
Posted On: 03/28/21 3:17 PM
The deep statewide AAA class has shrunk to eight teams — some more suprising than others. Let’s get the scoop on all of them as the regional quarterfinals begin Wednesday.
South Division
(1) Minnehaha Academy
The Redhawks continue to rake their way through Minnesota, most recently overcoming an extremely talented Totino-Grace squad in the Section 4AAA final to improve their record to 17-1; the only loss is to Florida’s IMG Academy. It begins with the defensive skyscraper
Chet Holmgren
Chet
Holmgren
7'0" | C
Minnehaha Academy | 2021
State
#1
Nation
MN
, who erases all opposing efforts at the rim and is a walking 20-point, 10-rebound, eight-block machine. Tennessee State commit
Hercy Miller
Hercy
Miller
6'3" | PG
Minnehaha Academy | 2021
State
MN
is the backcourt spark along with freshman brother Mercy Miller. Junior two-way wing
Prince Aligbe
Prince
Aligbe
6'6" | SF
Minnehaha Academy | 2022
State
#39
Nation
MN
always seems to show his best self at the State Tournament and he’ll be tasked with guarding the opponent’s best wing.
Isaiah Davis
Isaiah
Davis
6'3" | SF
Minnehaha Academy | 2021
State
MN
,
Chase Carter
Chase
Carter
6'7" | PF
Minnehaha Academy | 2022
State
MN
and
Trent Finney
Trent
Finney
6'4" | PF
Minneahaha Academy | 2021
State
MN
are elite fill-in-the-gaps frontcourt players who can go off any given night. The Redhawks are big, strong, skilled and have the best senior in the country holding down the paint. They’re in good shape despite being without sharpshooting junior
Donovan Smith
Donovan
Smith
5'10" | PG
Minnehaha Academy | 2022
State
MN
most of the season with a broken hand.
Minnehaha takes on fourth-seeded Byron March 31 at Hastings High School.
(2) Mankato West
At 16-4 this season, the Scarlets are a mix of athleticism and strong team IQ. They buzzsawed the first half of the Big Nine schedule and defeated New Ulm, Willmar and Marshall to reach the State Tournament for the first time since 2009. The duo of
Mekhi Collins
Mekhi
Collins
6'5" | SF
Mankato West | 2022
State
MN
and
Buom Jock
Buom
Jock
6'5" | SF
Mankato West | 2022
State
MN
make for as good a scoring wing pair as any in the field, able to go for 20-plus apiece any given night.
Mason Ellwein
Mason
Ellwein
6'0" | PG
Mankato West | 2021
State
MN
is an underappreciated floor general and big man
Louis Magers
Louis
Magers
6'4" | SF
Mankato West | 2022
State
MN
is back from a toe injury to man the paint. Magers and
Brady Haugum
Brady
Haugum
6'1" | SG
Mankato West | 2022
MN
’s toughness come in handy against a physical conference schedule; it will pay dividends again in State. Mankato West also allows the third-fewest points in the entirety of Class AAA.
The Scarlets face Richfield March 31 at Chanhassen High School.
(3) Richfield
This one feels underseeded. The 15-4 back-to-back section champion Spartans are on fire right now coming off a 93-90 barnburner Section 3AAA final win over one-loss South St. Paul and boast wins over state entrant DeLaSalle and top-ten AAA team Columbia Heights. Richfield is led by star guard
Lamar Grayson
Lamar
Grayson
6'0" | PG
Richfield | 2021
State
MN
, who scored 37 against the Packers and has been held below 20 points just five times this season. Three more Spartans are in double figures:
Jaden Wollmuth
Jaden
Wollmuth
6'5" | PF
Richfield | 2022
State
MN
(14.3 PPG),
Ryan Miles
Ryan
Miles
6'5" | SF
Richfield | 2021
State
MN
(13.8 PPG) and
Mitchell January
Mitchell
January
6'0" | PG
Richfield | 2022
State
MN
(10.7 PPG). Wollmuth is a force on the block. Miles is a slasher with great finishing ability and lateral quickness, and January is a charge magnet for the Richfield defense. They’ll take on a defensive-minded Mankato West team in the first round which will be a great contrast of team strengths.
The Spartans play the Mankato West Scarlets March 31 at Chanhassen High School.
(4) Byron
Defeating Section 1AAA pillar Austin in the championship last week, the 17-2 Bears proved in the playoffs that their largely Class AA schedule wasn’t going to stop them from making noise a class up. 6-foot-9 superathlete big man
Ahjany Lee
Ahjany
Lee
6'9" | PF
Byron | 2022
State
MN
is snagging blue blood offers left and right while blocking all kinds of challenges in the paint and dunking over Hiawatha Valley defenders.
Jakob Braaten
Jakob
Braaten
6'0" | PG
Byron | 2021
State
MN
is the best guard you might not have heard about and he leads the offense with more than 20 PPG, including a 45-point performance back in February.
Easton Hulke
Easton
Hulke
6'2" | SG
Byron | 2021
State
MN
is committed to Bethany Lutheran next season and he’s a perfect double-double level complement to Lee inside. Byron is outscoring opponents by 21 points per game this season and will have their hands full with Minnehaha. The matchup of Lee vs. Holmgren will be much-anticipated.
The Bears play Minnehaha Academy March 31 at Hastings High School.
North Division
(1) Alexandria
The 20-1 Cardinals have taken the Central Lakes Conference by storm this season, the only loss coming to Brainerd. They went 13-0 this year against Section 8AAA opponents, capping it off with a 58-40 decision over Sauk Rapdis-Rice in the section final. Senior small forward
Colton Roderick
Colton
Roderick
6'5" | SF
Alexandria | 2021
State
MN
is a mismatch for any defender and is a steal for Bemidji State. Top football prospect Kristen Hoskins can blow by you at a fraction of a second’s notice.
Erik Hedstrom
Erik
Hedstrom
6'5" | SF
Alexandria | 2022
State
MN
and Carter Steffensmeier both had big games against Sauk Rapids-Rice to help clinch the Cardinals’ first State appearance since 2014. This team is experienced, hard-nosed on defense and they enjoy playing together.
Alexandria takes on fourth-seeded Monticello March 30 at St. Cloud Tech High School.
(2) DeLaSalle
Five losses is more than usual for the Islanders, but they’ve turned on the jets lately to hold another Section 6AAA trophy. DeLaSalle is paced by three top scorers in senior wing
Cade Haskins
Cade
Haskins
6'6" | SF
DeLaSalle | 2021
State
MN
, sophomore speedster
Nasir Whitlock
Nasir
Whitlock
6'0" | PG
DeLaSalle | 2023
State
MN
and do-it-all forward
Evan Boyd
Evan
Boyd
6'2" | SG
DeLaSalle | 2021
State
MN
. They don’t have a ton of size or a true inside presence, but the sheer on-ball pressure the Islanders are known for is in top shape again. Boyd is a lanky and shrewd defender, guard
Keijuan White
Keijuan
White
6'0" | SG
DeLaSalle | 2021
State
MN
is a pest for opposing ballhandlers and freshman Casmir Chavis has impressed with his aggressiveness on both ends. Add in
Amir Everett
Amir
Everett
6'0" | PG
DeLaSalle | 2022
State
MN
and Randy McClendon and you’ve got a fearless group from The Island that has no unfamiliarity with the Target Center.
De plays third seed Hibbing March 31 at St. Cloud Tech High School.
(3) Hibbing
The Iron Range Conference and Section 7AAA champs are 16-3 and rolling behind star point guard
Ayden McDonald
Ayden
McDonald
6'4" | PG
Hibbing | 2022
State
MN
, who recently racked up his 900th career assist. He’s averaging 18 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and three steals per contest, which allows three other Bluejackets to be legitimate threats on offense.
Mayson Brown
Mayson
Brown
6'1" | SG
Hibbing | 2021
State
MN
is a senior who has plenty of big-game experience and puts up 15 PPG on 37 percent three-point shooting. Guard
Tre Holmes
Tre
Holmes
6'2" | SG
Hibbing | 2021
State
MN
knocks down 41 percent of his threes and adds another 15 points, and big man
Parker Maki
Parker
Maki
6'6" | PF
Hibbing | 2021
State
MN
is a 13-point, eight-rebound guy roughing it up inside. They knocked off top-seeded Princeton in the 7AAA final and will be eager for the challenge DeLaSalle poses.
Hibbing plays DeLaSalle March 31 at St. Cloud Tech High School.
(4) Monticello
The Magic won’t tell you they’re a Cinderella in the State Tournament, regardless of their section seed and record coming in. They are playing with confidence, swagger and complete control after knocking off #2 St. Francis, #3 Rocori and #1 Delano in that order to reach the regional quarterfinal. 5-foot-10 junior
Carson Kolles
Carson
Kolles
5'10" | PG
Monticello | 2022
State
MN
had a huge game against Delano and is on fire as of late scoring 28.1 PPG in Monticello’s last six contests.
Wyatt Sawatzke
Wyatt
Sawatzke
6'3" | SG
Monticello | 2022
State
MN
and Gus Hangsleben are also in double figures, but it’s the defensive scheming from head coach Bridge Tusler and execution by the entire rotation that has helped them get to this point — box-and-one, triangle-and-two, Monticello will throw everything at any opponent for an advantage. Their morale is sky-high right now.
The Magic take on Alexandria at St. Cloud Tech High School March 31.
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