Girls State Basketball: St. Michael-Albertville beats Roseville in Class 4A semifinals

St. Michael-Albertville lost three of four games to end the regular season. One of those losses was a 40-point setback to Hopkins during the end of a grueling Lake Conference schedule. While those tough battles prepared St. Michael-Albertville for the postseason, the Knights are hopeful short-term memories aren’t lingering.

Why? Next up is a return date with Hopkins in the biggest game of the season.

St. Michael-Albertville, the No. 3-seeded team in the Class AAAA field, kept its championship hopes alive with a 73-57 victory over unseeded Roseville in the big-school semifinals on Thursday, March 17, 2022, at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus. Junior forward Tessa Johnson scored 25 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out four assist to send the Knights (23-7) to a girls basketball championship game for the first time since 2009 when the Knights captured the Class AAA title. St. Michael-Albertville was also the Class AA champion in 2001.

Sophomore guard Ja’Kahla Craft added 18 points and senior guard Emma Miller topped the 1,000-point mark with a 13-point effort. She also had five assists, including a court-length baseball pass to Craft to an easy transition layup.

Roseville (22-9), which upset No. 2 Shakopee in the quarterfinals, pulled to within 57-49 with 3:32 remaining in regulation that instilled hope for the Raiders. But instead, the Knights answered in convincing fashion with a 16-8 run to end the game. Roseville was seeking its first berth in a championship game since finishing as the Class AA runner-up in 1993.

Junior guard Drew Johnston and senior forward Hattie DeVries had 14 points each for the Raiders.