More Awards for Week #11
Breakout Performer Carresha Russell, Burnsville, senior, guard Russell is a newcomer and therefore a breakout in that she has just transferred in from Iowa for her senior season. She has worked her way up to the #3 scorer for the…
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Continue ReadingBreakout Performer
Carresha Russell, Burnsville, senior, guard
Russell is a newcomer and therefore a breakout in that she has just transferred in from Iowa for her senior season. She has worked her way up to the #3 scorer for the Blaze, and last week she scored a season high of 19 in helping Burnsville to a shocking 67-41 rout of Shakopee.
Madi Sloan, North St. Paul, 5-8, senior, forward
The Polars went just 6-20 last year and then their best player, Alexis Pratt, beat it out of town. So it’s been a struggle, now at 3-17. But North St. Paul knocked off Duluth Denfeld last week, thanks in large part to Sloan’s career high 26 points. She is her team’s top scorer at 9 ppg but has received little notice in the past…and so she is another senior with a breakout week under her belt.
Jasmine Smiley, Wayzata, 5-7, sophomore, shooting guard
It’s hard to be a breakout player on the #2AAAA team, but we had so many great performances this week and we wanted to get Smiley in here somewhere. So here she is. And, yeah, 7 ppg isn’t bad on a great team that plays a tough, tough schedule. But that’s nothing compared to a career high 22 points against Orono on Tuesday, followed by a career high 24 points against Edina on Friday. Just what the Trojans opponents really needed—another girl that you better guard hard.
Desiree Ware, Maranatha, 5-4, 8th grade, shooting guard
Ware has earned some pretty good minutes now as Maranatha’s season goes along, and things pretty much came to a head last week. She scored career highs of 13, then 14 points early in the week. She then contributed 12 more points as the Mustangs knocked off #1A Mountain Iron-Buhl 80-70 on Saturday. A pretty good week for an 8th grader.
Lily Welch, Stewartville, 5-7, sophomore, combo guard
Coming in to the season, we knew about Erin Lamb but, frankly, we didn’t know much more about these Tigers. Well, there are now 4 players averaging in double figures including 2 9th graders (Lamb is one of those) and a 10th grader (that would be Welch). Welch is #2 at 13 ppg, but that was before she scored a career high of 24 last week in a loss to Rochester Lourdes.
Top Team
It was a weird week. Many of the teams that pulled off the biggest wins turned around and lost before the week was out. Lourdes, St. Cloud Cathedral, Minneota, Zumbrota-Mazeppa, Stillwater…. And for a Team of the Week, we like a nice 3 win week including one against a ranked opponent, or lacking that at least a formerly ranked opponent. So who qualifies?
• Stephen-Argyle won 3 including one vs. formerly ranked Sacred Heart
• Mayer Lutheran won 3 including vs. formerly ranked Jordan
• Maranatha won 3 including of course their win over Mountain Iron-Buhl
• Norwood Young America won 3, and they too defeated Jordan
• Roseau won 3 including an impressive 80-61 win over Barnesville
• Alexandria won 3 including one vs. formerly ranked Fergus Falls
• Cloquet won 3 including a surprise at Chisago Lakes
• Forest Lake won 3 including one vs. Woodbury
The only currently ranked losers on this list are MIB, Barnesville and Chisago. So I’m going to say Maranatha, Roseau and Cloquet are your finalists.
Top Breakout Team
Here I’m liking St. Francis and Worthington.
Top Coach
5 candidates:
• Chris Buerman, Maranatha
• Kris Gustin, Mayer Lutheran
• Wendy Kohler, Alexandria
• Dan Lindgren, Stephen-Argyle
• Heather Young, Cloquet