March 14, 2011 Contact: Lisa Lissimore or Howard W. Voigt / MSHSL FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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1 March 14, 2011 Contact: Lisa Lissimore or Howard W. Voigt / MSHSL FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE State Girls' Basketball Tournament Title defenses for Minnehaha Academy, Benilde-St. Margaret s, Lakeville North; Hill-Murray, Hopkins earn top seeds; Three teams making first appearances Three teams return to defend their 2010 titles: Minnehaha Academy of Minneapolis in Class AA, Benilde-St. Margaret s of St. Louis Park in Class AAA, and Lakeville North in Class AAAA. A new champion will emerge in Class A since the 2010 champions from Barnum failed to qualify. Coaches of the Class AAA and Class AAAA teams voted and seeded the top four teams of each class, choosing Hill-Murray of Maplewood as the top seed in Class AAA and Hopkins as the top seed in Class AAAA. Three teams are making first appearances: Sebeka, Providence Academy of Plymouth, and Anoka. This is the 15th year of the four-class format and the eighth year with all games being played in Minneapolis. This is also the fifth year that the Class AAA and Class AAAA tournaments were seeded by the participating coaches. The 2011 State Girls Basketball Tournament starts Wednesday, March 16, with quarterfinal games being played at Target Center and Williams Arena in Minneapolis, as well as on Thursday, March 17 at Williams Arena only. Semifinals start at Target Center on Thursday, March 17, and conclude on Friday, March 18. The championship games of all four classes will be played at Target Center on Saturday March 19. Third-place games will be played on Saturday at Concordia University in St. Paul. Detailed statistics provided by qualified teams are available on the League s Web site as a Media Guide link under Tournaments, then Winter, then Girls Basketball. Class A Preview (Section 1) Goodhue (27-4) vs. (Section 6) Hancock (26-2): Goodhue is making its third consecutive and fourth overall appearance at the tournament. The Wildcats, who earned runner-up honors last year, were ranked No. 1 in the final Minnesota Basketball News (MBN) poll. Goodhue had a 19-game win streak this season. Junior Erica Tipcke averages 11.9 points per game and also led the Wildcats with 71 steals. Senior Chanel Robert grabs a team-high 5.16 rebounds per game. The unranked Owls of Hancock are making their seventh appearance, but first since They won their only previous championship in Junior Kendra Schmidgall and senior Illissa Koehl average 15.0 and 14.9 points per game, respectively. Schmidgall also has a team-high 5.3 rebounds per game. (Section 3) Minneota (25-1) vs. (Section 4) Maranatha Christian Academy, Brooklyn Park (20-9): The Minneota Vikings, who were the No. 4 team in the final MBN poll, return to make their second tournament appearance. Their first was in Senior Taya Kockelman is the top scorer for Minneota; she averages 11.2 points per game. Ashlynn Muhl, another senior, accounts for 12.8 rebounds per game. Maranatha Christian Academy is making its second consecutive and overall tournament appearance and was not ranked in the final MBN poll. The Mustangs lost in the quarterfinals of the 2010 tournament. This year s squad features three players with more than 100 rebounds this season: junior Alexis Long (113), ninth-grader Madison Lee (115), and sophomore Onye Osemenam (233). Long is also the top scorer for Maranatha, averaging 13.4 points per game. (Section 7) Mountain Iron-Buhl (226-3) vs. (Section 8) Northern Freeze (28-1): The unranked Rangers of Mountain Iron-Buhl are making their second tournament appearance under this name; their

2 first was in Buhl made one additional appearance in 1977, and Mountain Iron made one additional appearance in The team is led by senior Charlotte Overby, who averages 19.4 points and 3.8 assists per game. Kathy Ostman, a sophomore, corrals 5.5 rebounds per game for the Rangers. The Northern Freeze, ranked No. 7 in the final MBN poll, is making its second consecutive and overall appearance under this name. It is a co-op of Marshall County Central of Newfolden and Tri-County of Karlstad. Marshall County Central also competed in the 1987 tournament. The Freeze placed fourth at the 2010 tournament. Senior Liza Hoglo and sophomore Tori Davidson lead the Freeze this year. Hoglo averages 22.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, and Davidson adds 17.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. (Section 2) Nicollet (16-8) vs. (Section 5) Sebeka (23-6): Nicollet returns to the tournament for the first time since 1980 to make its second overall appearance. The Raiders were not ranked in the final MBN poll. Sophomore Tailor Raymond and senior Kasslin Swenson pace this year s team. Raymond averages 13.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, and Swenson adds 9.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. The unranked Trojans of Sebeka are making their debut appearance in the tournament. Junior Alicia Boe leads Sebeka with averages of 20.1 points and 5.5 assists. Junior Jessica Lillquist adds a team-high 9.8 rebounds per game. Class A Quarterfinal Schedule Thursday, March 17 11:00 a.m. Goodhue vs. Hancock at Williams Arena, U of M 1:00 p.m. Minneota vs. Maranatha Christian Academy at Williams Arena, U of M 3:00 p.m. Mountain Iron-Buhl vs. Northern Freeze at Williams Arena, U of M 5:00 p.m. Nicollet vs. Sebeka at Williams Arena, U of M Class AA Preview (Section 1) Caledonia (26-3) vs. (Section 6) Sauk Centre (29-1): The Caledonia Warriors return after a one-year absence to make their sixth appearance. If they win it would be their second title; they won previously in They were ranked No. 6 in the final MBN poll. Senior Amber Sorenson leads Caledonia with 18.1 points per game. Sorenson, who will play for the University of Northern Iowa next year, also set the school record for three-pointers in both a season (84) and career (217). The Mainstreeters of Sauk Centre, who were No. 2 in the final MBN poll, are making their second consecutive and overall appearance. They lost in the quarterfinals of the 2010 tournament. Junior Kali Peschel, who is the school s all-time leading scorer, averages 20.4 points per game. She also leads the Mainstreeters with 7.8 rebounds per game. (Section 3) Jackson County Central (26-2) vs. (Section 4) Minnehaha Academy, Minneapolis (21-6): The No. 9-ranked Huskies of Jackson County Central are making their third appearance, but first since Junior Whitney Burmeister, who averages 17.5 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, is the school s all-time leading rebounder. The defending champions from Minnehaha Academy return for their fourth consecutive appearance and their sixth overall. They were ranked No. 5 in this year s final MBN poll. Senior Sarina Baker averages 20.1 points per game, and senior Katelyn Adams grabs 9.0 rebounds per game. Baker will play basketball at the University of St. Catherine next year, and Adams will play at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. (Section 7) Braham (28-2) vs. (Section 8) Pequot Lakes (28-1): The Braham Bombers, who claimed runner-up honors last year, return to make their third consecutive and fourth overall appearance. They were ranked No. 1 in this year s final MBN poll. Sophomore Rebekah Dahlman, who averages 29.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, has more than 2,700 career points. Senior Hannah Dahlman, Rebekah s sister, is the second-leading scorer for Braham with 11.6 points per game. The No. 7-ranked Patriots of Pequot Lakes are making their fourth appearance at this year s tournament. Their last was in Seniors Emily Lueck and Kylie Beltz scored 497 and 432 points, respectively, for the Patriots this season. (Section 3) St. Peter (24-3) vs. (Section 5) Providence Academy, Plymouth (25-4): The St. Peter Saints, who were ranked No. 10 in the final poll, are making their second consecutive tournament appearance and their sixth overall. Senior Alyssa Kerkhoff, who set a school record with 146 steals this

3 year, also leads the Saints with 16.6 points per game. AnnMarie Brown, another senior, averages 7.9 rebounds per game. Providence Academy is making its debut appearance at this year s tournament. The Lions did not submit any team or individual statistics. Class AA Quarterfinals Schedule Wednesday, March 16 6:00 p.m. Caledonia vs. Sauk Centre at Target Center 8:00 p.m. Jackson County Central vs. Minnehaha Academy at Target Center 6:00 p.m. Braham vs. Pequot Lakes at Williams Arena, U of M 8:00 p.m. St. Peter vs. Providence Academy at Williams Arena, U of M Class AAA Preview (Section 1) Red Wing (18-9) vs. (No. 1 Seed-Section 4) Hill-Murray, Maplewood (28-0): Red Wing is making its third overall state tournament appearance and first since The Wingers were unranked in the final MBN poll. Sophomore Tesha Buck leads the team in scoring with an average of 16.0 points per game. The No.1-ranked and undefeated Pioneers of Hill-Murray look to improve on last year s runner-up finish in Class AAA. Seeded No. 1 by the coaches, Hill-Murray is making its 11th overall and second consecutive tournament appearance. Junior Tessa Cichy leads the Pioneers in scoring with an average of 18.8 points per game, along with 6.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. Senior Bethany Doolittle averages 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game. (Section 7) Grand Rapids (20-8) vs. (No. 4 Seed-Section 8) Alexandria (24-3): The Thunderhawks of Grand Rapids, who were not ranked in this year s final MBN poll, are making their fourth tournament appearance. Senior Jessi Corrick, who has achieved 1,000 career points, leads the team in scoring with 15.9 points per game. Alexandria returns to tournament play for the first time since 2002, making its seventh appearance. The Cardinals were ranked No. 9 in the final MBN poll and were seeded No. 4 by the coaches. Junior Lauren Trumm is the team s top scorer, averaging 16.3 points per game and adding 5.3 steals per game. Senior Sam Trumm contributes 13.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. (Section 2) Marshall (20-6) vs. (No. 2 Seed-Section 6) Benilde-St. Margaret s, St. Louis Park (24-5): Unranked Marshall is making its seventh appearance, returning after a three-year absence. Sophomore Kelsey Saugstad leads Marshall in scoring with 14.1 points per game. Ninth-grader Kenzie Beekman is the team s leading rebounder, pulling down an average of 5.2 boards per game. The Red Knights of Benilde-St. Margaret s are the defending Class AAA champions and are making their second consecutive and sixth overall tournament appearance. The Red Knights closed the season ranked No. 3 in the final MBN poll and were seeded No. 2 by the coaches. Benilde-St. Margaret s is led by a tandem of juniors: Olivia Antilla averages 14.3 points per game and Khadijah Shumpert averages 12.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. (Section 5) Rogers (15-14) vs. (No. 3 Seed-Section 3) DeLaSalle, Minneapolis (24-4): The unranked Royals of Rogers are making their third appearance. Rogers is led by the balanced scoring of junior Jordyn Motter (10.6 points per game), senior Maria Loughlin (9.9 points per game) and junior Emily Reichert (9.9 points per game). DeLaSalle, seeded No. 3 by the coaches, was ranked No. 2 in the final MBN poll. The Islanders are making their fifth overall and second consecutive tournament appearance, placing third in Sophomore Tyseanna Johnson is the top scorer for DeLaSalle; she averages 18.0 points per game. Mariah Adanene, a junior, adds 15.4 points per game for the Islanders. The Class AAA Quarterfinal Schedule Wednesday, March 16 10:00 a.m. Red Wing vs. Hill-Murray at Williams Arena, U of M 12:00 p.m. Grand Rapids vs. Alexandria at Williams Arena, U of M 2:00 p.m. Marshall vs. Benilde-St. Margaret s at Williams Arena, U of M 4:00 p.m. Rogers vs. DeLaSalle at Williams Arena, U of M Class AAAA Preview

4 (Section 8) Buffalo (25-3) vs. (No. 1 Seed-Section 6) Hopkins (27-2): Buffalo is making its second appearance and enters the tournament unranked in the final MBN poll. Senior Molly Muntifering leads the Bison with an average of 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Senior Kendra Wycoff averages 9.4 points per game. Hopkins makes its sixth overall tournament appearance and first since 2006 when the school won the Class AAAA championship. The Royals enter ranked No. 1 in the final MBN poll and also earned the No. 1 seed from the coaches. On defense, Hopkins forces an average of 30 turnovers per game. The offense features balanced scoring from senior Brianna Williams with an average of 11.3 points per game, junior Sydney Coffey with 10.7 points per game, and sophomore Nia Coffey with 10.4 points per game. (Section 4) White Bear Lake Area (26-3) vs. (No. 4 Seed-Section 5) Maple Grove (24-5): The Bears of White Bear Lake Area, making their fifth overall and third consecutive tournament appearance, were the Class AAAA runners-up in They finished the season ranked No. 5 in the final MBN poll. Junior Alexis Foley leads the team averaging 13.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. Maple Grove makes its third overall and second consecutive appearance, losing in the quarterfinal round of the 2010 tournament. The Crimson finished the season ranked No. 6 in the final MBN poll and were seeded No. 4 by the coaches. Senior Stephanie Davison averages 15.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, and senior Ellen Edison adds 14.0 points and 4.0 assists per game. (Section 1) Rochester Mayo (21-6) vs. (No. 2 Seed-Section 2) Eden Prairie (23-4): The Spartans of Rochester Mayo are making their ninth tournament appearance and first since The team enters tournament play unranked in the final MBN poll. Sophomore Rachael Doll averages 11.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Eden Prairie is making its second appearance. The No. 2-seeded Eagles enter the tournament ranked No. 3 in the final MBN poll. Senior Morgan VanRiper-Rose, who became Eden Prairie s all-time leading scorer, set a school record for most three-point shots made with 70. Junior Jackie Johnson averages 14.9 points, 8.6 rebounds per game, and set a school record with 88 blocks this season. (Section 7) Anoka (6-24) vs. (No. 3 Seed-Section 3) Lakeville North (27-2): The Tornadoes of Anoka blazed an unexpected path of destruction through their section tournament to claim their first appearance in the state tournament. The team doubled the number of regular season wins in the tournament. Anoka was unranked in the final MBN poll. Ninth-grader Claire Lundberg leads the team in scoring with an average of 8.6 points per game. Ninth-grader Kyrah Fredenburg averages 7.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Lakeville North returns for its third overall and second consecutive tournament appearance. The Panthers are the defending Class AAAA champions, were ranked No. 2 in the final MBN poll and were seeded No. 3 by the coaches. Senior Rachel Banham, who will play at the University of Minnesota next year, averages 17.8 points, 5.38 rebounds and 4.17 assists per game. Senior Apiew Ojulu, averaging 12.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, will attend Marquette University. The Class AAAA Quarterfinal Schedule Wednesday, March 16 10:00 a.m. Buffalo vs. Hopkins at Target Center 12:00 p.m. White Bear Lake Area vs. Maple Grove at Target Center 2:00 p.m. Rochester Mayo vs. Eden Prairie at Target Center 4:00 p.m. Anoka vs. Lakeville North at Target Center Ticket Information Tickets will be available at Target Center and Williams Arena. Quarterfinal tickets cost $14.00 for adults and $9.00 for students. Quarterfinal wristbands, which are good at both venues on Wednesday only, are $19.00 for adults and $12.00 for students. Semifinal and championship tickets will be available at Target Center and cost $14.00 for adults and $9.00 for students per session. Third-place tickets will be available at Concordia University and cost $10.00 for adults and $7.00 for students. A visit to any participating Wells Fargo metro location can yield you a $2 discount coupon for students 13 and younger. The discount coupons are also available for the Boys Basketball Tournament.

5 All semifinal and championship games will be televised live by KSTC TV, Channel 45, and also streamed live and free on the Web at Live statistics will also be displayed on the League Web site ( 30 Individual and team statistics provided by the schools are posted on the League's Web site. Tournament results will also be posted on the Web site. The League s Web site address is Media representatives will also be able to track real-time detailed game statistics at both venues with a laptop that has wireless network capabilities.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 12, 2012 Contact: Lisa Lissimore or Howard W. Voigt / MSHSL FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE State Girls' Basketball Tournament All four 2011 champions return to defend titles; Richfield, Hopkins earn top seeds;