Here are the Northstar Top Performers for Week #7

Carmen Backes, Chisago Lakes, 6-2, senior, forward

Backes had a huge week, which almost resulted in a 3-0 week for the Wildcats. Backes scored 88 points in 2-and-a-half games—19 in the 1st half as Chisago ran out to a double-digit lead over St. Francis, 32 in a 16-point win over North Branch, and then 37 in a surprise Chisago win at Grand Rapids. Only a furious St. Francis rally in the 2nd half of their game, in which they held Backes to just 4 poins, prevented Chisago from getting a sweep.

We had been told that Backes was playing at 80-85 percent after last year’s knee injury and that her playing time was limited to 12-14 minutes per half. Well, if 92 points in 3 games is 80 percent, look out as she continues to improve her conditioning and her confidence and gets things back into 100 percent range!

Jordyn Glynn, Grand Meadow, 5-10, junior, wing

Glynn is part of a renaissance at Grand Meadow, which is now 10-2 and #16A. She scored 43 points in a pair of wins last week—25 in a 66-31 win over Mabel-Canton, and 18 with 10 boards in a 74-23 rout of Lanesboro.

Erika Hicks, Champlin Park, 5-7, senior, combo guard

We now know that Erika Hicks will be hanging up her sneakers after her senior season at Champlin Park—no college ball for her. It’s time to get on with the rest of her life. But she is making the most of her last go-round on the basketball court. She scored 48 points last week against Sioux Falls Washington and Anoka, and her Rebels have climbed all the way up to #5AAAA in our rankings at 9-2 with earlier upset wins over Centennial and Cretin.

Maddie Loder, Orono, 6-0, senior, point guard

With most of Orono’s state tournament team from last year graduating—the exception being point guard Maddie Loder—Loder, has had to shoulder a huge burden, and she has risen to the occasion. Against our #1AAA-rated team, Holy Angels, Loder put up an amazing 40 points. A couple nights later, she apparently forgot her Wonder Woman cape and scored just 10 in a loss to Hutchinson. Still, most people would be pretty happy with a 50-point week.

Masengo Mutanda, Robbinsdale Armstrong, 5-7, junior, wing

Mutanda was also out with a knee injury, and she returned with a loud, loud performance—32 points as Armstrong surprised Tartan 59-56. OK, now granted, she only scored 8 in her 2nd game back, so I am sure that she is not 100 percent just yet. But she certainly made a statement: If she stays healthy, she will once again be one of Minnesota’s quickest and one of our best players.

Sara Scalia, Stillwater, 5-9, junior, combo guard

Scalia just keeps on ticking with 34 points in a 78-65 win over East Ridge and 23 in a 73-67 loss to Minneapolis South. She is now scoring 26 ppg, #9 in the state, and she leads the state in 3-pointers with 39 made.

Natalie Steichen, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton, 5-7, senior, point guard

DGF is one of the big surprises of the season and, while nobody goes undefeated without a pretty solid rotation, there’s no question that point guard Natalie Steichen is the engine that could. The last week of 2017 she helped engineer a 66-62 upset of Moorhead in which all 5 DGF starters scored in double figures. Last week, she scored 26 points in an 83-61 win over Detroit Lakes. One of Minnesota’s quickest, most active players, and she shoots the 3.

Lydia Sussner, Minneota, 5-10, junior, post

She’s not very big but she’s tough and she’s skilled, playing inside and scoring 17 ppg for the 9-3, #22A Vikings. She scored 26 last week in a 68-31 win over MACCRAY and 15 in a 61-13 win over Renville County West.

The Envelope Please

The past few weeks we've held off on naming our weekly Top Performer, so as to inject some suspense into the process. This wee there is no suspense to be hand. As awesome as all of these 8 players are, Carmen Backes pretty much had a corner on the market for awesomeness last week. Backed is our Top Performe or the week.