Minnetonka Takes Girls’ Championship Crown from Hopkins
March 2016
A heated match between the two top-rated girls’ high school basketball teams in Minnesota followed easy wins for Holy Angels, Plainview-Elgin-Millville, and Goodhue in state tournament action at Williams Arena on March 19.
Minnetonka unseated defending state champion Hopkins, 61-52, in a game that saw the Skippers take advantage of the Royals early cold shooting to grab command at halftime and hold on for the win in the Class AAAA portion of the four-game finals at the Minnesota State High School League Girls’ Tournament, held annually since 1974. Center Lizzie Odegard led the way with 17 points and 23 rebounds. Minnetonka outrebounded Hopkins 64-33. Courtney Frederickson 13 points and 11 rebounds, and sophomore Chrissy Carr 10 points and 12 boards. The only Royals player able to consistently score was senior guard Ashley Bates who finished with a game-high 28 points, more than half of Hopkins’ total.
In the Class AAA final, senior forward Laura Bagwell-Katalinich caught fire, scoring 25 points while snatching 16 rebounds as the Academy of Holy Angels grabbed a 45-30 lead with six minutes to go and coasted past Winona. The final score was 51 for the Stars and 43 for the Winhawks.
Both A and AA championship games were blowouts. A well-oiled Goodhue machine decimated Marantha Christian Academy of Brooklyn Park, 89-64 in the Class A final. Maddy Miller scored 28 points and Sydney Lodermeier 24 to lead the Wildcats, a team so smooth and disciplined that it would have little trouble competing at the AAAA level.
The AA final turned out to be a mismatch as the cooperative team known as Plainview-Elgin-Millville blitzed New London-Spicer 72-42 after leading at the half by 39-14.
Tourney Results
Class A
Mountain Iron-Buhl 70, Sleepy Eye 36
Goodhue 77, Sacred Heart 46
Maranatha 91, SW Minnesota Christian 79
Wheaton 70, Cromwell 55
Maranatha 75, Mountain Iron-Buhl 74 (OT)
Goodhue 74, Wheaton 35
Goodhue 89, Maranatha 64
Class AA
Plainville-Elgin-Millville 59, Holy Family 38
New London-Spicer 58, Minnehaha Academy 44
Roseau 78, Pequot Lakes 65
Sauk Center 70, Norwood-Young America 51
Plainview-Elgin-Millville 87, Roseau 78
New London-Spicer 49, Sauk Center 46
Plainview-Elgin-Millville 72, New London-Spicer 42
Class AAA
Holy Angels 69, Marshall 47
Thief River Falls 61, Hutchinson 59
Becker 67, St. Paul Como Park 57
Winona 76, Grand Rapids 56
Holy Angels 55, Thief River Falls 42
Winona 37, Becker 33
Holy Angels 51, Winona 43
Class AAAA
Eastview 52, Lakeville North 35
Hopkins 81, Park Center 69
Minnetonka 71, Anoka 41
White Bear Lake 72, St. Michael-Albertville 69 (OT)
Minnetonka 75, White Bear Lake 50
Hopkins 85, Eastview 67
Minnetonka 61, Hopkins 52