Apple Valley and DeLaSalle are the preseason No. 1s and the teams expected to win state.  Next in line in Class AAAA and AAA respectively are Edina and Austin. 

This game will be a great opportunity to see one of the best junior guards in state (Zach Wessels of Austin) go against one of the best senior guards in state (Graham Woodward).   It will also be a chance to see Davidson signed big Joe Aase of Austin go against Illinois State signed big Reggie Lynch of Edina.  And as a bonus battle, Sioux Falls signed Tom Aase of Austin will scrap with fellow 6-foot-5 power forward Mark Handberg.  The teams are somewhat evenly matched when you look at their best players.

Joe Aase vs Reggie Lynch:  Joe is a frontcourt performer with one of the best jumpers in the state.  He can dominate at the arc.  Reggie Lynch is the best shot blocker in the state of Minnesota, he can take games over inside.  It’s very possible that both could do there thing and have huge games but if one can limit the other that team will get a huge win.

Why Edina will win:

• The Hornets will have more depth in their line-up being a bigger school.  They have more returning options throughout their line-up basically meaning they will have bigger and stronger players in support.
• Graham and Reggie are two of the top three or four players in the senior class and both can be dominating in their own way.  Reggie is a Ben Wallace style triple double waiting to happen and even the nation’s best couldn’t keep Woodward out of the paint this summer.

Why Austin will win:

• They will come up to Minnetonka in that underdog role and with players like the Aases and Wessels they will be completely dangerous in that frame of mind.  This is a big test for the Packers to see where they are at.
• It’s possible that Austin will have more support in the stands coming from 120 miles away than Edina will have coming to the gym from 10 miles away.  Packer basketball is a big thing in Austin and being in this event has been talked about for months.

Our Prediction: Edina