Class AA State Tournament Semifinal Preview
The Class AA State Tournament Semifinals tip off Friday at Target Center. The quarterfinal games were mostly blowouts but throughout the season, these teams have arguably been the best four in Class AA as the four have a combined 14…
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Continue ReadingThe Class AA State Tournament Semifinals tip off Friday at Target Center. The quarterfinal games were mostly blowouts but throughout the season, these teams have arguably been the best four in Class AA as the four have a combined 14 losses all season.
Here’s a look at the semifinals:
Game 1: Minnehaha vs. Lake City
This one will be all about pace. Minnehaha has thoroughbreds and wants to use them accordingly, getting up and down the floor while Lake City would much rather slow the game down and play things close to the chest.
Would that work? Lake City has no chance to win if the game is played on Minnehaha’s terms. No team in Class AA can match the Redhawks’ size, athleticism, talent or experience.
The Nate Heise/Jalen Suggs matchup will certainly be interesting as those two are two of the best guards in the 2020 class. Suggs had a triple double in the quarterfinals and is arguably the best player in the state regardless of age. Heise is a scoring machine and has evolved from a pure shooter into a guy who impacts the game in a major way on both ends.
How does Lake City handle all of Minnehaha’s size? Holmgren is a force inside and out. Prince Aligbe and Kaden Johnson can both bully people too. And Suggs is bigger than most of the guys Lake City plays. The Tigers will really have to team rebound and hit a high volume of 3-pointers if they want to stay in the game. A team that averages less than nine turnovers per game, Lake City will have to keep the game played at a halfcourt pace.
Game 2: Minneapolis North vs. Perham
As with all games involving Minneapolis North, ball security will be extra important in this game. If Perham keeps the Polars out of transition and gets into its offense, it will score at a consistent rate. Josh Jeziorski and Finn Diggins can score inside and the Yellowjackets have quality shooters in Jenson Beachy and Carter Cresap. Throw in Charlie Rasmussen who scored 17 points in Perham’s quarter game and the Yellowjackets have no shortage of firepower. Beachy and Cresap are experienced guards who shouldn’t be shocked by that athleticism and pressure.
The question always is whether or not Perham can handle the North pressure. Because with Eli Campbell, Omar Brown, Nasir El-Amin and Willie Wilson, the Polars will bring all sorts of pressure. It will be constant. And it keys their offense. North certainly has the more athletic bunch and has been tested more throughout the year too. This has a chance to be the best game of the tournament to this point.