Section 8AAAA Preview: Repeat
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Wrapping up our Section Preview Series is 8AAAA, a section that seems likely on its way to another rematch in the section final. Here’s the lineup:
1. Maple Grove (20-6)
2. Buffalo (20-6)
3. Moorhead (20-5)
4. St. Michael-Albertville (19-7)
5. Brainerd (15-11)
6. Rogers (11-15)
7. Elk River (6-20
8. St. Cloud Tech (7-19)
Contenders: Buffalo, Maple Grove
These two teams are as close as you get in section 8 competition. Buffalo took the head-to-head meeting 75-70 back in January. Thing about the Bison is they can look like a top-10 team one night and then disappear into a bad 36 minutes very quickly. The all-junior, one-freshman lineup of Brandon Maatz, Matthew Willert, Tony Dahl, Aidan Bouman and Antonio Bluiett has cohesion, shooting, athleticism, size and grit. They will all return next year but who says they have to wait their turn until being seniors? The Bison play best as a quick-moving, facilitative unit that doesn’t rely on one scorer only. Tony Dahl is an excellent point forward who knows his teammates’ spots better than anyone, he’s the X-factor. If Dahl plays very well, Buffalo is on the right track.
Maple Grove again wins games with their guard play. Jared Rainey, Nate Adams and of more recent games Kyle Dreyer have all been quicker, smarter and better shooters this season. Rainey is a great late-game controller which is a must in playoff games. Don’t forget sharpshooting junior RaShaun Parker who has exploded for a few hot games beyond the arc this season, and sophomore forward Caden Boettcher, whom I believe could take a big step forward with this playoff experience and expand upon his first varsity year.
In The Hunt: Moorhead, St. Michael-Albertville
There’s an interesting round-robin of victories in this section: Moorhead beat Buffalo, Buffalo beat Maple Grove, Maple Grove beat Moorhead, Moorhead beat STMA, STMA beat Maple Grove. So all of these teams have proven they can play with each other. Moorhead has Maleeck Harden-Hayes who makes perimeter defenses wide-eyed with his length and guard skill at 6-foot-5. He scores 20 per game with fellow wings Drew Hagen and Quentin Hegg at 15 and 13 ppg respectively. Getting a home game in the first round helps their performance greatly.
The Knights of STMA have one of the best interior defenders around in Austin Jentzen and point guard Sean Buchanan has come along recently in the scoring and facilitating departments. They make a nice inside out pair. The key will be Jentzen staying out of foul trouble. Broad-shouldered forward Kale Hoselton has had effective games bullying to the rim lately too. The consistency of guard play behind Buchanan is somewhat of a question mark.
Don’t Forget: Brainerd
Sometimes you need a good player to become great in the playoffs. 6-foot-3 Joey Sauer could be that guy for Brainerd, who is 15-11 and will travel to STMA for another great 4/5 game. Sauer has garnered some D3 interest this year averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds a game for the Warriors. Can he come alive and be the extra edge for his team? Point guard Mason Malone has had a solid season as a distributor as well, and wing Ben Staehling is a solid secondary scorer when needed. I like their game against STMA tonight.
Predictions
Round 1: Maple Grove over Tech, Buffalo over Elk River, Moorhead over Rogers, Brainerd over STMA
Semifinals: Maple Grove over Brainerd, Buffalo over Moorhead
Finals: Buffalo over Maple Grove