Minnesota’s Section Standouts, part 2

I remember seeing [player_tooltip player_id="130031" first="Macy" last="Smith"] for the first time way back when she was a 7th grader at Maranatha Christian Academy just two or three games into varsity basketball. This week, nearly six years later, we watched her play the final two games of an outstanding high school career. During the years in between, Macy matured as a player, matured as a person and gave us a ton of great basketball. Smith has been one of the top performers we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks and for that she tops the list today of Minnesota’s Section Standouts, part 2. [player_tooltip player_id="130031" first="Macy" last="Smith"] – 2021 guard, Spring Lake Park (Cal State-Northridge) When we’re out scouting players, one of the first things we look for is how athletic they are. It takes a lot of different attributes to make it to college basketball but players who have a high degree of natural athleticism have an immediate jump on the competition. Smith is definitely that. When we saw the 7th grader sprinting up and down the court with such natural grace, long strides and the kind of smoothness you just can’t teach, we knew immediately that Macy would be a prospect. Over time her skill set grew, she became a prolific scorer and she learned how to handle the emotional ups and downs that are inevitable in the quest for a college scholarship. The 5’10 Smith eventually ascended into the top 30 of the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2021 and earned a scholarship to play D1 ball at Cal State-Northridge. On Tuesday we saw Macy score 27 points in an outstanding performance that allowed Spring Lake Park to eliminate Roseville. On Thursday she was nearly as good, scoring 23 against a Centennial team that was just too tough to tame. Macy’s high school career is over, but she certainly left us with some great memories. [player_tooltip player_id="109746" first="Jordyn" last="Hilgemann"] – 2021 guard/forward, Marshall (Northern State) Like Smith, Jordyn has been around a long time since she first came onto the scene in Marshall while still a student in middle school, but her high school career is not quite done yet. As of this writing, the Tigers are still in the hunt for a return to the state tournament having a Friday night date with Waconia remaining on their to-do list. We watched Hilgemann and the Tigers stave off elimination on Tuesday in a 62-49 win over Mankato East. The game was much closer than the score would indicate. While there were a number of Tigers who had quality performances against the Cougars, it was Jordyn who enabled her team to advance. Marshall is known for its defensive prowess. Coach Dan Westby’s system is tried and true. It doesn’t produce a lot of star players, but it most certainly yields victories. Truth be told though, the 19-0 Tigers would not be on the verge of a return to state were it not for the heroics of Hilgemann, who is a scoring machine. Hilgemann put Marshall on the board with a pair of free throws about two and half minutes into the game. She followed with a steal and transition layup, two more free throws, a drive to the hoop, another steal and transition layup, two more free throws, a long three-pointer... a run of success that went on and on, enabling Hilgemann to score 20 of her team’s first 23 points. Every time Mankato threatened to take hold of the game it was Hilgemann who killed the dream. She finished the night with 33 points and 11 rebounds, yet another outstanding performance from a player who is a making a strong case for 3A Player of the Year honors. By the way, in last Friday’s quarterfinal win over New Ulm, Hilgemann scored 21 of her team’s first 22 points. Yep, she’s good. [player_tooltip player_id="109139" first="Mackenzie" last="Schweim"] – 2022 guard, Mankato East While Hilgemann’s pursuit of a state tournament berth continued on Tuesday night, the game marked the end of the road for Schweim. Fortunately, we’ll get to see another season from the Mankato East junior. She, too, was excellent in the game. In fact, she has been excellent throughout her high school career. When Kenzie arrived at Mankato East, it was a program that was in disarray. The culture was poor, the talent pool was weak and the results had been predictable. The Schweim era has been different as she, [player_tooltip player_id="109122" first="Lexi" last="Karge"] and company have thrived under coach Rob Stevermer, going from an almost-never-win-a-game program to a contender in the Big 9 Conference. Along the way we have seen Schweim grow into a 5’10 point guard with tremendous skills, a calm demeanor and the ability to manage a basketball game at a very high level. When the AAU season opens in April, Division 1 coaches need to be paying much closer attention to the Minnesota Stars standout, because the top-25 prospect has the potential to be a difference-maker at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id="215985" first="Olivia" last="Pawlicki"] – 2024 forward, Shakopee Honestly, we did not expect Olivia to make such an impact throughout her freshman year. Certainly the potential was obvious last summer and fall when the long, lanky forward impressed us with her play on a number of occasions. That’s why the 6-footer from Shakopee earned her way into the first edition of the Prep Girls Hoops Freshmen 50 at #44. When the high school season began, however, Olivia quickly worked her way into the Sabers veteran-heavy rotation and began to make her mark. By the time Shakopee’s season ended last week, Olivia had grown into a key piece in the lineup, a player who could contribute at both ends of the floor, score at the rim and from distance, and be relied upon to D up against all manner of opponents. The growth in Olivia’s game was remarkable. She is now a primary scorer, confident ball-handler, and high-level shooter. We were already bullish on Pawlicki’s potential, but I have a feeling this summer with Minnesota Suns 2024 Blue Star is going to be special. Here are a few more outstanding performers during sections play: [player_tooltip player_id="12714" first="Mallory" last="Heyer"] – 2022 forward, Chaska (Minnesota) Mal is so good, so often that we are sometimes forgetful about citing her performances. The #4-rated prospect in the class of 2022, who has committed to the University of Minnesota, was exceptional again on Thursday against Minnetonka. With the teams locked in a heated battle, it was Heyer’s final two minutes of the first half that turned the tide as she sparked her team to a 10-0 run marked by a pair of three-pointers that gave Chaska a 10-point lead at the half. The Hawks went on to have a dominant final 18 minutes as they extended their season record to 15-0 and earned a spot in the class 4A state tournament. [player_tooltip player_id="2126" first="Gianna" last="Kneepkens"] – 2021 guard, Duluth Marshall (Utah) Duluth Marshall struggled in the early stages of its section 7AA semifinal against Pequot Lakes, a highly-successful squad known for its defensive abilities. The Hilltoppers were down by eight points about six minutes into the first half when their do-it-all leader nailed an NBA-range three-pointer that, with an added free throw, turned into four points that would change the flow of the game entirely. As it so often does, Kneepkens’ big play sparked Marshall to bigger and better things as they went on an 18-0 run and eventually ran away in a 92-75 victory. Gianna finished with 49 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 8 steals. [player_tooltip player_id="109772" first="Mackenna" last="Moon"] – 2021 guard, St. Croix Lutheran Kenna is about the quietest 1,000-point scorer you’ll find. While [player_tooltip player_id="178263" first="Laura" last="Hauge"] and [player_tooltip player_id="109780" first="Lucia" last="Hauge"] tend to draw the headlines, [player_tooltip player_id="109786" first="Juel" last="Skrien"] and [player_tooltip player_id="109772" first="Mackenna" last="Moon"] are the steady Eddie backbone for St. Croix Lutheran. All four are 1,000-point scorers, but Moon is the most low-key, most efficient, steadiest player you’ll find who can also put the ball in the basket. Moon will never score a bigger bucket than she did Thursday night. She snagged a last-gasp, long-bomb pass and parlayed it into a game-winning and-1 with just three seconds remaining in overtime as the Crusaders knocked off St. Paul Como Park 68-66 to go to the State Tournament for the first time. [player_tooltip player_id="109756" first="Peyton" last="Blandin"] – 2021 guard, Farmington (SMSU) Last year at this time Peyton was on the hot seat. With her all-state teammate [player_tooltip player_id="13357" first="Molly" last="Mogensen"] (Creighton) suffering a season-ending injury, Blandin was now in charge of the Farmington offense and there was some question as to whether the quiet, unassuming point guard was ready to grab hold of the reins for a state-bound squad. Turns out there was no need to worry as Blandin was stellar in the Tigers’ run to the championship game. Fast forward to Wednesday night when Blandin led Farmington to a complete dismantling of Rochester Mayo in the section 1AAAA final by a score of 79-39. Peyton scored 25 points in the victory, making it obvious she is ready for another run at state. Top photo: Shakopee freshman forward [player_tooltip player_id="215985" first="Olivia" last="Pawlicki"].