No. 1 Hopkins 79, Buffalo 62

As it has all season, top-ranked and top-seeded Hopkins received a balanced scoring effort and tight defense to surge past Buffalo in the Class AAAA quarterfinals at Target Center. Senior Brianna Williams led the way with 19 points, while sophomore Nia Coffey and junior Sydney Coffey had 12 points each. The Royals (28-2) also forced 36 Bufalo turnovers, which led to 47 Hopkins points. Buffalo (25-4) was paced by Kendra Wycoff and Alexa Thielman with 11 points each.

Read the MN Girls Basketball Hub / Star-Tribune recap of the game by clicking this link.

White Bear Lake 43, No. 4 Maple Grove 40

Unseeded White Bear Lake overcame a 27-21 halftime deficit to down No. 4 Maple Grove in a Class AAAA quarterfinal at Target Center. The Bears (27-3) held the Crimson (24-6) to just 2-for-27 shooting in the second half. Junior Alexis Foley nearly recorded a double-double for the Bears, who were the state runner-up last winter, with 11 points and nine rebounds. Sara Schoenthaler added 10 points. Anna Gardes and Stephanie Davison of Maple Grove led all scorers with 13 and 12 points.

Read the MN Girls Basketball Hub / Star-Tribune recap of the game by clicking this link.

No. 2 Eden Prairie 55, Rochester Mayo 28

Morgan Van Riper-Rose and Jackie Johnson each scored 15 points as second-seeded Eden Prairie cruised to a big victory over Rochester Mayo in the Class AAAA quarterfinals at Target Center. Johnson added a team-high 11 rebounds for the double-double for the Eagles (24-4). Julie Miller led Mayo (21-7) with 13 points, while Anna Hirssig had 11 rebounds. Eden Prairie's defense was tough, limiting the Spartans to just 25.0 percent shooting (10-of-40) and forcing 29 turnovers.

Read the MN Girls Basketball Hub / Star-Tribune recap of the game by clicking this link.

No. 3 Lakeville North 64, Anoka 40

Anoka's miraculous postseason run finally came to an end at the hands of the defending state champions, Lakeville North, in the Class AAAA quarterfinals at Target Center. The Tornadoes (6-25) had no answer for the Panthers' top duo of senior Rachel Banham and senior Apiew Ojulu. Banham, who is headed to the University of Minnesota, scored a game-high 27 points, while Ojulu racked up a double-double with 14 points and 18 rebounds. Senior Shauni Payeur paced Anoka with 14 points.

Read the MN Girls Basketball Hub / Star-Tribune recap of the game by clicking this link.  To view the FoxPreps photo gallery, please click on this link.

No. 1 Hill-Murray 72, Red Wing 52

Top-ranked and top-seeded Hill-Murray overcame a nine-point half-time deficit, beating Red Wing in the Class AAA quarterfinals at Williams Arena. The Pioneers (29-0) outscored the Wingers (18-10) 41-12 over the final 13 minutes of the game, as four players scored in double figures -- center Bethany Doolittle (24 points), guard Tessa Cichy (18 points), Claire Van Dyk (15 points, 15 rebounds) and Corrine McCallum (13 points). Danielle Brooks had a double-double for the Wingers with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Tesha Buck was just 1-of-17 from the field (0-for-9 on three-pointers) and scored two points.

Read the MN Girls Basketball Hub / Star-Tribune recap of the game by clicking this link.

No. 4 Alexandria 55, Grand Rapids 32

Fourth-seeded Alexandria opened the second half on a 17-0 run and stormed past Grand Rapids in the Class AAA quarterfinals at Williams Arena. Lauren Trumm was a one-woman wrecking crew for the Cardinals (25-3), scoring a game-high 23 points and adding eight rebounds and five steals. Alli Haar (11 points) and Jolynn Warnes (10) also chipped in with double-figure scoring. The Thunderhawks (20-9) were paced by Jessi Corrick with 11 points.

Read the MN Girls Basketball Hub / Star-Tribune recap of the game by clicking this link.

No. 2 Benilde-St. Margaret's 52, Marshall 47

Second-seeded Benilde-St. Margaret's overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to down upset-minded Marshall in the Class AAA quarterfinals at Williams Arena. Khadijah Shumpert gave the Red Knights (25-5) the lead for good on two free throws with just 2:27 remaining. Olivia Antilla led three Benilde players in double figures with 16 points. Shumpert (12 points) and Grace Coughlin (10) also chipped in. Marshall (20-7) was paced by Kelsey Saugstad and Morgan McKittrick with 15 and 11 points.

Read the MN Girls Basketball Hub / Star-Tribune recap of the game by clicking this link.

No. 3 DeLaSalle 47, Rogers 23

Talk about a tough defense. Third-seeded DeLaSalle held Rogers to an ice-cold 2-of-38 from the field in rolling past the Royals in the Class AAA quarterfinals at Williams Arena. DeLaSalle (25-4) received a big effort from sophomore Tyseanna Johnson, who had a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Mariah Adanene added 12 points. Rogers (15-15) didn't make its first field goal until 13:54 remaining in the game when Shelby Beach hit a layup. She led all Royals with six points.

Read the MN Girls Basketball Hub / Star-Tribune recap of the game by clicking this link.

Sauk Centre 58, Caledonia 43

Sauk Centre broke open a halftime tie with a big second-half outburst in the Class AA quarterfinal victory over Caledonia at Williams Arena. Tied at 27-27 at halftime, the Mainstreeters (30-1) outscored the Warriors (26-4) 31-16 in the second half. Macy Weller (16 points), Kali Peschel (14) and Maren Greenwaldt (14) led the way for Sauk Centre, while Emma Lange scored 14 to pace Caledonia.

Read the MN Girls Basketball Hub / Star-Tribune recap of the game by clicking this link.  To view the FoxPreps photo gallery, please click on this link.

Minnehaha Academy 60, Jackson County Central 59

Katelyn Adams hit a short jumper with 13 seconds remaining to lead Minnehaha Academy to a narrow one-point victory over Jackson County Central in the Class A quarterfinals at Williams Arena. Adams' shot erased a one-point JCC lead gained by Leslie Handzus' trey in the final minute. Minnehaha Academy (22-6) had led by as many as 17 points in the second half before JCC (26-3) rallied. Adams finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds and Gabbi Stienstra had 14 points for the Redhawks, while Kaylee Benson (17 points) and Handzus (13) were the top scorers for the Huskies.

Read the MN Girls Basketball Hub / Star-Tribune recap of the game by clicking this link.  To view the FoxPreps photo gallery, please click on this link.

Braham 77, Pequot Lakes 66

As she's done many times in her career, Braham sophomore Rebekah Dahlman lit up the scoresheet for the Bombers, pouring in 34 points in a Class AA quarterfinal victory over Pequot Lakes at Williams Arena. Dahlman also notched 14 rebounds and six steals for the Bombers (29-2). Kelsey Sorenson-Giffrow (14 points) and Katie Nickles (11 points) also hit double-figures for last year's state runner up. Emily Lueck and Kylie Beltz scored 23 and 21 points, respectively, for Pequot Lakes (28-2).

Read the MN Girls Basketball Hub / Star-Tribune recap of the game by clicking this link.

Providence Academy 43, St. Peter 33

Trailing by three at halftime, Providence Academy turned up the intensity in the second half to surge past St. Peter in the Class A quarterfinals at Williams Arena. The Lions (26-4) came up big in tight, outscoring St. Peter (24-4) by a wide 26-10 margin in the paint. AnnMarie Healy led Providence Academy with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Taylor Finley added 10 points. Katy Kuiper (14 points) and Alyssa Kerkhoff (10) were the only double-figure scorers for St. Peter, which shot just 19.0 percent (4-of-21) in the second half.

Read the MN Girls Basketball Hub / Star-Tribune recap of the game by clicking this link.

Minnesota Girls Basketball Hub
The crew at the the MN Girls Basketball Hub, in conjunction with the Star-Tribune, is featuring coverage at the tournament this season. Check out their main tournament page to keep on top of all the action.

John's Journal
For those interested in former Star Tribune writer John Millea and his thoughts with the MSHSL, he's blogging from the girls' state tournament this weekend.  Just go to the main MSHSL site and hit the tab for "John's Journal." 

Fox video interviews
The FoxPreps.com gang is doing a great job on their website, covering the 2011 state tournament.  Click on the link for additional news and interviews from the games.