Even though the Apple Valley Eagles only spent two weeks atop the Class 4A poll before being bounced out thanks to a loss to Park Center, they haven’t strayed too far from that peak. Their loss to the Pirates in their second game of the season dropped them to #3, and all they’ve done since that loss was win 17 games in a row and run out to a two-game lead in the South Suburban Conference. They’d been hot on the heels of Park Center in the rankings since late December, and with the Pirates’ loss to Osseo Tuesday night, the Eagles find themselves back atop the Class 4A poll. The two teams behind them, Hopkins and Osseo, also nudged up one spot, while Park Center dropped from #1 to #4. Minnetonka, the #5 team in Class 4A, will get a shot to move up Friday when they host #2 Hopkins in the only matchup between 4A ranked teams remaining this week.
In Class 3A, the Marshall Tigers made a three-spot move up the rankings to #4 thanks to a victory over then-#3 Blake last Saturday. The Tigers, 18-2 on the season, will welcome Sioux Falls Roosevelt to their gym on Friday night; Roosevelt’s undefeated and the #1 team in South Dakota’s large school division. New to the poll this week is Columbia Heights, whose 13-6 mark has them at #10 in 3A. They’ll host St. Louis Park (15-4) on Friday night in a key North Suburban Conference matchup as both schools are trying to catch Robbinsdale Cooper.
Class 1A has a new #1 team this week, as Maranatha Christian reclaimed the top spot after Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa was defeated for the first time in 79 regular season games by 2A #1 Melrosa. The Jaguars didn’t fall far, as they’re now #2 in the 1A poll. Maranatha’s hosting #8 West Lutheran on Thursday night in one of two matchups between top 10 teams in the latter half of this week; undefeated #4 Upsala travels to #6 Browerville Friday night with the championship of the Prairie Conference potentially on the line.
Finally, 1A #5 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton became the first team in the state to reach the 20-win mark this season; their 75-66 victory over Canby not only was win #20, it also likely wrapped up the championship of the Camden Conference’s South division. They’re heading toward a likely rematch with #9 Dawson-Boyd in the Camden Conference championship game, a game that the Blackjacks defeated R-T-R in last year 80-69.
The Minnesota Basketball News top 10 poll from Feb. 6, with results and upcoming games:
Class 4A
1. Apple Valley (18-1; Last week- #2)
This week: d. Eagan 86-52; vs. Eastview, 8pm Friday
2. Hopkins (16-2; Last week- #3)
This week: d. Anoka 81-47; at #5 Minnetonka, 7pm Friday; vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 2pm Saturday
3. Osseo (17-2; Last week- #4)
This week: d. #1 Park Center 66-56; at Champlin Park, 7pm Friday
4. Park Center (17-2; Last week- #1)
This week: l. to #4 Osseo 66-56; vs. Coon Rapids, 7pm Friday
5. Minnetonka (16-3; Last week- #5)
This week: d. Wayzata 69-64; vs. #2 Hopkins, 7pm Friday
6. Eden Prairie (14-5; Last week- #6)
This week: d. Edina 65-45; at Robbinsdale Armstrong, 7pm Friday
7. Tartan (16-3; Last week- #7)
This week: d. Hill-Murray 65-56; vs. Richfield, 7pm Friday
8. Woodbury (16-3; Last week- #8)
This week: d. Hudson (WI) 59-32; at Stillwater, 7:15pm Friday
9. Roseville (16-3; Last week- #9)
This week: at Cretin-Derham Hall, 7:15pm Friday
10. Lakeville North (15-4; Last week- #10)
This week: d. Burnsville 75-38; at Eagan, 7pm Friday
Class 3A
1. DeLaSalle (16-1; Last week- #1)
This week: d. St. Paul Academy 75-34
2. Austin (18-0; Last week- #2)
This week: at Mankato West, 7:30pm Friday; vs. Albert Lea, 7:30pm Saturday
3. Holy Angels (14-5; Last week- #5)
This week: vs. Chaska, 7:30pm Friday
4. Marshall (18-2; Last week- #7)
This week: d. Pipestone 81-27; vs. Sioux Falls Roosevelt (SD), 7:30pm Friday
5. Grand Rapids (14-3; Last week- #6)
This week: d. Deer River 70-39; at Hibbing, 7:30pm Thursday; vs. Thief River Falls, 7:30pm Saturday
6. Blake (13-5; Last week- #3)
This week: d. Concordia Academy-Roseville 58-46; vs. St. Agnes, 7:30pm Friday
7. Delano (17-2; Last week- #4)
This week: d. Orono 63-58; vs. Mound-Westonka, 7:45pm Thursday
8. Waconia (16-4; Last week- #9)
This week: d. Mound-Westonka 73-56; vs. Hutchinson, 7:30pm Friday
9. Hermantown (15-2; Last week- #10)
This week: d. Hibbing 64-59; at Superior (WI), 7:15pm Thursday; at Chisago Lakes, 3pm Saturday
10. Columbia Heights (13-6; Last week- not ranked)
This week: d. Fridley 74-67; vs. St. Louis Park, 7:15pm Friday
Class 2A
1. Melrose (18-1; Last week- #1)
This week: d. Montevideo 77-50; vs. Morris/Chokio-Alberta, 5pm Friday; at Lakeview Christian, 1:30pm Saturday
2. Byron (18-1; Last week- #2)
This week: d. Pine Island 42-30; d. La Crescent 52-42; vs. Hayfield, 7:15pm Friday; vs. #5 Fairmont, 5pm Saturday @ Target Center
3. Hawley (16-1; Last week- #3)
This week: vs. Perham, 7:30pm Friday
4. Maple River (17-3; Last week- #5)
This week: d. Blue Earth 68-37; at Worthington, 7:30pm Friday
5. Fairmont (15-3; Last week- #6)
This week: at New Ulm, 7:30pm Friday; vs. #2 Byron, 5pm Saturday @ Target Center
6. St. Peter (15-2; Last week- #7)
This week: vs. Waseca, 7:30pm Thursday
7. St. Cloud Cathedral (15-4; Last week- #4)
This week: l. to St. Cloud Apollo 90-74
8. Minnehaha Academy (13-5; Last week- not ranked)
This week: d. St. Croix Lutheran 86-72; at St. Paul Academy, 7pm Friday; at Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, 7pm Saturday
9. Rochester Lourdes (14-5; Last week- #10)
This week: d. Winona Cotter 84-53; vs. Plainview-Elgin-Millville, 7:15pm Friday; vs. Chatfield, 7:30pm Saturday
10. Pelican Rapids (14-4; Last week- not ranked)
This week: d. Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 89-52; at East Grand Forks, 7:30pm Friday
Class 1A
1. Maranatha Christian (17-1; Last week- #2)
This week: vs. #9 West Lutheran, 7pm Thursday; at Minneapolis Washburn, 1pm Saturday
2. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (18-1; Last week- #1)
This week: d. Maple Lake 57-36; vs. Rockford, 7:30pm Friday
3. Southwest Minnesota Christian (16-1; Last week- #3)
This week: at Fulda, 5pm Thursday; vs. Worthington, 7:30pm Saturday
4. Upsala (16-0; Last week- #4)
This week: at #6 Browerville, 6pm Friday
5. Russell-Tyler-Ruthton (20-1; Last week- #5)
This week: d. Canby 75-66; at Tracy-Milroy-Balaton, 7:30pm Friday
6. Browerville (14-1; Last week- #7)
This week: d. West Central 43-38; vs. #4 Upsala, 6pm Friday
7. Heritage Christian (18-2; Last week- #6)
This week: l. to #9 West Lutheran 77-75; vs. Legacy Christian, 7:30pm Thursday
8. West Lutheran (17-3; Last week- #9)
This week: d. #6 Heritage Christian 77-75; at #2 Maranatha Christian, 7pm Thursday
9. Dawson-Boyd (15-3; Last week- #10)
This week: d. Renville County West 75-37; vs. MACCRAY, 7:30pm Thursday; vs. Montevideo, 7:30pm Friday
10. Rushford-Peterson (17-3; Last week- #8)
This week: d. Mabel-Canton 71-44; d. Dover-Eyota 59-33; at Southland, 7:30pm Thursday
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