The first game of the day in the 2011 Breakdown girls' Tip-Off Classic is a bragging rights matchup of area codes 612 versus 651, with DeLaSalle from downtown Minneapolis facing off against St. Paul Central from the St. Paul City Conference. While their programs are in different stages right now, they are very similar in their athletic, aggressive styles of play.

DeLaSalle is coming off of two straight trips to the Class AAA final four, including a state championship last season. The Islanders are led by a core group of players with plenty of experience playing in big games and on big stages. Senior Mariah Adanene and juniors Allina Starr and Tyseanna Johnson are poised to lead the way this season. The Islanders are the top-ranked team in Class AAA and have goals of nothing less than another state championship.

St. Paul Central on the other hand has been in a sort of rebuilding stage -- by its standards, of course. The Central teams of the late 2000s had a resume that looked more like DeLaSalle’s does now. Don’t overlook the Minutemen in this game, though, as they have already proved their worth in the Hamline Tournament this past weekend where they beat Blaine and lost a close one to No. 5AAAA Lakeville North.

Tyseanna Johnson, DeLaSalle vs.
Sade Chatman, St. Paul Central
This is a big-time match-up of 2013 graduates and future Division 1 forwards. Chatman is physical and aggressive and plays the game with reckless abandon. She has the size advantage here, and is more of a back-to-the-basket presence. Johnson is an all-world athlete who attacks the basket from the perimeter and makes a living on the offensive glass.

Why DeLaSalle will win:

• Their defensive pressure bothers the inexperienced guard play of Central into turnovers.
• Adanene and Johnson attack Central’s post from the perimeter and get them in foul trouble early.

Why St. Paul Central will win:

• The game is called tightly, which takes DeLaSalle out of their pressure defense and Central lives at the free throw line.
• DeLaSalle will have no answer for Sherow and Chatman inside.

Our prediction: DeLaSalle