Section 1AAAA Preview: Tradition
Previous section previews: Class A Class AA Section 1AAA Section 2AAA Section 3AAA Section 4AAA Section 5AAA There’s only been one way to pick this section in this decade. Will it change this season? Here’s the lineup for Section 1AAAA:…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingPrevious section previews:
There’s only been one way to pick this section in this decade. Will it change this season? Here’s the lineup for Section 1AAAA:
1. Lakeville North (22-4)
2. Rochester John Marshall (20-6)
3. New Prague (16-10)
4. Lakeville South (13-13)
5. Farmington (12-14)
6. Rochester Mayo (15-11)
7. Rochester Century (14-12)
8. Owatonna (7-19)
Favorite: Lakeville North
Would we do it any other way? The Panthers continue to be a benchmark of excellence in the state of Minnesota. A 22-4 record and 17-1 South Suburban mark gets them the top seed. They have experience, size and the second-best player in the section in Tyler Wahl. He’s been on triple-double watch in recent games and always plays well in big moments. The pieces afterward include senior breakout guy Jack Rusch, who can shoot the ball with the best of them, and point guards Tommy Jensen and Josh Kamara, plus forward pair Eli Mostaert and Tate Staloch. The Panthers always have smooth team chemistry and the Civic Center in Rochester is a familiar place.
Contenders: Rochester John Marshall
A statline of 36.7 PPG, 12.5 RPG while shooting 65/80/41 shouldn’t be real. But for Matthew Hurt it’s just another game day down south. The rest of the section is just no answer for his dominance and as of late there have been promising signs from Rocket role guys like 6-7 forward Lincoln Meister and wing Simon Werven. We’re likely headed for another North/JM section final.
In The Hunt: Lakeville South, New Prague, Rochester Mayo
The Cougars were the only conference opponent to take down North this year. They’re extremely young (two top 10 sophomores in Minnesota, plus at least three more underclassmen getting minutes) so it’s been an inconsistent year, but they have the talent and will be a team on the rise. Can they fast-track into an upset? The rivalry could be up for round 3 if they get past Farmington in the quarters. Reid Patterson is a stud guard and could take over a game.
New Prague is like the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons. They play at a grinding pace and bore you out defensively. I think the dynamics of Hurt vs the Trojan scheme in the semis could be interesting, not to mention round one against the run-and-gun Spartans of Mayo. They do have the length to counter Mayo’s scoring prowess.
Mayo wants to score and not guard. It’s exciting basketball to watch when the Madsen twins are in a zone, and their first round game with New Prague should give us a great contrast in styles on that front. If they explode for an upset, expect a high-scoring affair against JM in round two.
Predictions
Round 1: North over Owatonna, JM over Century, New Prague over Mayo, South over Farmington
Semifinals: North over South, JM over New Prague
Finals: North over JM