Girls basketball state tournament: High seeds Providence Academy, Albany, Goodhue and Mountain Iron-Buhl reach finals
The Class 1A semifinals began the day, and high-scoring Class 2A standouts spiced the evening.
Tap on the game for a postgame summary or live scoring if the game is in progress
Semifinals
Friday at Williams Arena
9:41 p.m.
Albany wins a return trip to title game
For the second game in a row, Albany was behind when the second half began. And for the second game in a row, the Huskies were ahead when it ended.
Albany beat Minnehaha Academy 60-52 in the late Class 2A semifinal and will return to the state championship game for a repeat matchup against Providence Academy.
The halftime deficit was three points Friday. Albany center Alyssa Sand said the team “had a little pep talk” and “came out with a little more energy.”
Sand, a 6-3 center with inside moves and a three-point stroke, scored 20 points. She shot 7-for-11 and went 2-for-2 on three-pointers; she also had 14 rebounds. She had a helpful running mate in Tatum Findley, who made four three-point shots and scored 17 points.
“I felt pretty confident in those late threes and just let it fly,” Findley said.
Albany, seeded second, made it a sweep of top seeds reaching championship games. All four championship games Saturday will pit seeds 1 and 2.
Albany will face Providence Academy in the final. Albany lost to Providence Academy 74-60 in last season’s state championship game but defeated the Lions 72-70 in mid-December.
“We just need to stay composed and play our game,” Sand said. “[Providence] was trying to make us play fast last time, and we have to find our game.”
Albany overcame Minnehaha Academy’s Addi Mack, who entered the game averaging 31.3 points per game, just behind Providence Academy’s Maddyn Greenway and Crosby-Ironton’s Tori Oehrlein, who played in the other 2A semifinal. Mack scored 25 points Friday.
THEO FRANZ
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7:40 p.m.
Providence Academy rolls against Crosby-Ironton
The top two scorers in the state tangled Friday for a spot in the Class 2A championship game.
A bunch of other players made the difference.
Two-time defending champion Providence Academy returned to the title game with a 92-54 victory over Crosby-Ironton at Williams Arena.
Crosby-Ironton guard Tori Oehrlein entered the game averaging 34.9 points per game, and Providence Academy guard Maddyn Greenway was at 33.8 points per game. They rank first and second in the state in scoring, and they are the only sophomores in state history to amass more than 3,000 points.
Oehrlein scored 35 points Friday. Greenway scored 30. But Greenway had three teammates helping out by scoring well into in double figures. Oehrlein had one, and she stopped at 10.
“We usually have four,” coach Pete Vukelich said. “That definitely hurt not having that scoring spread.”
Providence Academy got away in the final third of the first half. The Lions trailed 22-21 with 6:32 to play in the half, then made a 24-6 run and led 45-27 at halftime.
Senior guard Brooke Hohenecker made three three-pointers and had 11 points at halftime, finishing with 16. Senior center Hope Counts had nine points in the first half and 13 by the end, and center Ari Peterson, an eighth-grader, had eight in the first half and 20 when she was done.
Providence Academy’s 25 assists formed the blueprint for a dominant performance.
“We were super balanced in our scoring distribution, had players scoring on fast breaks and finding whoever is open,” coach Conner Goetz said.
Greenway contributed in various ways. She also had 10 assists, nine rebounds and five steals. Oehrlein had 11 rebounds.
The game was fast-paced, leading to 25 turnovers for Crosby-Ironton to Providence Academy’s 15.
“Our inexperience showed here tonight,” Vukelich said. “The first six minutes we had the adrenaline going for us, we fell behind and we couldn’t stand back up for some reason.”
Providence Academy will take a 27-4 record into the final. Crosby-Ironton fell to 25-7.
THEO FRANZ
. . .
3:43 p.m.
Zubich leads Mountain Iron-Buhl to the final
Jordan Zubich made certain she’ll get a shot at a second state championship.
The senior guard scored 31 points, leading defending state champion and No. 3-ranked Mountain Iron-Buhl to a 69-50 victory over fourth-ranked Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart (28-4) in the Class 1A semifinals Friday at Williams Arena. It marked her 20th game with at least 30 points this season.
“This is my last shot,” Zubich said. “I would like to win another state championship.”
The North Carolina recruit went 11-for-20 from the floor, 5-for-12 on three-pointers and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line. She also had six assists.
Unlike a day earlier, Zubich come out hot. She made six of her first seven shots and had 18 points as the Rangers took a 28-14 lead in the opening 11 minutes. She had 21 at halftime, when the Rangers (29-3) led 40-31.
“I knew if I could get off to a strong start it would help our younger players shoot well,” she said. “If we are clicking and playing good, not too many teams can beat us.”
Zubich didn’t get a shot off for nearly four minutes to start the second half, yet the Rangers extended their lead to 46-34.
A short time later, Zubich made back-to-back three-pointers to give the Rangers a 54-38 lead. They maintained a double-digit cushion the rest of the way.
“I’m super excited to win, but we know there is something bigger at stake,” said Rangers senior guard Hali Savela, who scored 13 points before fouling out. “We are on a business trip.”
. . .
1:46 p.m.
Goodhue steadies itself, rallies past Underwood
Goodhue coach Josh Wieme yelled “settle down” to his players five minutes into the game. The Wildcats were playing into Underwood’s hands.
It took a few minutes to register.
The No. 1-ranked and top-seeded Wildcats went on a 16-point run late in the first half, a springboard to a 63-53 victory over seventh-ranked Underwood in the Class 1A girls basketball state tournament semifinals Friday at Williams Arena. The five-minute spurt turned a seven-point deficit into a 29-20 lead.
“We were out of sorts,” Wieme said. “We had to take a deep breath. We had to relax, settle down, and they did.”
The Wildcats’ dynamic one-two punch of senior guard Elisabeth Gadient and junior forward Kendyl Lodermeier took over during the run. Gadient scored seven points, and Lodermeier vaulted the Wildcats into the lead with six consecutive points.
“When I see an opening I take it,” Lodermeier said.
Goodhue (27-5) struggled again at the start of the second half. The Rockets closed within four, 41-37, until Goodhue’s duo went back to work. Gadient and Lodermeier combined for 10 points, igniting a 12-2 run to restore order at 53-39.
“We just had to keep our composure,” Gadient said. “I didn’t have any doubt [about winning].”
Gadient finished with a double-double (22 points, including the 2,000th of her career, and 11 rebounds) and also had seven assists. Lodermeier also wound up with a double-double (16 points and 11 rebounds).
“It took our stars to step up and carry us in tough times,” Wieme said. “The goal at the beginning of the year was to make the state championship, and here we are. It wasn’t easy.”
Underwood (28-4) struggled with three-point shooting, which was a strength in their quarterfinal victory. They went 4-for-15 from beyond the arc after going 11-for-23 a day earlier.
Underwood senior guard Elizabeth Lukken had a game-high 24 points on 11-for-26 shooting.
“Sometimes you have to tell Liz, ‘Take the ball and go,’” Rockets coach Brian Hovland said. “Our kids are tough. They battled. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Championship games
Saturday at Williams Arena
Tickets, TV
Ch. 45 is televising and streaming the semifinals and championship games. Link to the streams and find other details on how to watch here. Consolation games are available for a fee on NSPN. Tickets to the event range from $11 to $22 and are available at mshsl.org/tickets.
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More coverage
The Star Tribune will be publishing stories and other content related to these state championship games and more this week. Keep up by checking startribune.com/preps each day. Thank you for reading and subscribing.
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Tournament information
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