Breakdown Tipoff Classic preview: It’s about to get real

Prep Girls Hoops Kansas Scouting Report

Grant McGinnis November 20, 2019 @ 04:15 PM

The Breakdown Tipoff Classic is always one of the premier events of the high school season but it’s not usually the first big event. That honor normally goes to the Thanksgiving tournaments at Hamline and St. Thomas, but with the way the holiday falls on the calendar this year the schedule has been reversed and the Tipoff tips off on Friday night at the Lindbergh Center in Hopkins.

The folks at Breakdown Sports have outdone themselves this year with a lineup that features 38 varsity teams and 21 games. They added a five-game Friday night session to the 16-game Saturday slate and assembled some truly great matchups. Among those participating are the biggest of the big dogs, including Hopkins, Wayzata, Farmington, Eden Prairie, Stillwater, St. Michael-Albertville, Maple Grove, Park Center and Eastview.

There are some high-quality 3A squads, too, including Becker, Alexandria, Austin, Big Lake, Waconia and Holy Angels. Add in some of the best outstate teams – Cromwell-Wright, Sauk Centre, Stewartville, Rochester Lourdes, Albany and Fergus Falls, for example – and you have the makings of a terrific event to open the season in style.

Here are five games you’ll want to watch, along with the complete Tipoff schedule.

Saturday at 9:30 a.m. – Waconia vs Rosemount (Main court)

Waconia is led by senior guard Tess Johnson, an all-state honorable mention and the #69-ranked player in the class of 2020, along with talented junior Addy Salzer (#38), who is one of the premier players in the state when she is healthy. Junior guard Sydni Olson (#60) is one of the best three-point shooters around. Sophomores Ava Stier (#32) and Audrey Swanson (#61) are versatile and athletic. Although they will certainly miss the size and veteran presence of all-conference post Courtney Freeburg (St. Cloud State) Waconia will be strong in class 3A.

The Wildcats will play the Rosemount Irish, who are their mirror image in many ways. The Irish are led by Montana State commit Taylor Janssen, the #22-ranked player in the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2020. With superior length and the ability to score inside or out, Janssen is difficult to guard. She’s joined by juniors Helen Staley (#27) and Ivory Finley (#53) along with a trio of quality sophomores in Alexa Ratzlaff (#15), Tayah Leenderts (#34) and Anna Tauer (#116). This game will have pace, skill and energy.

Saturday at 12:15 p.m. – Cromwell-Wright vs Minneota (East court)

It’s the Family Feud, girls basketball edition. All this game needs is the gregarious Steve Harvey on play-by-play because it’s the Hakamakis of Cromwell-Wright versus the Hennens of Minneota, and it’s bound to be a great contest. Cromwell has produced an endless stream of Hakamakis. This edition of the Cardinals is led by senior Taya Hakamaki, a top-30 prospect who has signed at Minnesota Duluth. Her numbers are stunning, with an average per game output of 27 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 steals! Taya’s cousin Shaily Hakamaki (#74) is also a UMD-bound senior, who averages 21 ppg. Shailey’s sister Natalee Hakamaki is a top-50 sophomore. Cromwell returns all five starters from a team that was 24-2.

Minneota, which is located near Marshall in the southwestern part of the state, is no slouch, either, although they will have to adapt following the graduation of star performers Lydia Sussner and Lizzie Gillingham. The Vikings went 30-1 last season and won the class A state championship. Minneota returns a pile of Hennens, including senior Morgan Hennen (#118), junior Abby Hennen (#64) and sophomore Summer Hennen. Sophomore forward Natalie Rolbiecki (#59) is always a threat. Let the feuding begin.

Saturday at 2:15 p.m. – Eden Prairie vs Maple Grove (Main)

Eden Prairie is loaded. The Eagles boast four top-10 prospects in senior forwards Nneka Obiazor (Youngstown) (#8) and Natalie Mazurek (South Dakota) (#17), sophomore forward Nia Holloway (#5) and freshman point guard Molly Lenz (#6). In addition, Eden Prairie has juniors Katie Leisen (#37), Destinee Bursch (#54) and Allison Miranda (#78), sophomore Myra Moorjani (#28) plus top freshmen Savanna Jones (#12) and Ashley Fritz (#27).

Maple Grove is also chock-full of talent. The Crimson are led by senior guard Abby Schulte, a North Dakota State commit who is ranked #10 in the 2020 class. Her sidekick is the rather lengthy, rather versatile junior Jordyn Lamker (#13), who set a single season scoring record last winter at Maple Grove. Junior Kylie Baranick (#133), and sophomores Ari Gordon (#46), Kiera Albers (#66) and Becca White (#98), are all quality prospects. Waiting in the wings on JV is the #40 freshman in the state, Audrey Kormann. This battle features two of the top 10 squads in the state and the quality will be very high.

Saturday at 3:45 p.m. – Farmington vs St. Michael-Albertville (Main)

In a match-up that is similar to the Eden Prairie vs Maple Grove encounter, this game features an up-and-coming program loaded with talent – Farmington – and a perennial contender with lots of experience – St. Michael-Albertville. Farmington’s lineup features top-10 juniors Sophie Hart (#4) and Paige Kindseth (#10), along with senior guards Katelyn Mohr (#102) and Morgen Ebel (#113). and talented junior guard Peyton Blandin (#51). It is a formidable group.

STMA has been one of the top teams in the state for a long time. The Knights are led by one of the smartest players you’ll find in guard Mackenzie Kramer, the 4th-ranked senior and a Division 1 commit to Lehigh. Kramer is joined by fellow seniors – both D2 commits – Lily Tennyson (MSU-Mankato) (#56) and Vanessa Alexander (Winona State) (#66), junior Kendal Cox (#24), sophomore Emma Miller (#17) and one of the very best freshmen in Minnesota in #3 Tessa Johnson. Get to courtside early if you want a good seat because plenty of space will be taken up by high-level college coaches with drool rags.

Saturday at 8:30 p.m. – Becker vs Hopkins (Main)

What can you say about Hopkins that hasn’t already been said. This week the Royals were named the #3-ranked high school team in America. Too bad Minnesota State High School League rules prevent the team from travelling to face the other top squads, but that’s a topic of contention we’ll save for another day. For now we will just enjoy the Royals debut performance for the 2019-20 season. We’ll see the top senior on the planet – Paige Bueckers (UCONN) – the top sophomore in Minnesota – Maya Nnaji – and her elite colleague Amaya Battle (#2). Don’t forget the co-#1 freshmen Nunu Agara and Taylor Woodson, plus seniors KK Adams (#28) and Jaide Pressley (#34), and sophomores Alayna Contreras (#21) and Selam Maher (#32).

Kudos to state 3A runner-up Becker for having the chutzpah to step up and challenge the mighty Royals. The Bulldogs obviously cannot match all of that Hopkins firepower, but it doesn’t mean they’ll show up to the Lindbergh Center without ammunition. Becker has speed, skill, experience and chemistry. They are led by top-30 junior Julia Bengtson, one of the best point guards in the state. She leads an impressive group of juniors that includes Megan Gamble (#62), Courtney Nuest (#80) and Alayna Lindquist (#114), along with sophomore Adeline Kent,(#47). Becker’s freshman class is equally impressive. Maren Westin cracked the top 10 in our first ranking of 2023s. She is an elite athlete and a game-changer. Dani Nuest (#42) is an outstanding defender who played big minutes last season, as did guard Ayla Brown. Hopkins is obviously a heavy favorite in this game, but there is plenty of fight in the ‘Dogs and it is bound to be entertaining.

Here is the complete schedule for the 2019 Breakdown Tip-off Classic.

FRIDAY SCHEDULE