‘Tis the season to be jolly.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.
“Deck The Halls” — or in this case “The Courts” — with the state’s best girls’ basketball teams at St. Benedict’s in St. Joseph.
The Granite City Classic will be the setting for marquee matchups Friday, Dec. 27, and Saturday, Dec. 28, during the holiday break. The results at the classic could shake up our Top 25 rankings, as well as provide a clear-cut No. 1.
The last game on Friday at 8 p.m. will pit top-rated Providence Academy — led by Kentucky recruit Maddyn Greenway, who has been spectacular from the onset of the season — against fifth-ranked Hopkins.
Providence Academy has victories this season over No. 2 Maple Grove, No. 11 Orono and No. 12 Eastview. They will face Duluth Marshall on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Hopkins will have to bounce back from the matchup quickly. Coach Tara Starks’ squad will square off with Maple Grove — led by Michigan State recruit senior guard Jordan Ode — on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Two other intriguing matchups take place Saturday, with No. 3 Wayzata vs. No. 14 Prior Lake at 1:15 p.m., followed by No. 8 Crosby-Ironton vs. the state’s top Class 1A school No. 24 Goodhue (6-1) at 2:45. Gopher commit Tori Oehrlein has recorded two quadruple-doubles for Crosby-Ironton so far this season.
