High School Section Tournament Previews: Class AA

With week 14 of the regular season concluded, we are now heading full steam ahead towards the highly anticipated State Tournament. The event will take place on March 11th through the 14th, with games being held at Williams Arena and Maturi Pavilion at the University of Minnesota. Eight teams from each class will compete for the coveted state championship, but in order to get there the section winners must be determined first. Over the next two weeks, section tournaments will be held all over the state in an effort to determine which 32 teams will head to the Barn.   For this week's coverage, we'll be looking at who the top seeds are in each section, one class at a time. I have listed out each section, the top contenders for the section title, their overall records, as well as a bit of information about the strongest contenders. It should be noted that some sections feature multiple divisions, such as North and South or East and West. For these, there are separate tournaments played, with the winner of each division going on to play in the section final, where the winner goes to state. Because these sections tend to be quite large, I have broken the top seeds down by division. All that being said, let's take a look at who the top seeds are in Class AA.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/09/617-Aaliyah-Williams-crop-2867x1883-1710277828.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-870865" /></figure>   Section 1   #1 Red Wing, 22-4   The Wingers have exceeded many people's expectations this season, earning themselves a regular season record of 22 wins and 4 losses. Led by Northern State commit [player_tooltip player_id='717664' first='Izzy' last='Guetzlaff'], Red Wing picked up key wins against Goodhue, Rochester Lourdes, Caledonia, and Byron this season. In addition to the senior forward, senior Hallie Johnson, junior [player_tooltip player_id='1778318' first='Alexa' last='Guetzlaff'], and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1132983' first='Finley' last='Kamps'] are all averaging in double figures this season.   #2 Rochester Lourdes, 21-6   Led by the trio of senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='502563' first='Lauren' last='Hust'] (19.3 ppg), junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='764292' first='Aaliyah' last='Williams'] (13.6 ppg) (pictured above), and 8th grade guard [player_tooltip player_id='1124545' first='Amelia' last='Truty'] (19.6 ppg), the Eagles have a strong chance at making their way back to the State Tournament for the 22nd time in program history. Having already made it through round 1 and the quarterfinals, they will play Goodhue in the section semifinals on Saturday, February 28th.   #3 Goodhue, 19-8   #4 Caledonia, 22-6   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/09/17-Brooklin-Hinze-scaled.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-511677" /></figure>   Section 2   #1 St. Clair, 20-5   Boasting a regular season record of 20 wins and 5 losses, St. Clair has outperformed preseason predictions by a considerable margin. The Cyclones are led by the program's all-time leading scorer, senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='502551' first='Brooklin' last='Hinze'] (pictured above). In addition to the UW-Eau Claire commit, seniors Aubree Mathiowetz and Brooklyn Meng are key contributors. If the St. Clair squad wins their section, they will make their first trip to the State Tournament.   #2 Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, 19-7   Looking to make their first trip to state since 2003, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton brings an experienced core group into the playoffs. The Bulldogs leading scorers consist of seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1145714' first='Katie' last='Olson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1145715' first='Nevaeh' last='Weimert'], and Mikayla Wheelock, plus 6'0 9th grade forward [player_tooltip player_id='1616472' first='Ashlynn' last='Wolff']. After beating Albert Lea in round 1 of sections, JWP will take on #10 seed Tri City United on Thursday, February 26th.   #3 Central, 18-8   #4 Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial, 16-10   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/09/578-Ayla-Caskey-crop-2400x1576-1772045794.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1781214" /></figure>   Section 3 North   #1 New London-Spicer, 26-1   With just a single loss this season, Coach Mike Dreier's New London-Spicer squad is coming into the playoffs with some serious momentum. Averaging in double digits for the Wildcats are freshman post [player_tooltip player_id='1233136' first='Korbin' last='Tanner'] (15.7 ppg), senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='721209' first='Ayla' last='Caskey'] (13.2 ppg) (pictured above), and senior guard Taylor Munsch (12.8 ppg). With high expectations for the postseason, New London-Spicer looks to make the trip to Williams Arena for the fifth time in seven years.    #2 Minnewaska Area, 21-6   #3 Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, 21-6   Section 3 South   #1 Fairmont, 26-2   Led by MSU-Mankato commit and top 25 ranked senior [player_tooltip player_id='339179' first='Brylee' last='Miller'], the Cardinals are heading into the playoffs with just two losses in the regular season. Along with Miller, top 75 ranked sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='992389' first='Bria' last='Williamson'] is a high-octane competitor who is sure to leave it all out on the floor. Having already made it through the first two rounds, the Fairmont squad will take on St. James in the subsection final on Thursday.   #2 Pipestone, 23-3   #3 St. James, 22-5   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/user-uploads/Gigi-Coleman-PGH-327-crop-2714x1782-1726504145.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-998229" /></figure>   Section 4   #1 Minnehaha Academy, 15-11   Led by a young core group consisting mainly of underclassmen, Minnehaha Academy is looking to make their sixth consecutive trip to the Barn. Despite a season-ending ACL injury to senior [player_tooltip player_id='478390' first='Sinae' last='Hill'] (Tennessee Chatanooga) early in the season, the Redhawks are still favored to win their section. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='734360' first='Gigi' last='Coleman'] (pictured above) has had a breakout season, leading the team in scoring. Other key contributors include sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='914941' first='Briana' last='Foster'] and [player_tooltip player_id='918682' first='Danasia' last='Anderson'], freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='1090106' first='Tayjha' last='Van Leer'], and 8th graders [player_tooltip player_id='1090086' first='Shea' last='Watkins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1090085' first='Georgia' last='Watkins'].   #2 Visitation, 15-9   Following the graduation of Visitation's all-time leading scorer Sam Wills, who is now a freshman at Harvard, the Blazers have had a bit of a rebuilding season. Despite that, they picked up key wins against St. Agnes, Winona Cotter, and Richfield in the regular season. Routinely scoring in double figures for Visitation are senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='502596' first='Kiersti' last='Joerger'], junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='815121' first='Marie' last='Jacobson'], and sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id='1096418' first='Rachel' last='Warford']. They average 16.4, 10.4, and 10 points per game, respectively.   #3 St. Croix Prep, 19-7   #4 St. Agnes, 18-8   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/02/MaddynGreenway-crop-3409x2238-1770234997.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1718168" /></figure>   Section 5   #1 Providence Academy, 22-4   Given that the Lions are the reigning Class AA state champions four times over, it really should come as no surprise that they are heavily favored to win their section. The core group for Providence Academy consists of Kentucky commit [player_tooltip player_id='252381' first='Maddyn' last='Greenway'] (pictured above), who averages over 36 points per contest, her younger sister [player_tooltip player_id='872714' first='Beckett' last='Greenway'], averaging 18.7 a game, and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='529357' first='Emma' last='Millerbernd'], one of the state's best defenders who averages 20.5 points a game. The question on everyone's minds this season is can the Lions take home the title for the fifth time?   #2 Maranatha Christian, 22-3   #3 Minneapolis North, 20-5   #4 Watertown-Mayer, 21-5   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/09/Annabelle-Gothmann-PGH-crop-5607x3682-1726059468.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-993585" /></figure>   Section 6   #1 Milaca, 21-4   Led by sisters [player_tooltip player_id='672939' first='Madison' last='Gothmann'] and [player_tooltip player_id='897050' first='Annabelle' last='Gothmann'] (pictured above), who are sure to make up the bulk of the team's offense on any given night, Milaca enters the playoffs with a record of 21 wins and just 4 losses. Other key contributors for the Wolves include freshmen [player_tooltip player_id='1256822' first='Azalea' last='Tesch'] and Teagan Taylor. Milaca will play their first-round matchup against Maple Lake on Thursday, hoping to take the team to the State Tournament for the first time in program history.   #2 Foley, 21-5   Coming in just behind Milaca, Foley finished their regular season with a record of 21 wins and 5 losses. With an experienced core group consisting of seniors Addison Beier (10.8 ppg) and Alexis Swanson (8.9 ppg), as well as juniors [player_tooltip player_id='1183731' first='Kylie' last='Storkamp'] (14.7 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id='1718233' first='Lydia' last='Anderson'] (11.2 ppg), and [player_tooltip player_id='1211686' first='Katie' last='Mazacek'] (10.2 ppg). If the Falcons were to win their section, they would make their first trip to state since 2002.    #3 Sauk Centre, 19-6   #4 Legacy Chrsitian, 17-9   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/09/Chloe-Johnson-photo-crop-2774x1822-1757352039.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1312974" /></figure>   Section 7   #1 Crosby-Ironton, 21-5   Pete Vukelich's Crosby-Ironton squad sits at the top of one of the more competitive sections in Class AA with a regular season record of 21-5. Led by one of the state's all-time leading scorers, University of Minnesota commit [player_tooltip player_id='205310' first='Tori' last='Oehrlein'], the Rangers are looking to make their fourth consecutive trip to Williams Arena. Also playing a key role for Crosby is senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='826639' first='Sammie' last='Hachey'], and senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1737041' first='Lucy' last='Lewandowski'].    #2 Duluth Marshall, 19-7   Just last week, Hilltoppers star [player_tooltip player_id='433933' first='Chloe' last='Johnson'] (pictured above) reached 3,000 career points, making her one of just five active players in the state to hit that milestone. With Johnson leading the way, plus crucial contributions from seniors [player_tooltip player_id='927227' first='Cairin' last='Berger'] and [player_tooltip player_id='478376' first='Anna' last='Saari'], as well as juniors [player_tooltip player_id='764185' first='Candice' last='Ndomb'] and [player_tooltip player_id='764217' first='Morgan' last='Lucero'], Duluth Marshall certainly has a chance to win their section. They will play their first playoffs matchup against 8th seeded Pierz on Saturday, Feb. 28th.   #3 Proctor, 18-8   #4 Pequot Lakes, 17-9   #5 Mesabi East, 22-5   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/09/Kaia-Anderson-scaled.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-507850" /></figure>   Section 8   #1 Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton, 22-4   Just as many predicted in the preseason, the Rebels of Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton are entering the postseason as the top team in their section. With a record of 22-4, D-G-F has been led all season by the MSU-Moorhead commit, 6'1 center [player_tooltip player_id='515672' first='Aria' last='Garrett']. Along with Garrett, the Rebels have a veteran core group, consisting of three more seniors; Greta Devries, Danielle Boyd, and [player_tooltip player_id='1048676' first='Alyvia' last='Couchman']. They're looking to make their first trip to State since 2003.    #2 Perham, 21-4   Looking to make their third trip to the Barn in four years is Coach T.J. Super's Perham squad. The Yellowjackets are led by Southwest Minnesota State commit [player_tooltip player_id='502604' first='Kaia' last='Anderson'] (pictured above), as well as one of the state's top three-point shooters, sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='886920' first='Regan' last='Hemberger']. Despite falling short to Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton in their last game of the regular season, Perham certainly has a chance to make it back to the State Tournament.   #3 Frazee, 21-4   #4 Menahga, 26-0   #5 Pelican Rapids, 15-9

With week 14 of the regular season concluded, we are now heading full steam ahead towards the highly anticipated State Tournament. The event will take place on March 11th through the 14th, with games being held at Williams Arena and Maturi Pavilion at the University of Minnesota. Eight teams from each class will compete for the coveted state championship, but in order to get there the section winners must be determined first. Over the next two weeks, section tournaments will be held all over the state in an effort to determine which 32 teams will head to the Barn.