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Top games: St. Michael-Albertville heads to Wayzata in top-five showdown

By Brendan O'Brien, SportsEngine, 01/09/23, 10:30AM CST

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Jan. 13: Something has got to give, as the matchup features only one loss combined between the Knights and Trojans.


Photo by SportsEngine

We task our reporters with identifying several intriguing games throughout the state to assemble our Top Games of the Week. The matchups are presented in no particular order, and when there are additional games we want to highlight, we’ll include them with brief notes.

St. Michael-Albertville vs. Wayzata

7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 13

In the first of two meetings between St. Michael-Albertville (11-0) and Wayzata (10-1), two of the top four teams in Class 4A will be on display to gain an early advantage in the Lake Conference.

Ever since the loss in the Class 4A championship game, St. Michael-Albertville has been on a tear. The Knights have not only won 11 straight games but they have been dominant, holding opponents to 45 points or less in seven games while averaging 74.8 ppg.

Senior guard and South Carolina commit Tessa Johnson has led the charge, averaging 23.6 points per game (ppg). Despite the team’s dominance, the Knights played two top ranked teams on the road and won in different ways. St. Michael-Albertville cruised to a 97-70 win at Chaska, a game where Johnson scored a season-high 51 points, and then pulled out a 69-63 win at Maple Grove the next time out. Those games against high-level opponents will help the Knights prepare for a difficult Lake Conference schedule.

Wayzata will be one of the first Lake Conference challengers for the Knights, and the Trojans are looking to use this win to solidify themselves in the top five teams in Class 4A.

After a 71-63 loss to Chaska Dec. 13, Wayzata strung together five straight wins in which they have beaten opponents by an average of 34.2 points per game.

Unlike the Knights with Johnson, the Trojans do not have a dominant leading scorer, but instead have three players averaging 10 points or more per game including senior forward Abby Krzewinski (12.5 ppg). A win over St. Michael-Albertville would be Wayzata’s first since Feb. 11, 2020 and would boost the Trojan’s confidence heading into the next stretch of the season. Three of the next four games for the Trojans are on the road against Hopkins, Eden Prairie and Minnetonka.


Chaska vs. Benilde-St. Margaret's

7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 10

Chaska (9-1) and Benilde-St. Margaret’s (7-2) will both feature two top scorers and plenty of offense as the teams square off in a conference battle.

Chaska is led by senior guard and Colorado commit Kennedy Sanders. In an offense that averages 69.7 ppg, Sanders averages 21.6 ppg with a season-high 33 points against Wayzata Dec. 13. The team’s lone loss came at the hands of St. Michael-Albertville Dec. 16, but the Hawks have bounced back with four wins including two against preseason top teams in Roseville and Eden Prairie. A road win against Benilde-St. Margaret’s would give Chaska an early advantage in defending its Metro West Conference crown, a title the Hawks have held since 2019-20 when Sanders was a freshman.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s, however, figures to be able to keep up with Chaska in a possible high-scoring affair. Led by junior Olivia Olson (23 ppg), the Red Knights are averaging 77.3 ppg and have been held under 60 points once early in the season. Olson has been on a strong scoring stretch with at least 22 points in seven games and is coming off a 39-point performance in a 83-66 win over St. Paul Como Park on Jan. 5. The junior is also close to averaging a double-double with 9.6 rebounds per game.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s finished second to Chaska in the conference last season, but another big performance from Olson could help the Red Knights alter the standings this season. 


Elk River vs. Rogers

7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 12

After a strong start by one and a slow start by the other, Elk River (5-4) and Rogers (7-2) are beginning to move in opposite directions as they approach the halfway point of the season.

Coming into the season, Elk River was looking to build off a fourth-place finish and 14-5 record in the Northwest Suburban Conference. The Elks launched the season with a 4-1 start but have started to slide the last few times out. Now one game above the .500 mark, Elk River is looking to get back on track with a tough week of games ahead.

After playing a state champion contending team in St. Michael-Albertville Jan. 9 and a surprising team in Anoka Jan. 10, Elk River will travel to take on a solid Rogers team.

Senior guard Jordan Langbehn (14.1 ppg) is one of four players averaging 10 or more points per game, and the Elks will need Langbehn and the rest of the balanced offensive attack to step up the rest of the way.

Rogers also had high hopes for the season after a second-place finish in the Northwest Suburban Conference with an 18-1 conference record. Those hopes looked to be in jeopardy within the first three games of the season, as the Royals lost handily to St. Michael-Albertville and Maple Grove. 

However, Rogers has been trending upwards and is now right in the mix again for the conference championship with a 4-1 conference record and six straight wins. It has not been easy, as the Royals have won three of those games by four points or less, but guard Clara Glad (16.3 ppg) and center Katelyn Maciej (14.3 ppg) have used their senior leadership to help the team get back on the right direction.


Other games to keep an eye on

Becker vs. Monticello, 8 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 10. After two recent losses, Becker (6-2) bounced back in a big way by beating Big Lake 76-33 Jan. 6. The No. 1-3A Bulldogs, however, will be tested by a 9-2 Monticello squad who has dominated opponents, winning by an average of 25 points. Look for Bulldogs senior guard Ayla Brown (20.1 ppg) and Magic freshman guard Samantha Voll (17.4 ppg) to go head-to-head in scoring in this Mississippi 8 Conference matchup.

Rochester Mayo vs. Rochester Century, 8 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 10. This crosstown rivalry features two teams that are somewhat surprising at the top of the Big 9 Conference. After a fifth-place finish in the conference last season, Rochester Mayo (9-1) has won eight consecutive games and is 7-0 in conference play. Rochester Century (8-3) has the advantage in the rivalry as of late, though, winning both matchups last season. Junior guard Taylor Clarey (14.4 ppg) leads the Panthers after scoring 20 points in a 57-46 win over Winona Jan. 6.


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