Section 2AAA Preview
Playoffs?!? The playoffs are right around the corner. With small-school section tournaments already under and big school section tournaments set to start in the next week, it’s time to turn our attention to the postseason. See Previous Section Previews Here…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingPlayoffs?!? The playoffs are right around the corner. With small-school section tournaments already under and big school section tournaments set to start in the next week, it’s time to turn our attention to the postseason.
See Previous Section Previews Here
Here’s what you need to know about Section 2AAA
Section 2 might be the best in Class AAA. With three teams that could legitimately make claims as top-10 teams and two that have a great shot to play in a state title game, it has the potential to be quite a grind for any team to get through to the state tournament. There is a ton of high-end young talent in this section as well, as both of the top two teams are driven by quality non-seniors.
Favorite: Waseca
Waseca is undefeated on the season and while the Bluejays don’t play a lot of big school teams during the year because they are in the Big South, they’ve passed every test with flying colors this season. They blew out Mankato East early in the year. They’ve blown out Stewartville, Delano, Marshall, Winona and Waconia and just beat Minneapolis North in Minneapolis.
Sleeping on this team because of their conference is like college basketball people sleeping on Gonzaga.
Malik Willingham is one of the best players in the state and he’s (finally) a senior. His development from volume scorer to complete player over the last few years has been impressive and he’s good enough and fearless enough to put this team on his back and take them a long way.
He’s got no shortage of help though as the Bluejays have three excellent sophomores who play like anything but underclassmen. Andrew Morgan anchors things on both ends of the floor. At 6-foot-8, he’s one of the best sophomore prospects in the state and can dominate the paint like few players in the section. Ryan Dufault and Kyreese Willingham give Waseca two more dynamic perimeter scorers who can go get 20 points on any given night. Dufault is a terrific shooter and does a good job in a playmaking role which allows the two Willingham brothers to attack rotating defenses and play off the ball.
Waseca’s got an elite offense with a number of talented playmakers and shooters all over the floor. With the way the Bluejays can stress teams on that end of the floor, they’ll never be out of a game.
Next Up: Mankato East
The Cougars were supposed to be heading towards something of a retooling season after graduating a big senior class of last year’s state tournament entrance. That hasn’t been the case at all as the Cougars are one of the three or four best teams in the state. Junior guards Jax Madson and Joich Gong have been terrific as both can not only score 15-20 on any given night, but they also have advanced floor games and make impacts on both ends of the court. Pal Kueth has emerged as a terrific scorer on the wing and Jordan Merseth is a solid interior player.
Mankato East probably has the most athletic team in the section and while the Cougars don’t have a great deal of experience, they’ve been hardened by a tough Big 9 Conference. And they’ve more than held their own. If they get to the state tournament, they are good enough to win multiple games there.
In the Mix: Marshall
The Tigers have flown under the radar a bit this year as they haven’t been quite as dominant as in years past. They still have a terrific team though as evidenced by only three losses to Minnesota schools. They’ve picked up several really good nonconference wins and dominated all the Big South competition save Waseca.
They’ve got the horses to match up with Mankato East and Waseca. Matt Onken is one of the best big men in the state – let alone the section. He’s a physical presence inside and can take over a game on either end of the floor. Noah Puetz is one of the better juniors in the state and gives Marshall another athletic frontcourt piece. Bryce Paulsen and Matt Hmielewski are steady perimeter guys who have the size to frustrate even quality players.
Watch Out For: Faribault
There’s a sizable drop off from the third team (Marshall) to the rest of the section. That puts a big emphasis on earning that top seed because then, you don’t have to beat two top-level teams. If there is a team that can put a scare into one of those high seeds, Faribault might be the team. Joe Palmer has had a monster senior year, averaging better than 20 points per game and any time a team can run a guy out who can take over a game like Palmer can, they are dangerous. The Falcons don’t have a lot of other scoring options but they grind defensively and they’ve been tested all year by a strong Big 9. So they’ll be ready for whatever the section competition throws at them.