It came down to St. Michael-Albertville and Maple Grove for the Class 4A, Section 8 championship last season, with the Crimson clinching the title with a 69-58 victory over the Knights.
This year, the same two programs are right in the mix among the top teams in the section. When St. Michael-Albertville hosts Maple Grove on Friday, a victory for either side could go a long way in establishing position in a challenging section, making this our pick for Top Game of the Week.
The story for this season's St. Michael-Albertville team has been its offensive talent. Its firepower starts with senior Mackenzie Kramer, a Lehigh commit who averages almost 20 points per game. She's joined by freshman Tessa Johnson (17.7 ppg) and Kendal Cox (12 ppg).
St. Michael-Albertville, ranked No. 6 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News from Dec. 26, has not been afraid to be challenged this season. While its record is not perfect (7-3, 1-0), all three of the Knights' losses have come against ranked teams.
For Maple Grove to succeed, it'll need to slow down the Knights' dynamic offense — something the Crimson have shown the ability to do.
Entering the week with a seven-game winning streak, No. 7-4A Maple Grove (8-2, 2-0) has held opponents to an average of 43 points per game, including in a 53-19 victory over Robbinsdale Armstrong on Dec. 10.
Maple Grove is led on offense by Abby Shulte and Jordyn Lamker. Each averages more than 15 points per game.