The Week That Was #13: The Bueckers Show continues

Paige Bueckers 5'11" | CG Hopkins | 2020 State MN reached a new level of frenzy on Friday night at Wayzata. Although Hopkins vs Wayzata part 2 was not a classic basketball game by any means -- the end result was a 25-point win for the Royals -- everything surrounding it was certainly the highlight of the Week That Was #13 in Minnesota girls high school basketball. By the time Hopkins senior KK Adams 5'8" | CG Hopkins | 2020 State MN buried a 3 less than two minutes into the game, the Royals were already up by 6 points at 8-2. Bueckers scored her first basket at 13:15. Then #1-sophomore

Maya Nnaji 6'4" | PF Hopkins | 2022 State #7 Nation MN went to work to stretch the lead a little more, and Hopkins was up 46-29 at the half. A series of quick buckets by Bueckers midway through the second half sealed Wayzata’s fate and the Royals went on to a 91-64 victory. Then the post-game frenzy began as dozens of youngsters rushed to surround Paige on the floor for the requisite barrage of selfies. Bueckers looked like the Pied Piper as she tried to make her way out of the gym and into the sanctuary of the Hopkins locker room. It is incredible what’s happening now with Bueckers. The people sitting next to me at the game had flown in from North Carolina for the sole purpose of seeing Paige play in person. Their high-school aged daughter hung on every shot, marveling at the player whom she and hundreds of thousands of other young fans have been admiring on the Internet. It must be a circus for the Hopkins players, coaches and extended family right now. Every game is like this, with the entourage of videographers following their every move. Suddenly the quest for a second straight undefeated season, and the state 4A championship that goes with it, has become a ‘thing’ all across the country. It’s remarkable, and it’s great for Minnesota girls basketball. Enjoy it, because we might never see another moment like this for generations to come. What probably got overshadowed on Friday was the incredible performance delivered by Wayzata sophomore

Mara Braun 5'11" | CG Wayzata | 2022 State #21 Nation MN . She and Bueckers went toe to toe from start to finish, and Mara matched Paige every step of the way. Their score lines were almost identical as Paige finished with three triples, 8 conventional field goals and 27 points. Mara made a pair of threes, 9 two-point baskets and 5-of-7 free throws for 29 points. Braun is the #4-ranked player in the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2022, and she was a force on Friday night. Trojans senior Annika Stewart 6'3" | PF Wayzata | 2020 State MN (Nebraska) finished with 15 points. Nnaji had 21 for the Royals, who also received 12 points from freshman

Nunu Agara 6'1" | PF Hopkins | 2023 State #32 Nation MN . Sophomore

Alayna Contreras 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2022 State MN made three triples. If the two teams meet again it will be in the section 6AAAA final on March 5th. THE HIGHLIGHTS OF WEEK #13 Lake City vs Rochester Lourdes I was in Lake City on Saturday night for the Hiawatha Valley conference championship game between Rochester Lourdes and the Lake City Tigers. Both teams have had outstanding seasons. The Eagles carried a 10-game winning streak into the contest while the Tigers had won 13 in a row, so it had the makings of an epic battle in the classic gym at Lincoln High School. In the end it wasn’t close at all as Lourdes cruised to a 65-45 win. Lake City simply could not put the ball in the basket as their normally-stellar aerial attack only shot blanks. Lourdes, meanwhile, could not miss. The Eagles were led by senior

Alyssa Ustby 6'2" | CG Rochester Lourdes | 2020 State MN , the #3-ranked player in the class of 2020. The North Carolina commit could not be stopped, particularly inside, as she scored 30 points to give Lourdes the title. Meanwhile Lake City standout sophomores

Lilly Meincke 5'10" | CG Lake City | 2022 State MN and

Natalie Bremer 5'11" | CG Lake City | 2022 State MN combined for just 14 points, 21 fewer than their season averages. Sophomore CJ Adamson 5'9" | CG Rochester Lourdes | 2022 State MN was the only other Eagle to reach double figures with 10 points. Senior point guard Anna Otto did an excellent job of distributing the basketball while landing a pair of three balls of her own. Lake City was led by sophomore forward

Mya Shones 6'1" | PF Lake City | 2022 State MN who had 14 points. Heritage Christian Academy vs Spectrum Heritage Christian has been to the class A state tournament the past two seasons. They finished third in Minneapolis one year ago. On Saturday afternoon on their home court in Maple Grove, the Eagles certainly played like contenders in an impressive win over Spectrum, the charter school from Elk River that is led by Hamline commit Abby Thompson 5'10" | PF Spectrum | 2020 State MN . Heritage coach Lori Crellin told me that her team is peaking at just the right time and it would appear she is right. Heritage is led by standout junior point guard Taylor Schuck 5'7" | CG Heritage | 2021 State MN along with senior guard Kirstin Robbins 5'10" | CG Heritage | 2020 State MN and senior forward

Jordyn Allen 6'1" | PF Heritage | 2020 State MN , who is a strong Division 2 prospect. Although she has dealt with some nagging injuries over the past couple of years, Allen is a talented post who uses her long, lean body to out-maneuver opponents in the paint. The 6’1 prospect has a nice mid-range game, really good footwork, and terrific instincts on the boards. Robbins is a workhorse. The 5’9 guard is deceptively athletic, has nice handles, is a quality shooter and has really good leadership skills. Robbins’ family moved to Georgia last fall but she stayed behind for her senior year of high school. It isn’t clear whether she wants to play college basketball in the Midwest or be nearer to her family. She has drawn some D2 interest, but would be an outstanding player at the D3 level. Schuck scored 21 points to lead the way for Heritage. Allen went 8-for-14 from the field for 18 points. Robbins scored 12 to go along with 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 9 steals. Heritage is now 19-5 with two regular season games remaining. They’ll face their fellow contenders Mountain Iron-Buhl and Cherry this week as all three teams prepare for a run at the class A state title. Four more games I watched last week My week began at Robbinsdale Armstrong on Monday where the Falcons fell to Rogers by a score of 78-43. The Royals were led by

Ellie Buzzelle 5'9" | SG Rogers | 2022 State #60 Nation MN , a top 10 player in the class of 2022 who already has a two Big 10 offers. She scored 31 for Rogers. Freshman

Savannah McGowan 6'2" | PF Armstrong | 2023 State MN did her best for the home team, scoring 17, but a young Armstrong squad simply couldn’t hang with the visitors on this night. On Tuesday I was at Roseville for the Raiders’ Senior Night encounter with Forest Lake where junior

Tamia Ugass 6'3" | C Roseville | 2021 State MN and senior Jayda Johnston 6'1" | PF Roseville | 2020 State MN (Valparaiso), the #12 player in the 2020 class, scored 13 points apiece to lead their team to a 57-44 victory. Junior Rai’Janee Meadows 5'9" | SF Roseville | 2021 State MN scored 11 for the Raiders who also had 10 points from Jayda’s freshman sister

Drew Johnston 5'9" | PG Roseville | 2023 State MN . Maddie Krieger counted 13 for the Rangers. On Wednesday I went to Andover where I saw the Huskies dispatch Anoka 51-38 on their home court. As usual, Sioux Falls commit Sydney White 5'10" | CG Andover | 2020 State MN led the way for Andover with 19 points while senior long-bomber Emily Diemer 5'5" | CG Andover | 2020 State MN had 13.

Olivia Anderson 5'7" | CG Anoka | 2021 State MN and Emily Josephson had 8 points apiece for Anoka. On Thursday I saw Prior Lake collect a 56-50 win at Eagan. Junior Tatum Brostrum and senior

Haidyn Pitsch 5'6" | CG Prior Lake | 2020 State MN , who scored her 1,000th career point in the game, led the way for Prior Lake with a dozen points each. Taylor Grebin had 15 for the Wildcats while

Jocelyn Plonski 6'0" | PF Eagan | 2022 State MN scored 14. MILESTONES There have been no shortage of memorable moments in the career of Lakeville North senior

Lauren Jensen 5'10" | CG Lakeville North | 2020 State MN . The #2 player in the class of 2020, who has committed to Iowa, made more history this week by reaching 2,000 career points. Here are some more milestones achieved recently by some of Minnesota’s top players.

Concordia-St. Paul commit Lindsey Becher Lindsey Becher 6'1" | C Mounds View | 2020 State MN became the all-time leading scorer, boys or girls, at Mounds View by surpassing 1,780 points. Becher is ranked #25 In the class of 2020.
Sophomore Madison Mathiowetz Madison Mathiowetz 5'10" | CG Sleepy Eye St. Mary's | 2022 State MN continues to rewrite the record books at Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s. She scored 34 points Tuesday in a win over Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial to pass her Aunt Molly’s career total of 1,709 points and become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
St. Anthony Village senior Sam Sibbet Sam Sibbet 5'8" | PG St. Anthony | 2020 State MN is now her school’s all-time leading scorer, as well. Sibbet fought through the grind of four games in five days while dealing with a nasty cold, but that didn’t stop her from reaching 1,450 career points for the Huskies. At #33, Sibbet is one of the top point guards in the class of 2020 whose services are still available. Sam wasn’t the only St. Anthony senior to reach a milestone this week as her teammate Anica Thomas Anica Thomas 5'8" | CG St. Anthony | 2020 State MN recorded her 1,000th career point.
Park Center has had no shortage of scorers over the past few seasons and senior guard Lauren Frost Lauren Frost 5'8" | CG Park Center | 2020 State MN has certainly had her hand in the Pirates’ high-powered offense. The 15th-rated senior in the state also reached 1,000 points this week. Lauren will play D1 ball next winter for coach Brittany Lange at Omaha.
Spring Lake Park senior Joelle Talso Joelle Talso 5'7" | PG Spring Lake Park | 2020 State MN scored 23 points on Friday night against Robbinsdale Armstrong to pass the 1,000-career points mark. Talso has made a ton of 3-pointers in her high school career so it is fitting that the record-setting shot came from beyond the arc. Talso is the 4th player in Panther history to reach the milestone.

Top photo: Paige Bueckers Paige Bueckers 5'11" | CG Hopkins | 2020 State MN of Hopkins has become a Slam Magazine sensation. (Image courtesy of Slam)