Who: No. 1 seed Northfield vs. No. 2 seed Austin.
Where, when: Mayo Civic Arena, 8 p.m. Thursday.
Records, rankings: Northfield is 24-3 and ranked fifth in Class 3A. Austin is 16-11 and unranked.
Northfield’s edge: The Raiders and Packers will meet for the third time this season in the Section 1-3A final. Northfield won the first two contests by scores of 72-63 on Jan. 8 and 74-72 on Feb. 13.
On the line: The top-seeded Raiders last made the state tournament 94 years ago in 1932 (and also in 1928 and 1916 before that). A win would mean Northfield’s first section title and state berth in nearly a century. Austin is looking to advance to state for the first time since 2022. The Raiders fell to Byron in the section semifinals last season after defeating the Packers in the quarterfinals.
Austin’s strengths: The Packers are a well-balanced bunch who face off mainly with Class 4A and Class 3A teams during the regular season since they play in the Big Nine Conference alongside the Raiders. Austin is 5-5 in its past 10 games with seniors Cole Hebrink and Banyaan Omot and junior Xzayveun Severin leading the way. The Packers downed Winona 86-68 in the section quarterfinals and Stewartville 75-66 in the semifinals to reach the championship game.
Northfield’s strengths: Finishing second in the Big Nine Conference behind champion Mayo, the Raiders have been a tall task for any opponent this season. They’ve won seven games in a row since losing to Century 71-60 on Feb. 5. They took down Byron 79-42 in the section semifinals after earning a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed. Six-foot-five senior forward/guard Kayden Oakland is averaging over 20 points per game for the Raiders. Oakland, a South Dakota State University football commit, became the program’s all-time leading scorer during the section semifinals on Saturday, surpassing the record set 10 years prior.
Who: No. 1 seed Goodhue vs. No. 6 seed Caledonia.
Where, when: Mayo Civic Auditorium, 8 p.m. Thursday.
Records, rankings: Goodhue is 28-1 and ranked second in Class 2A. Caledonia is 18-10 and unranked.
Goodhue’s move: The Wildcats moved up to Class 2A this school year after dominating in Class 1A for a handful of years. This is their fifth consecutive section championship appearance after making the past four Section 1, Class 1A title games. Goodhue is also seeking its third straight trip to the state tournament. Thursday will be the first time Goodhue meets Caledonia on the basketball court this season.
Caledonia’s repeat and hot streak: It will be a battle of defending section champions as the Warriors roll into the Section 1, Class 2A championship game, hoping to pull off an upset and defend their title from a year ago. Caledonia had an “up and down” regular season after graduating the bulk of its starters from 2025’s state tournament team, but is now 10-5 in its last 15 games.
Caledonia’s strengths: One of those recent wins came against Class 2A No. 6-ranked Zumbrota-Mazeppa in the Section 1, Class 2A semifinals on Saturday, eliminating the Cougars from the tournament for the third consecutive year. The Warriors used stellar defense to force overtime against the Cougars and proceeded to outscore Z-M 10-7 in the final four minutes of the game. Caledonia’s defense helped them knock off No. 3 Cannon Falls 61-58 in the section quarterfinals. One of the only returners from last year’s state team is sophomore Grant King, who averages 22.6 points per game for the Warriors.
Goodhue’s strengths: The Wildcats’ trio of sophomore Alex Loos and brothers senior Luke Roschen (a Southwest Minnesota State University commit) and junior Owen Roschen have caused opponents grief all season, and for the past three years, for that matter. A once young squad is now full of experienced veterans, as well as some impactful newcomers, including 6-foot-5 sophomore Cody Ryan. Thursday will be business as usual for Goodhue, and if it can get by the defending section champions, it will be in pursuit of the program’s first state title. The Wildcats, who lost in the Class 1A state quarterfinals the past two seasons, are looking to go the extra mile this time around.
Who: No. 1 seed Southland vs. No. 3 seed Lewiston-Altura.
Where, when: Mayo Civic Auditorium, 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
Records, rankings: Southland is 27-1 and ranked third in Class 1A. L-A is 21-8 and unranked.
Southland’s edge: After falling in the Section 1-1A semifinals last year to Rushford-Peterson, the Rebels are once again seeking their first state berth. Southland is on a 22-game win streak. One of those victories was over Lewiston-Altura during the regular season, 68-51, on Jan. 3. The Rebels have been ranked in the state for most of the season and outscored their section tournament opponents by margins of 60, 32 and 13 points.
Lewiston-Altura’s strengths: The Cardinals, playing in the Three Rivers Conference, faced a dozen or so Class 2A teams on their schedule. L-A has five players averaging 10 or more points per game, including 6-foot-1 senior Cole Kennedy and 6-foot-1 senior Gavin Bambenek. Bambenek and Kennedy led the Cardinals with 14 and 13 points, respectively, in their section semifinal win over No. 10 Wabasha-Kellogg on Saturday.
Southland’s strengths: The Rebels are led by juniors Tate Goergen, Henry Wiste and Ethan Schammel, who average double-digit numbers in scoring. Wiste, who stands at 6-foot-3, notched a team-high 39 points with six 3-pointers and 11 rebounds in the section semifinals against No. 4 Hayfield on Saturday. Goergen, a 6-foot-1 guard, put up 25 points and seven rebounds in the win over the Vikings.
Madeline Warren is a sports reporter for the Post Bulletin. A midwesterner through and through, Madeline grew up in Lansing, Mich. She is a proud graduate of Michigan State University, where she earned her journalism degree in 2023. Readers can reach Madeline at 507-285-7724 or mwarren@postbulletin.com.