Section 1AAAA Preview

Matt Bigelow

March 3, 2020 @ 08:00 PM

The‌ ‌Playoffs‌ ‌are‌ ‌right‌ ‌around‌ ‌the‌ ‌corner.‌ ‌With‌ ‌small-school‌ ‌section‌ ‌tournaments‌ ‌set‌ ‌to‌ ‌begin‌ ‌in‌ ‌ the‌ ‌next‌ ‌few‌ ‌weeks,‌ ‌it’s‌ ‌time‌ ‌to‌ ‌turn‌ ‌our‌ ‌attention‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌postseason.‌ ‌ After seven straight years of Lakeville North beating Rochester John Marshall in the section final, things are going to look different this time around with the Panthers moving out of the section. The section appears to be fairly open this season, as there are a number of teams that look like legitimate challengers. Here’s a look at Section 1AAAA Favorite: Lakeville South The Cougars went into the year viewed as the favorite in this section and they’ve maintained that status through the season. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/reid-patterson/">[player_tooltip player_id="774734" first="Reid" last="Patterson"]</a> has turned in a terrific season, averaging nearly 18 points per game. He’s an excellent shooter, facilitator and finisher and can defend up or down the lineup with his toughness and smarts. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/avery-mast/">[player_tooltip player_id="774771" first="Avery" last="Mast"]</a> has taken another step in his development and impacts the game on both ends of the floor. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/riley-mahlman/">[player_tooltip player_id="774732" first="Riley" last="Mahlman"]</a> is a beast inside and can deliver double-doubles with consistent minutes. And Joe Bachinski is a steady combo guard who can knock down shots, make plays for his teammates and compete defensively. The Cougars have been tested all year playing in a tough South Suburban Conference and have the ability to play in multiple ways. Contender: Rochester Mayo, Rochester Century Rochester Mayo has been an intriguing team the last few years with the Madsen brothers and now as seniors, they’ve got a shot to get to state. Mason and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/gabe-madsen/">[player_tooltip player_id="846106" first="Gabe" last="Madsen"]</a> combine to average nearly 45 points per game. Junior guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/michael-sharp/">[player_tooltip player_id="774831" first="Michael" last="Sharp"]</a> has been solid in a complementary role and Andre Crockett, Riek Riek and Mo Hammadelniel round out a solid rotation. Defense is where this team can get got, as they allow nearly 68 points per game. They play fast and want to outscore people - can they win a game against a team that’ll slow things down and grind out possessions? Rochester Century won 18 games during the regular season and has the kind of depth and experience that can go a long way in the postseason. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jack-fisher/">[player_tooltip player_id="549381" first="Jack" last="Fisher"]</a> is one of the best players in the section and can impact the game in a lot of ways. Canon Tweed and Mark Leonard are double-figure scorers in the frontcourt and senior guard Stephen Olander is a solid veteran guard. The Panthers have been building for this year for a long time and they’ve got an opportunity to go a long ways. In The Mix: Owatonna The Huskies won 16 games in the regular season, earning the No. 4 seed in the section. They’ll have a tough road if they are to advance in the tournament but sophomore forward <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/evan-dushek/">[player_tooltip player_id="850718" first="Evan" last="Dushek"]</a> and sophomore guard Brayden Williams have been serious bright spots all year and have shown they can take over a game for stretches at a time. They don’t have the scoring juice some of the other top teams in the section have, but they defend hard and have been tested throughout the season.