Section Tournament News:

Mark your calendars! Section basketball will be in full swing beginning this week. The Fire are looking to add to their legacy after having three consecutive section final appearances and defend their section title.  The Fire are the number 5 seed. Ultimately, they will most likely have to get through Providence Academy (no. 1 seed) and Blake (no. 4 seed) to get to the section finals.

The section is wide open and ripe for the taking.  Nothing is a given.  This is truly one of those years where anything goes.  Everybody in this section has lost to another section opponent at some point in time during the regular season, ultimately making for exciting weeks ahead as these teams grapple over the chance to punch their ticket to the state tournament!

Here’s a look at the contenders for the section title:

Providence Academy (No.1 Seed)

Providence Academy is a powerhouse in class AA, boasting a 21-5 record.  Hailey Hohenecker,a 5’4” senior guard, is averaging 14.7 ppg and is key to Providence’s offensive success.  Hohenecker is quick and hard to contain when she drives.  In the post, 5’11” Maria Counts pours in another 11.3 ppg while adding in 10.0 rpg.   She is also a strong defensive presence keen at blocking shots.

Watertown-Mayer (No. 2 Seed)

Led by 5’11” junior guard Maggie Czinano, a University of Minnesota commit, the Royals are a perennial highly-seeded section competitor.  The Royals are 19-7 this year, with notable section victories over Holy Family, Rockford, and Annandale.  However, the Royals also fell to section opponents Providence Academy, Blake, and Howard Lake earlier in the year.  The Royals are averaging 49.0 ppg and are sound defensively.

Rockford (No. 3 Seed)

Rockford is a scrappy, guard-heavy team lead by a 5’6″ 1,000 point scorer in Sydney Manatha.  Ava Cusciotta (12.7 ppg)  and Ellie Sather (7.5 ppg) round out Rockford’s scoring attack.  Rockford averages 55.5 ppg and is 18-8 on the year.  They have notched notable section victories over Holy Family and Annandale.  However, they have lost twice to Watertown-Mayer.

Blake (No. 4 Seed)

Blake is a young team lead by a seventh grade guard named Addison Mack.  An adept scorer, Mack is currently averaging 18.5 ppg.  Cate Moe (13.2 ppg) and Cheryl Minde (9.0 ppg) are also names to keep an eye out for.  Overall, Blake sports a record of 17-9 and averaged 60.5 ppg during the regular season.  Blake’s most notable section victory is over Watertown-Mayer, by a score of 62-57.  They have also suffered section losses against the likes of Providence Academy, Maranatha Christian Academy, and Southwest Christian.

Annandale (No. 6 Seed)

Annandale is looking to redeem themselves following their section final loss to Holy Family last year.  Annandale is led by the senior guard duo of Kitri Reimer (10.9 pg) and Abby Neutz (10.2 ppg).  Annandale is 15-11 and averaging 39.2 ppg.  They have most notably defeated section rival Rockford in their last meeting by a score 65-40.  Their most notable section losses have come at the hands of Holy Family and Watertown-Mayer.

Recap:

Come out and support the Fire as they look to add to their legacy and assert their section dominance.  The good news for the Fire is that they have already beaten Providence Academy once and are on opposite sides of the bracket from Watertown-Mayer and Rockford, who they suffered close losses to earlier in the year.  It won’t be easy, but ultimately, the Fire are ready and prepared for the challenge.  They have a rigorous schedule under their belt and gained valuable insight from playing almost all of their section rivals once this year.  The Fire aren’t afraid of anyone and can play tightly with any team in the section, never losing by more than 7 points to a section opponent.  It appears it will all come down to who can come together as a squad and make key adjustments down the stretch.  With the section title on the line, I cannot think of a more fun way to see who has what it takes to be a champion.  The Fire’s first game is against the number 12 seed, Maple Lake.  The Fire will host the Irish at home this Thursday, February 27 at 7:00 pm.