Anoka girls' basketball has come a long way, but not quite long enough

Anoka's record in the state tournament fell to 0-3 with Tuesday's loss to Eden Prairie, but Tornadoes senior guard Kyrah Fredenburg took a broader perspective of what success means.

Three seasons ago, Fredenburg was a freshman contributor for an Anoka team that made the state tournament with a 6-24 record. In the ensuing years, she helped turn the program from curiosity to contender.

"What we've done is a really big achievement," Fredenburg said. "We came in as eighth-graders to a program that was pretty much nothing and we built it up to become something. I hope it inspires others to keep on going."

DAVID LA VAQUE

Eden Prairie, the No. 4 seed in the state tournament, must face No. 1 seed Eastview in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Thursday at Williams Arena. The teams did not play each other in the regular season, and their first meeting figures to be memorable. Eastview (29-1) is ranked No. 1 in the state, but the Eagles are proven dragon slayers.

"They were picked to win the state, but we've knocked off Hopkins and Minnetonka and Anoka, all teams that were picked to win the state," Eagles junior forward Martha Kuderer said. "Eastview is a great team and we're going to have to bring it and play really well."

DAVID LA VAQUE

The team dedicated its season to Bermel, 65, the primary bus driver for St. Michael-Albertville athletics for more than 30 years, after he died of cancer in October. His wore his trademark black cowboy hat when he drove the students, earning the nickname "Cowboy Larry."

JIM PAULSEN

Three of the four teams in Thursday's Class 4A semifinals hail from the South Suburban Conference: Eastview, Lakeville North and Bloomington Kennedy. "Me and [Eastview coach] Melissa Guebert were talking about that," Bloomington Kennedy coach Quinton Johnson said. "Kudos to the league for that. We're battle-tested."