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Mar. 10—MINNEAPOLIS — kicks off the state Class A girls basketball tournament against the field's most-traveled team to the Twin Cities.
That would be state tournament newcomer Kelliher/Northome (29-1), which will make about a 4-hour, 30-minute trek to the University of Minnesota this week.
CMCS (26-3) is the sixth seed and plays the third-seeded Mustangs, whose two school districts are about 45 miles north of Bemidji in northern Minnesota, in the Class A state quarterfinals at 5 p.m. Thursday at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis.
After they earned state tournament berths in 2000 and 2001, the Bluejays are one of the final eight Class A teams for the third time in school history.
Kelliher/Northome, which lost the Section 8A championship a season ago, is set to compete in its first state tournament.
"You have two programs who are going to have to embrace the week, but yet, battle the emotions of all the energy and the excitement," said Bluejays head coach Brian Nelson, who is at the helm for a fourth season. "You have to settle in as quickly as you can and not let the moment get too big."
Kelliher/Northome, adjacent to Pine Island State Forest, Minnesota's largest forest of 60 in the state, is led by a pair of the top Class A players in the state.
Nelson's squad will be tasked the tough assignment of slowing them down.
The pair is senior guards Kate Thayer and Kylee Binkley, who were both named to the Class A All-State team.
Thayer is one of three members in the state's prestigious triple-quadruple club, which is home to players who have tallied 1,000+ in three statistical categories.
She is in the triple-quadruple club alongside Providence Academy senior guard Maddyn Greenway and Crosby-Ironton senior guard Tori Oerhlein.
Greenway became the state's all-time leading scorer with 5,505 career points when she scored 43 points as Providence Academy earned a 97-60 win against Maranatha Christian Academy in the Section 5AA championship on Friday.
Oehrlein, who held the record with 5,485 career points, saw Crosby-Ironton's season end in a 61-58 loss to Pequot Lakes in a Section 7AA semifinal on Tuesday.
"That's OK company," said Nelson, who chuckled on the phone. "Kate is a relentless and quick player who anticipates really well. She is going to be a handful."
Thayer, the only girl in state history with at least 1,000 steals, has more than 3,000 points and 1,000 career rebounds.
Binkley has more than 2,000 career points.
"Both are the real deal," Nelson said. "We are going to have to come up with a nice game plan and make sure those two are accounted for at all times.
"That group in general presents a lot of problems and I can understand the success they've had this year and the ranking they've received. They're good."
Nelson's team also presents plenty of issues for opposing teams.
CMCS has a Class A All-State selection, too: Sienna Duininck
Duininck, the school's all-time leading scorer, is a junior guard who leads an experienced CMCS rotation entirely made up of seniors and juniors.
Seniors Emmi Braem, Carrie Mulder, Peighton Mulder and Addie Taatjes and juniors Emery Fussy, Aurora Rosen and Maddy Vander Ark play pivotal roles.
"I want them to enjoy this experience," Nelson said. But we really have to make sure that when it's time to play basketball, we're focused on what we need to do to put us in the best position to be successful.
"I think the girls have a great mindset of where they're at from our last month of the season and they are doing a good job of being locked in on what we do well. That's all I can ask of them."
Nelson anticipated the Bluejays would receive a seed in the four-to-six range.
Mayer Lutheran obtaining the seventh seed was a surprise to Nelson.
"I thought Mayer Lutheran's schedule was really solid and they've been there, done that," Nelson said of the Crusaders, who are in the state tournament for a third consecutive season. "But, other than that, I think the coaches got it mostly right."
Nelson did hope that — with his team coming out of Section 3A after MACCRAY finished as state runner-up last year — it would carry weight.
"At the end of the day, you're one of eight who are all pretty dang equal," Nelson said. "You're going to have to go through the best to be the best."
Nelson and company head to the Twin Cities on Tuesday, where they will have practice at Southwest Christian High School in Chaska.
CMCS, which has a hotel stay on the University of Minnesota campus, also has practices Wednesday and Thursday at Bethel University in Arden Hills.
Sienna's sister, Coco Duininck, is a senior guard for the Royals.
"We have family connections over there," Nelson said. "We're going to take it one day at a time and relax with a healthy balance of enjoying the moment."
Prinsburg also has the CMCS boys basketball team competing for a state tournament berth in the Section 3A championship against Hills-Beaver Creek at 5 p.m. Thursday at Southwest Minnesota State University's R/A Facility in Marshall.
"Those two crowds are the nicest two crowds I've seen in a long time, probably the best ever for a girls game," Nelson said of the Section 3A-North final and the Section 3A championship game. "Our community has been amazing these last few weeks. They're going to have to divide and conquer."
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That would be state tournament newcomer Kelliher/Northome (29-1), which will make about a 4-hour, 30-minute trek to the University of Minnesota this week.
CMCS (26-3) is the sixth seed and plays the third-seeded Mustangs, whose two school districts are about 45 miles north of Bemidji in northern Minnesota, in the Class A state quarterfinals at 5 p.m. Thursday at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis.
After they earned state tournament berths in 2000 and 2001, the Bluejays are one of the final eight Class A teams for the third time in school history.
Kelliher/Northome, which lost the Section 8A championship a season ago, is set to compete in its first state tournament.
"You have two programs who are going to have to embrace the week, but yet, battle the emotions of all the energy and the excitement," said Bluejays head coach Brian Nelson, who is at the helm for a fourth season. "You have to settle in as quickly as you can and not let the moment get too big."
Kelliher/Northome, adjacent to Pine Island State Forest, Minnesota's largest forest of 60 in the state, is led by a pair of the top Class A players in the state.
Nelson's squad will be tasked the tough assignment of slowing them down.
The pair is senior guards Kate Thayer and Kylee Binkley, who were both named to the Class A All-State team.
Thayer is one of three members in the state's prestigious triple-quadruple club, which is home to players who have tallied 1,000+ in three statistical categories.
She is in the triple-quadruple club alongside Providence Academy senior guard Maddyn Greenway and Crosby-Ironton senior guard Tori Oerhlein.
Greenway became the state's all-time leading scorer with 5,505 career points when she scored 43 points as Providence Academy earned a 97-60 win against Maranatha Christian Academy in the Section 5AA championship on Friday.
Oehrlein, who held the record with 5,485 career points, saw Crosby-Ironton's season end in a 61-58 loss to Pequot Lakes in a Section 7AA semifinal on Tuesday.
"That's OK company," said Nelson, who chuckled on the phone. "Kate is a relentless and quick player who anticipates really well. She is going to be a handful."
Thayer, the only girl in state history with at least 1,000 steals, has more than 3,000 points and 1,000 career rebounds.
Binkley has more than 2,000 career points.
"Both are the real deal," Nelson said. "We are going to have to come up with a nice game plan and make sure those two are accounted for at all times.
"That group in general presents a lot of problems and I can understand the success they've had this year and the ranking they've received. They're good."
Nelson's team also presents plenty of issues for opposing teams.
CMCS has a Class A All-State selection, too: Sienna Duininck
Duininck, the school's all-time leading scorer, is a junior guard who leads an experienced CMCS rotation entirely made up of seniors and juniors.
Seniors Emmi Braem, Carrie Mulder, Peighton Mulder and Addie Taatjes and juniors Emery Fussy, Aurora Rosen and Maddy Vander Ark play pivotal roles.
"I want them to enjoy this experience," Nelson said. But we really have to make sure that when it's time to play basketball, we're focused on what we need to do to put us in the best position to be successful.
"I think the girls have a great mindset of where they're at from our last month of the season and they are doing a good job of being locked in on what we do well. That's all I can ask of them."
Nelson anticipated the Bluejays would receive a seed in the four-to-six range.
Mayer Lutheran obtaining the seventh seed was a surprise to Nelson.
"I thought Mayer Lutheran's schedule was really solid and they've been there, done that," Nelson said of the Crusaders, who are in the state tournament for a third consecutive season. "But, other than that, I think the coaches got it mostly right."
Nelson did hope that — with his team coming out of Section 3A after MACCRAY finished as state runner-up last year — it would carry weight.
"At the end of the day, you're one of eight who are all pretty dang equal," Nelson said. "You're going to have to go through the best to be the best."
Nelson and company head to the Twin Cities on Tuesday, where they will have practice at Southwest Christian High School in Chaska.
CMCS, which has a hotel stay on the University of Minnesota campus, also has practices Wednesday and Thursday at Bethel University in Arden Hills.
Sienna's sister, Coco Duininck, is a senior guard for the Royals.
"We have family connections over there," Nelson said. "We're going to take it one day at a time and relax with a healthy balance of enjoying the moment."
Prinsburg also has the CMCS boys basketball team competing for a state tournament berth in the Section 3A championship against Hills-Beaver Creek at 5 p.m. Thursday at Southwest Minnesota State University's R/A Facility in Marshall.
"Those two crowds are the nicest two crowds I've seen in a long time, probably the best ever for a girls game," Nelson said of the Section 3A-North final and the Section 3A championship game. "Our community has been amazing these last few weeks. They're going to have to divide and conquer."
Continue reading...
