The high school girls basketball playoffs continued with intense matchups across multiple sections last night, setting the stage for several championship showdowns on Friday.
In Section 5A, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley dominated Bertha-Hewitt with a 78-51 victory to advance to the championship. The Wolves will battle Braham for the title at St. Cloud State on Friday at 7:45 PM.
Section 6A saw an upset as Underwood stunned Hillcrest Lutheran 56-41. Meanwhile, West Central Area edged out Breckenridge in a thrilling 74-71 contest. Underwood and WCA will now face off for the section crown at Concordia-Moorhead on Friday at 6:00 PM.
The Minnewaska Area Lakers advanced to the Section 3AA Championship game last week with a 42-36 win over New London-Spicer. They’ll play Fairmont for the section title at 5:00 on Thursday at SMSU.
In Section 6AA, Sauk Centre rolled past Annandale with a commanding 72-43 win. They’ll take on Milaca for the section title Friday at 6:00 PM at St. Cloud State.
Section 8AA featured two nail-biters. DGF mounted an impressive second-half comeback to edge Menahga 48-46, while Barnesville outlasted Pelican Rapids 47-45. The Rebels and Trojans will square off for the championship at Concordia-Moorhead on Friday at 8:00 PM.
Meanwhile, the Section 7AA semi-finals are set for tonight at UMD. Undefeated Crosby-Ironton will face Pequot Lakes, while Proctor takes on Duluth Marshall, as teams battle for a spot in the finals.
Looking ahead, the Section 8AAA Championship will take place tomorrow night, with Alexandria taking on Fergus Falls at 7:00 PM at Detroit Lakes High School. You can hear that game on Cool 94.3/Alexandria.
In 8AAAA, the Brainerd Warriors will play St. Michael-Albertville for a trip to state. That game is tomorrow night at Sartell High School and can be heard on 1380 KLIZ The Fan.
GIRLS BASKETBALL SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE:
1A- Goodhue vs Grand Meadow; 6:00 Thursday
2A- Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s vs BOLD; 6:00 Friday
3A- MACCRAY vs Hills-Beaver Creek; 8:00 Thursday
4A- Mayer Lutheran vs United Christian Acadamy; 7:00 Friday
5A- Walker-Hackensack-Akeley vs Braham; 7:45 Friday @ St. Cloud State University
6A- Underwood vs West Central Area; 6:00 Friday @ Concordia-Moorhead
7A- Mountain Iron-Buhl vs Cromwell-Wright; 6:00 Thursday
8A – Sacred Heart vs Kelliher-Northome, 7:00 Friday @ Thief River Falls
1AA- Caledonia vs Dover-Eyota; 8:00 Thursday
2AA- Glencoe-Silver Lake vs NRHEG; 8:00 Friday
3AA- Minnewaska Area vs Fairmont; 5:00 Thursday
4AA- Minnehaha Academy vs Visitation; 8:00 Friday
5AA- Providence Academy vs Jordan; 7:00 Friday
6AA- Sauk Centre vs Milaca; 6:00 Friday
7AA- SEMIFINALS: Crosby Ironton vs Pequot Lakes; 5:30 Wednesday / Proctor vs Duluth Marshall; 7:00 Wednesday
8AA – Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton vs Barnesville; 8:00 Friday
1AAA – Byron vs Stewartville; 6:00 Friday
2AAA – Marshall vs New Ulm; 7:00 Wednesday
3AAA- Cretin-Durham Hall vs Two Rivers; 7:00 Thursday
4AAA – DeLaSalle vs Hill-Murray; 7:00 Thursday
5AAA – Monticello vs Totino-Grace; 7:00 Thursday
6AAA – Orono vs Benilde-St. Margaret’s; 7:00 Thursday
7AAA – Rock Ridge vs Hermantown; 7:00 Thursday
8AAA – Alexandria vs Fergus Falls; 7:00 Thursday
1AAAA- Lakeville North vs Rochester Mayo; 8:00 Friday
2AAAA – Chaska vs Minnetonka; 7:00 Thursday
3AAAA – Eastview vs Rosemount; 7:00 Thursday
4AAAA – Roseville vs White Bear Lake; 7:00 Thursday
5AAAA – Maple Grove vs Park Center; 7:00 Thursday
6AAAA – Wayzata vs Hopkins; 7:00 Thursday
7AAAA – Anoka vs Centennial; 7:00 Thursday
8AAAA – St. Michael-Albertville vs Brainerd; 7:00 Thursday