> </ul> <strong>Marshall - </strong> <ul> <li>Get back on defense quickly after a miss</li> <li>Pound it inside on offense</li> <li>Get out on three point shooters</li> </ul> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>X factors:</strong></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108304" first="Maren" last="Westin"] - sophomore guard, Becker</strong> The sophomore guard has played big all year long coming off the bench and averaging 10.4 points per game. She can take her defender one on one with her quick first step and can knock down the three. <strong>Brianna Simpson - Sophomore guard, Marshall</strong> Simpson starts for the Marshall squad and has been consistent all year playing behind some senior leaders and averaging 10.2 points per game. She runs the floor in transition well and she can take her defender one on one. In the semifinals game she was aggressive early.