This is the first of a two-part review of the Championships of the MN State 2018 AAU Tournament. This portion deals with the 14-minute half games, the fourth through eighth grade divisions. At these ages the truism is that physicality rules. Players that are bigger, stronger, faster prevail. Double teams on defense lead to steals which lead to lay up attempts (and probably second chances). That is exactly what happened on Sunday. Another truism is that the games here may be wide, but as players age and get stronger the differences get narrower. The teams that used to dominate wonder what went wrong.
Another thing is the vagaries of the teams from week to week. It is not uncommon to see teams that are lower than a five seed make the finals. That is what happened in the sixth grade (#7) and seventh grade (#6) as lower seeds made the cut. That scenario would be unheard of in the older divisions. There were two upsets from the qualifier. In both cases North Tartan prevailed. In the fifth grade the victim was MN Stars Borowicz; in eighth it was MN Fury 2022 Blue. In these lower divisions the number one seed reached the final game and they won three times (60%).
There were two new high marks for points set—-in their division—-at seventh and eighth grades.
4: TAYLER HILL 4 ELITE 45, NORTH TARTAN 4 DOUGHTY 11
Tayler Hill has three teams and the youngest opened the day with a win. No pressing allowed in fourth grade, so they waited to pounce at half court. 29 offensive rebounds helps explain 31 more shot attempts. It should be noted that TH4E did have a pp100 over 80, the third highest in the 14 minute division. Sinae Hill, sister of Tayler, led the way with 14 points.
5: NORTH TARTAN 5 MONAHAN 41, MN STARS 5 BOROWICZ 33
This was a return match from the qualifier and NT5M, the second seed, got their revenge and stopped MS5B from repeating as state champs. The qualifier went to MS5B 43-39. The big change was NT5M held Aaliyah Crump to 1 point. In the qualifier she had 15. Tori Schlagel led all scorers with 12.
6: TAYLER HILL 6 ELITE 46, NORTH TARTAN 6 SUTCH 16
When a #1 seed faces a #7 seed you get a running time win. TH6E repeated as state champs. The Hill sister in this case is Angel. NT6S had trouble containing post Vanessa Smith for TH6E. Smith, in many respects is the Destiny Oberg of sixth grade, but Smith had 17 in the game as no one could match her size. Oberg had 11 points total for the tournament. This marked the second program win for Tayler Hill Elite in this tournament. Overall, they have five championships putting them in third since 2010.
7: MN FURY 2023 BLUE 52, MN STARS 7 HERSCH 35
The Fury won their title at this level holding their #1 seed and stopping #6 seed MN Stars 7 Hersch. This was my second charting of the Fury in this event and third of the season. The Fury played aggressive defense and looked to attack when given the chance. They have depth and balance.
This is the third different champion in this class showing that the field is fluid and open.
8: NORTH TARTAN 8 CONTRERAS 56, MN FURY 2022 BLUE 40
NT8C improved by 30 in the pp100 mark and that was the difference. As a team they cracked the century mark, the only team to do so on Sunday at any level 14 or 16. Also Amaya Battle delivered 21 points, the high of the day and weekend when I charted. NT8C got off to a strong start as opposed to the slow qualifier where they had to play catch up. At half they held a 28-20 lead. NT8C pulled the ball and shot free throws the rest of the way from the five minute mark on. In their last nine possessions NT8C scored attempted a free throw on each possession except when they made a lay up off a rebound.
This marks the second state championship for NT8C. They also won two years ago.
| TEAM (14 Minutes) | POINTS | PP100 | LEADING SCORER |
| Tayler Hill 4 Elite | 45 | 84.9 | Sinae Hill 14 |
| North Tartan Doughty | 11 | 21.6 | Two with 4 |
| North Tartan 5 Monahan | 41 | 56.9 | Tori Schlagel 12 |
| MN Stars Borowicz | 33 | 46.5 | Savannah Borowicz 8 |
| Tayler Hill 6 Elite | 46 | 67.7 | Vanessa Smith 17 |
| North Tartan 6 Sutch | 16 | 24.6 | Sophie Zay 6 |
| MN Fury 2023 Blue | 52 | 88.1 | Sydnee Nelson 11 |
| MN Stars 7 Hersch | 35 | 58.3 | Taryn Hamling 9 |
| North Tartan 8 Contreras | 56 | 103.7 | Amaya Battle 21 |
| MN Fury 2022 Blue | 40 | 72.7 | Mallory Heyer 12 |
TRENCH PLAYER
4: Sinae Hill, Tayler Hill 4 Elite
5: Tori Schlagel, North Tartan 5 Monahan
6: Vanessa Smith, Tayler Hill 6 Elite
7: Kennedy Sanders, MN Fury 2023 Blue
8: Amaya Battle, North Tartan 8 Contreras
PLAYER OF THE DAY: AMAYA BATTLE
TEAM OF THE DAY: NORTH TARTAN 8 CONTRERAS