Fillmore Central Will Meet #3 Henning In State Quarterfinals
The Class A Minnesota State Girls Basketball Tournament will feature four teams that have never been to the State Tournament, two of them will meet in the Quarterfinals.
Section 6A champion Henning will take on Section 1A champion Fillmore Central in the state quarterfinals in what will be a matchup of two programs making their first appearance to the State Tournament.
The Falcons were led by Kandace Sikkink and Emma Breitsprecher in the Section 1A title game where their defense was able to stifle Blooming Prairie and come away with a 69-56 win. Sikkink had 25 points, nine rebounds, and six steals in the win for Fillmore Central.
The Hornets were led by junior Ellie Dague, who had 32 points, and sparked a double-digit comeback over West Central Area 56-50.
When the Hornets needed a big bucket in the Section 6A championship, they went to Dague according to Echo Press. The Echo Press noted that Dague has the size, shooting and ball-handling ability that is not often seen at the Class A level.
Dague will be the key for the Hornets and will be one of the players that the Falcons will need to key on defensively. The Falcons will go to Sikkink on the inside while using timely shooting from Breitsprecher, Kassidy Broadwater, Lauren Mensink, Hope Sexton and more to make their offense click.
Both of these teams have relied big on their defense throughout this season. The Falcons allow 44 points per game, while the Hornet allows just over 41. Henning was solid offensively this season, too, averaging 61 points per game.
Henning, who is 28-2 on the season, has two losses to two Class AA teams, while the Falcons found themselves battling throughout a tough conference and tough section that was really well balanced.
Both teams are riding big win streaks as the Hornets have won 9 straight and the Falcons six. It will be a matchup of two talented defenses and two teams that will leave it all on the line.
The Class A Quarterfinal matchup will take place at Maturi Pavilion on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. and you will be able to catch the action on 103.1 KFIL.