Top Backcourt Duos in the Eastern Metro

We're getting close to wrapping up our series profiling the best backcourt duos from around the Twin Cities. Today is all about the eastern metro. Today’s list includes guard tandems from the Metro East and Suburban East Conferences. We focused the selection of these Top-5 backcourt duos on their two best guards/wings, but we’ve also listed the teams’ other perimeter players. The teams who made the cut are arranged alphabetically. HILL-MURRAY The Pioneers will enter 2018-2019 with one of the best guard duos in the Metro East Conference. Seniors Delaney Runyan (12.0 PPG) and Vanessa Wren (7.8 PPG) are a fantastic pair who play together year-round. In addition to manning the backcourt at Hill, Runyan and Wren spent their summer playing on the 2019 Fury Yellow squad. Runyan has great length for a guard. She uses her height to her advantage and is able get her shot off in almost any situation. And she can really fill it up from beyond the arc. Delaney made nine 3-pointers in a game last year. Runyan is a smart player, which has allowed Hill-Murray to get creative and effectively run a wide variety of offensive sets and quick-hitters. Wren is a bit undersized. But she has a little McKenna Hofschild in her game, using her elite-level quickness to consistently beat defenders off the dribble and find her way to the basket. Like Runyan, Wren is a heady player, orchestrating the seemingly endless array of Hill-Murray offensive plays from her point guard position. Bella Hartzel (8.0 PPG) is another name to keep an eye on for the Pioneers. Hartzel, a sophomore, spent the summer gaining the respect of AAU coaches across the state. Bella is a sharp-shooter who we are expecting to have a big sophomore season. MAHTOMEDI Mahtomedi graduated major pieces from last year's Metro East Conference champion team. Between Emma Grothaus (Lehigh), and Annika Sougstad (MIT) there will be big shoes to fill. Saley Underwood 2020 (5.0 PPG) and Ella Hronski (4.4 PPG) look to be the next players up for the always competitive Zephyrs. Underwood has taken on a facilitator role at Mahtomedi to this point. And she has done so effectively, controlling the offense for the Zephyrs. But Saley had a do-it-all role with the Minnesota Heat this summer. She played every position on the court throughout the AAU season, which should help as she becomes more of a focal point in the Mahtomedi offense come 2018-2019. Hronski started her freshman season playing JV for the Zephyrs. But her consistently solid play earned her a shot at minutes in the varsity rotation. Ella's role expanded throughout the season, and will no doubt be significantly larger for her sophomore campaign. The first thing that jumps out about Hronski is that she is a great shooter. But Hronski's summer was similar to Sougstads in that she played a major role on her 2021 Fury Yellow team. Leading that group has helped Ella to become an even more well-rounded player. Julia Salmen is a 2020 player who is working her way back from almost two years worth of significant injuries. She will be a welcome addition to the Zephyr backcourt and should step directly into a starting role. ROSEVILLE Roseville was a state tournament participant a last year. And the Raiders will be bringing back the core of that team this season. Top 10 forwards Jayda Johnson (12.7 PPG, 2020) and Tamia Ugass (8.9 PPG, 2021) control the paint. And senior guards Kaylee Nelson (8.4 PPG) and Jada Hood (8.2 PPG) run the show on the perimeter. Nelson has committed to play her college basketball at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The future Bulldog is Roseville's best defender, which is saying something given the Raiders' stifling defense. She has made a career out of neutralizing the high-powered guards of the Suburban East Conference. Hood brings a bit more flash on the offensive end. She is an excellent playmaker who rarely misses an open teammate. Post players have to love playing with Jada, as she has a habit of rewarding rim-runs and good positioning inside with crisp passes that put her teammates in positions to score. STILLWATER It shouldn't come as a shock that the Ponies boast what is the most impressive backcourt on the list. Sara Scalia (26.5 PPG) is PGH Minnesota's #2 player in the class of 2019. And her backcourt mate, sophomore Alexis Pratt (18.2 PPG) is one of the most athletically gifted players in the state, regardless of class. Scalia's resume is well-documented. She was Lindsay Whalen's first commit when she became the head coach at the University of Minnesota. She has been the leading scorer at Stillwater during each of her three high school seasons. She was named to the Minnesota All-State team as a junior. Need I go on? The crazy thing is that with the arrival of Liza Karlen, a top 10 post in the class of 2020, Scalia may have the opportunity to increase her already sky-high production during her senior season. Pratt is as quick as they come. Like Wren from Hill-Murray, Alexis doesn't let her small stature hinder her from impacting the game on both ends of the floor. She is an excellent on-ball defender, and can score it from anywhere on the floor. Pratt may benefit the most from Karlen transferring in, opening up wider driving lanes and being on the receiving end of more kick-outs from a dominant force inside. The Scalia/Stillwater connection will be alive and well long after Sara heads to Dinkytown. Freshman Amber Scalia (1.8 PPG) had a limited varsity role last year, but should be expected to contribute more this season. WHITE BEAR LAKE White Bear Lake finished last season with a Suburban East Conference record of 8-8. The .500 finish surprised many who expected the Bears to compete for a conference championship. But White Bear brings back some key pieces who are ready to take another run through one of the best conferences in Class 4A. Senior guard Courtney Crouch (10.8 PPG) was White Bear Lake's leading scorer last season. Crouch was known as a spot-up shooter early in her high school career. But she has become much more versatile over the past year. The Bears will be looking for her to play a central role during her final high school season. Fellow senior Anna Sanders (9.7 PPG) looks the part of a scholarship-level player. She has great length, and is one of the better outside shooters in the Suburban East. Sanders uses her size to rebound at a high rate for a guard, and has good instincts defensively which leads to a high frequency of steals and deflections. Junior Ella Janicki (8.0 PPG) worked her way into a significant varsity role last year as a sophomore. She will be expected to compliment Crouch and Sanders in the Bears' backcourt this season. It goes without saying that this is not an all-inclusive list of the outstanding backcourts throughout the eastern metro area. Feel free to post in the comments about which backcourt duos you’re looking forward to following this winter.   If your’re interested in reading about the top backcourt duos from other areas of the Twin Cities, you can find them here: <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2018/10/the-best-backcourt-duos-in-the-northern-metro/">Northern Metro</a> <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2018/10/top-backcourt-duos-in-the-southern-metro/">Southern Metro</a> <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2018/10/top-backcourt-duos-in-the-western-metro/">Western Metro</a> <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2018/10/top-guard-duos-in-the-twin-cities/">Twin Cities</a>   Cover photos courtesy of crossfirebb.org and MN Girls Basketball Hub Mahtomedi photo courtesy of the White Bear Press Hood photo courtesy of the Pioneer Press Pratt photo courtesy of the Gazette Crouch photo courtesy of the White Bear Press