Woodbury Girls Advance in Section Quarter Finals

Dave Preller will coach at least one more game for the girls basketball team as the Royals opened the Section 4AAAA Tournament with a 56-35 defeat of Suburban East Conference rival Cretin-Derham Hall on Wednesday night in "The Lion's Den."

Preller, who won his 532nd game of his career in his final game on the Woodbury High School court, had announced on Monday that he will retire following this conclusion of this season, his 26th campaign as a high school head coach.

Woodbury led by a not-quite comfortable six-point margin at the break, but poured it on over the final 18 minutes of play to outscore the Raiders 28-13 en route to the win. 

The Royals did not allow a single Cretin scorer a double-digit night, while Michelle Young and Kristina White recorded 16 and 13 points, respectively, for the home side.

Woodbury, the No.2 seed in the section, moves on to face second-seeded North St. Paul in the 4AAAA semifinals at 6 p.m. Saturday at .

The Polars defeated the Royals 45-39 in the championship game of Woodbury's "Winter Wonderland" Tournament on Dec. 22.

Saturday evening's victor advances to the section championship game against either No. 1 White Bear Lake or No. 4 Stillwater at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 10.