Northstar Top Performer

<p>Here are the candidates. This week we just couldn&#39;t narrow it down any further than 8 candidates. Watch this space to see who we pick as our Northstar Top Performer for this week.</p> <p><strong>Joey Batt, New Ulm, 5-6, junior, point guard</strong></p> <p>New Ulm split a pair of games last week as Batt scored 64 points with 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 14 steals. She shot 17-of-27 2s, 12-of-14 FT, and 6-of-14 3-pointers. For the season she is averaging 30 ppg, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals. She is the state’s #2 scorer as we speak.</p> <p><strong>Dlayla Chakolis, Hopkins, 5-8, sophomore, power forward</strong></p> <p>Hopkins swept a pair of games by an average of 29 points as Chakolis scored 44 points (29 versus the Edina Hornets). She is of course a beast on the boards, punishing opponents inside en route to a season average of 14 ppg.</p> <p><strong>Madi Heiderscheidt, Sleepy Eye, 5-8, senior, point guard</strong></p> <p>Heiderscheidt led her Sleepy Eye team to 3 wins last week by 31, 25 and 20-point margins. She scored 29, 15 and 24 points (a total of 68 or 23 ppg) with 15 assists and 13 steals.</p> <p><strong>Morgan Hill, Mpls. South, 5-10, senior, shooting guard</strong></p> <p>Hill just keeps rolling along, scoring 89 points as the Tigers swept St. Paul Central, Tartan and Mpls. Southwest by a total margin of 99 points. For the season, Hill is scoring 29 ppg, 3rd in the state behind Sam Haiby and Joey Batt.</p> <p><strong>Maddie Loder, Orono, 6-0, senior, point guard</strong></p> <p>Loder scored 95 points as Orono won 2 of 3 games. She added 32 rebounds, 16 assists and 8 steals in those 3 games. She is the #10 scorer in the state at 25 ppg.</p> <p><strong>Alyssa Peterson, Menahga, 5-7, junior, combo guard</strong></p> <p>Peterson and her Braves teammates keep rolling along, getting to 5-0 with a 70-33 rout of New York Mills. Peterson missed her average (26 ppg) by just one in this one, leading all scorers with 25.</p> <p><strong>Sara Scalia, Stillwater, 5-8, junior, combo guard</strong></p> <p>Scalia busted loose for 37 points as Stillwater defeated Woodbury 69-56. She was then held to just 16 points by a determined Roseville defense. Still, she has established herself as one of the state’s top scoring threats and, more specifically, 3-point shooters. She is 2nd in the state with 23 3s and 7th with 26 ppg.</p> <p><strong>Annika Sougstad, Mahtomedi, 5-10, senior, forward</strong></p> <p>Sougstad has always been known as a great defender, rebounder, passer, hustle player, “does the little things” and/or “does the dirty work” type of player. But no more. Now, in addition to all of that, she’s suddenly had a breakout as a scorer, with 20+ points in 3 of her last 4 games and 40 points in 2 games last week. (Before that she made 21-of-22 FT and scored 28 against St. Paul Como on Dec. 8.) </p>