State Tourney: Class A MVP and All-Tournament Team

Grant McGinnis March 19, 2023 @ 01:10 PM

Finally! With equal parts joy and relief, Mountain Iron-Buhl are state champions at last. For 25 years coach Jeff Buffetta has toiled year-round to build an elite Class A program, putting in three or four times the work of the average coach, racking up more miles than any other team in search of high-level competition, inspiring his players to get better 24-7-365. After making 10 trips to the State Tournament in the last 11 years, MIB finally took home the grand prize on Saturday with a 52-21 win over BOLD.

The Warriors actually began the game with 4-0 lead. Then MIB, which finished with a record of 30-3, settled in and reeled off 15 straight points. The Rangers amped up the volume on defense, cranked up the pace on offense, and never looked back. Led by senior guard Sage Ganyo Sage Ganyo 5'4" | CG Mountain Iron-Buhl | 2023 State MN , North Carolina commit Jordan Zubich Jordan Zubich 5'11" | SG Mountain Iron-Buhl | 2024 State MN and junior guard Hali Savela Hali Savela 5'8" | CG Mountain Iron-Buhl | 2024 State MN (pictured above left to right), the Rangers made good on the program's long history of success. So many great players laid the groundwork for this victory over the years – names like Mya Buffetta, Chelsea Mason, Macy Savela, Mary Burke, Allie Negen, Ava Butler, Brooke Niska, Lauren Maki, Mia Ganyo… the list goes on – and a number of them were in Williams Arena Saturday afternoon celebrating beside the present-day players. It was fun to see.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Hali Savela Hali Savela 5'8" | CG Mountain Iron-Buhl | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Mountain Iron-Buhl

It would be easy to pick Zubich as the MVP. She is the best player in Class A by a fair margin. She's committed to one of the top college programs in the country. She does it all for the Rangers. But when Jordan was in foul trouble for much of the first two games in the tournament, it was Savela who provided the grit, defensive intensity, leadership, and scoring to hold down the fort until her teammate could return to action. The 5'8 junior shot 55% from the field over the course of the three games, averaging 12 points and 7 rebounds per game. Her 5 steals against Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa were critical in a narrow victory. Score one for the grinders – Hali deserves extra accolades in this historic win.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Our picks are based solely on games played in the main bracket. No consideration is given to consolation games since we are not able to watch those.

1st team

– 2024 guard, Mountain Iron-Buhl