Class AA State Tournament Team Capsules
The Class AA State Tournament tips off Thursday at Williams Arena. Minnehaha is gunning for a three-peat and the Redhawks have long been the heavy favorite to take home another state title as they are big, talented and experienced. Here’s…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Class AA State Tournament tips off Thursday at Williams Arena. Minnehaha is gunning for a three-peat and the Redhawks have long been the heavy favorite to take home another state title as they are big, talented and experienced.
Here’s a quick look at the field:
Section 1: Lake City
The Tigers are back in the state field after reaching the tournament in 2017. Defense and pace is this team’s strength as the Tigers allowed less than 50 points per game during the season while committing just eight turnovers per game. Nate Heise and Reid Gastner are third-year starters leading the way as they are both among the best players in the 2020 class. Heise averages 22 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists while Gastner puts up 14.7, 6.7 and 4.7.
Section 2: St. Peter
St. Peter beat Jordan in the Section 2AA championship to get to state. The Saints play terrific defense, holding opponents to 40 percent shooting from the field and Wyatt Olson is one of the best big men in the state field. The 6-foot-6 junior is averaging 17.5 points and 12.4 rebounds. It’s a balanced attack after him with six guys averaging between 6.3 and 10.1 points per game.
Section 3: Redwood Valley
Redwood Valley upset New London-Spicer, Morris and St. James on its way to a state tournament berth. The Cardinals went just 12-11 in the regular season but played a tough schedule in the Big South while also going through a strong non-conference slate. Cole Woodford is a player to watch as the senior guard averages 20.9 points and 6.1 rebounds while knocking down 39 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Section 4: Minnehaha
The prohibitive favorite to win another state title, Minnehaha’s only losses this season are to Hopkins while the Redhawks have wins over Minneapolis North, Perham, Eden Prairie, Austin, DeLaSalle and many other high-quality clubs. Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren form arguably the best duo in the state. Suggs puts up 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.4 assists while Holmgren’s been a two-way force, averaging 18.3 points and 9.5 rebounds while blocking 5.5 shots per game and convertingon better than 75 percent of his two-pointers.
Section 5: Minneapolis North
One of the few teams seemingly equipped to give Minnehaha a game, the Polars are back at the state tournament after losing to Brooklyn Center in the section tournament last season. Eli Campbell is one of the best guards in the state and he’s turned in a terrific senior year, averaging 17.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.3 steals per game. Nasir El-Amin is a solid two-way guy who excels at getting to the rim and Davon Townley Jr. is one of the most promising young bigs in the state. He’s an athletic forward up front, averaging 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds. Defense is the Polars’ strength per usual, as they force 23 turnovers per game.
Section 6: Melrose
Melrose beat Albany in thrilling fashion in the section final as a buzzer-beating shot by the Huskies was ruled no-good. The Dutchmen have been one of the best teams in the state in recent years and despite losing one of their best players – Reegan Nelson – to injury about halfway through the year, they’ve kept on rolling. Preston Keaveny has emerged as a legitimate go-to guy, averaging 20 points per game. Rowan Nelson gives them 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds and Grant Moscho is a 3-point specialist, hitting 42 percent while averaging 11.4 points per game.
Section 7: Esko
The Eskomos are back to the state tournament despite graduating a big senior class last year. The identity has changed a bit to a perimeter-oriented attack after the Eskomos were primarily built around big man Adam Trapp the previous handful of years. Trevor Spindler, Camden Berger and Payton Wefel form a deadly scoring trio as the three combine to average 47 points per game.
Section 8: Perham
The Yellowjackets have just one loss all year – to Minnehaha at the beginning of the season – and several impressive wins including victories over Caledonia, Esko, Fergus Falls and Hawley three times. This senior-heavy group is led by Jenson Beachy who averages 17.7 points and 4.9 assists while providing terrific defense, and Josh Jeziorski who averages a team-high 18.1 points and 7.1 rebounds. Carter Cresap is a multi-year starting guard who knocks down 47 percent of his 3-pointers and Finn Diggins is an active interior player averaging 11.2 points and 5.9 rebounds.