If the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva girls’ basketball team reaches the state tournament in March, it will receive no reward for its historic season.

The undefeated and second-ranked Panthers, out of Section 2AA, would face the winner of Section 7 and one of its clear favorites — Braham or Esko, ranked third and fourth, respectively, in Class AA.

The Minnesota State High School League doesn’t seed its girls’ basketball state tournament in its two smallest classes — A and AA — allowing the possibility of a matchup between two of the state’s three best teams in the tournament’s opening round on March 14 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

The MSHSL Board of Directors on Thursday, following a push by the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association, voted to seed the top four teams in the Class A and AA boys’ basketball tournament this spring. The change mirros how the Class AAA and AAAA boys’ and girls’ basketball tournaments are formatted, but the board did not vote on whether to seed the girls’ tourney in the two smallest classes.

Jenny Johnson, the executive director of the Minnesota Girls’ Basketball Coaches Association, said there is “strong opposition” among the state’s girls’ basketball caoches to seed the smallest two classes. She unlike in Class AAA and AAAA, there are too many schools, which are spread too far apart the state to be able to seed fairly.

“In general, coaches say we don’t know enough about each team,” said Johnson, who’s also an assistant principal at Edina High School. “When you get to the state tournament and there are teams from a section way up north and way down south, we don’t feel like we could fairly seed that.”

NRHEG girls’ basketball coach, John Schultz, could not be reached for comment as of press time.

The state’s two largest classes include 64 teams each, while the smallest two classes include twice that number. Johnson said there are only eight outstate schools in Class AAAA, which makes it easier to identify the best teams and players.

“It’s tricky in the small classes,” said Pat Barret, a MGBCA liason to the MSHSL who also teaches at Fridley High School. “There’s not a system in place that has much trust, and teams rarely play (mutual) opponents.”

Tom Critchley represented the state’s boys’ coaches association at the board meeting and said they asked the girls’ coaches to jump on board with their proposal.

Johnson said she was happy to see the MSHSL make a change to the boys’ tournament that didn’t affect the girls’.

“We’re two different leagues,” she said.