Moorhead showcase: 5 new names you’ll want to know

Sometimes all a player needs to take a giant step forward is opportunity. That has certainly been the case for <strong>Willow Thiel</strong> of Perham, who has definitely seized the moment since one of her teammates went down with a torn ACL. Thiel turned in a nice performance last weekend at the Heart O’Lakes Showcase in Moorhead, but she wasn’t the only fresh face to make an impact. Here are a handful of players we saw in Moorhead whose names you’ll want to know. <strong>Willow Thiel, 8th grade forward, Perham</strong> When Perham guard <strong>Greta Hillukka</strong> tore her ACL on Jan. 4 against Duluth East it was a big blow for the Yellowjackets. The 5’8 sophomore, who transferred in from Menahga this year, was leading the team in scoring at about 15 points per game and was a big piece of the Perham puzzle. Enter 8th grader Willow Thiel, a 5’10 prospect whose minutes have picked up a lot in recent games. She has scored in double digits in five of the team’s last six games, a stretch that has seen her average 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals per game while shooting 65% from the floor and 73% at the free throw line. Nice numbers. She’s very athletic, runs the court, defends and rebounds. Thiel had 15 points for Perham in Saturday’s win over Staples-Motley. Even more remarkable is this fact: Thiel is just 13 years old! She’ll play AAU ball for West Central United. <strong>Lauren Halverson, 6’0 sophomore forward, Barnesville </strong>– We’re told that Barnesville’s crop of freshmen and sophomores have been strong competitors in youth ball all the way up. The first of that group to catch our attention on Saturday was 2022 forward Lauren Halverson. Standing in the neighborhood of 6 feet, with plenty of length, it’s not surprising we would notice Lauren. Unfortunately she got whacked in the head early in the game and sat out the rest of the first half. She returned in the second period, made her presence felt on the defensive end of things, and scored 6 points. Halverson has a long way to go in her skill development but this is a player with the natural assets to excel. <strong>Sydney Strand, freshman guard, Barnesville </strong>– The second Trojan that caught our eye was Sydney Strand, an athletic little guard who was the only Barnesville player in double figures on the day. Strand knocked down three triples against Park Christian and added six more field goals for 23 points. The Trojans needed every one of them to slip past <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/karley-motschenbacher/">[player_tooltip player_id="110546" first="Karley" last="Motschenbacher"]</a> and the Falcons by the narrow margin of 52-49. Strand is quick and skilled, and was the engine that drove the Trojan train on Saturday, making the 25-mile journey up Interstate 94 well worth the while for Barnesville. <strong>         </strong> <strong>Madison Carsten, freshman guard, Wadena-Deer Creek </strong>– If there is one thing I look for before all else when scouting potential prospects it is this: athleticism. If a player is a great athlete, the odds are much better that they will become a great player. Not surprising, then, that I paid extra attention to Madison from the get-go on Saturday. At about 5’9 or 5’10, she has also got length, her skills are well-developed and she is active at both ends of the floor. When she elevated over a defender at a high rate of speed to score, it was clear that Carsten has the potential to play at the next level. Madison finished the game with 18 points, about five beyond her season average. She has yet to play AAU basketball. <strong>Avery Aakre, 8th grade guard, Park Christian </strong>– Avery is still small – about 5’3 – and she has yet to fill out, but that’s not unusual for a young 8th grader still getting her feet wet in varsity basketball. What is a little rarer, however, is to find 8th graders who are as quick, as feisty and as aggressive as Aakre. The 5’7 guard was flying around the court for Park Christian on the weekend, playing with tremendous enthusiasm and energy, yet not making the type of mistakes we commonly see from inexperienced players going all out. We will follow up with Avery down the road. Something tells me she is going to be a good one. Another PC Falcon worth watching is <strong>Camille Deringer</strong>, a 5’10 freshman forward with good length, a decent-sized frame and nice defensive instincts in the paint. One more name to know… <strong>Megan Thune, sophomore forward, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton </strong>– DGF has had some terrific teams recent years, led by standouts like <strong><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/natalie-steichen/">[player_tooltip player_id="1461" first="Natalie" last="Steichen"]</a></strong> (MSU-Moorhead) and <strong>Allie Critchley</strong> (Valley City State). Now the Rebels are rebuilding, and coach Tom Critchley is relying on a number of young players to step up and play big roles. They did that on Saturday as DGF recorded a 62-52 win over Mahnomen-Waubun. DGF plays at a high tempo. They rely on pressure defense, a revolving-door rotation and a whole lot of energy. Megan Thune is among the youngsters to watch at DGF going forward. Thune buried 5 three-pointers in the win. She’s got a big body, a nice stroke and some solid raw material to work with, and at 6’1 she just looks like a basketball player. That’s always a good place to start. <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Top photo: Sophomore Lauren Halverson of Barnesville (#32 in white) was among the youngsters who stood out in Moorhead. (Photo courtesy of the Crookston Times)</em></span>