The Girls Basketball Section playoffs have started all over the state of Minnesota this past week, and most sections have reached the Final 4. We will be previewing all the Sections with Wright County teams in them. Don’t worry we didn’t forget Dassel-Cokato, and Annandale, but they are only in the second round, if they win we will have a preview of their final four matchups next week. Below is a preview for Section 6AAA. Good luck to all the teams and hope to see you at state!
The Final 4:
#1 Seed: Benilde St. Margeret’s, 22-5.
How they got here: Defeated Mound, 103-31 in the first round.
Key Players: Olivia Olson(23 ppg.), Zahara Bishop(16 ppg.), and Sydney Friedly(11 ppg.)
About the Knights: Olivia Olson, headed to Michigan may be the best player in the state and they have plenty of depth. Started 3-5 and have won 19 straight. The favorite in a very tough section.
Olivia Olson, above in white, is headed to the University of Michigan after this season.
#2 Seed: Delano Tigers, 26-1.
How they got here: Defeated Richfield, 79-36 in the first round.
Key Players: Taylor Tool(17 ppg.), Abby Pietilla(14 ppg.), Norah Danielson(11 ppg.)
About the Tigers: Delano is so deep, and has so many weapons’ that they are a serious threat to reach state, if they can get to the Section finals against BSM it would be a one of the best Section finals in the state.
Taylor Tool, above, leads a balanced Tigers team into Sections.
#3 Seed: Orono Spartans, 16-11.
How they got here: Defeated Robbinsdale Cooper 79-53 in the first round.
Key Players: Mya Moore(20 ppg.), Evelyn Miller(11 ppg.)
About the Spartans: This is not a deep team, but Moore can be a one man wrecking crew. The Spartans have also played well down the stretch, winning 5 of their last 7.
Mya Moore, above, avg. over 20 points a game this year for the Spartans.
#4 Seed: Holy Angels Stars, 14-13.
How they got here: Defeated Kennedy 68-38 in first round.
Key Players: Kiera O’ Rourke(12 ppg.), Elisa Lind(11 ppg.), Jenna Bauer(10 ppg.)
About the Stars: Holy Angels has three really good players, but not much depth. The Stars have been so up and down this year I can’t see them making a a run in the Sections.
Kiera O’ Rourke, above, hopes to lead the Stars to a surprising playoff run this year.
Bottoms Line: If BSM and Delano match up in the Section Final, it could be an epic battle, with the winner being a serious state championship contender. BSM played without Olson for a few weeks and it actually helped there depth and made other players step up. For Delano, they have so many threats on the court that they can keep pace with BSM. Hoping for a section final between BSM and Delano, but they have to win their next game to get there.
