Minnesota Has Rich Girls Basketball History; State Tourney Starts
Minnesota's history of girls playing basketball goes all the way back to the early 1900s. Girls starting playing the sport in Minnesota before boys in some locations in the state. Carleton College in Northfield is a location where the sport was first taught.
Minnesota has the highest per-capita rate of prep girls basketball players with more than 12,000 in the state. The first Minnesota State High School League girls basketball state tournament was held in 1976 with 2 classes... St. Paul Central won the AA title with Redwood Falls winning the Class A championship.
The Minnesota Lynx have won 4 WNBA titles in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017. Top girls basketball players in the state's history include Janet Karvonon, Lindsay Whalen, Paige Bueckers, Rachel Banham, Emily Fox, Tessa Johnson, Nia Coffey, Rebekah Dahlman, Maddyn Greenway and Tori Oehrlein. Both Greenway and Oehrlein are playing in this year's state tournament.
Class 4-A Pairings:
#1 Maple Grove vs. #8 White Bear Lake, 10am
#5 Brainerd vs. #4 Lakeville North, 12pm
#2 Eastview vs. #7 Anoka, 2pm
#3 Hopkins vs. #6 Chaska, 4pm
Class 3-A Pairings:
#1 Benilde-St. Margaret's vs. #8 Stewartville, 10am
#5 Alexandria vs. DeLaSalle, 12pm
#2 Monticello vs. #7 Cretin-Derham Hall, 2pm
#3 Marshall vs. #6 Rock Ridge, 4pm
Class 2-A Pairings:
#1 Providence Academy vs. #8 New Richland-HEG, 10am
#5 Minnewaska vs. #4 Sauk Centre, 12pm
#2 Crosby-Ironton vs. #7 Barnesville, 2pm
#3 Minnehaha Academy vs. #6 Caledonia, 4pm
Class 1-A Pairings:
#1 Goodhue vs. #8 Walker-Hackensack-Akeley, 10am
#5 Cromwell-Wright vs. #4 West Central Area, 12pm
#2 Mayer Lutheran vs. #7 MACCRAY, 2pm
#3 Sleepy Eye St. Mary's vs. #6 Sacred Heart, 4pm