Girls basketball state tournament’s highest seeds go to familiar powers

No surprises emerged when the the Minnesota State High School League unveiled the state tournament seeding. Being the best came with a reward.

Lake Conference powers Hopkins (25-3), Minnetonka (26-2) and St. Michael-Albertville (22-7) garnered the top three seeds in Class 4A.

St. Michael-Albertville is the defending champion. The top seeds in two other classes — Benilde-St. Margaret’s (24-5) in 3A and Providence Academy (25-4) in 2A — are the defending state champions in their class. Providence Academy is the reigning two-time champion.

Class 1A defending state champion Mountain Iron-Buhl (27-3) wound up as the No. 2 seed, tying back its 67-62 loss to top-seeded Goodhue (25-5) in the Granite City Classic over the holidays.

The tournament will begin Wednesday morning with the quarterfinals in the top three classes at Williams Arena and the Maturi Pavilion on the University of Minnesota campus. The Class 1A quarterfinals will be Thursday at the Maturi Pavilion. All four championship games will be held Saturday at Williams Arena.

Hopkins has its sights set on a state-record ninth championship. The Royals won the title in 2004, ’06, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13, ‘15, ‘19 and ‘22. They were runner-up to St. Michael-Albertville last season. St. Michael-Albertville also won the Class 2A title in 2001 and the Class 3A title in 2009. Minnetonka won its lone state title in 2016.

All four defending state champions are led by high-major Division I recruits. Seton Hall landed Ja’Kahla Craft of St. Michael-Albertville, Michigan got Olivia Olson of Benilde-St. Margaret’s, and North Carolina signed Jordan Zubich of Mountain Iron-Buhl. Everybody wants super sophomore Maddyn Greenway of Providence Academy.

Class 2A Rochester Lourdes (21-9), like Hopkins, has also won eight state championships. The Eagles will meet No. 2 seed Albany (28-1) in the quarterfinals. The Huskies are on a 20-game streak since suffering their only loss to Mountain Iron-Buhl.

New London-Spicer (28-2) and coach Mike Dreier will make their 21st appearance in the state tournament, a state record. The fourth-seeded Wildcats will face Crosby-Ironton (24-6) and outstanding sophomore Tori Oehrlein in the quarterfinals.

Wednesday

At Williams Arena

White Bear Lake (21-7) vs. [1] Hopkins (25-3), 10 a.m.

[5] Lakeville North (24-5) vs. [4] Maple Grove (24-4), noon

Andover (24-4) vs. [2] Minnetonka (26-2), 2 p.m.

Rosemount (22-6) vs. [3] St. Michael-Albertville (22-7), 4 p.m.

Wednesday

At Maturi Pavilion

Minneapolis Roosevelt (23-7) vs. [1] Benilde-St. Margaret’s (24-5), 10 a.m.

[5] Stewartville (21-8) vs. [4] St. Peter (27-2), noon

Totino-Grace (17-11) vs. [2] DeLaSalle (25-3), 2 p.m.

[3] Alexandria (24-5) vs. Rock Ridge (26-3), 4 p.m.

Wednesday

At Williams Arena

Perham (26-3) vs. [1] Providence Academy (25-4), 6 p.m.

[5] Crosby-Ironton (24-6) vs. [4] New London-Spicer (28-2), 8 p.m.

At Maturi Pavilion

Rochester Lourdes (21-9) vs. [2] Albany (28-1), 6 p.m.

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (19-11) vs. [3] Minnehaha Academy (26-3), 8 p.m.

Thursday

At Maturi Pavilion

[1] Goodhue (25-5) vs. Mayer Lutheran (19-10), 11 p.m.

[5] Southwest Minnesota Christian (28-2) vs. [4] Underwood (27-3), 1 p.m.

Walker-Hackensack-Akeley (24-6) vs. [2] Mountain Iron-Buhl (27-3), 3 p.m.

[3] Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart (27-3) vs. Fosston (29-2), 5 p.m.

Thursday at Williams Arena

Class 4A: 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Class 3A: Noon and 2 p.m.

Friday at Williams Arena

Class 2A: 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Class 1A: Noon and 2 p.m.

Saturday at Williams Arena

Class 4A: 8 p.m.

Class 3A: 6 p.m.

Class 2A: 2 p.m.

Class 1A: noon