Wednesday Evening Stars from the State Tournament

Day 1 from the Minnesota State Girls Basketball Tournament has wrapped up play. 24 teams took the court today starting at 10 AM and ending around 10 PM. It’s one of those days I wish I could clone myself to watch multiple games at once at the very convenient Williams Arena that is adjoined by the Maturi Pavillion where all the games go on. I couldn’t make it to the earlier sessions due to the full-time job, but these are my stars from late afternoon going into the late-night I got to watch. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109750" first="Addy" last="Salzer"], Guard, Waconia (2021)</strong> The crafty, long guard from the Wildcats took the Red Wing Wingers and the Maturi Pavillion by storm today. She was such a key component to leading the Wildcats to victory in overtime with her 19 points and the solid all-around play she showed off in Minneapolis on day one of the state tournament. Salzer should make today's game against Becker a lot of fun with the top tier guards the Bulldogs and Wildcats possess. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1917" first="Alyssa" last="Ustby"], Forward, Rochester Lourdes (2020) North Carolina Commit</strong> In a win over the unseeded Beacons from the city of Roseville, Ustby put on a clinic in Williams Arena. What I learned about her today is how much finesse she has in that strong basketball body of hers and she’s not afraid to take the ball up the court and attack the bucket especially when she saw the undersized Beacons in her way. Her 25 points sits atop of my list as a top performance I watched today at the state tournament. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109748" first="Ivane" last="Tensaie"], Guard, Concordia Academy (2022)</strong> I’ve watched some fast point guards in the 90+ teams I’ve watched this season trust me but after tonight, [player_tooltip player_id="109748" first="Ivane" last="Tensaie"] sits in my "top 5" for best wheels in the state. Her mobility is such an asset to her game as she’ll blossom into an even better player in the coming year as just a junior. Ivane’s game I thought she was fearless, especially when she went to the hoop and got to the line, where she was 6 of 6. Although her field goal percentage was slightly subpar, she gave the Beacons plenty of opportunities to at least turn the game into a quality one. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109125" first="CJ" last="Adamson"], Guard, Rochester Lourdes (2022)</strong> Adamson showed off a glimpse of what the future holds in the backcourt for Rochester Lourdes Eagles girls hoops last night at Williams Arena. We saw a guard that was hungry when she took the ball to the bucket and scored consistently. We also saw a guard who also could rebound with authority and with solid shooting range. In her 23 point outing, Adamson takes my "second best" performance, which is impressive coming from the same program on this state tournament day 1. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="110888" first="Hannah" last="Potter"], Guard, Waseca, (2020)</strong> I have to say I am very impressed with how Potter reeled this team in after the loss of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="110535" first="Gus" last="Boyer"]</strong>, just a month ago. You can just see it in her game that she has put the weight on her back to carry this backcourt of the Bluejays. Potter wasn’t hitting her deep shots (they were so close to going in) in the first half, which is how Pelican Rapids stayed alive for as long as they did. But when those threes started hitting for Potter, that is your ballgame as her 4 three-pointers put out the candles in the Pelican Rapids Vikings perfect season. <strong>Greta Tollefson, Forward, Pelican Rapids (2021)</strong> If I had a "tough as nails" award to give out on the night, I would have given it to Tollefson. Waseca came in with more talent, better size and more depth than the Vikings no question, but that didn’t scare Tollefson. She bodied hard with the Bluejays and had 10 rebounds and was the top scorer for Pelican Rapids and played with tremendous heart in defeat. Tollefson is a gritty player, and I can’t wait for her to improve as the senior leader for the Vikings next season. <strong>Grace Coultas, Guard, Concordia Academy (2020)</strong> Another guard for the Beacons that made a splash was Coultas. She didn’t take a ton of shots in last night’s game, but she certainly made them count and ended with 11 points. Coultas ability to catch and shoot tonight was an impressive way for this senior to go out for the Beacons at Williams Arena. <strong>Annamarie Sieve, Forward, Rochester Lourdes (2021)</strong> Sieve played for under half the game, but she made a significant difference for the Eagles. What stood out to me was his precision passing in her 3 assists she tallied tonight. She also shot 75% from the field and more than likely got signed up for more minutes when the Eagles play Waseca on Friday in the state semifinals. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="110882" first="Rachel" last="Breck"], Forward, Waseca (2020)</strong> Breck is just a bruiser down low that dismantled the smaller, less athletic Vikings, especially in the low post. This was definitely showed off in the second half as you got the vibe that because Pelican Rapids had such trouble getting through Breck, that they took the lower percentage shot from outside and it wasn't hitting. Breck will have a more challenging time on Friday when they get PGH 2020 top 5 forward [player_tooltip player_id="1917" first="Alyssa" last="Ustby"] and Rochester Lourdes Eagles.