The last of the winter sports state tournaments, boys basketball, is slimming down its list of possible entrants in section play.
Boys basketball section tournaments feature multiple teams good enough to win. This will be fun.
Take a tour through some sections where competition will be fierce, and then check out the predictions.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 2, 2025 at 6:00PM
Defending state champions Minnetonka in Class 4A, Totino-Grace in Class 3A, Breck in Class 2A and Cherry in Class 1A would like nothing better than to return to the elevated floor of Williams Arena in quest of another crown. Totino-Grace has won three consecutive state championships.
Here are the six sections, at least one from each classification, to keep an eye on:
Class 4A
Section 2
The top three in this group are as even as they come and ranked among the best in the Star Tribune’s statewide Minnesota Top 25. No. 10 Shakopee (21-5), No. 17 Prior Lake (20-6) and No. 18 Minnetonka (18-8) all would be seeded in the top four of the state tournament bracket. All three have also been state champions.
Section 6
Let’s face it, these two heavyweights, No. 2 Hopkins (25-1) and No. 8 Wayzata (22-4), don’t like each other. The Lake Conference bitter rivals split their two regular-season meetings, Wayzata won the first 93-80, and Hopkins held on for a tense 77-76 triumph just more than two weeks ago. It will take a third matchup to settle this score.
Class 3A
Section 6
A team capable of winning the state tournament will be sent packing. No. 5 Benilde-St. Margaret’s (24-2) and No. 6 Orono (19-7) will meet for a third time in all likelihood. The two Metro West Conference foes split their two regular-season games, neither of which was decided by more than four points. No. 20 Richfield (21-5) could pose problems if either of them are looking too far ahead.
Section 7
Four evenly matched teams, Cloquet (18-8), Duluth Denfeld (17-9), Hibbing (17-9) and Grand Rapids (13-13), are looking to make their way to Minneapolis. There isn’t a clear-cut favorite in the group. The champion of this section has lost its past nine state tournament games. Princeton posted the most recent victory, in the quarterfinals in 2019.
Class 2A
Section 5
Don’t be fooled by Breck’s 16-10 record. The Mustangs beefed up their schedule and played some of the state’s best in preparation for this time of year. Coach Harry Sonie’s squad has plenty of challengers in Blake (22-4), Rockford (18-8), Southwest Christian (17-9) and Minneapolis North (16-9).
Class 1A
Section 1
Goodhue (19-8) and Rushford-Peterson (22-4) are well-acquainted rivals despite being 80 miles apart. They appear set for another tough, physical battle to determine who makes the trek northwest. Both have played for the state championship in the past decade, Rushford-Peterson winning it in 2015 and Goodhue finishing as the runner-up in 2016. Unbeaten Southland (27-0) concluded a memorable unbeaten regular season and can’t be overlooked. The Rebels have never appeared in the state tournament. Those three teams didn’t meet during the regular season, but all went unbeaten against section opponents.
Predictions
Section champion predictions from each class:
Class 4A: 1-Lakeville North; 2-Shakopee; 3-Apple Valley; 4-Cretin-Derham Hall; 5-Champlin Park; 6-Wayzata; 7-Anoka; 8-Sauk Rapids-Rice.
Class 3A: 1-Byron; 2-Mankato East; 3-St. Thomas Academy; 4-DeLaSalle; 5-Totino-Grace; 6-Benilde-St. Margaret’s; 7-Hibbing; 8-Alexandria.
Class 2A: 1-Caledonia; 2-Waseca; 3-Jackson County Central; 4-Minnehaha Academy; 5-Breck; 6-Albany; 7-Pequot Lakes; 8-East Grand Forks.
Class 1A: 1-Rushford-Peterson; 2-Springfield; 3-Dawson-Boyd; 4-Heritage Christian; 5-Nevis; 6-Henning; 7-Cherry; 8-Red Lake County.
Take a tour through some sections where competition will be fierce, and then check out the predictions.
