Earlier Saturday, Alexandria defeated Mankato East 73-64 in the 3A final, Dawson-Boyd beat Cherry 81-74 in 1A, and Albany overcame Waseca 70-63 in 2A.

Cherry and Dawson-Boyd advanced to the 1A final, and Albany and Waseca reached the 2A semifinal title game.

Cherry, the top seed in the 1A bracket and defending state champion, will face Dawson-Boyd in the state championship Saturday at 11 a.m. at Williams Arena.

Wayzata will take on Cretin-Derham Hall in 4A, and Alexandria will play Mankato East in 3A.

Longtime Star Tribune sportswriter Ron Haggstrom forecasts which teams will advance to the semifinals and championship games, including the eventual tournament winners in all four classes.

This edition of the Star Tribune’s Minnesota Top 25 ranks the best boys basketball teams in the state tournament.

Cretin-Derham Hall (Class 4A), Mankato East (3A) and Albany (2A) received the No. 1 seeds. The Class 1A seeds will be released Saturday night.

The brackets will be revealed Saturday, and quarterfinals will begin Tuesday.

Take a tour through some sections where competition will be fierce, and then check out the predictions.