Breakdown Tipoff report: Top 10 performers, part 1

The excitement surrounding the Breakdown Tipoff Classic this weekend was palpable. The gym was buzzing with energy, the players were fired up to start the season, and there were some really great match-ups between highly-ranked squads. Still, it was the first live performance of the 2019-20 campaign for almost all of the teams so my personal expectations for the quality of play were really pretty low. Ultimately the product on the floor was much better than anticipated and it was a ton of fun to watch. You won’t see many games more entertaining than Park Center’s buzzer-beater win over St. Michael-Albertville on Friday night, Saturday’s Eden Prairie comeback victory over Maple Grove or Minnehaha Academy’s dramatic three-overtime defeat of mighty Sauk Centre. We also saw some tremendous individual performances beginning with Friday night’s ‘Oh wow! Did you see that move?’ double feature delivered by Park Center’s <strong>Adalia McKenzie</strong> and Wayzata’s <strong>Jenna Johnson</strong>. Given that McKenzie and Johnson are the #1 and #2-rated players respectively in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2021 it should not surprise us that these two power-conference prospects would put on the kind of show we saw from them this weekend. They weren’t the only ones who did impressive work, either. Here are the first five of the top-10 individual performances we witnessed. <strong>Adalia McKenzie – junior guard, Park Center</strong> There are a lot of great athletes in Minnesota girls basketball, but none is more physiologically gifted than Adalia McKenzie. Her high-flying aerial show was in fine form in both games this weekend as she led the Pirates to impressive wins over a pair of quality opponents in STMA and Stillwater. The 5’10 guard scored 29 against the Ponies, 26 against the Knights to match her 28-points per game average of last season. Adalia just does things that other girls can’t do, things that are difficult to describe, things that make your jaw drop. Yes, she’s got a long way to go to fulfill her promise but one-on-one, especially when elevation is involved, there is nobody better. McKenzie’s teammate <strong>Lauren Frost</strong>, an Omaha commit, did some great stuff, too. Lauren put up 35 points in two games, but it’s hard to escape the enormous shadow cast by McKenzie. <strong>Jenna Johnson – junior forward, Wayzata</strong> Let by elite point guard <strong>Ellie Colbeck </strong>and long-bomber<strong> Tori Ratz</strong>, Fergus Falls is a high-quality basketball team that has outperformed a lot of very good opponents over the past couple of years. That’s why the Otters were in the state tournament last season. I’d venture to guess, however, that they haven’t seen the likes of Jenna Johnson before. The Wayzata forward was dominant from start to finish Friday night in an 87-48 defeat of the Otters. She scored in every imaginable manner, using her length and strength both inside and out, and demonstrating power, speed, athleticism and touch. I can’t tell you how many times I said, ‘Wow!’ in response to something Johnson did on the floor Friday. Jenna followed up with another solid performance on Saturday in an 80-48 win over Eastview. <strong>Mia Curtis – senior guard, Minnehaha Academy</strong> <strong>Mia Curtis</strong> has been the Minnehaha point guard seemingly forever, having just entered her 6th varsity season this week. Nothing will top the Redhawks’ class AA state championship winning performance last March, but Saturday’s win over Sauk Centre will certainly rank right up there in her memory bank. The Mainstreeters had Minnehaha down by 16 early in the first half, and it looked as though the Redhawks rebuilding effort was going to be more difficult than imagined. When the final buzzer sounded, though, all of that experience Curtis has garnered appeared to have paid off as Mia led her squad to a dramatic comeback and an 89-86 victory in three overtimes. Mia scored 42 points. Recruiters take note: The 5’8 Curtis is the #21-ranked player in Minnesota’s senior class and is looking for opportunities. <strong>Molly Mogensen – senior guard, Farmington (Creighton)</strong> What a year <strong>Molly Mogensen</strong> has had. In the past 12 months she has directed the rise of the Farmington Tigers into the state championship conversation, helping to transform a talented group of prospects into a cohesive machine while she rose to the #7 ranking in the 2020 class. The big orange machine was at full throttle on Saturday. Mogensen went 8-for-13 from the field, 7-for-8 at the line, for a total of 25 points that sparked Farmington to a 91-79 win over St. Michael-Albertville. In doing so the Creighton commit became her school’s all-time leading scorer. (More on that tomorrow). Mogensen also played an instrumental role in helping her teammates <strong>Sophie Hart</strong> and <strong>Paige Kindseth</strong> combine for 45 points. <strong>Paige Meyer – junior guard, Albany</strong> I watched Albany’s encounter with Stewartville on Saturday in the company of a Division 1 coach who wanted to know more <strong>Paige Meyer</strong>. Prior to the game I passed along the information I had – that Meyer is a tough-as-nails point guard with tremendous handles, great court vision, plenty of range and the ability to own the big moment. I also stated my opinion that higher-level programs appear to be missing the boat on Meyer and should not be overlooking what she brings to the table. I need not have bothered sharing any information because Meyer’s play said it all. It was a virtuoso performance as the 5’6 junior, ranked #16 in her class, was a force from start to finish. Albany trailed by a couple of baskets with just over a minute remaining but the Huskies found a way to get it done. Meyer finished with 31 points. <em><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Top photo: Minnehaha Academy guard Mia Curtis has had some big moments in her six-year varsity career but Saturday's three-overtime win is a memory that will last longer than most. (Photo courtesy of StarTribune)</span></em>