The Week That Was #9: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
Here we go again. Just when you thought it was safe to schedule a slate of terrific basketball games, on comes the weather forecast. I’m not big on cancellations – most of the time they simply aren’t necessary – but…
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Continue ReadingHere we go again. Just when you thought it was safe to schedule a slate of terrific basketball games, on comes the weather forecast. I’m not big on cancellations – most of the time they simply aren’t necessary – but travel outside of the Twin Cities was pretty treacherous by Friday afternoon so it’s not surprising that Mother Nature wiped out a ton of games – again. That meant a scant few contests on Friday and the cancellation of the Jack Links Hall of Fame Winter Classic at Anoka-Ramsey on Saturday. Unfortunately that meant the much-anticipated rematch of last year’s state 4A championship game between Stillwater and Hopkins did not take place.
As a result, this week featured the fewest number of high school games I have seen in forever – just three – but those three were pretty good, and there was some next-level basketball on the agenda, too. Here’s a recap of week #9 from around Minnesota
Junior Ellie Schmitz of HermantownMONDAY: HERMANTOWN 77 PRINCETON 60
I had not seen Maddie James since fall ball, and the #12-rated sophomore has been lighting it up for Princeton. The real reason I drove up highway 169, though, was to get a first-hand look at junior forward Ellie Schmitz of Hermantown. I have been hearing good things about the 6’0 forward from Wisconsin Playmakers, who scores consistently, rebounds hard and has a wingspan of 6’5! Schmitz did not disappoint. She can knock down shots from mid-range and beyond the arc, finishes at the basket with either hand and has a big motor. And that length? It’s a weapon.
With a record of 14-1 Hermantown obviously has a lot of nice pieces but Schmitz is clearly their best prospect for success at the next level. She finished the game with 19 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. She’s working on improving her quickness and foot speed, which should help her become a scholarship-level player. She’ll enter the Prep Girls Hoops Top 150 at the next update. Senior Bryton Kukowski had 21 points for Hermantown. Junior Johanna Kostanshek led Princeton with 17 points while senior Maddie Kleingartner had 15. James, who had games of 39 and 36 last week, was limited to just 10.
The trip home from Princeton was a long, drawn-out affair thanks to the week’s first big whack of snow. Who knew it would be a sign of things to come a few days later.
TUESDAY: CENTENNIAL 73 PARK CENTER 71
In what could be a preview of the section 5AAAA final, Centennial and Park Center went toe-to-toe in a physical contest that wasn’t decided until the last possible moment. That’s when the Cougars big post Jenna Guyer out-muscled two Pirates defenders in the paint to kick the ball out to sophomore Hannah Herzig, who buried a 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds remaining to give Centennial the win. Guyer was a beast all night long, as she battled ferociously with Park Center’s T’Naye Griffin throughout the game. Guyer finished with 28 points and 19 rebounds. Unfortunately Griffin was hurt in the game’s final two minutes when they got tangled up in the paint and went down in a heap. T’Naye apparently suffered a dislocated kneecap.
Centennial, which trailed by 9 points at the half, held Park Center phenom Adalia McKenzie to just 21, her lowest output of the season. Senior guard Aaliyah Ragulen (NIACC) made up the difference, draining 5 threes and scoring 25 points. Herzig finished with 15 points for Centennial while junior Jodi Anderson had 18.
Bethel freshman Kat Brown-Erdal of Jordan.WEDNESDAY: BETHEL 82 ST. OLAF 36
The nationally-ranked Bethel Royals have been tearing it up in D3 college ball this winter and are 15-0 after a pair of wins this week. Bethel is led by some familiar faces, including seniors Taite Anderson of White Bear Lake and Haylee Barker of Maple Grove, and juniors Bella Williams of Zimmerman and Makenna Pearson of Blaine. I was impressed Wednesday with the play of two freshmen we know very well – wing Kat Brown-Erdal of Jordan, who is starting for the Royals, and Emma Schultz of Eden Valley-Watkins, who is doing a great job off the bench in a defensive role.
THURSDAY: SHAKOPEE 64 EDINA 60
Edina came from 15 down but couldn’t quite pull it off against the Sabers, who boast a lineup of solid performers and next-level prospects. Shakopee is led by junior guards Kelley Brennan (#73) and Natalie Holte (#47), and sophomores Paige Broze (#79) and Kate Cordes (#101). I was impressed by the improvement of sophomore guard Maya Mitchell (#105), who has grown and filled out considerably and is now a starter. She is a talented, athletic guard whose stock is rising. Junior guard Delaney Jossart did some nice things, too. Edina is transitioning to a new coaching staff. Some nights they look great; others it’s a work in progress. The Hornets have prospects, too: Juniors Caiya Wulf (#45) and Allie Murphy (#50), and sophomores Dorothy Stotts (#25) and Ella Campbell (#27) are all scholarship-level kids.
FRIDAY – A DOSE OF DIVISION 2
With Mother Nature doing her thing outside I hunkered down inside and seized the opportunity to see how some of the players we covered over the years are doing at the D2 level. I watched a pair of Northern Sun Conference games online, flipping back and forth between the Wayne State vs MSU-Moorhead game and the contest between MSU-Mankato and UM Duluth.
In Nebraska, Wayne State hung on for a 78-73 win thanks to some clutch free throws in the final minute by big forward Brittany Bongartz of Anoka, who was the #11 prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2017. Forward Erin Norling of Delano, who was #38 in the same class, had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Halley Busse (#55 in 2017) of Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop had 19 for the Wildcats.
Moorhead was down by as much as 28 points in the first half but rallied on the strength of center Peyton Boom. The Barnesville graduate, who was ranked #38 in 2017, shot 9-for-18 for 22 points and added 9 rebounds. Senior Forward Megan Hintz of Dover-Eyota (#29 in 2016) had 14 points and 10 rebounds. She was part of that terrific 2015 AA state championship team that included top-20 prospect Madison Nelson, who has had a great career at D1 Denver University. Guard Natalie Steichen, a top-20 prospect in 2018 from Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton, had 9 points and 8 assists for the Dragons.
In Duluth, the Bulldogs knocked off the Mavericks by a score of 69-58 led by sophomore Maesyn Thiesen of Sauk Centre, who was ranked #13 in our 2018 class. She played 37 minutes and had 12 points for UMD. Forward Sara Grow of Centennial (#61 in 2017) had 10 while guard Ann Simonet of Park Center (#31 in 2018) had 11 assists.
Mankato was led by 6’5 sophomore center Kristi Fett of Lyle-Pacelli, a top-20 player in 2018 who won a state championship in high school. Fett recorded a double-double Friday with 12 points and 11 rebounds. MSU’s lineup includes 2019 #14 Joey Batt of New Ulm, 2017 #21 Maddy Olson of Rosemount, 2017 #37 Kirstin Klitzke of Watertown-Mayer and 2016 #28 Rachel Shumski of Granada-Huntley-East Chain.
GETTING A HEAD START
Q: Who will be the first member of the class of 2020 to play college basketball? A: Aurora Roberts of Tartan High School. In fact it has already happened. Roberts, a 5’9 forward, graduated early in December and is already playing at the next level in North Carolina. The #80-ranked prospect in the class, Roberts made her collegiate debut this week for Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C. The private school, which completes in the Division 2 Carolinas Conference, is located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains ski country about 120 miles northwest of Charlotte.
Roseau sophomore Katie Borowicz hit the 2,000 mark.THIS WEEK’S MILESTONES
Katie Borowicz is the #3-ranked prospect in the class of 2021 for a reason and her tremendous career in both high school and AAU basketball speaks for itself. Thursday’s performance in an 89-67 win over Badger-Greenbush-Middle River was truly special, though. Borowicz scored 46 points to top the 2,000 career points mark. Katie has scored 130 points in her last three games, and is averaging nearly 32 ppg for the 11-3 Rams.
Rochester’s Lilly Meister (right) and her teammate Katie Hurt (left) have had plenty to celebrate.Here are some more milestones from the past week:
- Bemidji State commit Sam Pogatchnik of Proctor went 6-of-7 from the field for 18 points in a 56-41 win over Mesabi East to become the Rails all-time leading scorer, male or female. The record of 1,735 had been held by Lexi DeWall.
- Alaina Wolff became the all-time leading scorer at Jackson County Central this week, passing Whitney Burmeister’s previous record of 1,841 points. Wolff will play volleyball in college.
- Senior guard Holly Wiste of Mankato West passed 1,000 career points last Friday in a 75-47 win over Faribault. The crafty little point guard is a Prep Girls Hoops Top 150 prospect.
- Gifted 6’2 forward Lilly Meister of Rochester John Marshall reached 1,000 points this week, and she is only a sophomore. Meister is the #7-rated prospect in the class of 2022.
- Senior forward Julia Dammann of Sauk Centre also topped 1,000 this week. The #40-rated prospect in the senior class will play at the University of Jamestown.
- Junior point guard Ivane Tensaie of Concordia Academy (#35 in the class) put up 40 points in an 80-31 win over St. Agnes on Thursday. Remarkably, junior Brigid Boyle had 27 of the Aggies 31. Boyle is committed to Wayne State.
- Junior Gianna Kneepkens of Duluth Marshal had 39 points on Tuesday against Moose Lake-Willow River. It was the 8th game over 30 this year for Kneepkens, who is averaging 31 ppg while shooting a remarkable 62% from the field. She’s also averaging 10 rebounds per game. The 5’11 guard is ranked #14 in the junior class and rising.
- Junior Juel Skrein of St. Croix Lutheran scored 32 points in a 74-65 upset of DeLaSalle on Thursday, a display that included an 11-for-13 performance at the free throw line and 9-for-16 from the field.
- Senior Kyli Nelson of Red Wing made 9 threes and scored 29 points against Rochester Mayo on Thursday. She’ll play next season at Mount Marty College, an NAIA program in South Dakota.
Top photo: Senior Sam Pogatchnik became the all-time leading scorer, male or female, at Proctor High School. Sam has signed with Bemidji State.