The Debate of #1 – Who should it be?
There is some debate in three of the four classes about who should be ranked number one in the state right now. Come March it doesn’t matter but we aren’t in March yet so the debates rage on. This is…
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Continue ReadingThere is some debate in three of the four classes about who should be ranked number one in the state right now. Come March it doesn’t matter but we aren’t in March yet so the debates rage on. This is why later today these teams will be #1 in our latest rankings.
Class AAAA – Park Center or East Ridge
On Tuesday January 8th the Park Center Pirates were beaten 62-56 by Robbinsdale Armstrong. The 9-0 Pirates lost their first game of the season and dropped from the top spot. Because Armstrong’s preseason expectations from others (not the Falcons themselves) were lower the loss was thought to be worse than it actually was. At that point our preseason #1 East Ridge was 8-2 with losses to top five ranked teams (at the time) in Eden Prairie and Prior Lake. We placed Park Center under East Ridge despite East Ridge having one more loss because of the losses on each resume. As January moved into February neither Park Center and East Ridge lost a game, but they don’t play each other so we don’t have that head to head to go off of.
Park Center’s loss to Armstrong looked less and less like a red mark because the Falcons are 14-8 with pairs of wins over Totino-Grace and Spring Lake Park plus victories over the Pirates and Osseo. Then last week Park Center avenged their loss to Armstrong 55-46. That gives Park Center a list of victories that includes Prior Lake, Eden Prairie, Champlin Park, Wayzata, St. Paul Central, and several league opponents. Meanwhile the East Ridge list of wins that includes Hopkins, CDH, Eastview, White Bear Lake, Edina, and Wayzata. In comparing the Wayzata games the Pirates beat Wayzata by eight where as East Ridge needed overtime to get that win. Park Center and East Ridge each beat Edina by two scores. With results being so close and Park Center avenging a loss to Armstrong that doesn’t look as bad now as it did in February, we have decided that Park Center has earned the number one spot back in Class AAAA.
Class AAA – DeLaSalle or Waseca
Waseca is a perfect 21-0 on the season after winning at Minneapolis North 77-64. The list of wins for the Jays include Minneapolis North, Marshall, Mankato East, Jackson County Central (twice), Delano, and Waconia. DeLaSalle is 18-4 on the season with wins over Minneapolis North, Eden Prairie, Wayzata, Holy Angels (twice), Hopkins, Cretin-Derham Hall, and the best team in the state of Alabama. DeLaSalle has losses North St. Paul who is 13-9, Sun Prairie Area (WI) who is 15-6, Yankton (SD) who is 13-4, and Findlay Prep (NV) who is 18-6. DeLaSalle lost to North St. Paul when Tyrell Terry was injured missing four straight games. Jamison Battle was injured and didn’t play in the Islander loss to Yankton (SD).
The first way to compare Waseca and DeLaSalle is the schedule. The Jays have actually done a nice job putting together quality opponents for their talented team this year and should be commended. But DeLaSalle always plays the toughest teams in the state (and often outside of the state) facing one of the elite schedules you will find. And two of those losses were without players in Terry and Battle that are on the final ten list for Mr. Basketball. Another comparison is common opponent (Minneapolis North). Waseca beat North by 13 points and were commonly up about 13-14 points the entire game. DeLaSalle also beat Minneapolis North, only they won their game by nine points. That said, Waseca had a full roster for that game where as the Islanders didn’t have Jamison Battle, but still won in a similar way.
Because the Islanders are now fully healthy and are on a nine game win streak that includes wins over four ranked teams we will leave them in the top spot with Waseca breathing down their neck. Waseca has put together a nice schedule but they haven’t had to run through the gauntlet that the Islanders have (who have played part of that tough schedule without elite players in the state).
Class AA – Minnehaha Academy
The second ranked team in Class AA is Perham at 22-1. The Redhawks crushed Perham by 30 in the season opener. At 18-2 there is no debate to be had here. Minnehaha Academy is a clear number one.
Class A – Ada-Borup or Minneota
Ada-Borup is undefeated at 20-0 with wins over some of the elite teams in North Dakota and some good wins versus Northern Minnesota teams. Minneota is 20-1 with the one loss being when three starters were suspended (don’t get me started). That loss was to 3-15 Yellow Medicine East. I’m still quite shocked that a team that is going to compete for a state title didn’t have the depth to beat a squad that had only won two other games. Had the Vikings won that they would still be number one. The loss to YME isn’t a rankings black mark to me in terms of suspensions as much as it is a negative spot in that the depth wasn’t able to beat a 2-win small school team. Ada-Borup is the clear number one and Minneota much lower in the top ten because they still should of beat YME.