Class 3A •How good is Section 3? In a normal year, Columbia Heights -- with its 20-6 record and Metro Player of the Year candidate Jacob Thomas -- would be shoo-in as the top seed. But the Hylanders only managed the No. 3 spot, behind No. 1 DeLaSalle and No. 2 St. Paul Central.
Despite tying for the Tri-Metro West title, DeLaSalle has a difficult draw. Should the Islanders win their quarterfinal game against Fridley, they most likely would face No. 4-seeded Minneapolis Henry in the semifinals. Henry defeated DeLaSalle 94-88 last week.
•Some talented big men will be on display in Class 3A. Delano, seeded No. 3 in Section 5, features 6-8 junior post Michael Yahnke; Waconia, No. 2 in Section 6, is led by 6-7 forward Shelby Moats. And Cloquet, the No. 2 seed in Section 7, has 6-10 center Chad Calcaterra, a Colorado State recruit.
Class 2A Sibley East's Marshall Bjorklund averages 25 points and 15 rebounds per game and has signed with North Dakota State. But the 6-7 forward never has sniffed the state tournament's big stage because the Wolverines have not advanced past the Section 5 semifinals in his career. They earned the No. 2 seed in the South Subsection of Section 5 but will need to get past No. 1-seeded Mayer Lutheran, which beat them twice, to have a shot at the state tournament.
