The Best of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in St. Paul, part 2
Yesterday we brought you part 1 of the Best of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in St. Paul. (Read it here if you missed it.) We gave you the Player of the Day ( Ronnie Porter Ronnie Porter 5'2" |…
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Continue ReadingYesterday we brought you part 1 of the Best of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in St. Paul. (Read it here if you missed it.) We gave you the Player of the Day ( Ronnie Porter Ronnie Porter 5'2" | CG Como Park | 2022 State MN of Como Park), best guards (Chaska’s Kennedy Sanders Kennedy Sanders 5'8" | CG Chaska | 2023 State MN and Myra Moorjani Myra Moorjani 5'8" | CG Eden Prairie | 2022 State MN of Eden Prairie) and top forwards (Eden Prairie’s Nia Holloway Nia Holloway 6'0" | PF Eden Prairie | 2022 State #45 Nation MN and Mallory Heyer Mallory Heyer 6'1" | PF Chaska | 2022 State #36 Nation MN of Chaska). Today we offer up part 2, complete with some shooters, players to watch, fresh faces and a little more. The games were less-than-dramatic on Monday but there were some strong individual performances that are worthy of note.
BEST SHOOTER
Sydney Stensgard Sydney Stensgard 5'9" | CG Simley | 2020 State MN , 2020 guard, Simley (Montana State) – “You might want to guard that girl!” That’s a chirp from the peanut gallery you hear often in the opening half of any game involving Stensgard. We saw it last week at the Komets Showcase in Kasson. We saw it again Monday, as Sydney set the tone early against Holy Family with three triples. She finished with 19 points. Stensgard, the #23-ranked player in the senior class, does a lot of things well, but it is her ability to knock down shots from distance that elevated her to the D1 level. Sydney has over 30 threes to date and leads the team in scoring at 16 points per game. That’s a little bit under four points ahead of 2020 #11 Zareia Chevre Zareia Chevre 5'10" | PF Simley | 2020 State MN (Monmouth), who had 20 on Monday. Sophomore Champ Danso Champ Danso 6'0" | PF Simley | 2022 State MN (#24) added 13 as Simley ran its record to 12-2.
We’ll give an honorable mention to senior guard Grace Elander of Holy Family, who went 7-for-7 at the free throw line. Considering just how much impact this aspect of the game has on the outcome most nights, we don’t talk about it nearly enough. Elander finished the game with 13 points, right on her season average.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Alyssa Stamer Alyssa Stamer 5'7" | CG Hutchinson | 2022 State MN , 2022, guard, Hutchinson – It was a tough day for Hutchinson on Monday. 4A Chaska is simply too big, too long and too quick for the 3A Tigers. One of the Hutch Tigers who showed us some good stuff, however, was the younger of the Stamer sisters. Alyssa and her senior sister Michaela Stamer could pass for twins. They are similar in stature, appearance and style of play. Michaela, the senior, is drawing plenty of D3 interest. Alyssa’s ceiling may be higher than that. She handles the ball well with either hand, is a good distributor and can knock down shots with consistency when she has an open look. Alyssa is also a student of the game who puts in a ton of work and is driven to get better. She plays summer ball for the Minnesota Rise.
FRESH FACES
Nicole O’Neil, 2023, guard, Rosemount – Irish sophomore Anna Raney Anna Raney 5'9" | CG Mahtomedi | 2021 State MN was out injured on Monday which opened the door for the younger of the O’Neil sisters (senior Larisa O’Neil is the other) to show us what she can do. She did a lot. Nicole looked confident, athletic and quick. She didn’t score, and she didn’t play big minutes, but it was enough to raise our curiosity. That was one of the few bright spots for Rosemount, which struggled against Eden Prairie on this day. In doing so, the Irish saw their 12-game win streak come to an end, an impressive stretch that included an upset of Farmington 10 days ago.
Also keep an eye on Holy Family freshman Reagan Cizek, a 5’4 guard whose role has expanded of late, and 5’7 8th grader Sophie Zay of the Fire, who is back from injury and contributing over 6 points per game.
TOUGHEST ASSIGNMENT
Brynn Beffert Brynn Beffert 6'0" | PF Hutchinson | 2023 State MN , 2023, forward, Hutchinson – I’m certain Brynn and Mallory Heyer Mallory Heyer 6'1" | PF Chaska | 2022 State #36 Nation MN must have gone toe-to-toe before at Minnesota Fury practice. Beffert is the big post presence for the Fury’s top 2023 team. Heyer occupies the same role, albeit with a little more versatility, for the club’s best 2022s. On Monday, however, their encounter was for real and Beffert gave it her physical best to contain Heyer. Nobody has shown they can stop Mal, but Beffert made her life very difficult from start to finish. Brynn is a strong, physical forward. Most post players who want to coompete at a high level are willing to get tough in tight, but Beffert, who stands about 5’11 now, seems to relish the role. At one point she set a solid pick that flattened the 6’2 Heyer in dramatic fashion. You won’t see that very often!
Brynn is a confident, assertive forward who relishes the challenge of going up against bigger, more-experienced players. Most of the time she comes out on top. The #17-rated prospect in the freshman class had 13 points on Monday, which is her season average and leads all Hutchinson scorers. She’s also averaging nearly 8 rebounds per game.
UNSUNG HEROES
Audrey Martinez-Stewart Audrey Martinez-Stewart 5'6" | PG Cretin-Derham Hall | 2021 State MN , 2021, guard, Cretin-Derham Hall – Audrey is one of the most dynamic players in the class of 2021, where she is a top 100 prospect. You don’t hear about her as much as you should, perhaps, because Martinez-Stewart is a high-skill, high-energy athlete with quick feet, quick hands and a big motor. Audrey started her varsity career in St. Paul as a 7th grader at Highland Park before transferring to Cretin where she is now one of the most important pieces for coach Crystal Flint. At 5’5 or 5’6 (that might be generous) the long-time member of Omar McMillan’s Lady Get Shook AAU program can still penetrate and score thanks to a sweet floater she showed us once again on Monday against Como Park. She can also knock it down from distance. Audrey’s shooting percentage on the season is hovering around 60 percent, which pretty much tells you what you need to know. She scored 10 points on Monday, which is also her season average.
Nevaeh Moeschter Nevaeh Moeschter 5'8" | CG Cretin-Derham Hall | 2020 State MN 2020, guard, Cretin-Derham Hall – Nevaeh has been a solid, skilled contributor in both high school and AAU basketball for a long time. This season, her last in high school ball, she transferred from Tartan to Cretin, along with junior guard Takara Mason Takara Mason 5'6" | CG Cretin-Derham Hall | 2021 State MN . The change of scenery has apparently been a positive for Nevaeh, a 5’5 guard who has committed to play next season at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge. Sometimes Moeschter is in the starting lineup; sometimes she’s the first player off the bench for the Raiders. That was her role on Monday and she certainly made the most of it, scoring 17 points and doing more than her share to keep the game close when Ronnie Porter Ronnie Porter 5'2" | CG Como Park | 2022 State MN was taking over for Como Park. Nevaeh is a much-needed veteran presence for CDH, and is averaging nearly 9 points a game.
Kayla Hendrickson, 2021 guard & Kendall Karrmann, 2022 guard, Chaska – The Hawks boast a start-studded roster, and most of our attention has been focused on the big dogs like Kaylee Van Eps Kaylee Van Eps 5'11" | SF Chaska | 2021 State MN , Mallory Heyer Mallory Heyer 6'1" | PF Chaska | 2022 State #36 Nation MN and now Kennedy Sanders Kennedy Sanders 5'8" | CG Chaska | 2023 State MN . You can’t win without a supporting cast, however, and the other two players in Chaska’s starting lineup on Monday demonstrated that they, along with junior guard Kelsey Willems Kelsey Willems 5'8" | CG Chaska | 2021 State MN and sophomore Lucy Dardis Lucy Dardis 5'7" | CG Chaska | 2022 MN , will play an important part if the Hawks are to achieve their potential. Hendrickson is a 5’9 guard with long arms and a solid skill set. The junior has been a contributor in the past but this year has emerged as a mainstay. The 6’0 Karrmann is super long. We’re told she is a high-level college softball prospect, which is her main pursuit. As a result of the time invested on the diamond, Kendall’s basketball skills are not quite as developed as they could be but she makes up for it with length and tenacity. If Karrmann ever changes her mind about which sport is #1, look out.
Top photo: Sophomore Alyssa Stamer Alyssa Stamer 5'7" | CG Hutchinson | 2022 State MN of Hutchinson. (Photo courtesy of Crow River Media)