This is part two to the Week that Was #13
A LOOK AT THE CLASSES (SO FAR)
With the completion of AAAA last week we can examine in athumbnail some of the differences in classes. All 57 teams were charted in AAAA. The other classes are not complete and will not be.
| CLASS | %SEEN | PP100 | POS |
| AAAA | 100 | 80.3 | 69.72 |
| AAA | 81.25 | 77.11 | 71.59 |
| AA | 52.76 | 77.64 | 70.52 |
| A | 16.33 | 78.08 | 71.96 |
Taken with a grain of salt due to the differences in observations AAAA has the best pp100s by two to three points over the other classes. What may surprise some is the second-place finisher is A (so far). But with only 16% of the schools charted we are cherry picking the top. Once the season is over I will be able to sort this field somewhat better and compare apples to apples. In other words, using the A as a baseline, the top 16.33% of each class.
I find it interesting that AAAA has the highest pp100s, but lowest possession counts—69.72. It is A that leads in that category by fractions to two per game. Is the A game faster? Or are there more turnovers—one possession—in the action?
It will be interesting to see if possession counts drop during sections like they have in the past. Teams/coaches tend to get more conservative as the season winds down and we will see if going to the 29th second will help or hurt offenses.
A LOOK AT: SECTION 2AA SOUTH
| School | PP100 |
| St. Clair | 102.8 |
| JWP | 95.4 |
| Maple River | 83.1 |
| WEM | 80.0 |
| LCWM | 79.3 |
| NRHEG | 76.9 |
| Blue Earth | 76.2 |
| Waseca | 58.0 |
| Ave | 81.46 |
I have completed two sections (or subsections) in AA—both south ends of sections 2 and 3. Section 2 is located “mid-south” with Mankato to Faribault and south to the Iowa border the boundaries. The Big South (just wrapped up) has two schools. The Gopher (West) has the most schools with four. The Valley contributes two. NRHEG is the only school with state titles during the Carlie Wagner era. St. Clair and Maple River are the two schools that are awaiting their first tournament berth.
The Cyclones are the only Centurions in the bunch. The strange thing in the pp100s above is Waseca was a winner despite only mustering a 58 pp100. Overall 2AA South is 4-4.
There have been six 31 Clubbers in this bunch led by sophomore Katelyn Olson of JWP with a 38. JWP had two entries. The class split was even Steven with three each for seniors and sophs. Juniors were shut out.
A LOOK AT: SECTION 3AA SOUTH
3AA South is the southwest corner of the state with a heavy dose of the Big South West. All schools are in the BS, but five of the seven are on the west side. Only Windom is searching for their first state tournament entry. Pipestone won the AA title in 2007 on the disputed 3 over Albany. Redwood Valley does not have a title, but Redwood Falls, where RV is located, won in 1976 in the early days of the girls basketball tournament.
I was able to chart JCC, Fairmont, Windom and Redwood Valley twice as insurance against bad weather for the Big South Showcase. Luckily the weather was fine on Saturday, maybe I should state the roads were “good enough” to get to the games.
No school was a Centurion when charted. The closest is JCC and they were 1-1 when charted. They also allowed St. James to get to 95.5 in their 84-82 win Saturday hence the tie. Fairmont is the #1 seed. Which ever school takes the South they more than likely will face New London-Spicer and their tradition and history for the overall 3AA crown. Overall 3AA South is 5-6.
There were more 31 Clubbers in 3AA South than in 2AA South because of multiple viewings giving multiple chances to join—eleven to be precise. Junior Rylie Cother of JCC is the first player this year to lead the weekly column twice. And she is doing it with an entry in the 51 Club and then Saturday joined the exclusive 61 Club with a 64. Brylee Miller of Fairmont is in the 41 Club during the first charting against JCC. JCC has two entries as does Fairmont, St. James and Windom.
| School | PP100 |
| Jackson CC | 95.5 |
| St. James | 95.5 |
| Fairmont | 89.05 |
| Pipestone | 81.0 |
| Luverne | 79.4 |
| Windom | 77.0 |
| Redwood Valley | 65.8 |
| Ave | 82.78 |
A LOOK AT: SECTION 8AAAA
8AAAA
| School | PP100 |
| Rogers | 93.2 |
| Elk River | 91.8 |
| St. Michael-Albertville | 90.05 |
| Sauk Rapids-Rice | 81.1 |
| Sartell-St. Stephen | 80.3 |
| Bemidji | 78.8 |
| Brainerd | 68.0 |
| Moorhead | 57.1 |
| Buffalo | 56.9 |
| Ave | 78.73 |
8AAAA stretches from the Northwest suburbs out through the rest of the north and west portions of the state. Four schools are metro based with a split of two between the mighty Lake and the NW Suburban. The Central Lakes provides the most schools with three with Independents Moorhead and Bemidji rounding out the field. No Centurions here. Rogers, the last team charted has the best pp100 of 93.2. They will not be a top three seed in this section with STMA and Elk River probably destined for the top two spots.
All nine of these schools have been to the state tournament. All nine have done it during the four-class era. There have been two schools that have won state titles, the above-mentioned St. Michael-Albertville and Elk River. The Knights have won three titles in three classes, the only school to accomplish that in GBB. Elk River finished undefeated in 2017 winning their title.
8AAAA is 5-4 when I have been out & about. The groups pp100 is 78.73 which puts them as the fifth best section this year.
So far there are six entries into the 31 Club with STMA providing a pair. The top mark however belongs to the last player charted, Rogers’ junior Chloe Netzinger with a 44, the only player that made the 41 Club. Looking at the 31 Club list only one if from the “greater” Minnesota region. The rest are in the metro orbit.
| SECTION | T IN | STATE | TITLES | PP100 | 100+ | 31C |
| 2AAAA | 6/7 | 27/21 | 2/2 | 96.19 | 4 | 9 |
| 3AAAA | 6/7 | 36/20 | 10/3 | 84.34 | 1 | 2 |
| 1AAAA | 6/8 | 42/34 | 4/3 | 83.875 | 2 | 2 |
| 7AAAA | All | 40/30 | 0/0 | 79.93 | 0 | 5 |
| 8AAAA | All | 41/35 | 4/4 (2) | 78.73 | 0 | |
| 6AAAA | 6/7 | 43/26 | 13/8 | 78.34 | 1 | 7 |
| 5AAAA | All | 34/22 | 5/3 | 77.27 | 0 | 3 |
| 4AAAA | 6/7 | 49/35 | 5/3 | 72.33 | 0 | 3 |
| 8AAA | 75.6 | 0 | 3 |
A LOOK AT THE NORTHWEST SUBURBAN CONFERENCE
| School | Pp100 |
| Maple Grove | 96.9 |
| Rogers | 93.2 |
| Elk River | 91.8 |
| Champlin Park | 89.2 |
| Armstrong | 86.8 |
| Spring Lake Park | 86.4 |
| Blaine | 82.9 |
| Park Center | 79.7 |
| Coon Rapids | 77.9 |
| Totino-Grace | 77.05 |
| Andover | 75.4 |
| Centennial | 72.9 |
| Anoka | 71.8 |
| Osseo | 50.0 |
| Totals | 80.6 |
As it says in the title, the Northwest Suburban covers the Northwest metro area with Anoka and Hennepin Counties providing the biggest chunks of schools. Elk River from Sherburne County is the outlier. Six schools are west of the Mississippi River, eight are east. As a group the NWS came in with an 80.6 pp100 which is good for third behind the Lake and South Suburban. The won/loss mark was 8-7.
All schools in the NWS have enjoyed a taste of state. Five schools have won titles, four in the four-class era. Coon Rapids won during the two-class format. Osseo won one in each system. Park Center, Totino-Grace and Elk River are all four class winners.
Due to the split nature of this conference straddling AAAA and AAA the state entries are extremely high. Add in the fact that teams could go to state from five sections: AAAA: 5, 6, 7, 8 plus AAA: 5. That is a broad reach. The 76 total appearances dwarfs runner up South Suburban’s 54. They are third in state championships with 8 trailing the Lake and Metro West, but the NWS is second in teams with titles only trailing the Metro West 6-5.
There are eleven NWS 31 Clubbers. The leader? The same as from 8AAAA Rogers’ junior Chloe Netzinger. Schools with dual entries include Rogers, Anoka and Totino-Grace. Six schools did not come up with one. The Lake has one more 31 Clubber than the NWS.
A LOOK AT THE BIG SOUTH—BOTH EAST & WEST
Together, but apart. The Big South is a combination and umbrella of two former conferences—the South Central (now the east) and the Southwest (west). All of these schools are county seats, which means they carry more clout in the county and are usually the bigger, more powerful, more commercial than the surrounding towns.
EAST
| School | PP100 |
| St. Peter | 98.35 |
| St. James | 95.5 |
| New Ulm | 90.7 |
| Fairmont | 89.05 |
| Blue Earth | 76.2 |
| Waseca | 58.0 |
| Ave | 87.32 |
The Big South East has a better pp100 than the Lake???? It is true. With St. Peter and New Ulm, two AAA varieties ranked in the top 10, the east side has some heft. Indeed St. Peter has only one loss this year. Fairmont is the #1 seed in 3AA South. Even a school with few wins had a 95.5 pp100 in their loss to Jackson County Central. Two Centurions are in this bunch, but both St. Peter and Fairmont have been charted twice and that means their averages are lower than 100.
In a historical context the BSE does not have great success postseason. And the East side has not won a state title. The school with the most trips has been St. Peter with seven. The only school that has not been to state is New Ulm.
Brylee Miller of Fairmont leads the 31 Clubbers as the only player to go up a step to the 41 Club —-with 47. Fairmont and St. James each have a pair. The only school without a 31 Clubber is Waseca. Four of the seven members are sophs, with two juniors and one senior rounding out the lineup.
WEST
| School | PP100 |
| Marshall | 101.5 |
| Jackson CC | 95.5 |
| Pipestone | 81.0 |
| Luverne | 79.4 |
| Windom | 77.0 |
| Redwood Valley | 65.8 |
| Worthington | 53.6 |
| Ave | 82.78 |
Which side is better? According to the pp100s the East is the beast. The west trails by 8.11 points. Marshall was the only Centurion although JCC came close twice. To show the differences between the two, Pipestone, who was third in the West, would be fifth in the East. JCC, RV, and Windom all were charted twice.
According to history the West is best. Both Marshall and Pipestone enjoy state titles. The Tigers won back to back in 2001 and 02. And Marshall has three runner ups since then. Redwood Valley has been to state and so has their predecessor Redwood Falls. The Cardinals won a state championship in the 70s. The only school waiting to go to state is Windom. The West has been to state more than twice the east 33-16.
The westside has one more 31 Clubber than the eastside (8-7). However one player is a double entry, so both sides really have seven. Rylie Cother of Jackson County Central smashed out of the 31 Club with one entry to the 51 Club and then the 61 Club Saturday. She is the only player (so far) to lead the 31 Club weekly parade twice. JCC and Windom each had a pair join. Marshall and Redwood Valley did not have entries. Marshall, because of balance and depth plus a comfortable lead; RV was shut out twice in their chartings. Juniors have four entries (twice for Cother), three for seniors, one soph.
| CONFERENCE | T IN | STATE | TITLES | w-l | Pp100 | 100+ | 31Club |
| Big South East | 6/5 | 16/10 | 0 | 5-4 | 87.32 | 2 | 7 |
| Lake | 7/7 | 49/44 | 13/12 (4) | 7-4 | 87.23 | 3 | 12 |
| South Suburban | 9/10 | 54/39 | 6/3 (3) | 5-5 | 85.49 | 3 | 2 |
| Northwest Suburban | 14/14 | 76/61 | 8/6 (5) | 8-7 | 80.60 | 0 | 11 |
| Central Lakes | 7/8* | 36/28 | 1/1 (1) | 5-3 | 79.55 | 0 | 4 |
| Big South West | 7/7 | 33/27 | 3/3 (2) | 5-5 | 79.21 | 1 | 8 |
| Lake Superior | 8/8 | 37/26 | 0/0 | 4-5 | 78.39 | 2 | 7 |
| Metro West | 7/8 | 43/25 | 12/7 (6) | 5-3 | 78.39 | 2 | 7 |
| Suburban East | 8/10 | 44/33 | 2/2 (2) | 6-5 | 76.10 | 0 | 6 |
| Metro East | 7/8 | 29/17 | 1/0 (1) | 3-6 | 69.96 | 0 | 1 |
My guess is I will not complete another section (or class) or conference the rest of the season. The clock is winding down. This is the final regular season week. Not enough dates exist to do it all.