Section 2AAAA Preview: The Gauntlet
Previous section previews: Class A Class AA Section 1AAA Section 2AAA Section 3AAA Section 4AAA Section 5AAA Section 1AAAA Once again, the southwest metro finds itself in a doozy. Section 2AAAA–the “Section of Death”–has been seeded and paired. Here’s the…
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Once again, the southwest metro finds itself in a doozy.
Section 2AAAA–the “Section of Death”–has been seeded and paired. Here’s the lineup:
1. Prior Lake (23-3)
2. Eden Prairie (17-9)
3. Edina (18-8)
4. Shakopee (21-5)
5. Chaska (21-5)
6. Chanhassen (17-9)
7. Minnetonka (13-13)
8. Bloomington Jefferson (11-14)
Favorite: Prior Lake
The Lakers were expected to be very good. The South Suburban Slate dropped off in competition a bit this year but Prior Lake took care of business just about everywhere else too. A loss to No. 1 Park Center early in the year and two losses to Lakeville North are the only blemishes. They’ve been without Dawson Garcia for recent games but Robert Jones has stepped into that top option role and is producing inside at alarming statistical levels. The backcourt of Sam Nissen, Jackyse Jacox and Tyree Ihenacho is as good defensively as anybody. With Garcia at full strength this group is tough to beat.
Contenders: Eden Prairie, Edina
It’s no secret this section was a dogfight all year. Head-to-head wins are spread in a round-robin fashion but ultimately does a Lake schedule give teams the upper hand? Tradition would say yes. According to TC Hoops Czar’s CzarPI, the Eagles and Hornets have played the first and third-toughest schedules in AAAA this season. Both teams knocked off full strength Hopkins. They split in their own two meetings.
Eden Prairie is now healthy with Austin Andrews and John Henry back in the lineup and Drake Dobbs has been killer since the beginning of February. Their seven-man rotation of juniors is as versatile and skilled as any in the state.
Edina has been on the fringe of the top 10 all year thanks to some statement wins and very close losses to high-quality squads. Jacob Hutson has become one of the most skilled inside-out bigs in the state and Jack Middleton will do Jack Middleton things on both ends of the floor.
Don’t Forget: Shakopee, Chaska
This is the tough one. They’ll play each other in the first round (I won’t get into seeding discussions here, you can hit up Twitter for that) but this could be the most appealing game of the entire section. Shakopee beat Eden Prairie and Edina this year. Chaska beat Shakopee and Edina. These teams are extremely capable of making a good game happen. Cole Nicholson vs Charles Katona and Zach Lea vs Caleb Druvenga are matchups to watch. Both could give Prior Lake a fun test in round two. Regardless of who prevails, 21-win teams are usually very good teams. A shame one of them will be ousted in the first round.
Predictions
Round 1: PL over Jefferson, EP over Tonka, Edina over Chanhassen, Chaska over Shakopee
Semifinals: PL over Chaska, EP over Edina
Finals: EP over PL