The Jackson County Central boys basketball team begins pursuit of the Class AA state championship with Tuesday’s Target Center nightcap against Albany.
JCC is the #4 seed making a second State appearance in three years. Albany is the defending State champion and seeking a third title in four years as the #5 seed. JCC had a double-digit halftime lead during their 2024 all-Huskies quarterfinal clash but Albany rallied to win big.
JCC head coach Alex Hein says they are looking for a more complete game this time.
JCC is 25-6 overall after capturing the Section 3AA championship with wins in 17 of their last 18 games. They are mainly led by a dynamic duo of football commits in Roman Voss to the University of Minnesota and Weston Rowe to South Dakota State University. Clutch performances came from up and down the roster as they played their best basketball of the season during the section tournament. JCC ranked eighth in the final Prep Hoops poll and received votes from the coaches. JCC is playing at State for the fifth time in the last decade and since finishing runner-up in Class AA during their 2016 debut.
Albany is 24-6 overall this year after winning the 6AA title as the top seed in that bracket. They also ranked 10th in the final coaches poll this year. Albany is led by St. Mary’s men’s basketball commit Ashton Olson into an eighth all-time State appearance.
Coach Hein says JCC expects to be prepared but needs to keep their composure intact. He says this is a truly special opportunity for many reasons. It’s his first trip to State since losing his son, Madden, soon after JCC’s 2024 sixth-place finish. It’s also a moment where the team could provide some distraction and comfort as the JCC community rallies around several of their own after tragedy struck this past weekend.
FULL COACH INTERVIEW
Our coverage begins at around 7:40 with the tip-off scheduled for 8:00 p.m. and we will have JCC’s entire journey on your hometown Huskies station, KKOJ.
PLAYOFF HIGHLIGHTS PACKAGE
If JCC wins on Tuesday, the next game is Friday in the semifinals at Williams Arena. If they win twice, they play in the championship on Saturday at Williams Arena.
If JCC loses to Albany, they play on Thursday night in the consolation semifinals.
If they win on Thursday night, JCC will play in the consolation championship on Friday.
If JCC wins in the Tuesday quarterfinal but then loses in the Friday semifinal, they play the 3rd Place Game on Saturday.
The winner of the all-Huskies clash will play the winner of the preceding quarterfinal at Target Center between top seed Goodhue and #8 seed Perham.
The 29-1 Wildcats are the highest-scoring team in Class AA with nearly 83 points on average. They only lost to Winona Cotter/Hope Lutheran this season. The Wildcats are also winners of their last 22 games including the 1AA title as the top seed there. This is Goodhue’s third State appearance in a row and seventh all-time featuring a 2016 Class A runner-up finish. The coaches and Prep Hoops polls both ranked Goodhue behind Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta entering the postseason. JCC smothered the previously undefeated Tigers to win the 3AA title.
The other side of the bracket begins on Wednesday inside Williams Center at the University of Minnesota.
Pequot Lakes is the #2 seed playing #7 seed Blake in the early quarterfinal.
The 28-1 Patriots are on a 21-game win streak after winning the 7AA championship and boast the best defense in AA which allows about 48 points per game. The coaches ranked them third and Prep Hoops ranked them fourth most recently. Pequot Lakes only lost to Caledonia this year and the Warriors lost to Goodhue in the 1AA Championship. The 19-12 Bears are the 5AA champions. They are making their second State appearance and first since 2013.
Minnehaha Academy is the #3 seed playing #6 seed Waseca in the Wednesday nightcap.
The 23-5 Redhawks have only lost to state-ranked Holy Family Catholic in December this year. The Fire lost to Blake in the Section 5AA quarterfinal. The Redhawks are seeking a fifth Class AA championship in their 14th qualification. They were ranked fifth by the coaches and sixth by Prep Hoops. The 23-7 Bluejays are the 2AA champion and looking to improve upon last year’s State runner-up finish in their 14th State appearance. Waseca won the 2021 AA title and 1918 championship. The Bluejays started this season 0-4 but got on track to win 11 straight games and make it back to State for the third straight time.
The AA semifinals happen on Friday, March 27 and the championship game is Saturday, March 28 at Williams Arena. The consolation semifinals happen on Thursday night and the consolation championship is on Friday inside the Gangelhoff Center at Concordia University in St. Paul.
The Class AAAA quarterfinals get State Tournament action started at the Target Center on Tuesday, March 24.
Tartan is the top seed and Section 4AAAA champion playing #8 seed and 7AAAA champ Blaine. Lakeville South is the #4 seed and 1AAAA champ playing #5 seed and 2AAAA champ Chaska. Wayzata is the #2 seed and 6AAAA champ seeking a fourth title since 2021 and beginning against #7 seed and 3AAAA champ Apple Valley as they look for a fourth title since 2013. Maple Grove is the #3 seed and 5AAAA champ playing #6 seed and 8AAAA champ Alexandria.
The Class AAA quarterfinals begin the State Tournament slate inside Williams Arena on Wednesday, March 25.
Totino-Grace is the top seed and Section 5AAA champion looking for their fourth State title in five years with a beginning against #8 seed and 3AAA champ Minneapolis South. Northfield is the #4 seed and 1AAA champ returning to State for the first time since 1932 against #5 seed and 2AAA champ Mankato East. DeLaSalle is the #2 seed and 4AAA champ playing #7 seed and 7AAA champ Grand Rapids. Richfield is the #3 seed and 6AAA champ playing #6 seed and 8AAA champ Sartell.
The Class A quarterfinals are on Wednesday, March 25 inside the Target Center.
Henning is the unbeaten top seed and 6A champ playing #8 seed and 5A champ Upsala. Southland is the #4 seed and 1A champ riding a 23-game winning streak into a showdown with #5 seed and 3A champ Hills-Beaver Creek as both programs make their State debut. Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton is the #2 seed and 2A champ playing #7 seed and 7A champ Cherry. Red Lake County is the #3 seed and 8A champ looking to improve upon last year’s third-place finish with their State tip against #6 seed and 4A champ Liberty Classical Academy which is the third Class A program debuting this year.
We will have every Jackson County Central boys basketball game in the State Tournament on KKOJ.