Could there be a new state champion in Class 3A?

Wide open. If I had to handicap the race for the Class 3A Minnesota girls high school state championship that would be it. While defending champion Benilde-St. Margaret's still has an undeniable edge – there's nothing quite like having done it three times in a row – the list of teams with a legitimate opportunity to make a run for the roses is not short.

On Saturday I watched two outstanding Class 3A matchups back-to-back: Hill-Murray at Marshall and Benilde at Cretin-Derham Hall. While certainly instructive, I didn't come away from those viewings feeling like any one team asserted themselves as a true front runner. And when you look at head-to-head matchups from the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign to now, there's not a whole lot more to be gleaned. Here are some thoughts on where the race sits with a month remaining in the regular season.

Hill-Murray (14-2) vs Marshall (14-3)

The Pioneers offense is remarkably good. That's not surprising when the roster includes Mya Wilson Mya Wilson 6'1" | CG Hill-Murray | 2027 State #55 Nation MN (#1 in the Class of 2027), Sarah Poepard Sarah Poepard 6'0" | CG/SF Hill-Murray | 2028 State MN (top 10 in 2028), and Ashlee Wilson Ashlee Wilson 5'10" | CG Hill-Murray | 2030 MN (presumed #1 in 2030). They've been firing on all cylinders under new coach Betty Trull, averaging 66 points per game between the three of them. Given how Marshall has historically played, I figured the Tigers would try to slow things down on their home floor and get HM into a half-court game. Wrong!

The Tigers were running and gunning and making a ton of shots. Reese Drake Reese Drake 5'8" | SG Marshall | 2026 State MN , in particular, was deadly from distance. I'd love to give you some numbers but Marshall didn't post any stats for the contest which is par for the course. Where the Tigers shine, however, is with their defense and physicality. That's been the case forever. If the officials are relatively lenient, the opponent is going to have a tough night. It was a four-point game with just over 6 minutes left before the Tigers pulled away for an impressive 100-85 victory. Conclusion: Led by top-20 senior guard Taleigha Bigler Taleigha Bigler 5'9" | PG Marshall | 2026 State MN (Southwest Minnesota State), Marshall is going to be a tough out – again.

Benilde-St. Margaret's (13-3) at Cretin-Derham Hall (12-7)

The only girls game on the docket at the Breakdown Collision event saw the home team get off to a quick start as Cretin was up 6-0. After some early misses, the Red Knights started to find the mark with their usual level of competence. The result was an 11-0 run in Benilde's favor and a 34-29 halftime lead. In the second period, Cretin did some nice work sparked by the all-freshmen trio of Madeleine Hamiel Madeleine Hamiel 5'10" | CG Cretin-Derham Hall | 2029 State MN (ranked #3), Isabella Deleeuw Isabella Deleeuw 5'7" | CG/SG Cretin-Derham Hall | 2029 State MN (#9) and Teagan Jacobs Teagan Jacobs 5'10" | SG/SF Cretin-Derham Hall | 2029 State MN (#28), who led the Raiders with 17 points . The margin was a single point at 41-42 before a 7-0 run gave BSM the separation they needed to post a 65-56 victory.

But didn't Stewartville beat Benilde-St. Margaret's?

It's true. Ten days ago at the Kasson-Mantorville Showcase the Tigers pulled off an 85-76 victory over the Red Knights, employing some impressive defense to go along with their nearly always productive offense. Led by senior standouts Audrey Shindelar Audrey Shindelar 6'0" | CG Stewartville | 2026 State MN (#8, South Dakota State) and Jayci Rath Jayci Rath 6'1" | SF Stewartville | 2026 State MN (#12, St. Thomas), 15-1 Stewartville is on a roll. Their only loss was to Lakeville South on Nov. 22. Since then they've beaten Byron by 18, Delano by 9 and Northfield by 6. Freshman Sadie Romens Sadie Romens 5'10" | SG/SF Stewartville | 2029 State MN (#24) has grown her game over the past couple of months, and 2028 Danika Shindelar Danika Shindelar 5'9" | CG Stewartville | 2028 State MN is a star on the rise. Let's not forget senior post Addison Ruffridge Addison Ruffridge 6'1" | C/PF Stewartville | 2026 State MN (St. Olaf) who has been a beast this season.

What about Orono? Aren't they ranked #1?

Yes! According the Minnesota high school coaches, the Spartans are the #1 team in Class 3A as of Monday. Led by 4^th-ranked senior Mya Moore Mya Moore 5'10" | PG Orono | 2026 State #103 Nation MN (Creighton) and her standout sophomore sister Ally Moore Ally Moore 5'8" | PG Orono | 2028 State MN (#14), Orono is 14-2. They posted a victory over Benilde-St. Margaret's. Led by Evelyn Miller Evelyn Miller 6'1" | PF Orono | 2026 State MN (University of Chicago), the Spartans have three post players over 6 feet. They lost to Minnetonka by just three. A seven-point loss to Prior Lake looked bad at the time. Given what the Lakers have done since with wins over Rosemount and Eastview last week, not so much. Orono's challenge will be overcoming Benilde when everything is on the line in section play. I think it's going to be an on-any-given-day scenario.

Who else is in the mix?

Delano – Led by top-25 senior Abbie Pietila Abbie Pietila 5'8" | PG Delano | 2026 State MN (Michigan Tech) and #27 junior Addie Iversen Addie Iversen 6'0" | SF Delano | 2027 State MN , 13-6 Delano has done some impressive work. The Tigers are one of two teams to beat Marshall and their losses (Chanhasen, BSM, Hill-Murray, Orono, Stewartville and Monticello) are nothing to feel bad about. Delano carried a six-game winning streak into this week. Their biggest issue is their location in Section 6 with Benilde and Orono. There's no question in our minds that Delano is capable of beating either team on a very good night.

Byron – I feel the same way about 14-4 Byron as I do about Delano. This team has been incredibly impressive when we've watched. They play together, they play hard, and they have a lot of nice pieces to work with. Madison Ohm Madison Ohm 5'10" | CG Byron | 2026 State MN is the Bears' undisputed leader. The top-15 senior and Division 1 commit (Marist) is an alpha dog in every sense of the term. #25 junior Kayla Stork Kayla Stork 5'9" | CG/PG Byron | 2027 State MN (Southwest Minnesota State) is one of the most well-rounded players in the state. Top 10 freshman Raegan Kelm Raegan Kelm 5'9" | PG/CG Byron | 2029 State MN is a defensive weapon who can also score. Like Delano, Byron has a tough section with Stewartville and Northfield. The Bears only losses are to Benilde, Stewartville, Maple Grove and 15-4 Caledonia.

Does anyone else have a chance?

DeLaSalle – The 9-6 Islanders are capable of an upset in Section 4 with Hill-Murray but it's a long shot. After losing their first four games of the season to Benilde, Minnehaha, Orono and Hopkins, the Islanders are 9-2. The return of 2026 #25 Maddy Blaylark Maddy Blaylark 5'7" | CG DeLaSalle | 2026 State MN is huge. 2027 #18 Laila Moses Laila Moses 5'11" | SF DeLaSalle | 2027 State MN and #28 Samira Taylor Samira Taylor 5'11" | SF DeLaSalle | 2027 State MN , along with senior post Onyx Idoko and 2028 #33 Anaya Shaffa Anaya Shaffa 5'8" | CG/PG DeLaSalle | 2028 State MN are players to watch. It's a solid group but the Wilson sisters are a handful.

Northfield – With a record of 15-3, the Raiders are the sleepers of Section 1, the team few are paying attention to. With a nice mix of veteran leadership like Grace Mostad Grace Mostad 5'9" | SG Northfield | 2026 MN , and several talented youngsters, Northfield has only lost to 4A #6 Rochester Mayo along with Stewartville and Byron. Like DeLaSalle, Northfield would be a huge surprise if they got to state, but the play of 2028 point guard Callie Lynch Callie Lynch 5'3" | PG Northfield | 2028 State MN and 2029 #32 Siri Richardson Siri Richardson 5'11" | CG/SF Northfield | 2029 State MN has been huge.

Becker – The 9-5 Bulldogs have been in rebuilding mode from their glory days and it appears Becker has to be taken seriously once again. Led by the dynamic duo of 2028 #11 Adele Changamire Adele Changamire 5'8" | CG Becker | 2028 State MN and 2029 #5 Andie Changamire Andie Changamire 5'11" | SG Becker | 2029 State MN , Becker can hang with just about anyone. They have one defeat since Christmas to 4A power Minnetonka, but Section 5 will be a battle with 8-8 Totino-Grace and 9-6 St. Francis.

Rock Ridge – The 12-6 Wolverines are a heavy favorite in Section 7 ahead of Hermantown and Cloquet but are getting zero love from those who do team rankings. Their losses are to the likes of Duluth Marshall, Becker, Proctor and Monticello. The way they play, Rock Ridge is never going to be a pushover. This is a team nobody will want to face at State.

Fergus Falls – Fergus Falls (13-4) is in the driver's seat in Section 8. With few stats posted, and only Jamestown commit Hattie Fullhart Hattie Fullhart 5'9" | SG Fergus Falls | 2026 State MN on our radar, we don't know a lot about the Otters to be honest. Their schedule has been average at best with only three victories against teams with a winning record. Clearly the opportunity is there for a surprising 14-4 squad from Little Falls, led by South Dakota State commit Malin Youngberg Malin Youngberg 6'0" | CG/SF Little Falls | 2028 State MN , the 6^th-ranked sophomore in the state. Willmar, at 7-8, looked pretty good last week against Alexandria when we watched but have won just once since Christmas. Bottom line? The Section 8 nominee is anyone's guess at this point.