<p><span style="color:black">Emma Grothaus and Tori Nelson have a lot in common. Both are long, lean, lanky forwards. Both are among the premiere players in their respective classes. Both are committed to play Division 1 college basketball. There is one key difference, however. Tori plays for Henry Sibley, a middle-of-the-road team that would need a miracle to get to the 3A state tournament. Emma plays for Mahtomedi, a team that just might win it all. The two will meet Wednesday night in Mendota Heights in the Northstar Girls Hoops Game of the Week.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:black">On an individual level, there is not a whole lot separating Nelson and Grothaus. Nelson is 6'1" finesse four. She is smooth and athletic and can get to the basket in a variety of ways. Teams try every manner of smothering Nelson but few succeed. The #7 player in the class of 2019, Nelson committed early to mid-major power South Dakota State. She is averaging nearly 19 points per game with a season high of 30 in the Warriors' second game of the season. She has been in double figures in all but one game, topping the 20-point mark seven times. </span></p>
<p><span style="color:black">Grothaus is a 6'3" finesse four. She is smooth and athletic and can get to the basket in a variety of ways. Teams try every manner of smothering Grothaus but few succeed. The #7 player in the class of 2018, Grothaus committed last year to Lehigh in Pennsylvania. The Ms. Basketball nominee is averaging 23 ppg with a season high of 32 in the Zephyr's second game of the season. She has been in double figures every game, scoring 20 or more 15 times.</span></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:black">Team vs Team</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="color:black">For all the similarities between Grothaus and Nelson, the two teams are quite different. Coming off a two-point loss to Alexandria Saturday at the Breakdown Community Clash in St. Michael, Sibley is 9-10 and 4-3 in the Metro East Conference where they sit mid-pack. The Warriors were predicted to finish 6th of 8 in the league and still might. Sibley has beaten just one previously-ranked team – Tartan. The Warriors have lost to nine other ranked squads. They host Simley on Monday night in a coin-flip encounter.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:black">Mahtomedi, coached by Eric Prose, has been a juggernaut. At 17-1, the Zephyrs are undefeated in the Metro East. They are two games up on Hastings, who they dispatched by 28 a couple of weeks back. Hill-Murray, which lost by 29 to Mahtomedi, is in third. The Zephyrs' only defeat was a three-point loss to Chisago Lakes in mid-December. Mahtomedi has beaten 11 ranked teams, including a 15-point win over DeLaSalle in game two. They'll play at South St. Paul Monday in a game the JV could win.</span></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:black">The difference maker</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="color:black">The difference maker in this game could be Mahtomedi senior Annika Sougstad. She's not quite on the Grothaus/Nelson level but she's not far behind. The 5'10" wing is a top 40 player in the class of 2018. She'll play next season for MIT, a D1 school known more for engineering than hoopology. Sougstad is an outstanding defender and rebounder, and also an offensive threat at 14 ppg. She is a skilled athlete who does all of the little things coaches love, and has forged a terrific partnership with Grothaus that has turned Mahtomedi into a two-headed monster.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:black">Not a lot separates the supporting casts. Seniors Mary Leslie and Anja Wood are averaging around 9 and 6 points respectively for first-year Sibley coach Harry Jenness, Jr., while a trio of sophomores – Sese Burks, Jaelyn Orth, and Hope Korte – kick in 6 or 7 each. The Warriors' young gun is talented 8th grader Jaelyn Rosga. Mahtomedi's supporting cast includes seniors Josey Underwood and Eve Farrell, along with sophomore Saley Underwood. The Zephyrs' player of the future is Ella Hronski, a dynamic 5'9" guard who has recently become a full-time varsity player. If the freshman played for Sibley she would likely start.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:black">Add it all up and it will be an interesting evening of basketball. Prediction: Zephyrs by 10.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14px"><strong><span style="color:black">Other games to watch this week</span></strong></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:black">Tuesday</span></strong></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="color:black">Roseville at Cretin-Derham Hall in a Suburban East battle of top 10 4A teams</span></li>
<li><span style="color:black">Minnehaha at Eden Prairie in a quality small school vs big school matchup</span></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span style="color:black">Thursday</span></strong></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="color:black">Hermantown vs Duluth Marshall in a neighborly AA vs AAA encounter</span></li>
<li><span style="color:black">Northfield at Mankato West in a contest between quality Big 9 foes</span></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span style="color:black">Friday</span></strong></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="color:black">Breck vs Blake, a prep school meeting between talented freshmen Ally Murphy and Cate Moe</span></li>
<li><span style="color:black">DeLaSalle and Holy Angels do battle in a matchup of AAA parochial school powers</span></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span style="color:black">Saturday</span></strong></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="color:black">Worthington and Waseca meet in a Southern Minnesota showdown</span></li>
<li><span style="color:black">Goodhue vs Lyle-Pacelli is a talent-laden small school encounter</span></li>
</ul>
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