Rekindling the rivalries as conference play heats up

It's hard to define exactly what constitutes a rivalry game. They come in all shapes and sizes but never fail to gin up a little extra anticipation between the two teams involved and their respective fan bases. For example, there are the classic geography-driven battles like the Vikings and Packers. There are the games with tradition and history, such as the annual Army-Navy football game. Some rivalries are driven by bad blood – a past series of incidents (often in playoff competition) – as is common in hockey. And then you've got the back-and-forth battles driven by two superstars constantly trying to one-up each other, like Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson.

This past week's Minnesota girl's basketball schedule offered up a number of rivalry games. From Breck vs Blake to St. Paul Central against Como Park to Mankato East against Mankato West, old rivalries were renewed. We watched four of the best: Minnetonka vs Wayzata, Orono vs Benilde-St. Margaret's, Providence Academy vs Minnehaha Academy, and Lakeville North vs Lakeville South. Here are some thoughts on what we witnessed.

Wayzata 63 Minnetonka 49

Let's call this one the War on the Shore, a twice-yearly meetup between two Lake Conference foes that have plenty in common. Situated in affluent West Metro communities in proximity to Lake Minnetonka, these two gigantic schools have had plenty of success and a plethora of top players. This year there a dozen legitimate Division 1 prospects between the two of them.

Wayzata got off to a 14-9 start on its home court thanks to stellar team defense and opportunistic scoring. When freshman Mallory McBeth Mallory McBeth 5'10" | SG/SF Wayzata | 2028 State MN nailed a three-point shot midway through the first period, the Trojans were ahead by 8. Wayzata led by as much as 14 before a mini-run by Minnetonka closed the gap to 38-30 at the half.

We've seen Bryan Cosgriff's bag of tricks many times and fully expected the hall-of-fame coach would tweak his game plan to change the course of the contest. On this night, though, the comeback sprint never really materialized and Wayzata rolled on to an impressive 63-49 win. Top 5 junior Lanelle Wright Lanelle Wright 5'8" | PG Minnetonka | 2026 State MN was held to just 6 points. Newcomers Jazmin Daing Jazmin Daing 6'2" | CG Minnetonka | 2027 State MN and Ari Peterson Ari Peterson 6'1" | SG Minnetonka | 2028 State MN combined for 22 but were 3-for-12 from the field. Thank goodness for free throws! Although it was Wayzata's defense that quarterbacked the victory, two Trojans reached double digits as top 20 sophomore Maren Day Maren Day 6'1" | CG/SF Wayzata | 2027 State MN scored 14, senior forward Allison Berns (Jamestown) had 10, while sophomore Annika Kieser Annika Kieser 5'10" | SF Wayzata | 2027 State MN and McBeth had 9 each.

Providence Academy 99 Minnehaha Academy 76

The rivalry between these two elite private institutions can be defined quite simply: Maddyn vs Addi. The rivalry between senior Addison Mack Addison Mack 5'9" | PG Minnehaha Academy | 2025 State MN of Minnehaha and junior Maddyn Greenway Maddyn Greenway 5'8" | PG Providence Academy | 2026 State MN of Providence runs deep. The photo above was taken after their first encounter in 2021. Since then, Mack has passed 4,000 career points to become the second-leading scorer in Minnesota history. Greenway isn't far behind. Every time they meet it's a big deal. Remember in 2023 when the two of them combined for 105 points in a game? This week's encounter also delivered some fireworks.

Minnehaha started off hot, racing to an 11-2 lead behind an Amina Allen Amina Allen 5'8" | SG Minnehaha Academy | 2025 State MN three-point shot, a Mack spin move in the paint, and a coast-to-coast finish by Sinae Hill Sinae Hill 5'10" | SG Minnehaha Academy | 2026 State MN . Providence struggled early, missing shots and appearing to be out of rhythm much of the time. When Allen made her second three, the lead grew to 26-13. Clearly Providence needed a spark and, as so often happens, Greenway caught fire. She scored on drives, bombed threes and hit step-backs and by halftime the game was a dead heat.

Providence returned from the break with a smothering zone defense that disrupted the Redhawks rhythm as the Lions seized control. Greenway turned steals into layups, igniting a decisive run that rapidly transformed the thing into yet another win for the 13-0 Lions. Maddyn finished with 51 points while Addi had 39. The two will lock horns one more time on Friday, Jan. 24 at Providence.

Lakeville North 53 Lakeville South 49

In the Battle of Lakeville, the edge has usually gone to North with the Panthers holding an 8-3 margin in the post-pandemic era. The games are almost always close, however, with 8 of those 11 being decided by fewer than 10 points. As a South graduate, new Cougars coach Blake Nicols knows full well the stakes involved. He must have felt pretty good in the early going Thursday.

Led by University of Sioux Falls commit Danielle Coleman Danielle Coleman 6'1" | SG Lakeville South | 2025 State MN , and the long-bomb success of junior Amaya Pahl Amaya Pahl 6'0" | PF Lakeville South | 2026 State MN , the Cougars forged an early lead. North struggled to put the ball in the basket as 2028 post Sahara Wilson Sahara Wilson 6'3" | PF Lakeville North | 2028 State MN was stymied time and again around the rim and the guards like Gracie Winge Gracie Winge 5'10" | CG Lakeville North | 2025 State MN and UM-Duluth commit Elayna Boe Elayna Boe 6'0" | SG Lakeville North | 2025 State MN could not find the cylinder to save their lives. Trust North coach Andy Berkvam to tweak his team's defensive strategy. In the second half, the roles were reversed as South struggled to generate offense and North began to finish.

When Boe cashed in on a put-back, North was ahead by 8. Aduke Ojullu Aduke Ojullu 6'1" | SF Lakeville North | 2025 State MN followed up with another score to stretch the lead to double digits. South never managed to mount another charge, although late buckets by Caitlin Beauchamp Caitlin Beauchamp 5'11" | SF Lakeville South | 2025 State MN and Ashlyn Williams Ashlyn Williams 5'7" | PG/SG Lakeville South | 2026 State MN closed the gap to 53-49 at the final buzzer. Wilson had 14 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists. Winge went 14 & 8, Ojullu 12 & 8, Boe 8 & 6. Coleman scored 18 for South and Pahl had 12.

Orono 76 Benilde-St. Margaret's 68

The Orono vs Benilde-St. Margaret's rivalry is a classic underdog story, one fueled by Benilde's incredible run of state championship success. Orono (12-1) is a team on the way up, however, and the fact that Benilde's premier prospect Pressley Watkins Pressley Watkins 6'0" | CG Benilde-St. Margaret's School | 2027 State MN started out with the Spartans adds a little icing to the cake. After a dry spell that stretched over five seasons and nine defeats – including a pair of blowout losses last winter – Orono climbed the big hill to record a W. Spartans coach Chris Bjorgaard said the graduation of Michigan freshman Olivia Olson influenced how his players felt going into the contest. “The girls know the impact she brought to each game on both ends of the floor,” said Bjorgaard.

Orono has some real talent led in the backcourt by 2026 point guard and Creighton commit Mya Moore Mya Moore 5'10" | PG Orono | 2026 State MN . Her freshman sister Ally Moore Ally Moore 5'8" | PG Orono | 2028 State MN plays like a seasoned veteran. Up front, Orono has serious post presence from the likes of Evelyn Miller Evelyn Miller 6'1" | PF Orono | 2026 State MN and Lilah Rice Lilah Rice 6'2" | PF Orono | 2026 State MN . Wing Amelia Schwendimann Amelia Schwendimann 5'10" | SG Orono | 2026 State MN is having a breakout season and senior Rae Pearce Rae Pearce 6'0" | SG Orono | 2025 State MN is playing her best basketball. The Spartans put up 42 points in the first half. More importantly, they held Benilde to just 30.

Not surprisingly, the Red Knights mounted a charge in the second half led by Watkins, an elite sophomore, and Seton Hall commit Zahara Bishop Zahara Bishop 5'10" | CG Benilde-St. Margaret's School | 2025 State MN . They amped up the pressure and scored the basketball but Orono did not wilt. “Fortunately, we had built enough of a lead to withstand their charge,” Bjorgaard said. “We work hard every practice versus pressure and we were confident that so long as we didn't turn it over we could make our free throws. The main thing was don't foul and let them score with the clock stopped and get their defense set.”

Although BSM closed the gap to single digits in the waning moments, Mya shut the door with a pair of buckets at the end for a final score of 75-68. She finished with 28 points while Miller had 12 and Ally scored 11. Watkins put up 22 for BSM while Bishop had 13.

“The win is big because it allows us to control our own destiny for both winning our conference and potentially being the #1 seed in our tough section,” said Bjorgaard. “In order to become champions, we know we have to defeat the current champions. We took a step in the right direction but we haven't climbed the ladder yet.”