Hopkins knocks off Como Park in a feisty Breakdown final

At times it was like ballet, at others more like roller derby, but it was entertaining throughout Sunday afternoon as the defending state AAAA champions from Hopkins faced off with AAA contenders St. Paul Como Park. Don’t tell the participants that this was a meaningless exhibition in June because not one of them treated it that way in the Breakdown Summer Series game played at St. Michael-Albertville. Hopkins earned a 44-34 win, but not before Como Park put up a heckuva fight. On a day when most of the 16 varsity teams in attendance were making do without many of their top performers, Hopkins and Como showed up with most of their firepower intact. Yes, the Royals were without Paige Bueckers, who was resting in preparation for her upcoming stint with Team USA, but Como arrived with pretty much everyone. They also brought along a healthy dose of spit and vinegar, making it clear from the opening tip that they were there for a fight. It was a terrific show. Of course it was a lot different from a normal high school game. Rather than the usual 36 minutes of play, this encounter was comprised of two 20-minute running time halves with only the final 2 minutes of the contest being stop time. It also featured officiating of the AAU variety. In other words, there were plenty more fouls committed – waaaaaaayyy more in fact – than were called, making for a very physical contest with a whole lot of emotion. Great stuff! [caption id="attachment_60047" align="alignright" width="300"] Maya Nnaji of Hopkins had a dominant second half on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of USA Basketball)[/caption] Maya Nnaji was the difference-maker Como jumped out to a 5-0 lead and held the upper hand until Taylor Woodson ran over a defender or two on her way to a successful and-1 that gave Hopkins a 15-14 lead with about 5 minutes left in the first half. In the second, the Royals were ahead by 4 when Como guard Kaylynn Asberry scored on sweet drive through traffic to close the gap to 2. Guard Ronnie Porter followed up with a similar bucket and the game was tied at 23. The teams traded a couple more baskets before Maya Nnaji scored a field goal to put Hopkins ahead by 3. Then Asberry answered with a bomb to knot things up at 31, but as so often happens the Royals’ state-champion pedigree kicked in, the heat was turned way up and Hopkins went on one of its patented runs. The main protagonist was Nnaji. The 6’4 power forward scored over top of smaller Como defenders on consecutive possessions. Then Amaya Battle collected two points, Nunu Agara cashed in on a nice spin move, Woodson made a pair of free throws and Nnaji added a couple more points. The lead was now 13! Asberry made a three in the final minute to stop the bleeding but it was too late. After sweeping three games at the University of Minnesota Team Camp on Saturday, Hopkins had done it again less than 24 hours later. Most Valuable Player Maya Nnaji, Hopkins – There are many reasons why the North Tartan Sinn forward is the #1-ranked player in Minnesota’s Class of 2022 and she put most of them on display Sunday. Maya’s got size, speed, power and touch, and she is now putting all of that together to dominate as her 14-point second-half performance so amply demonstrated. Nnaji narrowly missed making the USA U-16 squad, and it has become clear that she is one of the top players in the country. [caption id="attachment_60051" align="alignright" width="223"] Kaylynn Asberry of Como Park is one of Minnesota's top point guards. (Photo courtesy of the Spokesman-Recorder)[/caption] Runner-up Kaylynn Asberry, Como Park – The crafty point guard form MN P.R.E.P. is one of the smartest players around. She is a pass-first floor leader who knows how to get the ball to the right place at the right time. On Sunday, the top-10 player in the Class of 2022 made it clear that she is becoming an outstanding shooter, as well, as she was deadly accurate from beyond the arc. The more you watch Asberry the more you will come to appreciate just how much she can bring to the table, including 13 points in the second half on Sunday. Honorable Mentions Amaya Battle, Hopkins – Every time we watch Battle we are reminded what an incredibly effective player she is. The 5’10 guard from North Tartan is ranked #2 in the 2022 class because she can do it all. Battle is quietly excellent while adding an occasional splash of amazing. Taylor Woodson, Hopkins – The 2023 power forward is quickly becoming the complete package. She’s big and strong, she’s got great speed, and she can play a physical game. Very physical. Along with teammate Nunu Agara, Woodson is among the top incoming freshman in Minnesota Ronnie Porter, Como Park – Porter had a slow start to the summer with DTA Academy but man has she been bringing down the house in recent weeks. Porter is tiny but the top-30 2022 has speed to burn, quickness to match, a terrific set of handles and can shoot it from anywhere. She was very good against Hopkins. ELSEWHERE IN THE A.M. DIVISION Waconia defeated Fergus Falls 41-36 to finish third in the event despite being without some key players, including top-40 prospects Addy Salzer (2021) and Ava Stier (2022). Fergus Falls had its most important piece in point guard Ellie Colbeck but was missing injured shooting guard Tori Ratz. Waconia knocked off Centennial in the opening round as the Cougars had just one starter on hand. New London-Spicer defeated St. Michael-Albertville to take home the Consolation Championship. The Knights were without core players Tessa Johnson, Lilly Tennyson and Vanessa Alexander. NLS has plenty of length, placed at a fast pace and executed well considering it is June. When your coach is Hall-of-Famer Mike Dreier, who has more than 900 wins, the bar is set pretty high. The one player who stood out in particular was incoming junior Erin Knisley, a sizeable post who showed much improved footwork and overall skill development. She had the unenviable task in the opening game of guarding Nnaji, but she handled the job about as well as could be expected. Knisley has a big body, is a strong rebounder and she can score a little, as well, averaging 8 points per game for New London-Spicer last winter. [caption id="attachment_60045" align="alignnone" width="415"] The Rogers Royals used a young lineup to win a title. (Photo courtesy of Breakdown Sports)[/caption] ROGERS CAPTURED THE AFTERNOON EVENT After the Hopkins vs Como Park battle all other contests would have been anti-climactic, but we still saw some nice prospects and a glimpse or two at the future. The Royals of Rogers captured first place with a 37-29 win over Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s. Rogers was without its biggest attraction in 2022 #6 Ellie Buzzelle. Ditto for 2020 point guard Alaina Brenning and 2023 standout Clara Glad. That opened the door for some younger players to show their stuff which is just what they did in wins over Delano and St. Cloud Apollo. Sleepy Eye-St. Mary’s defeated Orono and Litchfield to get to the final. Most Valuable Player Madison Mathiowetz, Sleepy Eye-St. Mary’s – Madison turned in three solid performances on the day, demonstrating why she has earned the #31 ranking in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2022. At about 5’10 and lengthy, Mathiowetz is skilled and athletic, with a powerful body and a whole lot of potential. She averaged 26 points and 10 rebounds per game last winter. This summer she is playing up a year with Minnesota Rise 2021 Wolfe and making it very clear that she can hang with and out-play athletes from all levels. Runner-up Hannah Omann, Rogers – The 5’10 power forward from Suns 2021 Porisch entered the rankings for the first time this month at #138 and she showed on Sunday why she earned that recognition. Omann is big and strong and powerful, and she showed more speed on Sunday than we have seen before. Hannah can score effectively at the rim and is working hard now to develop her jump shot. She was the most potent part of the Rogers attack. Honorable Mentions Matlyn Jensen, Rogers – Jensen continues to get better and her ceiling is much, much higher than most had thought. Besides, 6’2 forwards do not grow on trees. Matlyn is long, and has now learned how to use that length to maximum advantage. Playing this summer for UVA 2021 Grey, Jensen has made it clear that she will continue to improve on her current #86 rating. Lauren Knudson, Orono – The crafty little point guard from Metro Stars 2023 Wiese showed that she is more than capable of joining her 2021 sister Julia Knudson in the Spartans’ back court. Lauren has great handles, an excellent skill set and a work ethic that is second to none. She’s also really feisty, which always gets you bonus points in my book. Sydney Windschitl, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s – The Knights offense is basically a two-person show and Sydney is Madison’s right-hand woman for SESM and the Rise. Sydney is a 45-percent shooter who averaged 14 points and 6 rebounds per game in high school last year. She’s a solid all-around player who shoulders a lot of the load as opponents double- and triple-team Mathiowetz on many occasions. Top photo: The Hopkins Royals made it a clean sweep for the weekend on Sunday at St. Michael-Albertville. All 15 players saw action at the Breakdown Summer Series event. (Photo courtesy of Breakdown Sports)