This time of year, there are a lot of big games in high school sports. February and March are tournament season for many winter sports. Hockey and basketball, two of the biggest and most well-known high school sports, are among the winter sports that end before the start of spring.

This wave of tournaments started with the Alpine ski competition from February 12-14 for both boys and girls. Minnetonka did well this year, with the boys’ team placing eighth in the state. The girls’ team were even more successful, winning the state tournament with an all-around solid performance. Megan Greiner won the individual competition and Erin Olejnik finished second. Other Minnetonka girls also did well, including Marlee Gartner, Grace Robillard, Emma Sharpe, and Allison Haworth.

The Nordic ski state meet was the same weekend. Colin Touhey was the only competitor from Minnetonka, and he represented us well.

The girls’ hockey tournament was from February 19th to February 22nd. After three straight years of winning the title, Minnetonka was not in contention this year. Hill-Murray beat Benilde-St. Margaret’s in the Class AA championship. Blake won the Class A title, beating East Grand Forks. Our own Sydney Baldwin won the Miss Hockey Minnesota award this winter. Congrats, Sydney!

Minnetonka placed third in the 2014 State Boys’ Swimming & Diving Championship from Febreary 27th to March 1st in the Class AA section, with Wayzata winning and Eden Prairie getting second.

In the boys’ hockey tournament, the #1 seed Edina beat #2 seed Lakeville in the Class AA championship. East Grand Forks won the boys’ hockey tournament shortly after winning the girls’ this year. They competed in Class A. The tournament is widely reported to be the largest tournament in American high school sports, as measured by viewership and attendance.

The boys’ basketball tournament was exciting this year. It took place March 12th to March 15th.  Minnetonka did not reach the state tournament this year. In the section quarterfinals, Minnetonka beat Minneapolis South 77-67. Careino Gurley and Justin Moes scored 17 points each, while Seth Coatta, Mitch Felknor, and Amar Miller were all in double-digits. The team’s final record became 19-9 after losing the section semifinal game against Eden Prairie on March 1st. The 68-71 loss came down to the final seconds.

Minnetonka girls’ basketball had a good season this year. The team tied for the divisional title with Hopkins. Minnetonka beat Edina 63-37 on March 8th to make it to the section finals.  Courtney Fredrickson led the team in scoring with 20 points. However, Eden Prairie beat out first Hopkins and then Minnetonka for a spot in the state tournament. Minnetonka lost in the section championship game, which finished 49-60. Hannah Hedstrom scored 23 points, but the team was unable to beat the Eagles. Eden Prairie will compete in the state tournament starting March 18th.

While many tournaments are finished, I encourage everyone reading to enjoy the remaining games in March. After basketball, there will be a break, with tennis, softball, track, golf, lacrosse, and baseball occurring at the start of June.