Girls Basketball 2025: Key Things to Know

Two weeks and two activities remain in the Minnesota State High School League’s marathon of winter state tournament events. Next up are 32 girls basketball teams that will converge on the University of Minnesota campus for the four-day event that begins on Wednesday and concludes with championships in four enrollment classifications on Saturday. 

This is the first season when the entire tournament fields are seeded Nos. 1-8 in their respective enrollment classes. It is the first time since 2009 that Class AAAA and Class AAA are fully seeded. Class AA and Class A did not begin seeding until 2014. This is the first full seeding for those classes. 

Has there ever been a Girls Basketball State Tournament when all of the top seeds prevailed? Yes, in 2018. That season, Lyle-Pacelli (Class A), Sauk Centre (Class AA), Robbinsdale Cooper (Class AAA) and Eastview (Class AAAA) all were worthy of their top billing by emerging as state champions. 

The Schedule

Wednesday, March 12

At Williams Arena

Class AAAA quarterfinals

• No. 8 White Bear Lake (20-9) vs. No. 1 Maple Grove (26-2), 10 a.m.
• No. 5 Brainerd (25-4) vs. No. 4 Lakeville North (18-11), noon
• No. 7 Anoka (20-8) vs. No. 2 Eastview (25-3), 2 p.m.
• No. 6 Chaska (18-11) vs. No. 3 Hopkins (24-5), 4 p.m.

At Maturi Pavilion

Class AAA quarterfinals

• No. 8 Stewartville (21-8) vs. No. 1 Benilde-St. Margaret’s (23-6), 10 a.m.
• No. 5 Alexandria Area (24-4) vs. No. 4 DeLaSalle (24-5), noon
• No. 7 Cretin-Derham Hall (20-9) vs. No. 2 Monticello (29-0), 2 p.m.
• No. 6 Rock Ridge (24-5) vs. No. 3 Marshall (27-1), 4 p.m.

Class AA

At Williams Arena

• No. 8 New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva (23-5) vs. No. 1 Providence Academy (29-0), 6 p.m.
• No. 5 Minnewaska Area (27-3) vs. No. 4  Sauk Centre (27-2), 8 p.m.

At Maturi Pavilion

• No. 7 Barnesville (22-6) vs. No. 2 Crosby-Ironton (30-0), 6 p.m.
• No. 6 Caledonia (27-3) vs. No. 3 Minnehaha Academy (20-9), 8 p.m.

Thursday, March 13

Class A quarterfinals

At Maturi Pavilion

• No. 8 Walker-Hackensack-Akeley (25-4) vs. No. 1 Goodhue (24-5), 11 a.m.
• No. 5 Cromwell-Wright (25-4) vs. No. 4 West Central Area (24-6), 1 p.m.
• No. 7 MACCRAY (23-5) vs. No. 2 Mayer Lutheran (26-3), 3 p.m.
• No. 6 Sacred Heart (24-6) vs. No. 3 Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s (29-2), 5 p.m.

Class AAA semifinals

At Williams Arena

• Noon, 2 p.m.

Class AAAA semifinals

• 6 p.m., 8 p.m.

At Gangelhoff Center

Class AAAA consolation semifinals

• 10 a.m., noon

Class AAA consolation semifinals

• 2 p.m., 4 p.m.

Class AA consolation semifinals

• 6 p.m., 8 p.m.

Friday, March 14

At Williams Arena

Class A semifinals

• Noon, 2 p.m.

Class AA semifinals

• 6 p.m., 8 p.m.

At Gangelhoff Center

Class A consolation semifinals

• 10 a.m., Noon

Class AA consolation final

• 2 p.m.

Class AAA consolation final

• 4 p.m.

Class AAAA consolation final

• 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 15

At Williams Arena

Class A championship

• Noon

Class AAA championship

• 2 p.m.

Class AA championship

• 6 p.m.

Class AAAA championship

• 8 p.m.

At Gangelhoff Center

Class A third place

• 10 a.m.

Class AAA third place

• Noon

Class AA third place

• 2 p.m.

Class AAAA third place

• 4 p.m.

Key Things to Know

Class A

• Goodhue is the top seed for the third time. The other two times, the Wildcats won championships in 2016 and last season. They also won as the No. 2 seed in 2017. 
• Mayer Lutheran is in the state tournament for the sixth time. In 1977, the Crusaders were the Class A champs. 
• Sophomore guard Morgan Mathiowetz averages 34 points per game for Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s. 
• West Central Area returns for the first time since 2021 and second time overall. 
• Senior guard Mya Foslien paces West Central Area with 18.5 points per game. 
• Cromwell-Wright, the Section 7A champion, was a championship semifinalist in 2020. The Cardinals are 8-1 in their past nine games. 
• Sacred Heart made its state tournament debut in 2016. The Eagles are on an 8-0 run, including four victories in the postseason. 
• MACCRAY ends a state tournament drought that extends from 2006. Junior forward Brielle Janssen averages nearly 28 points per game. 
• Walker-Hackensack-Akeley was sixth a season ago after losing to Mayer Lutheran in the consolation final. The Wolves are 11-1 in their past 12 games. Jim Lien has 641 career victories to rank No. 8 all-time among girls basketball head coaches.  

Class AA

• Unbeaten Providence Academy is seeking history as the first team to win four consecutive championships. This is the fourth consecutive season the Lions have been tabbed as the top seed. The Lions have surpassed 100 points seven times this season. Junior guard Maddyn Greenway, a University of Kentucky commit, is third in all-time scoring with 4,359 points. 
• Crosby-Ironton is also undefeated, spurred by junior guard Tori Oehrlein, who has committed to play for the University of Minnesota. She has 4,353 career points and is the only player in Minnesota girls basketball history to average more than 30 points per game for her career. 
• Don’t let the nine losses of No. 3-seeded Minnehaha Academy fool you. The Redhawks traditionally seek a tough regular season schedule to prepare them for state tournament moments. Senior guard Addison Mack is the second-ever Minnesota girls player to score 4,000 career points. She is currently No. 2 all-time with 4,593.
• Sauk Centre is one of three teams from the West Central Conference to qualify for the state tournament along with Minnewaska Area and West Central Area. Sauk Centre is 10-0 since losing to Barnesville on Feb. 4. 
• Minnewaska Area opens the quarterfinals with a familiar foe: Sauk Centre. The Lakers split two conference games this season with the Mainstreeters, the most recent a three-point win on Jan. 31.
• Caledonia’s only loss to a Minnesota team this season was to Goodhue on Jan. 30. Since that four-point setback, the Warriors are on a nine-game winning streak. 
• Barnesville ends a long state tournament drought that dates to 2007. The Trojans are 9-0 entering the state tournament. 
• NRHHEG was a two-time Class AA champion in 2013 and 2014. The current Panthers' squad is on a 14-game winning streak and hasn't lost since mid-January.

Class AAA

• Top-seed Benilde-St. Margaret’s is seeking a three-peat of championships. This is the second consecutive season they are the No. 1 seed in the seven times they have qualified for the state tournament. Two other championships (2010 and 2023) came as the No. 2 seed. 
• This is Monticello’s first state tournament trip since three in a row from 2012-2014. The Magic average nearly 71 points per game. Junior Samantha Voll leads the way with 22.4 points per game. 
• Marshall is no stranger to the state tournament. The Tigers are a three-time champion and a three-time runner-up. Marshall’s lone loss this season was to Orono on Feb. 1. 
• DeLaSalle is tied for fourth with six other schools that have at least four state championships. Rochester Lourdes and Hopkins have eight each and Minneapolis North has five. The Islanders are on a 10-game winning streak. 
• Alexandria Area head coach Wendy Kohler is second all-time in victories with 726. New London-Spicer’s Mike Dreier leads the way with 1,095. Alexandria’s last loss was to Providence Academy on Feb. 17. 
• Rock Ridge returns for the second consecutive season. A year ago, the Wolverines placed sixth. Rock Ridge had a four-game losing streak early in the season, but is since on a 17-1 run. Its only loss? To Providence Academy on Feb. 14. 
• Cretin-Derham Hall is on a five-game winning streak entering the state tournament. Balanced scoring paced by eighth-grade guard Isabella Deleeuw (11.3 points) and 10.9 each from junior guard Sage Gilbert and eighth-grade guard Madeleine Hamiel lead the way for the Raiders. 
• Stewartville went to an overtime in the Section 1AAA final in recording a 68-64 victory over Byron, a team that had defeated the Tigers in the regular-season finale. The Tigers were the Class AAA runner-up in 2023. 

Class AAAA

• This marks the first time that Maple Grove has secured the top seed. Previously, the Crimson’s high-water mark was No. 2 in 2010. A year ago, the Crimson were No. 3 and placed fourth. In the 17 years of Class AAAA seeding, the top seed has won the championship 12 times. Senior guard Jordan Ode, a Michigan State recruit, averages nearly 25 points per game. 
• Eastview opened the season 0-2, but those setbacks were to Wayzata and Providence Academy, respectively. Eight games later came another loss, this one to Eden Prairie, during the holiday break. That has been it for the Lightning. A 19-game winning streak is tough to slow down. Senior guard Myah Maull paces the Lightning with 15.7 points per game. 
• With another state championship, Hopkins would be the only school with nine crowns. Currently, they are tied with Rochester Lourdes at eight. The Royals reversed two losses to Wayzata during the regular season with a 14-point victory over the Trojans in the Section 6AAAA final. 
• Lakeville North head coach Andy Berkvam has the Panthers in the state tournament for the 11^th time in his storied career. A 2-5 start to the season against elite-level competition paved the way for Lakeville North. 
• It was 1997 when Brainerd last qualified for the state tournament. Senior guard Mya Tautges runs the Warriors’ attack and averages nearly 19 points per game. 
• Every tournament has a longshot and Chaska could be the one here. The Hawks are peaking at the right time. After opening the Section 2AAAA postseason with a victory over district rival, Chanhassen, Chaska then upset No. 1 Eden Prairie and No. 3 Minnetonka, respectively, to qualify for the first time since winning the big-school crown in 2021. For context, Chaska lost to Eden Prairie by 31 points on Dec. 20. In the section semifinal, the Hawks won in overtime with barely a second left. 
• Anoka opened the season 5-6, but then went on a 13-2 run to prepare for the postseason. This is the Tornadoes’ first state tournament trip since 2016. 
• White Bear Lake head coach Jeremy Post has the Bears in the state tournament for the 11^th time. Since a loss to Cretin-Derham Hall on Feb. 18 during the Suburban East Conference schedule, the Bears are on a four-game winning streak. Senior forward Elise Dieterie leads the Bears with 14.6 points per game.