Game of the Week preview #12: Mahtomedi vs Henry Sibley

<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&#039;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&#039; 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&#039;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&#039;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&#039; 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&#039;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&#039;s not quite on the Grothaus/Nelson level but she&#039;s not far behind. The 5&#039;10" wing is a top 40 player in the class of 2018. She&#039;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&#039; young gun is talented 8th grader Jaelyn Rosga. Mahtomedi&#039;s supporting cast includes seniors Josey Underwood and Eve Farrell, along with sophomore Saley Underwood. The Zephyrs&#039; player of the future is Ella Hronski, a dynamic 5&#039;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>