Thursday Night Stars from the State Tournament

Another day at the Minnesota State Girls Basketball Tournament! These were the stars of my night watching state quarterfinal and semifinal action at the University of Minnesota. <strong>Kassidy Broadwater, Guard, Fillmore Central (2020)</strong> Broadwater went out a complete star in her last ever high school basketball game. She was not a player you wanted to give any space to on defense, as she made the Hornets pay to get to the bucket and was 4 of 5 from long range. Broadwater played so determined the second half when Henning was up 17, and she scored 10 points in the final 6 minutes of play for the Falcons to keep the Falcons within 10. This three-sport athlete left everything she had on the floor and finished with 30 points. <strong>Megan Weber, Guard, Henning (2021)</strong> On the other side of the floor from Broadwater, was another guard with a three-point stroke in Megan Weber. She knocked down six 3 pointers and when she’d get space at the bucket she’d make the best of it, by knocking down 100% of her free throws on 7 attempts. A player that averaged 11 points per game in the regular season, Weber made a statement in the quarterfinals that there are a few more Henning Hornets we need to be talking about. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109736" first="Ellie" last="Dague"], Guard, Henning (2021)</strong> A top 15 prospect in 2021, Dague showed off a unique draw to her game that wasn’t expected. Her physicality getting to the bucket is intimidating as she has such a strong drive in her overall frame. Dague’s shooting on the night was average, but she shot 14 free throws which in my opinion shows you that when her shooting range is on and she’s getting opportunities at the line, she can dominate even more than the 22 points she put up last night. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109738" first="Alexis" last="Pratt"], Guard, Stillwater (2021)</strong> Pratt was one of two of the strong forces against Hopkins on Thursday night. The 5’5 guard plays an elusive game of basketball that allowed her to drive the bucket against the best high school player in the nation, and give the Ponies more opportunities at the line. Pratt also has a knack for reading the offense and locking in where the ball is going and gathered 6 steals against the mighty Royals of Hopkins. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28784" first="Liza" last="Karlen"], Forward, Stillwater (2020) Marquette Commit</strong> A top 10 prospect in our class of 2020, Karlen showed she was an absolute grinder when it comes to grabbing boards. Good forwards get 9-10 rebounds per game, great forwards get over 13 in my book, hence why Karlen is going to the Golden Eagles next year. She also showed off some long-range buckets that are sometimes a tough ask for your bigs to have but she has a quality shot from the outside. <strong>Rose Willie, Forward, Farmington (2022)</strong> Turning nothing into something has been Willie’s year. Starting her season with Farmington, she was averaging under 5 minutes per game off the bench to turning into near 30 minutes in the state semifinals game against St. Michael-Albertville. A question to ask once AAU starts is can she develop her game even more? Her rebounding against the Knights was superb which was much improved from the state quarterfinal against Eden Prairie. We’ll have to see if this sophomore can keep the momentum she built into the game season in her first summer of AAU basketball. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;