Class 3A and 4A Team Rankings Update
It may not be time to order the banners just yet, but a couple of weeks into the season it certainly looks like Robbinsdale Cooper is a team worthy of the big dance. As Marc chronicled so well in his…
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Continue ReadingIt may not be time to order the banners just yet, but a couple of weeks into the season it certainly looks like Robbinsdale Cooper is a team worthy of the big dance. As Marc chronicled so well in his recap of the events at Saturday's Breakdown Invitational, the Hawks are a team with a lot of very nice pieces, including freshmen Mimi Wheeler and Andrea Tribble. If their coming out party continues, it's difficult to envision Cooper falling too far. Here's what's what in 3A.
On the way up
- Mahtomedi reminded us again this week that we may have underestimated their abilities. The Zephyrs moved up to the #3 spot with a 10-point win over much-improved Moundsview and a 20-point pasting of Como Park.
- Saturday was our first in-person look at Waseca and we were impressed. The Bluejays knocked off Como Park to move to 6-1. Their only loss is a two-pointer to #25 Mankato West.
- Waconia (5-2) is up five to #13. Their only losses were to #12 Red Wing and St. Louis Park, a ranked 4A squad.
- Marshall jumped eight spots to #16, and have quality wins over Southwest Minnesota Christian and Worthington.
- Red Wing (4-1) enters the poll at #12. Their lone loss was by a single point to #6 Northfield.
- Hibbing is tied with Waseca for best record in the class at 6-1, good enough for #15. Their only loss is to #4 Grand Rapids.
On the way down
- Zimmerman dropped from #7 to #23 and are now 0-2. We were pretty high on the Thunder, and it's difficult to justify keeping a winless team in the top 25. In the spirit of the season, we'll give them one more week to get their act together.
- Como Park dropped from #13 to #20. The Cougars lost to #3 Mahtomedi and #5 Waseca. They also have two 4A wins so we'll cut them some slack.
- Worthington dropped from #14 to #24 after giving up 15 three-pointers to Jordan.
See you later
What has happened to St. Anthony? Perhaps their 1-3 start is an aberration, but for now the Huskies are on the outside looking in. Ditto for Chisago Lakes at 2-2. If Carmen Backes returns anywhere close to form, Chisago will be back.
Hopkins, Wayzata and Eastview are pretty much perfect
First the good news. Hopkins is still number one in 4A after playing inhospitable hosts to Iowa City West at the Breakdown Invitational. The Royals laid a licking on the #1 team in the Hawkeye State to remain perfect at 5-0. Wayzata (6-0) continued its winning ways, as well, and Eastview is a solid #3 at 4-0. The biggest surprise of the week was Lakeville North's 14-point loss at Centennial. That's pretty convincing, and it dropped the Panthers to #7.
Going up
- Anoka and Hastings are both 4-0. The Tornadoes moved up three spots to #11 while the Raiders jumped four places to #17.
- Park Cottage Grove continued to impress at 5-0 and are worthy of a #15 ranking.
- At 3-0, with a win against Owatonna, Farmington is a team to watch at #14.
- We weren't too excited about #16 Edina entering the season, but Matt Nilsen's Hornets can never be underestimated. Ironically, it was their only loss that demonstrated what 4-1 Edina is capable of, as they came within two baskets of Wayzata and rose seven spots as a result.
Going down
- The Good Ship Minnetonka has been taking on water for a couple of weeks now. This week the Skippers officially went under, completing a plummet from the top 5 to the ocean floor. 'Tonka is 2-4 after a loss to Apple Valley. It's worth noting, however, that Minnetonka started slow last year before rolling off a month's worth of wins. Don't be surprised if the Skippers resurface.
- Forest Lake is 3-2, but the win over Minnetonka that looked pretty good when it happened doesn't mean much now. The Rangers fall five spots to #21.
Going away
Andover is 0-2, and hasn't looked great. They started the week at #16 and finished it out on the street, but I suspect they'll be knocking at the door again. The same may be true of Apple Valley. The Eagles finally won a game, but at 1-3 with a loss to Woodbury we had to wave goodbye.
Welcome to the party
Bloomington Kennedy (4-1) debuts at #19. Kennedy cemented its spot with a nice win over Simley, a top 10 team in 3A. Two other 4-1 squads are now in the house. Tartan is at #24, and Shakopee, which has only lost to Hopkins, sneaks in at #25.