The Real 2021 AAA State Championships

I likely end my in person viewing for the abbreviated 2021 season with a pair of class AAA section finals.  These games featured the top 4 teams in the last state rankings.  A really fun pair of games so let's get to it.

Thursday 3AAA Final: #4AAA Richfield 93 #2AAA South St. Paul 90
Charlie Murphy leading the officiating crew in this one.  Defense, optional.  With the size advantage, Richfield goes inside early and works out of the high post looking low on many possessions.  That gets a bit negated when Isaiah Casey-Hammond has to sit at the 4:56 mark with his 3rd foul.  SSP finishes the half on a 13-4 run thanks to 4 Alonzo Dodd buckets.  That breaks open an even game and gives SSP a 43-33 halftime lead.  Dodd with 18 in the half.

But we're just getting started.  The SSP gets to 13 but won't stay there.  Lamar Grayson won't let Richfield lose.  Free throw and a bucket for him.  Mitchell January posts for 2 FTs and converts a turnover after 2 more Grayson hoops.  51 all with 12:15 to play, Game On!.  Grayson and Dodd going back and forth.  Grayson 3 pt play and a bucket countered by a Dodd bucket and triple.  Tied at 60 with 10 minutes left.  The Richfield crowd more into it than the Packers crowd but the intensity goes up a couple notches for the home stretch.

Hammond fouls out at 8:03.  January appears to foul out on a charge at 7:04.  Ref totally botches his signals.  Even reports it as a charge to the table.  But they really mean its a block on the bang bang play and he stays in.  Big break for Richfield who isn't very deep.  Some would say the ball doesn't lie as January misses the front end of the bonus.  Ryan Miles with 2 buckets including one of those high low type dropoffs.  Spartans up 73-68 with 5:30 left.  Dodd with a pretty spin to cut the margin to 2.  Grayson 2 buckets, January off the glass for 2 more.  Richfield with a block on 1 end and Grayson converts it on the other.  83-74 Richfield with 2:45 left.  Timeout SSP and that appears to be the critical run.

But wait there's more.  SSP misses a  3, 1 chance, 2 chances, Dodd puts back the 3rd chance and is fouled.  He misses that FT, Richfield gets the board and gives it right back.  Pass finds Dodd for a layup.  Richfield another turnover on their possession.  Dodd pushes it back the other way and finds Romantay Harmon for a left corner 3.  BANG!  Just like that SSP is back within 83-81 with 2:05 left.  Grayson 1 FT and Dodd with the nice scoop on the other end.  84-83 Richfield with 1:36 left.

January right back for Richfield and he goes to the rack for a 3 point play.  Jump ball but it stays with SSP with 1:12 left.  They then miss a good look at a 3.  Richfield holds and SSP has to foul.  They make 1 FT.  Devin Newsome counters with a 3 for SSP with 26 seconds left.  88-86 Spartans lead.  Grayson calmly makes 2 FTs before Dodd gets a quick 2.  Richfield 1-2 FTs with 10.9 left.   Spartans now up 3.

Dodd takes the inbounds.  Gets a high ball screen going to his right at the top of the key.  Rejects it and gets fouled on a 3 with 6.1 seconds left.  Oh my!  He makes the 1st, misses the 2nd and makes the 3rd.  SSP has to foul again and its Grayson making 2 more FTs with 5 seconds left.  SSP timeout between those freebies doesn't ice him at all.  SSP goes immediately.  They make a pass out of bounds but the clock starts on it.  An open look at a 3 is therefore rushed and doesn't get off in time anyway.  Richfield wins an absolute thriller.  The 2nd half was a full game by itself (60-47 scoring).  Lamar Grayson goes for 28 of his 37 in the 2nd half.  I feel for the Mr Basketball Committee and how they have to pick a top 5.  Somebody really worthy is going to get left out.  Grayson making a huge case for why it shouldn't be him.  He matched Alonzo Dodd bucket for bucket.  Dodd with 21 of his 39 in the 2nd half.  Devin Newsome adds 21 for SSP.  Ryan Miles and Mitchell January both with 17 for Richfield.  Richfield only takes 5 3s all game and doesn't make any.  SSP was 10-23 from deep.  Richfield shoots 25-40 at the charity stripe compared to 12-24 for SSP.

Four Factors

FACTOR	South St. Paul	Richfield
Effective FG %	56.5%	50%
Offensive Rebound %	44.7%	46.9%
Free Throw Rate	34.8%	58.8%
Turnover %	17.5%	14.8%
Points Per Possession	1.13	1.15

Friday 4AAA Final: #1AAA Minnehaha 73 #3AAA Totino-Grace 60
This is one of the most anticipated games of the season.  Interesting lineup alteration by Nick Carroll bring star soph Taison Chatman off the bench.  2 early stories here.  Really sloppy play by Minnehaha and hot TG shooting.  They make 6 of their 1st 9 3s.  Devin Burger with 4 of them.  Minnehaha turns it over 13 times in the 1st 23 trips, mostly unforced.  DJ Akpati with a 3 to end an 11-2 TG run.  Eagles up 28-13 at the 5:40 mark.  Chet Holmgren with the only Minnehaha field goals to that point.  Minnehaha stops turning it over and they get points on 11 of the last 13 trips of the half.  They also ratchet up the defense holding TG to 1 FG in the final 12 trips.  20-4 Minnehaha run to end the half.  Redhawks up 33-32 at the break.

TG 3 quick scores to start the 2nd half and reclaim the lead 39-35.  Holmgren a steal for 2, a free throw, a bucket and 2 more freebies.  A Carter Weierke 3 is sandwiched in there.  45-44 TG.  Isaiah Davis for 3 and Minnehaha takes the lead 47-45.  Burger another bomb, CJ O'Hara converts a turnover, Chatman converts a turnover into a 3.  TG up 53-47 with 8:50 left.  Holmgren with a tip dunk to cut the margin to 1 before another Burger triple from up top.  56-52 TG with 6:38 left as they take time.  Hercy Miller for 3 and then throw it up to Holmgren and let him go get it.  Demarion Watson stops that momentum with a left wing triple  59-57 TG with about 5 minutes left.

But TG won't get another field goal.  Hercy Miller drive for 2 and a steal for 2 more.  Another TG turnover becomes a Prince Aligbe dunk.  Holmgren to a cutting Mercy Miller for 2 and he'll dunk the next possession.  TG 4 turnovers in 5 possessions.  The rest is fouls and free throws.  Minnehaha ends the game on a 16-1 run over the last 5 min.  1 point for TG in their last 13 trips, very similar to the end of the first half.  Chet Holmgren his usual big game with 24 points.  Some Coke drinking writer had him for 16 rebs, 7 ast and 3 blk as well.  Mercy Miller 19 points and new Tennessee State commit Hercy Miller with 16 points.  Devin Burger with 6 of Totino-Grace's 14 3s in the game.  He leads the Eagles with 21 points.  Taison Chatman adds 14 points

Four Factors

FACTOR	Minnehaha	Totino-Grace
Effective FG %	58.5%	56.9%
Offensive Rebound %	45.2%	11.4%
Free Throw Rate	90.2%	15.7%
Turnover %	29.6%	23.9%
Points Per Possession	1.03	0.85

As to the AAA state tourney, here are my predictions for the seeding.  These winners should end up the top 2 seeds in the south portion of the AAA bracket.  I would expect Minnehaha to take on Byron (Holmgren vs Ahjany Lee, thank you).  That leaves Richfield with Mankato West.  In the top half. De La Salle likely gets the top seed and Monticello with a very entertaining outstate matchup of Hibbing vs Alexandria as the other game.