Girls Basketball Punches Ticket to State

After two consecutive years of painful sectional championship losses, a spirited win over the Eden Prairie Eagles earned the girls basketball team a trip to the 2012 state tournament.

It was the polar opposite of last year, when the Eagles . The Hornets rode strong performances from MC McGrory and Lindsey Johnson—each with 17 points—to secure the victory.

The girls led Eden Prairie 23-17 headed into the second half, but the Eagles surged back to take the lead late in the game. With a little more than two minutes remaining in the game, McGrory sank a basket to recover the lead. The Hornets never looked back en route to a 50-46 win.

Edina's Madeline Rodriquez contributed eight points, Katybeth Biewen scored six and Julia Good finished with two.

The Hornets have been seeded No. 2 in the state tournament and will play Duluth East in a quarterfinal matchup at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 14, at the Target Center. The winner of that game will advance to meet the winner of a matchup between Osseo and White Bear Lake high schools on Thursday, Mar. 15.

Fellow Lake Conference team Hopkins was given the top seed in the tournament, but the two teams wouldn't play each other unless both make it to the championship game.