Surely this will be one of the Breakdown Tip Off Classic’s most exciting games. Lakeville North loves to run, and they run very fast. St. Michael-Albertville can go either way, but guards Rae Johnson, Kitri Zezza and Lizzy Heil and wing Bobbi Brendefer get up and down the court pretty well, too.

Still, if Temi Carda and Polly Sjoberg can outrun Centennial’s Morris twins, as they did in the state tournament last year, well, then they can outrun anybody. And they’ve got some size, too, in 6-0 Jessica Montouri and 5-11 Mackenzie Denk.

STMA counters with Johnson, Zezza and Heil in the backcourt, and with South Dakota State recruit Sydney Tracy in the frontcourt, the Knights have their best team since they won the Class AAA title in 2009.

North is rated #5AAAA by Northstar Girls Hoops and #15AAAA by Breakdown Sports, while STMA is #10AAAA and #7, respectively. Whoever controls the tempo will win the game.

Temi Carda, Lakeville North vs. Rae Johnson, STMA

These are two of the top sophomores in the state, regardless of position. Carda is more of a 2, and a very small one. Johnson is only a little bit bigger, and she’s definitely a 1. Carda will crash to the rim, Johnson is more likely to drain a three. As the two quickest players on the floor, you’ll see them go head-to-head a lot.

Why Lakeville North Will Win

• North will dictate tempo, and get to the rim in transition.

• Montouri and Denk will get more than their share of rebounds on both ends of the floor.

Why STMA Will Win

• Syd Tracy is an awesome talent who has deferred to her teammates in the past. Now that she’s a junior, she’ll assert herself and give St. Michael the best half-court scoring option they’ve had since 2009.

• North can get to the rim, but Johnson, Zezza and Brendefer make this one of the top three-point shooting teams in the state.

Our Pick

Lakeville North by 3