Mountain Iron-Buhl and Maranatha Christian Academy share the record for the most consecutive state tournament appearances at nine over the past decade.
Come March, Mountain Iron-Buhl could surpass the Mustangs with a 10th-straight appearance given Maranatha Christian Academy’s streak ended last season.
The Rangers and Mustangs faced each other in several Class 1A tournaments before the Mustangs moved to Class 2A in 2018. Streaks and records aside, the Rangers, ranked No. 5 in Class 1A by Minnesota Basketball News, contented themselves by beating the Mustangs 69-52 in a late regular-season matchup in Brooklyn Park on Saturday afternoon.
“That would be amazing. I don’t even know what I would do,” said Rangers senior guard Miah Gellerstedt about a possible 10th-straight state tournament appearance.
Mountain Iron-Buhl broke the game open in the second half to defeat Maranatha Christian Academy 69-52 on Saturday in Brooklyn Park.
Maranatha Christian Academy (12-13, 8-3) ran to a 20-11 lead early before the Rangers, ranked No. 5 in Class 1A by Minnesota Basketball News, rallied to grab a 23-22 edge. Rangers senior guard Miah Gellerstedt sparked the offense with five points during the 11-3 run.
Freshman guard Chloe Jarnot helped the Mustangs’ start strong with 11 points in the first half. But at halftime, Mountain Iron-Buhl had a 35-31 lead.
Jarnot and company couldn’t rally in the second half, as the Rangers (18-6, 3-0) expanded on their lead with an 11-4 stretch to gain an 11-point advantage early in the half. Eighth-grader Jordan Zubich, a guard, led the Rangers with 17 points. Gellerstedt finished with 15 points and Sage Ganyo added 14.
Jarnot finished with a team-high 16 points for the Maranatha Christian Academy, while Maliyah White and Alainah Erickson each scored 11 points.
Both schools achieved nine-straight state tournament appearances in the past decade. The Mustangs’ streak ended last season when they missed the Class 2A tournament, but the Rangers could extend their streak to 10 appearances by making the Class 1A tourney in March.
The MN Girls' Basketball Hub poll is for entertainment purposes only.