2022 Girls Basketball Day 1 Recap and Look Ahead

Journeys to dreams of a state championship began in earnest on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, when three of the four enrollment classes began play in the Minnesota State High School League’s Girls Basketball State Tournaments. Games were played on the University of Minnesota campus at Williams Arena and the adjacent Maturi Pavilion.

The semifinals are already set in Class AA, Class AAA and Class AAAA. The eight entrants in the Class A field begin play on Thursday, March 17, 2022.

The top-seeds in the top three enrollment brackets were among teams that advanced to the semifinals.

Here is a look at the semifinal matchups:

Thursday, March 17

• Class AAA --- No. 1 Becker vs. No. 5 Mankato East, noon; No. 2 St. Paul Como Park vs. No. 3 Totino-Grace, 2 p.m.
• Class AAA --- No. 1 Hopkins vs. No. 5 White Bear Lake, 6 p.m.; Roseville vs. No. 3 St. Michael-Albertville, 8 p.m.

Friday, March 18

• Class AA --- No. 1 Providence Academy vs. No. 4 Albany, 6 p.m.; No. 2 Fergus Falls vs. No. 3 Minnehaha Academy, 8 p.m.
  
   
• The Class A semifinals are scheduled for Friday, March 18 at noon and 2 p.m.
  
   
• All semifinal games are broadcast live on 45TV and streamed free of charge at www.prep45.com

Here is a look at what happened in a full day and evening of quarterfinals on Wednesday:

Class AA

• Top-seeded Providence Academy, the runner-up in this class in 2021, built a 10-point lead at the break and extended it in a 68-55 victory over Montevideo. Eighth-grade guard Maddyn Greenway scored 21 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals to send the Lions (27-4) into the semifinals for the second consecutive season. Junior forward Avery Koenen scored 25 points and had 14 rebounds for Montevideo (25-4).
• Fergus Falls was dominated in both halves en route to a 71-55 victory over Pequot Lakes at the Maturi Pavilion. Senior point guard Ellie Colbeck had 25 points and eight assists to fuel the No. 2-seeded Otters (25-5). Senior shooting guard Tori Ratz added 22 points and five assists. Sophomore guard Isabel Larson, sophomore guard Kelsi Martini and junior guard Maci Martini had 14 points each for Pequot Lakes (29-2).
• Albany, the defending Class AA champion and the No. 4 seed a year later, looked sharp in a 57-41 victory over Rochester Lourdes at Williams Arena. Sophomore forward Kylan Gerads powered the Huskies with 24 points and 13 rebounds. She was 10 of 13 from the floor and had 11 defensive rebounds. Junior forward Ella Hopkins had 17 points for Rochester Lourdes 21-8).
• Third-seeded Minnehaha Academy bolted from the start and didn’t let up until it had an 82-29 victory over Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial. The Redhawks (25-5) posted 51 points in the first half. Sophomore guard Sade Benson led five Minnehaha Academy in double figures with 16 points. Junior guard Lauren Cooper scored 11 points for Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial (26-5).

Class AAA

• Becker used a game-ending 12-1 run to overcome a six-point deficit and turn back Austin’s upset bid in a 53-48 victory at the Maturi Pavilion. Junior guard Maren Westin fueled the Bulldogs (24-4) with 15 points and senior Adeline Kent chipped in 15. Senior guard Hope Dudycha and junior forward Olivia Walsh had 12 points each for the Packers (24-6).
• Mankato East, the No. 5 seed in the Class AAA field, built an eight-point lead at the half and extended that to record a 62-51 victory over No. 4 Benilde-St. Margaret’s at the Maturi Pavilion. Junior guard Peyton Stevermer and senior guard Mackenzie Schweim had 17 points each to pace the Cougars (25-4). Sophomore guard Olivia Olson had 21 points for the Red Knights (23-7).
• Senior shooting guard Ronnie Porter led four players in double figures to help St. Paul Como Park cruised to a 76-57 victory over Grand Rapids at the Maturi Pavilion. Teammate Kaylnn Asberry chipped in 17 points and senior Jada James had 12. Junior shooting guard Shania Nichols added 11 for the Cougars (22-6). Junior guard Taryn Hamling paced Grand Rapids (26-3) with 20 points.
• Totino-Grace, the No. 3 seed, raced to a 24-point lead at the half en route to a 64-43 victory over Detroit Lakes in the final Class AAA quarterfinal at Maturi Pavilion. Senior guard/forward Hannah Herzig scored 17 points for the Eagles (21-8) and had 10 rebounds. Junior forward Abby Lord added 16 points. Junior forward Jacee Hauser paced Detroit Lakes (14-13) with 15 points.

Class AAAA

• Lakeville North gave Hopkins (24-1) fits throughout the first half before the top-seeded Royals began to get separation on the scoreboard in the closing minutes before the intermission. Sophomore guard Liv McGill triggered the spree in the first half and finished with 20 points, including 4 of 4 on three-point attempts. Junior forward Taylor Woodson chipped in 14 points and senior guard Amaya Battle added 13. Sophomore forward Trinity Wilson had nine points and 11 rebounds for the Panthers (20-10).
• Senior forward Addison Bachmeier made 1 o 2 free throws in the final seconds to give No. 5 White Bear Lake the necessary lead to record a 35-34 victory over No. 4 Rosemount at Williams Arena. Her free throw gave the Bears (21-9) a four-point advantage with Rosemount (24-6) having one final possession. The Irish made a three-pointer at the horn to set the score. Freshman guard Abigail O’Brien had nine points for the Bears and sophomore Jordyn Schmittdiel added eight. Senior forward Tayah Leenderts had 18 points and nine rebounds for Rosemount.
• Unseeded Roseville made four free throws over the final minute of regulation time to pull away for a 39-32 upset victory over No. 2 Shakopee at Williams Arena. Sophomore guard Kendall Barnes made two free throws to begin the spree after Shakopee had pulled to within 35-32. Senior forward Hattie DeVries and senior forward Hannah Heffernan also chipped in a single free throw each. Barnes finished with 15 points for the Raiders (22-8). Senior guard Jasmyn Hale had 12 points for the Sabers (26-4).
• St. Michael-Albertville, the No. 3 seed, used record-breaking shooting to post a 69-58 victory over Centennial in the final big-school quarterfinal at Williams Arena. The Knights (22-7) were 14 of 30 from three-point range to set a single-game state tournament record. The previous team mark for made three-pointers is 13 shared by New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva (2014) and Cromwell-Wright (2017). Junior guard Tessa Johnson led the way with 24 points, including 6 of 10 from three-point range. Sophomore guard Ja’Kahla Craft made 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Ava Haus made the record-breaking three-pointer. Senior guard Sydney Kubes led the Cougars (19-11) with 14 points.