1. Ready to defend

Defending champion Minneota's path to another Class 1A championship looks all too familiar. The No. 1-ranked Vikings (30-1) meet Red Lake 21-9 in the quarterfinals, an identical matchup from a year ago when they won by 20 points. If they reach the semifinals, the Vikings would face the winner of Heritage Christian (22-7) and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (26-4). They defeated Heritage Christian 55-50 in the semifinals last year. Minneota returns junior Abby Hennen (18.1 points per game) and sister Morgan (13.1) from last year's starters. Minneota, making its eighth state tournament appearance in the past 10 years, also won a state title in 2013.

2. Four first-timers

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (19-10), Fillmore Central (22-8) and Henning (28-2) are all making their first state tournament appearances. Henning is the No. 3 seed while Waterville-Elysian-Morristown is No. 4. Henning faces Fillmore Central in the first round, guaranteeing that a newcomer will reach at least the semifinals.

3. Cardinals halt

nine-year streak

It took Cromwell-Wright's return to Section 7 to bring an end to Mountain Iron-Buhl's streak of nine consecutive state tournament appearances. Both schools appeared in the state tournament in 2016 and 2017 when Cromwell-Wright was in Section 5. The No. 2-ranked Cardinals (28-2) are led by senior guard Taya Hakamaki, who is averaging more than 25 points per game.

RON HAGGSTROM