Quantcast
skip navigation

Class 1A tournament preview

By Ron Haggstrom, Star Tribune, 03/22/11, 9:28PM CDT

Share

Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa will try to keep season perfect

The Class 1A boys’ basketball tournament starts Thursday at Williams Arena. Top-ranked and unbeaten Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa and Goodhue will kick off the quarterfinals at 11 a.m. Here are the things you should know as the tournament gets going:

1. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa will try to become the third unbeaten team to win the Class 1A title since the inception of the four-class format in 1997. The previous two schools to accomplish the feat were Mankato Loyola in 2003 and Granada-Huntley-East Chain in 2009.

2. A year ago, MACCRAY was unbeaten entering the Section 3 finals, where it lost 76-71 to Ellsworth. The fifth-ranked Wolverines, who are a member of this year’s field with a 26-3 mark, are led by senior Seth Hinrichs. The Lafayette recruit can flat out shoot, hitting 60 percent from the floor and 86 percent from the free-throw line while averaging 22 points per game.

3. The state’s winningest coach, Chisholm’s Bob McDonald (969-385), will once again be roaming the elevated court at Williams Arena because he believes in miracles. The ninth-rated Bluestreaks overcame an 11-point deficit in the final four minutes to edge Fond du Lac Ojibwe 64-62 in the Section 7 semifinals.

4. Fosston will be making its first state tournament appearance since 1921. The Greyhounds were a state power during that era, winning the initial state tournament in 1913. They were a member of the field seven times during that nine-year span.

5. Two schools — fourth-ranked Maranatha and Goodhue — are following the lead of their girls’ programs, both of which also advanced to the state tournament. Maranatha’s girls’ team went on to win the Class 1A title. The last school to sweep the small school basketball titles was Hancock in 1997.

State Tournament News