Girls Basketball 2025: Minnewaska Area one-ups Sauk Centre to earn semifinal berth
Posted: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 - 9:45 PM
By defeating one another during the regular season, Minnewaska Area and Sauk Centre shared the West Central Conference title with 11-1 records. The rubber match and bragging rights that go with it extended into the postseason with something much bigger at stake.
Minnewaska Area, the No. 5 seed in the Class AA field, used a 10-3 run in the final three minutes to upend No. 4 Sauk Centre in the quarterfinals of the Minnesota State High School League’s Girls Basketball State Tournament at Williams Arena.
Sure, the Lakers (28-3) won the season series with the Mainstreeters (27-3), but the bigger prize was getting to advance to the Class AA semifinals on Friday night when Minnewaska Area takes its turn to try and knock off No. 1 Providence Academy.
Senior post Sydney Dahl scored five of her 13 points in the game-deciding run and senior forward Megan Thorfinson made three free throws in the final minute to put the finishing touches on a comeback that once saw the Lakers trailing 11-2. Thorfinson finished with 17 points.
Senior guard Sierra Kortan paced Sauk Centre with 21 points.
