Class AA Preview: Team Capsules
The state tournament field is set. Here’s a quick breakdown about each team in the field:
(1) Minnehaha Academy
The most talented team in the field, the Redhawks may be incredibly young, but they’ve got high-major talent all over the floor. Jalen Suggs is one of the best players in the state as just a freshman and he’s surrounded by a terrific cast of guards like Terry Lockett, Kaden Johnson and Lorenzo Smith as well as big man JaVonni Bickham. The Redhawks played a very tough non-conference schedule in preparation for this tournament and have wins over high quality teams like Orono, Caledonia and Hopkins. They earned the top seed in the tournament and will open with Lake City.
(2) St. Cloud Cathedral
Size matters. The Crusaders can attest to that. With a pair of 6-foot-6 forwards in Michael Schaefer and Mitchell Plombon, St. Cloud Cathedral’s got an elite frontcourt.
(St. Cloud Times)The two junior bigs combine to average 40.5 points and 18.5 rebounds. Schaefer is a multifaceted big who can also step out and knock down 3-point shots (45 made triples on the year). The Crusaders have a bevy of quality shooters on the roster as Keaton LeClaire, Nicholas Schaefer and Jackson Baustain Jangula all shoot better than 40 percent from deep and have drilled a combined 149 3-pointers. Cathedral earned the second seed and will face New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Wednesday.
(3) Crosby-Ironton
The Rangers ran quite the gauntlet to get to state, beating the second, third and fourth best teams in Section 7. Crosby-Ironton knocked off Esko in the section final to get to state for the first time since 2010. One of the most balanced teams in the state, the Rangers have four guys averaging at least 11 points per game and three that average at least 3.7 assists. Jack Silgen leads the team in scoring and stuffs the stat sheet with 17.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.7 steals. Noah Gindorff is a load inside, averaging 16.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.6 blocks per game. Trey Jacobs puts up 15.7 points and hits 39 percent of his 3-point attempts and Evan Edmundson knocked down 72 triples on the year and leads the team in assists at 4.3 per contest. C-I faces Breckenridge to open the tourney.
(4) Annandale
One of just two teams back in the state tournament from last season, the Cardinals had an incredibly impressive season and survived a triple overtime affair with Watertown-Mayer in the section semifinal game before beating Breck to punch their ticket. With four guys averaging double digits in scoring, the Cardinals certainly have plenty of firepower to do well. Jarod Wilken is one of the top forwards in the 2017 class and is a multidimensional player who can handle the ball, score from all over the floor and defend. He keys the offense but the junior trio of AJ Hinz, Nick Bieniek and Trenton Peterson have all had big moments as well. The Cardinals face Jackson County Central to open the state tournament.
(5) Jackson County Central
The second of two teams back in the Class AA state field, the Huskies returned just one starter from last season’s runner-up team. JCC beat Annandale – the team it opens the tournament with Wednesday – last season in the state semis, so that adds to the intrigue. One of the best offensive teams in Class AA, JCC can stress defenses with a attacking and long range shooting to go along with a fast but efficient pace. Jacob Christopher leads the charge as a high-scoring combo guard but Ryan Christopher, Easton Bahr and Chris Gumto can all make plays as well. Just a freshman, Rudy Voss is a player to watch for this year and the next few years.
Breckenridge
Back in the state tournament after a year away, the Cowboys enjoyed a terrific regular season, losing just twice. They head into state winners of 13 games in a row. Stevin Lipp leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game. Sophomore forward Noah Christensen and junior guard Derek Dahlgren give the team a solid trio of capable scorers. Breckenridge can certainly put up points – the Cowboys averaged 74.6 points per game on the year – but it also played strong defense throughout the year and showed it can win gritty when it beat Perham 54-41 in the section final. The Cowboys face Crosby-Ironton Wednesday.
New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva
Armed with an elite defense, the Panthers are in the Class AA state tournament for the first time in school history. They’ve got all the pieces. Oakley Baker is one of the top players in the state and can take over a game with his long-range shooting. Tyler Raimann has emerged as a very good two-way center who can anchor the defense while also producing points and Benji Lundberg is a player to watch in the 2018 class as a combo guard. Chad Agrimson, Sam Prigge and Brady Agrimson can all knock down shots in the flow of the offense and all provide pestering defense on the perimeter. The Panthers get St. Cloud Cathedral to open the state tournament.
Lake City
The Tigers are young and undersized. It hasn’t stopped them to this point as they knocked out St. Charles and Caledonia on their way to the state tournament. It starts up top as the Tigers have an outstanding guard duo of Marc Kjos (2018 player to watch) and Mitch Marien. Both guys are undersized but strong with the ball and excellent defensively. Freshmen sensations Nathan Heise (20 points in the section final against Caledonia) and Reid Gastner (12 in the win over St. Charles) both average double figures in scoring and play well beyond their years. The Tigers have a toughness about them that is difficult to quantify and they are capable of playing any pace. They’ll face Minnehaha Academy in the first round of the state tournament.