Northstar Hoops – Team of the Week
Basketball is back. It might not be in full swing quite yet. But it’s back.
With teams in action starting Friday and going through Saturday, now is a good time to kick of Northstar Hoops’ Team of the Week.
Here are the choices:
1. Champlin Park
The Rebels might be the best team in the state — they are at least on the short list — and they made quite the statement Saturday with a 39-point win over Rochester John Marshall. The Rockets can make a case for being a top five or six team in Class AAAA this year. So the Rebels taking it to them like they did is as impressive a showing as any team’s had so far this year.
2. Willmar
The Cardinals picked up a pair of wins in Monticello Friday and Saturday, beating Zimmerman and Monticello. An upset win over the Magic certainly opens eyes early in the year. Willmar won six games a year ago, so getting off to a good start is just what the Cardinals needed.
3. Minnehaha Academy
The Redhawks didn’t pull off a big upset Saturday, but their win over Orono was certainly impressive. Down by 18 fairly late in the game, the Redhawks stormed back thanks to a dominant effort by freshman sensation Jalen Suggs and beat the Spartans in overtime. Orono might be one of the top teams in Class AAA this year. That’s a big time win.
4. Apple Valley
It feels a little weird putting Apple Valley on the list considering the Eagles are one of the top three or four teams in the state. But they just went out and beat the defending state champs in Class A, Minneapolis North. It might not necessarily be a surprising win, but it’s a good win.
5. Spring Grove
The Lions could be one of the teams that challenges Minneapolis North this year in Class A. They got off to a good start, winning a pair of games by a combined 57 points. Spring Grove kicked it off with a 40-point win over Schaeffer Academy Friday night behind 41 points from Chase Grinde. The Lions backed it up with a 17-point win over Decorah-North Winneshiek Saturday night.
You can vote for which team deserves to be the first Team of the Week of the season here:
Northstar Hoops will put out a Team of the Week story every Monday with several teams people can vote for. People can also nominate teams for those polls by contacting me on twitter at M_Biggs_ or any of the other Northstar Hoops writers such as Ryan James, Jared Martinson or Alex Conover.