Schools out for summer, but not at the Breakdown Showcase

School’s out for summer (at least that’s what Alice Cooper sang in the summer of 1972!) but you would never have known it Sunday at the Breakdown Showcase in Maple Grove. Many of the marquee high school girls basketball teams were on hand for a quality tournament that offered a nice preview of the coming season. Standing in the middle of the three-court set-up at Maple Grove Community Center in the early afternoon, I could see Lakeville North, Eastview, Moorhead, St. Michael-Albertville, Minnetonka and Wayzata. It doesn’t get much better than that in Class AAAA. There were 32 teams in total with eight from each class, including many of the name brands. Mountain Iron Buhl and their Section 7A rivals Cromwell-Wright were both on hand. Hayfield, which moves down from AA, was there along with their new foes from Lyle-Austin Pacelli. Perennial combatants Hutchinson and Orono were competing in AAA. Other participants included Sauk Centre, Grand Rapids, Waseca and Northfield. Here are a few observations from Sunday’s play. Rising Robbinsdale Cooper Kiara Buford’s Cooper Hawks have been getting good for a couple of years now, but as one of the smaller schools in Class AAAA it has been tough to advance. In the past, there were just too many giants to slay, including the big blue machine from Hopkins. Now Williams Arena and the state tournament is a realistic goal for the Hawks who will compete in section 6AAA with teams like Orono, Delano and Benilde. Cooper won 23 regular season games last year with some impressive triumphs. Cooper is small but speedy with plenty of ball-handling prowess and a nice combination of youth and experience. Incoming freshmen Andrea Tribble, a quick little guard, and sizeable post Kierra Wheeler saw significant minutes a year ago but the teammates from Tayler Hill Elite will now be impact players. Veteran guards Ju Gaston, Aja Wheeler, and TT Longs have a vast array of tools, along with Jada Buford and 6-footer Alexis Nance. On Sunday, the Hawks were good but came up just short in a 66-62 loss to Grand Rapids before knocking off Simley 53-46 in a track meet. Surging Simley Spartans Simley High School has been toiling in relative anonymity for some time now as an army of young Spartans has eased its way onto the roster. Now, led by three of the very best sophomores around, Simley may be about to bust loose in Class AAA. Last year, the Spartans were hamstrung by a plodding offensive philosophy that did not work well. This time around, the hounds are likely to be unleashed, and why not. Guards Sydney Stensgard and Ravyn Miles of Minnesota Fury 2020 Blue and forward TeeTee Danso of North Tartan 9 are big-time players at both ends of the floor. You can be sure new coach Mark Stensgard will cash in on their athleticism and skill sets. Word has it there are more talented youngsters on the way up, too. Simley resides in Section 3AAA – Holy Angels has been dominant there of late – and have now been joined by St. Croix Lutheran, which has moved up from Class AA. Simley lost in the quarterfinals on Sunday by a single basket, 57-55 to state-tournament participant Waseca. Names you need to know There were a number youngsters on hand Sunday who demonstrated quite clearly that they are going to play much more prominent roles this winter. Foremost among those was probably Lauren Jensen of Lakeville North. Jensen, ranked 7th in the class of 2020, takes over at the point for superstar Temi Carda, who has moved on to Creighton University. For Eastview, the most notable newcomer was incoming freshman Cassidy Carson of Minnesota Stars Hersch. The 6-footer showed outstanding poise playing significant minutes at guard. Carson, whose older sister Courtney will be a senior for the Lightning, has an unbelievably long stride en route to the hoop, and tremendous range from well outside the arc. She’s going to be a good one. While Heaven Hamling, the show-stopping guard ranked 21st in the class of 2018, is the be-all and end-all for Grand Rapids, two players who caught my eye on Sunday were Hannah DeMars and Mya Roberts. While certainly not unfamiliar, DeMars (#41 in the Northstar class of 2019) and Roberts (#107 among 2020s) demonstrated their improvement and are sure to be key pieces for Coach Kris Hamling. Incoming freshman Jenna Johnson of Wayzata did not look out of place at all going up against much more experienced posts. The North Tartan 8 West big is strong and smooth, with terrific touch around the rim and nice court sense. She can also knock it down from outside. We should expect great things. Unfortunate injuries For most of the top prospects, it has been a long AAU summer that culminates next weekend at the North Tartan Meltdown and the Top Tier National Showcase. Players are tired and beat up and ready for some down time. Along with some great national competition of late, there have also been some unfortunate injuries. Kenzie Kramer, the talented sophomore point guard ranked 2nd in the 2020 class, did not suit up for St. Michael-Albertville. She’s wearing a boot on her right foot as the result of a stress fracture and strained ligament incurred during the AAU season with North Tartan 9. Kenzie said the foot has been hurting for some time, and an MRI last week confirmed why. She expects to be out four to eight weeks. Kenzie Stumne is also among the walking wounded. The 5’11” forward from Forest Lake, currently ranked #30 in the class of 2019, apparently suffered a knee injury in Dallas while playing for Minnesota Fury 2019 Blue. She could be out for several months. That is a big blow for Forest Lake, which boasts a pile of emerging talent, including point guard Lexie Hultman, 5’10” forward Abigail Groeneweg, and 6’ wing Abby Leach, all from the class of 2019. So who went home with bragging rights? It’s July, the high school season is four months away, and not every team had a full complement of players at the Breakdown Showcase. Do the results really matter? You decide. For what it’s worth, these were Sunday’s winners. Class A – Lyle-Austin Pacelli defeated Hayfield 59-39 to win the title. Wheaton-Herman-Norcross and Sleepy Eye made it to the semi-finals. Class AA – Sauk Centre defeated Rush City 43-33 to win AA. St. Cloud Cathedral and Eden Valley-Watkins were semifinalists. Class AAA – Grand Rapids knocked off Hutchinson 69-62 for the title. Waseca and Northfield made it to the final four. Class AAAA – Lakeville North beat Eastview 59-49 to take the AAAA title. Wayzata and Minnetonka made it to the semis.