Action abounds in girls basketball Metro Top 10, but change is elusive

Clashes of ranked teams followed form, leaving the top of the rankings unaffected.

January 15, 2024 at 2:26PM
St. Michael-Albertville's Kaylie Cox (2) tries to steal the ball from St. Michael-Albertville's Lanelle Wright (10) in the second half. Minnetonka High School hosted St. Michael-Albertville, both undefeated Class 4A girls basketball teams, on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024 in Minnetonka, Minn. Minnetonka won 63-54. ] RENEE JONES SCHNEIDER • renee.jones@startribune.com
St. Michael-Albertville’s Kaylie Cox tried to steal the ball from Minnetonka’s Lanelle Wright in the second half Friday. (Renée Jones Schneider, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The top teams in the Lake Conference squared off and didn't change a thing in the girls basketball Metro Top 10.

No. 1 Minnetonka (13-0) beat No. 3 St. Michael-Albertville (13-1) and No. 2 Hopkins (12-2) slipped past No. 6 Eden Prairie (13-2), leading to no movement among the top seven teams.

Class 4A defending state champion St. Michael-Albertville played without its leading scorer, senior guard Ja'Kahla Craft, and lost 63-54 to Minnetonka. Craft, who is committed to Seton Hall and averaging 25.8 points per game, dislocated her right pinkie finger four nights earlier in a 74-62 triumph over No. 5 Maple Grove (10-2). Coach Kent Hamre's team must face a demanding schedule for the next couple of weeks with Craft sidelined.

Sophomore guard Maddyn Greenway continues to score well for No. 4 Providence Academy (12-2), getting 49 points in a 94-72 victory over Edina, her fifth 40-point game of the season.

Andover (10-2) climbs into the Top 10 at No. 10 after Chaska suffered a pair of losses.

Keep an eye on Class 3A defending state champion Benilde-St. Margaret's (7-5) now that Michigan recruit Olivia Olson has returned to the lineup. The Red Knights beat Chaska 66-58 and New Prague 78-39, then won a rematch of the state title game against Stewartville 74-48 on Saturday. Olson, a senior guard, suffered a broken left hand in the season opener.

This week's marquee matchup

Eden Prairie at Wayzata, 7 p.m. Tuesday

No. 7 Wayzata (11-3) gets a chance to climb in the rankings in a matchup with the Eagles, slotted right above. The Trojans edged Eden Prairie in both games a year ago, 54-52 and 63-52 in overtime. Expect more of the same in this one.

Girls basketball Metro Top 10

1. Minnetonka (13-0). Last week: 1

2. Hopkins (12-2). Last week: 2

3. St. Michael-Albertville (13-1). Last week: 3

4. Providence Academy (2A) (12-2). Last week: 4

5. Maple Grove (10-2). Last week: 5

6. Eden Prairie (13-2). Last week: 6

7. Wayzata (11-3). Last week: 7

8. Rosemount (11-3). Last week: 9

9. Lakeville North (8-4). Last week: 8

10. Andover (10-2). Last week: NR

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about the writer

Ron Haggstrom

Prep Sports Reporter

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