Section 4AAAA Preview

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.‌ ‌ Section 4 has been one of the deepest and most talented sections in Class AAAA in recent years with East Ridge and Cretin-Derham Hall both living in the top-10 a lot lately plus teams like Woodbury, White Bear Lake and North St. Paul ebbing and flowing with quality teams in recent seasons. Tartan is always good for 20-plus wins and never an easy out in the playoffs either. This year is no different, as there's a ton of talent at the top and it goes about five teams deep. Here's a look at Section 4AAAA Favorite: Cretin-Derham Hall CDH just lost to East Ridge in hotly-contested fashion at the end of the regular season, but with the two teams splitting the regular season series and being about as evenly-matched as any two teams in a section, the Raiders get the slightest nod in this spot because of their depth and balance. It starts in the backcourt with <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tre-holloman/">[player_tooltip player_id="850701" first="Tre" last="Holloman"]</a> and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/curtis-jones/">[player_tooltip player_id="846128" first="Curtis" last="Jones"]</a>. Holloman's had a solid sophomore season, averaging 11 points and nine assists while improving his outside shot. Even if he's not a ‘take the game over' type of scorer, his ability to impact the game on the defensive end, from a pace perspective and with his passing make him the fulcrum in the Raiders' attack. Jones has turned in a solid senior year, averaging nearly 16 points per game while hitting better than 44 percent of his 3-pointers. If he gets into a rhythm, he can get unconscious from deep and take over stretches of a game. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jvonne-hadley/">[player_tooltip player_id="846110" first="J'Vonne" last="Hadley"]</a>'s transferred in to give the Raiders a go-to scorer in the halfcourt and he's delivered, averaging nearly 20 points and six rebounds. He's improved as an individual and team defender too, and oftentimes guards bigger guys because the Raiders don't have a traditional center. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/amari-carter/">[player_tooltip player_id="846138" first="Amari" last="Carter"]</a> is an X-factor for this group, as he's the kind of guy who can flash when he's playing with aggression and physicality. He gives CDH a talented finisher who can defend all over the floor. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/will-burke/">[player_tooltip player_id="721893" first="Will" last="Burke"]</a> gives the team a physical interior presence and guys like <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jack-tauer/">[player_tooltip player_id="532602" first="Jack" last="Tauer"]</a>, <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jack-clipper/">[player_tooltip player_id="846204" first="Jack" last="Clipper"]</a>, <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/danny-mcgraw/">[player_tooltip player_id="846216" first="Danny" last="McGraw"]</a> and Josh Garcia fill complementary roles well. The Raiders have as much talent as any team in the state. They've played in big games and challenged themselves all season. If they get through the section tournament, they can contend for a state title. Contender: East Ridge The Raptors went 21-5 this year, playing a challenging schedule throughout the winter on their way to earning the top seed in the section. No <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/kendall-brown-2/">[player_tooltip player_id="532557" first="Kendall" last="Brown"]</a> has opened things up in a big way for senior big man <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-carlson/">[player_tooltip player_id="846105" first="Ben" last="Carlson"]</a>, who is now the unquestioned go-to guy and averaging 25 points and 12 rebounds. Carlson's a physical presence on both ends of the floor, can create for himself in the halfcourt, dominate on the glass and control the paint defensively. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/kendall-blue/">[player_tooltip player_id="850708" first="Kendall" last="Blue"]</a> has enjoyed a breakout season on the wing, averaging 14 points and five rebounds. He's a big, athletic swingman who can create his own shot, make plays for his teammates, score in transition and defend up or down a lineup. Senior forward <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brody-kriesel/">[player_tooltip player_id="721938" first="Brody" last="Kriesel"]</a> joins Carlson to form a monster frontcourt and he's enjoyed a solid senior season, averaging better than 10 points and six rebounds. He's a high-energy guy inside who has flourished with so much opposing attention being devoted to Carlson and he can feast inside. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="957208" first="Ben" last="North"] is a steady facilitator and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/drew-adams/">[player_tooltip player_id="774745" first="Drew" last="Adams"]</a>, Rob Jeter and [player_tooltip player_id="955900" first="Nolan" last="Goetz"] round out a solid rotation. The Raptors have a ton of size, a matchup nightmare in Carlson and can play a gritty, ugly kind of basketball that can give a lot of teams problems in the postseason. They are right there with CDH as a contender in the section and capable of beating anybody from here on out. In The Mix: Woodbury, North St. Paul, Tartan Woodbury earned the No. 3 seed with 18 wins in the regular season. The Royals don't have the high-octane scoring that some of the other outfits in this section deploy, but they've hung tough even in their losses because they are tough defensively and control the tempo well. Junior guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/bradley-cimperman/">[player_tooltip player_id="774752" first="Bradley" last="Cimperman"]</a> has been awesome. Senior forward <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/parker-mcmorrow/">[player_tooltip player_id="846235" first="Parker" last="McMorrow"]</a> has been consistently productive all year. And the Royals have solid depth with five more guys that average at least 4.5 points per game. Tartan faces North St. Paul in the first round in what could be a really intriguing first round game across Class AAAA. The Titans don't have size, but they've got a terrific mix of guards who can space the floor, break down defenders on drives and play uptempo. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/joseph-kearney/">[player_tooltip player_id="721853" first="Joseph" last="Kearney"]</a> and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/langston-binns/">[player_tooltip player_id="846184" first="Langston" last="Binns"]</a> are experienced guards who can control a game and have the kind of size on the perimeter that can cause fits for people. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/dorian-singer/">[player_tooltip player_id="774743" first="Dorian" last="Singer"]</a> and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/curtis-favors/">[player_tooltip player_id="774927" first="Curtis" last="Favors"]</a> have been productive juniors who can make a lot of plays too. North St. Paul earned the No. 4 seed in the section, going 18-8 after losing the first six games of the year. The turnaround for the Polars has been impressive. Senior guards <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/shaheed-muhammad/">[player_tooltip player_id="721921" first="Shaheed" last="Muhammad"]</a> and [player_tooltip player_id="955911" first="Brandon" last="Hickman"] combine to average 31 points per game and have been catalysts all season. [player_tooltip player_id="958644" first="Shawn" last="West-Zimpel"] and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/laron-thomas/">[player_tooltip player_id="774876" first="Laron" last="Thomas"]</a> round out a four-guard lineup that can spread the floor and put stress on defenses.