2021 rankings update: Biggest stock risers, part 2

It hasn’t been forever since we last updated the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2021 rankings – it just seems that way. In fact this fall update is about a month later than it was last year, but it’s 2020 and nothing happens the same as it did before. And since there’s no telling when the high school season might actually begin – it, too will be at least a month later than usual – we weren’t in much of a rush to finish. But now that it’s done we need to give credit where credit is due, including to the biggest upward movers. On Thursday we brought you up to speed on the six stock risers who had improved their positions the most. Congrats again to [player_tooltip player_id="109814" first="Gina" last="Stefferud"] of Champlin Park (up 42), [player_tooltip player_id="109802" first="Briana" last="Stoltzman"] of Mankato West (up 40), [player_tooltip player_id="109809" first="Adi" last="Brown"] of Lakeville South (up 35), [player_tooltip player_id="109766" first="Gionna" last="Carr"] of Stillwater (up 25), [player_tooltip player_id="109800" first="Amaya" last="Doree"] of Champlin Park (up 24) and [player_tooltip player_id="178414" first="Lexiss" last="Trygg"] of Virginia (up 23). Today we bring you the rest of the players who have improved their prospect positioning by double-digits. In fact, three of them were already covered in our first overview earlier in the week which looked at the revised top 50 in the 2021 class. Three of the players who earned their way into the top 50 got there by making double-digit improvements: <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109751" first="Johanna" last="Langbehn"] of Elk River (North Tartan Elite), who has committed to the University of St. Thomas, rose 14 places to #30.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="29547" first="Ivory" last="Finley"] of Rosemount (43 Hoops) moved up 13 positions to #33. She has signed with Division I UMass-Lowell.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="13055" first="Sophie" last="Haydon"] of Minnetonka (North Tartan Elite) moved up 12 places to #35. She has committed to George Washington.</li> </ul> That leaves us with four more upwardly mobile performers whose double digit improvements are worthy of note. <strong>Up 18 –  </strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109797" first="Alayna" last="Lindquist"]<strong> –</strong>  The 5’8 guard from Becker and Comets Elite isn’t one to draw attention to herself, and she has plenty of teammates who spend impressive amounts of time in the limelight. But never underestimate the impact Lindquist has on a basketball game. This summer, when some of her higher profile teammates were absent, Alayna was thrust into a much more prominent role and she delivered at both ends of the floor. In spades. At summer’s end this tireless soldier earned a spot on our Hard Hat All-Star Team. Now she earns an 18-position rise to #111. <strong>Up 14 – </strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109829" first="Madi" last="Ngene"]<strong> –</strong>  The 5’9 power forward from Spring Lake Park (Suns Blue Star) is a beast. She’s strong, she’s physical and she is all-in on every single possession. Underestimate Madi’s ability at your peril because she can compete in the paint against much taller, much bigger players on a consistent basis. She’s intelligent and she’s fierce, and that’s a great combination inside. Ngene also has touch which is why she led the Panthers in scoring last winter at 14 points per game. Madi’s continuous improvement has earned her a 14-place bump in this rankings update as she climbs to #135. <strong>Up 13 – </strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109777" first="Macy" last="Holtz"]<strong> –</strong>  The 5’7 point guard from Plainview-Elgin-Millville moves up 13 places to #66. Coming off another outstanding summer for Southern Minnesota Fury, Holtz is a high-skill floor general who can handle the basketball, run an offense with aplomb, and attack the rim with explosiveness. Defensively Macy is a hound dog who can pressure opponents into forcing things and making poor choices, errors she is quick to exploit and cash in on at the other end of the court.  Next year Holtz will take her high-octane game to MSU-Moorhead. <strong>Up 11 –  </strong>[player_tooltip player_id="57170" first="Kelsey" last="Willems"]<strong> –</strong>  The 5’8 guard from Chaska is a defender extraordinaire, one of the very best in the state. That bodes well for her future at Augustana University because kids that can defend are the kids that play as freshmen. That’s not to say Willems won’t be a contributor at the other end of the floor. She is super quick, has a high basketball IQ, excellent court vision and plenty of range. Willems has been one of the core performers on a strong 43 Hoops 2021 team that featured at least five others who have made college commitments: [player_tooltip player_id="109750" first="Addy" last="Salzer"] (Iona), [player_tooltip player_id="29547" first="Ivory" last="Finley"] (UMass-Lowell), [player_tooltip player_id="109749" first="Katie" last="Leisen"] (Augustana), [player_tooltip player_id="57116" first="Haley" last="Paulson"] (Upper Iowa) and [player_tooltip player_id="109773" first="Jayla" last="Reliford"] (Jamestown). Willems is now ranked #69. <strong>A few more improvements of note</strong> We would also like to recognize five more athletes who improved their status by five spots or more. All are coming off strong summer and/or fall performances and deserve a shout-out. They are listed in order of their new ranking. <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="146170" first="Lynnsey" last="Hady"] – The athletic 5’10 guard from Rochester Mayo (Air Minnesota) has had a breakout year. The North Dakota State College of Science recruit moves up six positions to #63.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109781" first="Audrey" last="Martinez-Stewart"] – The 5’6 point guard from Cretin-Derham Hall (Minnesota Diamond Elite) is one of the state’s premier defenders. She has committed to North Iowa Area Community College and rises six places to #87.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109782" first="Nicole" last="Post"] – The lanky 6’3 center from Coon Rapids (Minnesota Stars DeSart) had her best summer ever, earning a six-spot jump to #90 and committing to Gustavus Adolphus.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57150" first="Cherish" last="Henderson"] – The 5’5 guard from Holy Angels has transferred to Maranatha Christian Academy for her senior season. The Valley City State commit rises six positions to #130.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109808" first="Mataya" last="Hoelscher"] – The crafty 5’5 guard from Alexandria (Minnesota Comets Elite) played with poise and confidence all summer, moving up six spots to #131 and signing with Concordia-Moorhead.</li> </ul>