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FAIRMONT -- Three out of four No. 2-seeded girls basketball teams in Sections 2 and 3 are hoping for a reversal of the regular season during their Class AA sub-section championship games tonight.
Blue Earth Area head coach Al Cue and his No. 2-seeded Bucs (17-11) look to extend their winning streak to nine in a row when they square off against St. Peter mentor Bob Southworth and his No. 1-seeded Saints (21-7) in the Section 2, South Sub-Section finale at 8 p.m. at the Taylor Center in Mankato.
St. Peter edged Blue Earth Area during the pair of Big South Conference hoopsters' two-game regular-season series -- 52-46 on Jan. 9 and 65-56 on Feb. 3.
Junior forward Caitlin Rorman poured in a game-best 27 points and junior wing Hannah Johnson contributed 17 points to the Bucs' 52-45 sub-section semifinal win over New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale Geneva last Friday night.
The defensive-minded Saints reached the South finals by putting the clamps on Medford, 59-26, during their sub-section semifinal last Friday night.
The winner between Blue Earth Area and St. Peter advances to Friday night's 8 p.m. Section 2 championship clash against the North Sub-Section champion back at the Taylor Center.
The Glencoe-Silver Lake Panthers (20-8), seeded No. 2 in the North, also hope to avenge a regular-season loss to top-seeded Norwood-Young America Central (25-3) during tonight's 6 p.m. sub-section showdown on the Minnesota State University, Mankato campus.
The No. 1-seeded Raiders posted a 55-44 victory over the Panthers back on Jan. 20.
Shift the focus to Section 3AA, and Martin County West mentor Rodger Taylor and his No. 2-seeded Mavericks (21-6) look to flip-flop the score of their loss to the No. 1-seeded Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Panthers (27-2). The Panthers posted a 65-49 victory over the Mavericks on Jan. 19.
Junior point guard Alyssa Williamson unleashed a game-best 21 points and teammate Maia Taylor neared double-double territory with nine points and nine rebounds to pace MCW's 46-42 sub-section semifinal victory over Redwood Valley last Thursday night.
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton, who assembled a 23-game winning streak during the regular season, and Martin County West tip off the South Sub-Section championship at 8 p.m. tonight at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, with a Class AA state bid on the line.
TMB coasted to a 71-31 South Sub-Section semifinal rout over Pipestone Area last Thursday night.
The MCW-TMB winner advances to face North champion -- either No. 1-seeded Eden Valley-Watkins (25-3) or No. 2-seeded New London-Spicer (21-6) -- for the Section 3AA crown at 8 p.m. Friday night back at SMSU in Marshall.
EVW and NLS square off for the North Sub-Section title at 6 p.m. tonight at SMSU. Ironically, NLS edged EVW, 48-41, back on Nov. 30.
Meanwhile, 5-plus inches of snow in southern Minnesota caused Monday night's Section 2AA and 2A boys basketball quarterfinals to be postponed to today.
Blue Earth Area head coach Colby Swanson and his No. 4-seeded Bucs (6-17) play host to Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial head coach John Madsen's No. 5-seeded Knights (5-21) in a rare 5 p.m. Section 2AA, South Sub-Section quarterfinal tipoff today in Blue Earth.
The Bucs-Knights winner advances to face No. 1-seeded New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva (23-2) in a 6 p.m. sub-section semifinal Thursday night at Mankato East High School. The Panthers netted a first-round bye.
Blue Earth Area posted a 73-45 regular-season win over LCWM back on Dec. 4.
In Section 2A postseason action, Truman/Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley-East head coach Adam Walker's No. 8-seeded Jaguars (11-16) are aiming at dethroning the defending sectional champion in a rescheduled 5 p.m. South Sub-Section quarterfinal clash tonight in Springfield.
Mason Maloney collected a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, while teammate Derek Shoen tallied nine points and grabbed 10 boards to pace the Jaguars' 52-48 first-round victory over United South Central last Thursday night.
The Class 1A, No. 1-ranked Springfield Tigers, meanwhile, carry a 15-game winning streak into today's reslated sub-section clash. Springfield, which placed fourth at state in 2017, received an opening-round sub-section bye.
Shift the focus to the west on Thursday, and Fairmont head coach Jared Thompson and his No. 1-seeded Cardinals (19-6) face No. 4-seeded Windom Area (14-12) in a 7 p.m. Section 3AA, South Sub-Section semifinal in Jackson.
The Cardinals, who posted a 58-41 regular-season win over the Eagles on Feb. 9, converted Nate Kallenbach's 19-point performance and Sam Schwieger's 17-point effort into a 55-39 sub-section quarterfinal win over Tracy-Milroy-Balaton on Saturday night.
Windom Area bested Luverne, 73-61, during Saturday's sub-section quarterfinal to advance.
In Thursday night's other half of the 3AA South bracket, the No. 2-seeded Pipestone Arrows (17-10) play the No. 3-seeded Jackson County Central Huskies (15-11) at 7 p.m. in Windom.
Pipestone swept the Big South regular-season series with JCC, 72-67 on Jan. 6 and 78-55 on Jan. 30.
Pipestone eliminated St. James Area via a 69-45 quarterfinal rout on Saturday night, while JCC downed Martin County West, 77-64.