The best year of the Chanhassen and Chaska girls basketball rivalry in well over a decade just got a whole lot more interesting.
On Wednesday at 7 p.m., Chaska will play host to Chanhassen in their third matchup of the year. But Eastern Carver County supremacy for the season is not the only thing at stake. The winner will advance in the 2AAAA playoffs … and the team that loses will see their season end.
Both teams encourage their fans to come out to Chaska High School, and arrive early, on Wednesday night for what is shaping up to be quite a battle.
The Hawks were given the #4 seed in the section by virtue of a slightly better conference record. The Hawks ended the season 10-4 in the Metro West Conference, good enough for a third place finish.
The Storm were 9-5, finishing fourth in the conference, and earned the fifth seed in Section 2AAAA.
Both teams finished the season with 2-1 records in their last three games. Both teams feasted on a weak St. Louis Park team in their final week.
In Chanhassen’s win over St. Louis Park, 13 different Storm players scored, led by sophomore Kate Arnold’s 23 points. Eighth-grader Lucy Hilgert added 17 in an 83-36 victory.
Chanhassen also beat Southwest Christian 71-55, but lost to conference co-champion Orono 80-65. The Storm finished with a regular season record of 17-9.
Chanhassen Coach Bart Inniger is focusing his team’s attention on finishing strong and playing their best.
“For us as we head into sections, we are continuing to try to improve to be playing our best basketball of the year,” said Inniger. “In our last three games, we have played pretty well with consistent effort. We have been working through some injuries and it has changed some lineups and rotations, but like all teams we have to continue to battle through adversity.”
Inniger also stressed the amplified dynamic of playoff basketball.
“We are looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that section basketball brings. Playoff basketball means that your defense and rebounding must be outstanding, as well as offensive execution and limiting turnovers.”
Chaska, for their part, also had a lopsided win over St. Louis Park, winning 77-37 on the road, but their previous game was one of their signature wins on the season, beating Orono 69-59. It was the Hawks’ second win of the season over Orono – who went 12-2 in the Metro West this year, their only conference losses coming to the Hawks.
It was an emotional Valentine’s Day evening for Chaska, as the team honored program supporters Cara Hoye and Emily Welter, who are each battling cancer, and Hawks assistant coach John Thompson, who lost his wife Leann to cancer in 2024.
The Hawks were led by junior Addi Schneider’s 24 points, with senior Alexis Schaefer adding 16. It was the Hawks third win of the season over a ranked team.
Coach Samantha Canter praised her team’s defensive intensity and recognized it as the key to a playoff run.
“We have to continue to build on our team defense which was very key in our win over Orono by holding them to only 21 points in the first half,” said Canter. “We have to continue to trust each other and lean on each other on the court both offensively and defensively.”
Heading into sections, coach Canter echoed many of the same sentiments as her Chanhassen counterpart about playoff basketball.
“We have to use having a home game for the first round to our advantage, and we have to leave it all on the court each game of sections and not take anything for granted especially for our seniors,” she said. “It’s an exciting time of the season!”
GAME PREVIEW:
Wednesday, Feb. 26th, 7 PM
Chaska High School Gym
Section 2AAAA Playoffs
#4 Chaska (15-11) VS #5 Chanhassen (17-9)
Tickets available at the door / District 112 Passes not accepted for MSHSL postseason games
