Goodhue Moves Up in Girls Basketball Rankings

The Goodhue Wildcats girls basketball team finished second in the state last year in Class 1A.  This year they were bumped up to Class 2A with their enrollment right at the number needed to move up.  The folks that do the rankings for the Minnesota Basketball News have taken notice.  December 20th they moved into the top 20 and in the latest rankings the Wildcats are #17 in Class 2A.

Sitting currently with a 10-1 record after defeating the two teams they faced in the Winona State Holiday Classic last weekend Goodhue is at Lyle/Pacelli Thursday night, Friday hosts Plainview-Elgin-Millville.  Games the following week against Zumbrota-Mazeppa and Triton take place.  Then a rematch of last year's Class 1A State Championship game with Minneota take place in a basketball showcase contest January 11 at 5:00 p.m. in Kasson.

Fellow Hiawatha Valley League teams Rochester Lourdes and Lake City are ranked above Goodhue even though the Wildcats handed the Tigers one of their four losses 66-59.

Goodhue has a 9 game winning streak.  The Lourdes Eagles only loss came against Lake City.  The Eagles had no trouble defeating Owatonna (by 31) and Class 4A state ranked Burnsville (by 19) in the Rochester Rotary event over the holidays.  Lake City lost both of their games, to state ranked Rosemount (by 20) and Rochester John Marshall (by 7).

The Big Nine Conference has three teams ranked in the top 13 in Class 3a.  #4 Red Wing (the only team to defeat Goodhue), #5 Austin and #13 Mankato West.

In Class 1A Gopher Conference members Blooming Prairie and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown are rated #6 and #12 respectively.  The Awesome Blossoms only loss came against Goodhue.  They just won the Hayfield Tournament with narrow victories over Hayfield (40-38) and Kenyon-Wanamingo (47-46).

The Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Buccaneers are still undefeated after winning their two games at a holiday event in Montgomery over the weekend.  The Buccaneers bested Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop (46-27) and host team Tri-City United (56-44).

In Class 4A #1 rated Hopkins now has a 43 game winning streak.  The longest in big schools history.  Lakeville won 40 consecutive while capturing back to back title in 2001 and 2002.  Six teams from the South Suburban Conference are in the top 19 with Farmington ranked #2.  Lakeville North #15.

The complete rankings are below:

Class 4A

1. Hopkins
2. Farmington
3. Park Center
4. Wayzata
5. Centennial
6. St. Michael-Albertville
7. Maple Grove
8. Rosemount
9. Chaska
10. Elk RIver
11. Stillwater
12. Shakopee
13. Eden Prairie
14. Minnetonka
15. Lakeville North
16. Roseville Area
17. Burnsville
18. Minneapolis South
19. Eastview
20. Blaine

Class 3A

1. Becker
2. DeLaSalle
3. Holy Angels Academy
4. Red Wing
5. Austin
6. Simley
7. St. Paul Como Park
8. Marshall
9. Waconia
10. Alexandria
11. Hill-Murray
12. Mahtomedi
13. Mankato West
14. St. Croix Lutheran
15. Hermantown
16. Hutchinson
17. St. Peter
18. Bemidji
19. Willmar
20. Richfield

Class 2A

1. Sauk Centre
2. Rochester Lourdes
3. Duluth Marshall
4. Fergus Falls
5. Minnehaha Academy
6. New London-Spicer
7. Waseca
8. Winona Cotter
9. Proctor
10. Pine City
11. Lake City
12. Mesabi East
13. Roseau
14. Albany
15. Rockford
16. Crookston
17. Goodhue
18. Providence Academy
19. Pelican Rapids
20. Belle Plaine

Class 1A

1. Minneota
2. Cromwell-Wright
3. Mountain Iron-Buhl
4. Henning
5. Walker-Hackensack-Akeley
6. Blooming Prairie
7. Cherry
8. Sleepy Eye St. Mary's
9. Mayer Lutheran
10. Hills-Beaver Creek
11. Southwest MN Christian
12. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown
13. Central MN Christian
14. Hancock
15. Warren-Alvardo-Oslo
16. Park Christian
17. Heritage Christian
18. Badger-Greenbush-Middle River
19. BOLD
20. Pine River-Backus