The alarm clock went off way too soon for Como Park

<p>You can forgive the Como Park Cougars if they were a little sleepy-eyed during the opening moments of their Breakdown Invitational game Saturday morning with the Waseca Bluejays. After all, they were up really late Friday – likely well past the usual bedtime of the five junior high kids who play a ton of minutes  – after a 20-point loss to powerhouse Mahtomedi. The game was a foul-fest that took nearly three hours to complete and featured 80 free throws! Waseca, on the other hand, needed no dose of 5-Hour Energy to get ready for this one. They brought plenty of zip to their Saturday brunch to go with ample speed, skill and ability to execute coach Joan Conway&#39;s offense with precision. The end result was a 73-65 win for Waseca as the Bluejays ran their early season record to an impressive 6-1.</p> <p>Although Como&#39;s youngsters have been drawing notice – 8th graders <strong>KK Asberry</strong> and <strong>Ronnie Porter</strong>, and 7th grader <strong>Shania Van Nett</strong> in particular – the spotlight on this day belonged to Waseca guard <strong>Gus Boyer</strong>, a fast-rising star currently ranked #44 in the Class of 2020. Boyer is a highly-skilled floor leader who is the very definition of grace under pressure. She&#39;s got range, moves the ball with authority, and can break down defenders with alarming regularity. Boyer did all of that and more against Como Park, scoring 19 points in the process. Her partners in crime on this day were junior <strong>Madison Gehloff</strong> (ranked #44 in the Class of 2019) with 17 and forward <strong>Rachel Breck</strong> who had 19.</p> <p>Como tried valiantly to make a game of it in the second half, drawing within 7 points midway through the period, and then offering one final burst in the game&#39;s closing 90 seconds. <strong>Makayla Van Nett</strong> (#44 in 2018) is one of the state&#39;s absolute best from distance, and she made five 3-pointers and led all scorers with 24 for St. Paul. It wasn&#39;t enough, as Waseca&#39;s defensive structure and intensity, and their ability to cash in at the free throw line, was more than enough to overcome Como&#39;s physicality and speed. Como&#39;s youngsters were pretty good; Waseca&#39;s complete package was better.</p> <p><strong>Player of the game:</strong> Gus Boyer, sophomore guard, Waseca</p> <p><strong>Individual Scoring</strong></p> <p><strong>Como Park</strong> <strong>–</strong>  Makayla Van Nett 24, Raiyne Adams 16, Jada James 9, Ronnie Porter 8, Shania Van Nett 5, Donnikka Patterson 2, Shakyla Walker 1</p> <p><strong>Waseca – </strong>Gus Boyer 19, Rachel Breck 19, Madison Gehloff 17, Hannah Potter 10, Brianna Highum 4, Taylor Hiller 4</p> <p><span style="font-size:14px"><strong>Emily Russo had all the answers as New Prague knocked off Andover</strong></span></p> <p>When <strong>Emily Russo</strong> first burst on the scene a couple of years ago, it was her size, strength, power and rebounding that immediately made her a big-time prospect, vaulting the 5&#39;11 inch forward to #5 in the Class of 2020. Her scoring, on the other hand, was always a question mark. On Saturday afternoon at the Breakdown Invitational in Minnetonka, Russo had all the answers, scoring a whopping 31 points to lead her New Prague Trojans to a 78-74 overtime victory against Andover. Russo was a force on the boards and a scoring machine when the Trojans needed her the most. The result was New Prague&#39;s first win of the year after starting the season a disappointing 0-5.</p> <p>Andover sophomore <strong>Sydney White</strong> has always been a scorer. After getting her feet wet during last year&#39;s freshman campaign, White served notice Saturday that her time may have come, as well. White scored and scored and scored again in just about every way you&#39;d care to name. It all added up to 27 points, not quite enough for a win but plenty enough to serve notice that she has arrived as an offensive threat at the varsity level. That was important for the Huskies, who were missing Destiny Cummings, their most reliable offensive weapon.</p> <p>The game featured a series of runs, as one team gained a spurt of momentum and then the countered with a burst of their own. It all came down to a frantic final minute of regulation and an equally frenetic final minute of overtime. In regulation, Andover trailed by 4 entering the final minute before senior center <strong>Lizzie Karp</strong>, an Augustana commit, slipped the ball over the rim from close proximity with just one second remaining to force the extra period. The teams traded baskets in overtime before New Prague took the lead for good with a 3-pointer from the corner by senior <strong>Emily Schmitz</strong>. Then it was up to sophomore <strong>Amanda Giesen</strong> to make good on a trio of separate opportunities at the free throw line. She missed the first three shots before making the last three, enabling the Trojans to hang on for the win.</p> <p><strong>Player of the game: </strong>Emily Russo, sophomore forward, New Prague</p> <p><strong>Individual Scoring</strong></p> <p><strong>New Prague</strong> <strong>–</strong> Emily Russo 31, McKenzie Holgate 18, Emily Schmitz 15, Amanda Giezen 7, Brooke Buthe 3, Izzy Blanchard 2, Sally Traxler 2</p> <p><strong>Andover – </strong>Sydney White 27, Emily Diemer 16, Emily Schildhauer 12, Lizzy Karp 11, Alexa Garcia 7, Adreiana Matzek 1,</p>