MINNEAPOLIS — The last of the winter sports state tournaments kicks off Tuesday, March 18, as boys basketball players from across Minnesota head to the Twin Cities to compete.
Four teams from rural Northern Minnesota won their section championships last week in their quest for the state title.
The first to play from the Northland is Section 7-2A champs Pequot Lakes, set to face No. 2 seeded Waseca at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Target Center. The Patriots were the consolation final winners last year and are on a six-game winning spree headed into the quarterfinals.
On Thursday, Class 1A teams will take the court.
No. 1 seeded Cherry is the defending state champion in Class 1A and will play No. 8 BOLD at 11 a.m. Thursday. Cherry’s only loss this season came to Section 8A champs Red Lake County, the No. 3 seed who will face No. 6 Goodhue at 5 p.m. Thursday. This is Red Lake County’s first state tourney appearance since 2017.
5A section champions Nevis got the No. 4 seed and will play Henning at 1 p.m. Thursday. Nevis placed third last year and defeated Henning earlier in the season.
All quarterfinals, consolation rounds and third-place games are scheduled to be streamed by NSPN.tv . Find the stream at nspn.tv .
All semifinal and championship games will be broadcast live by 45TV and shown via stream at prep45.com.
-
Lorie Shaull/KAXEExtreme fire conditions caused some of the 17 wildfires burning in the Superior National Forest to rapidly spread July 13-14, 2026. -
Contributed/Lorie ShaullMonths before the midterms, the Trump administration dismantled a bipartisan federal commission that serves local offices that oversee voting. -
Lorie Shaull/Special to KAXEThe library matched the anonymous matching donation for $30,000 it received in June 2026. A larger fundraising goal is aimed at increasing public hours in 2027. -
Contributed/University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering CenterDue to smoke from Boundary Waters wildfires, the MPCA issued air quality alerts for large parts of Minnesota. The alert lasts until at least Friday, July 16, 2026. -
During the Phenology Report for the week of July 14, 2026 Staff Phenologist John Latimer remarks on blooming basswoods, hawks hunting in harvested fields, and more. -
Contributed/Max Nesterak / Minnesota ReformerThe evidence includes body camera footage, officer statements and the Honda Pilot in which Good was killed, all of which the federal government had previously refused to turn over. -
Contributed/Nicole HoopsGet to know the volunteers behind the mic on KAXE. This week we find out more from On the River host and volunteer, Nicole Hoops. -
And: An Aitkin peat processor fined for air pollution control violations. -
Contributed/National Weather Service Forecast Office DuluthWhile it is expected to cool off slightly on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, temperatures will stay high enough that additional heat advisories may be put in place. -
Malachy Koons/KAXEThe KAXE Music Team on new music from Baby Rose, Allison Russell, John R. Miller, Margaret Glaspy, Obi Original & The Black Atlantics, and Rush for our Pick From '76.
