The Shakopee girls basketball team is starting to pick up its level of play.
The Sabers have won five of their last six games, having a five-game win streak snapped Jan. 24 with a 52-47 loss at Farmington in South Suburban Conference action.
Shakopee (9-7 overall, 5-4 in the SSC) went into the game off a 49-44 home win in overtime over Lakeville South in league play Jan. 19 and a 57-56 victory at Edina Jan. 17 in a battle of Section 2AAAA foes.
The Sabers still have to keep improving if they want to defend their Section 2AAAA title. The field is strong with the likes of No. 2-ranked Chaska (15-1), No. 7 Minnetonka (12-4) and No. 8 Eden Prairie (14-5) looking like the top-three seeds.
Prior Lake (8-6) and the Sabers are battling for the No. 4 seed and a home playoff game in the quarterfinals. Chanhassen (5-9), Edina (5-12) and Waconia (4-12) round out the field.
The Sabers are 2-2 against the section so far with its other win over Waconia. The two losses are to both Chaska and Prior Lake.
Shakopee will face Prior Lake again in SSC play Feb. 14 at home. The Sabers will likely need to win that game to have a shot at the No. 4 seed.
The playoffs starts March 1 with first-round action. The semifinals are March 4 and the title game is set for March 10.
Shakopee upset Eden Prairie in last year's title game on the road when then-senior Katie Cordes made a half-court shot at the buzzer for a 50-47 victory.
In the loss to Farmington, the Sabers fell behind 29-17 at the break and couldn't come all the way back in the second half. Junior Nicole Maenke led Shakopee with 17 points.
Senior Shyla Moore was also in double figures with 11 points, while junior Olivia Pawlicki scored eight and sophomore Kailey Korba had six.
Against Lakeville South, the Sabers outscored the Cougars 7-2 in the extra session. Maenke led the way with 15 points.
Pawlicki scored eight points, followed by junior Daviyana Singleton-Buchanan with seven, Korba with six and Moore with four.
In beating Edina, four Sabers were in double figures with Maenke leading the team with 16 points. Singleton-Buchanan finished with 13 points, while Moore and Pawlicki each had 11.
Maenke leads Shakopee in scoring at 12.9 points per game, while Pawlicki is also averaging in double figures (11.2). Senior Cassandra Ross is third in scoring at 8.5 points, followed by Singleton-Buchanan (7.7).
This year's Class 4A state tournament will be March 15-18 at Williams Area on the University of Minnesota campus. Hopkins beat St. Michael-Albertville for the title last winter.
Coaches Vs. Cancer
Shakopee's Feb. 14 game against Prior Lake will also be a 2023 Coaches Vs. Cancer Fundraiser. All the proceeds from the event will be donated to local Shakopee cancer patients.
Opportunities to donate include:
- $250 to add your business logo to event t-shirts.
- Donation basket that will be raffled off at the event or items to add to a basket.
- A cash donation at the event.
The Shakopee boys team will have its Coaches Vs. Cancer event Feb. 16 versus Lakeville South.
The Shakopee boys and girls booster clubs are helping support the events. For more information, go to shakopeesabers.com/staffinfo.