MINNEAPOLIS-Elk River entered the Class 4A state tournament undefeated, but perhaps a bit under-appreciated while being in the long shadow of Hopkins.
Hopkins is Minnesota's most dominant high school girls basketball program in the modern era, and it, too entered the state tournament undefeated, along with a top ranking and a top seed, in the 4A field.
A victory by Hopkins would extend its dynasty to five state championships since 2011. An Elk River victory in the title game would be the first in program history.
Ranked No. 2 behind Hopkins the majority of the season, Elk River finally slipped past the Royals following a dramatic 64-60 victory in the 4A championship game Saturday at Williams Arena.
Senior guard Gabi Haack scored 25 points and sophomore forward Sydney Wentland added 16, including two free throws in the final minute that gave the Elks (32-0) a 63-58 lead.
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Hopkins (31-1), which was led by Paige Bueckers with 19 points, finished runner-up in 4A for the second consecutive season. Sophomore guard Diayla Chakolis added 13 points and junior forward Angie Hammond had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Orono 65, Winona 47
MINNEAPOLIS-In each of the past three seasons, Orono has been a top-ranked or a top-seeded team in Class 3A.
In 2015, the Spartans were the top seed but were upset in the state semifinals by No. 4 Marshall.
In 2016, Orono was top-ranked, but lost to Hutchinson in the section final and didn't qualify for the state tournament.
On Saturday, the Spartans hit no such roadblocks. With only one returning starter and a new coach, Orono completed its journey as a top-ranked and top-seeded team with a 65-47 victory over No. 2 Winona in the 3A title game at Williams Arena.
Senior guard Tori Andrew led the Spartans (27-4) to their historic milestone with 22 points. Senior forward Mattea Rice was a dominant force in the paint with 19 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Natalie Smaron had eight points and 12 rebounds.
Winona (26-5), which finished second for the second consecutive season, was paced by senior forward Abby Winter's 14 points and 12 from senior guard Eden Nibbelink.
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Roseau 75, Sauk Centre 64
MINNEAPOLIS-Roseau joined rare company by becoming just the third undefeated Class 2A champion in the 4-class era following its 75-64 victory over Sauk Centre in the title game Saturday at Williams Arena.
Senior guard Kiley Borowicz powered the Rams (32-0) to their first championship in program history with 20 points. Younger sister, Kacie, a sophomore guard, added 19 in Roseau's first appearance in a title game.
Kiley Borowicz, who earlier this season surpassed 3,000 points for her career, moved into fourth place all-time on the career scoring list in state tournament history. With her 20 points in the championship game, she finished her prep career with 268 points during state tournament play.
Ahead of her are Carlie Wagner of NRHEG (371), Janet Karvonen of New York Mills (329) and Braham's Rebekah Dahlman (276). When Borowicz came out of the game for the final time in her prep career with 32.5 seconds left in regulation time, the fans on each side of Williams Arena gave her a rousing standing ovation.
It was the third runner-up finish for Sauk Centre (31-2). Senior guard Jill Klaphake led the Mainstreeters with 19 points. Freshman guard Tori Peschel and junior guard Maesyn Thiesen scored 15 apiece and junior guard Kelsey Peschel contributed 11.
Goodhue 73, MIB 51
MINNEAPOLIS-Goodhue completed the first successful title defense in Class 1A since 2012 with a 73-51 victory over Mountain Iron-Buhl in the championship game Saturday at Williams Arena.
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Senior forward Maddy Miller scored 10 of her 21 points in the first half to help send the No. 2-seeded Wildcats (28-4) to their second consecutive 1A championship.
The victory also erased memories of Goodhue's 78-34 loss to Mountain Iron-Buhl Dec. 3 in the Breakdown Classic in the fourth game of the season.
Mountain Iron-Buhl, the top seed entering the tournament, finished second for the second time.
Junior forward Sydney Lodemeier, Goodhue's floor leader, recorded 14 points and 14 rebounds, including 13 on the defensive end. Senior guard Mckenzie Ryan also scored 14 points, including making 10 of 10 from the free throw line.
Mountain Iron-Buhl (31-2) was paced by senior guard Chelsea Mason with 16 points. Sophomore guard Macy Savela had 14 points.
-- mshsl.org
