Benilde-St. Margaret’s takes down Orono, advances to girls basketball state tournament

Benilde-St. Margaret’s is out to prove it’s still the best girls basketball team in Class 3A.

The two-time defending state champions, ranked No. 4 in the classification by Minnesota Basketball News, scored 51 points in the first half in overwhelming No. 3 Orono 74-53 in the Section 6 championship Thursday night at Orono High School.

Orono (25-4) won both regular-season meetings, 76-68 and 77-51, between the Metro West Conference rivals.

Sophomore guard Pressley Watkins had 18 points to pace the Red Knights’ balanced attack. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (21-6) had five players in double figures.

Junior guard Mya Moore, a Creighton recruit, scored a game-high 21 points for the Spartans.

In other section championship games:

Section 2

Chaska 55, Minnetonka 52: The Hawks (18-11) continued their improbable run to the state tournament. Fourth-seeded Chaska edged Minnetonka to pull off its second consecutive upset. The Hawks beat top-seeded Eden Prairie 66-64 in overtime in the semifinals.

Section 5

Maple Grove 68, Park Center 28: It looked like a mismatch, and turned out to be exactly like that. The state’s top-ranked Crimson (26-2) overwhelmed the seventh-seeded Pirates (7-22) behind Michigan State recruit Jordan Ode’s 25 points. Maple Grove finished fourth in the state tournament a year ago.

Section 8

Brainerd 70, St. Michael-Albertville 54: The Warriors (25-4) proved their record wasn’t misleading. Brainerd, seeded third despite having the best record in the section, knocked off the top-seeded Knights (18-11) five days after upending second-seeded Elk River (22-6). Brainerd will make its first state tournament appearance since 1997.

Section 5

Monticello 73, Totino-Grace 66: The Eagles (19-8) kept Samantha Voll in check until the game was on the line. The junior guard scored 10 of her 18 points late in the second half as the Magic (29-0) kept its perfect season intact. Senior guard Chloe Nuss scored a game-high 25 points for Totino-Grace.

Section 1

Goodhue 46, Grand Meadow 27: The No. 1-ranked Wildcats (24-5) will have a chance to defend their state championship after shutting down the Superlarks (25-3) with a stellar defensive performance. Grand Meadow entered the matchup allowing 52.5 points per game.

Section 7

Cromwell-Wright 62, Mountain Iron-Buhl 58: The No. 2-ranked Rangers (26-4) will miss the state tournament for the first time since 2010 after falling to the Cardinals (25-4). Mountain Iron-Buhl trailed by 15 points, 33-18, at halftime. Mountain Iron-Buhl fell to Goodhue 70-65 in last year’s final.