Class A State Tournament: Team Capsules
The Class A State Tournament tips off Thursday at Williams Arena. With two of the top teams in the state going down during the section tournament, the Class A field figures to be wide open again this week. Only one…
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Continue ReadingThe Class A State Tournament tips off Thursday at Williams Arena.
With two of the top teams in the state going down during the section tournament, the Class A field figures to be wide open again this week. Only one team from last season is back in the state field this year, so there are a lot of new – but talented – faces.
Here’s a quick look at the field:
Section 1: Spring Grove
After years of advancing deep into the Section 1A tournament and being tormented by Rushford-Peterson and Goodhue, the Lions powered their way through for a state appearance. This is a veteran group for Spring Grove as Alex Folz and Ethan Matzke are four-year starters. Caden Grinde and Noah Elton are multi-year starters as well. Folz is one of the best point guards in the state, averaging 18.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists while Matzke is a hoss inside, averaging 11.9 points and 8 rebounds. Grinde gives the Lions some athleticism on the wing, averaging 11 points and 3.3 assists.
Section 2: Springfield
The No. 1 seed in the tournament, Springfield returns to the state tournament after missing out last season despite being one of the three or four best teams in Class A. The Tigers have a high-powered offense led by arguably the best player in Class A, Isaac Fink. Fink’s turned in a fabulous senior season, averaging 31.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Decker Scheffler’s been awesome as a running mate, averaging 22.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists. Mitch Buerkle is a solid third scoring option for a team that plays uptempo but also has a physicality that can overwhelm the opposition.
Section 3: Westbrook-Walnut Grove
One of the surprise teams in the tournament, Westbrook-Walnut Grove heads into the tournament at 23-7 on the year, beating the likes of Southwest MN Christian and Dawson-Boyd in sections. The Chargers have a balanced offensive attack led by senior guard Andrew Quade who averages 12.4 points and 7.0 assists. Parker Freeburg leads the team in scoring and rebounding averaging 18 points and 9.6 boards while Ethan Mischke and Nathan Ross combine to average 26 points per game on the wings.
Section 4: CHOF
CHOF crushed the competition in the Section 4 tournament and will face Henning in the first round. The Lions have one of the state’s better offenses with four double-figure scorers and several talented shooters. McCaleb Alleman leads the way, averaging 18.7 points and 7 rebounds while converting on better than 58 percent of his field goal attempts inside the arc. Preston Alleman is knocking down nearly 50 percent of his 3-pointers while averaging 12.9 points per game and Erik Strandlund and Isaac Collins average 11.4 and 11.2 points per game respectively.
Section 5: Cromwell-Wright
Cromwell-Wright is one of the best perimeter shooting teams in the tournament led by Micah and Marcus Pocernich. Micah, a junior, averages 19.5 points while knocking down 45 percent of his triples while Marcus, a senior averages 12.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He hit 39 percent of his triples. Cameron Cahoon is an active interior presence, averaging 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds.
Section 6: Henning
Henning heads into state with just one loss on the year (to Parkers Prairie, the team it beat in the section championship) while outscoring the opposition by nearly 30 points per game on average. The Hornets are athletic and play an uptempo style with a guard-heavy attack. Sam Fisher is one of the best guards in Class A, averaging 15.7 points and 5.8 assists. He also averages nearly three steals per game. Junior guards Blake Wallevand and Parker Fraki average 14.7 and 11.5 points per game respectively and knock down 42 and 36 percent of their 3-pointers. Isaac Fisher and Adam Lange are solid in complementary roles.
Section 7: North Woods
The lone returning team from last year’s state tourney, the Grizzlies are hoping the third time’s a charm after finishing as the state runner-ups each of the last two seasons. Cade Goggleye’s been the constant in the recent run of success. The senior point guard averages 17 points and 7.4 assists while spearheading an aggressive defense. Freshman guard TJ Chiabotti has given the Grizzlies a future star, as he’s averaging 16 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Trevor Morrison has been consistent inside, averaging 13.3 points and 6 rebounds. He’s joined by sophomore forward Darius Goggleye who puts up 10 points and 5.2 rebounds. Throw in defensive stalwarts like Chase Kleppe and Dylan Chiabotti and sprinkle in Ian Sherman who is one of the team’s best outside shooters and this is a complete team capable of taking home a state title.
Section 8: Ada-Borup
Consistently one of the best programs in the state, Ada-Borup makes a return trip to the tournament for the first time in a decade. The Cougars have a veteran group with a host of good guards around star big man Mason Miller. Offensive balance and defense are the strengths for this team as only Miller averages double figures (12.4 ppg and 8.2 rpg) but six average between 4.4 and 8.9 points. Jared Brainard, Colby Stevenson and Preston Gwin are solid two-way perimeter players and the Cougars as a whole average 13 steals for per game.