AAU State Tournament: A recap of championship Sunday
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AAU basketball is almost always intense, but never more than it is on championship Sunday at Minnesota’s summer state tournament. The tournament, circa 2021, most definitely did not disappoint as North Tartan captured the class of 2022, 2023 and 2024 state titles with Minnesota Stars Borowicz continuing its run of dominance in the class of 2025.
Here’s a brief recap of Sunday’s championship games.
CLASS OF 2022: North Tartan EYBL 52 v Fury 2022 UAA 44
Mara Braun Mara Braun 5'11" | CG Wayzata | 2022 State #21 Nation MN wasn’t about to be denied. From the time her North Tartan 2022 squad launched its state tournament run with a 79-7 win on Friday night to the time they handed out the rings and the trophies on Sunday afternoon, the Wayzata junior was on a mission to win. Mission accomplished. The #2-rated prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2022 scored 29 points to lead North Tartan to victory over a historically strong Fury UAA squad. Mara was everywhere, and scored in pretty much every way you can score. Despite facing some of the state’s most accomplished performers – big-time recruits like Mallory Heyer Mallory Heyer 6'1" | PF Chaska | 2022 State #36 Nation MN (Minnesota), Lilly Meister Lilly Meister 6'2" | PF Rochester John Marshall | 2022 State #55 Nation MN (Indiana) and Callin Hake Callin Hake 5'8" | PG Chanhassen | 2022 State #64 Nation MN (Nebraska) – Braun made one big play after another showing clearly why she was a highly-sought-after recruit to the University of Minnesota.
North Tartan led by two at halftime but started to gain some breathing room midway through the second period when Braun cashed in on a three-for-three opportunity at the free throw line. She followed that with an end-to-end dash to score, then a pull-up jumper in transition, two more free throws and a drive to the hoop that gave NT a 10-point lead with 6 minutes to go. From there North Tartan played stellar defense to maintain its advantage and did a quality job of killing clock until the final buzzer sounded. From Nia Holloway Nia Holloway 6'0" | PF Eden Prairie | 2022 State #45 Nation MN and Kiani Lockett Kiani Lockett 5'9" | PG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN to Ellie Colbeck Ellie Colbeck 5'9" | PG Fergus Falls | 2022 State MN , Lily Fandre Lily Fandre 6'2" | SF Eagan | 2022 State MN and Madison Mathiowetz Madison Mathiowetz 5'10" | CG Sleepy Eye St. Mary's | 2022 State MN , this is a talented crew and they showed it on Sunday.
CLASS OF 2023: North Tartan EYBL 55 v Fury 2023 UAA 44
When North Tartan’s top sophomores beat the highly-decorated Fury UAA squad at the State Prelims two weeks ago there were plenty of eyebrows raised. It was difficult to even recall the last time this edition of the Fury – led by the likes of Kennedy Sanders Kennedy Sanders 5'8" | CG Chaska | 2023 State MN , Aby Shubert Aby Shubert 5'8" | CG Kasson-Mant. | 2023 State MN and Brynn Beffert Brynn Beffert 6'0" | PF Hutchinson | 2023 State MN – had lost a game on home soil. On Sunday afternoon at Shakopee, coach Marqus McGlothan’s crew proved the prelims were no fluke as North Tartan’s 2023s scored a second straight win over the defending state champions to take home a title of their own.
North Tartan played outstanding defense and had contributions from a variety of places. Bigs Walker Demers of Grafton, ND, and Emma Dasovich Emma Dasovich 6'1" | PF Valley Vista | 2024 MN of Minnetonka took care of business in the paint. Maple Grove’s Kennedy Klick Kennedy Klick 6'0" | CG Maple Grove | 2023 State MN made some sensational scoring plays. Point guard Molly Lenz Molly Lenz 5'8" | CG Eden Prairie | 2023 State MN of Eden Prairie had her strongest game of the spring. Clara Glad Clara Glad 6'0" | SF Rogers | 2023 State MN of Rogers and Maren Westin Maren Westin 5'8" | CG Becker | 2023 State MN of Becker continued their strong play, as did Ella Johnson Ella Johnson 6'2" | SF Elk River | 2023 State MN of Elk River and Reese Ross of Rapid City, SD. We could go on. Suffice to say it was a complete team effort and a high-quality win over an outstanding opponent.
CLASS OF 2024: North Tartan Nike 53 v Fury 2024 UAA 40
Defense wins, and when a team plays with the kind of energy and enthusiasm and defensive pressure we saw Sunday from North Tartan’s top freshmen they will be tough to beat. Coach Andy Berkvam squeezed every last drop of energy from his team as they held the high-flying Fury attack to just 40 points while limiting the premier player in the class of 2024 – #1 Olivia Olson Olivia Olson 6'1" | CG Benilde-SM | 2024 State MN of Benilde-St. Margaret’s – to 17. North Tartan was led, as they have been all spring, by 8th grader Rainey Welson of Appleton, WI, who scored 19 points and was a beast at both ends of the floor.
The game was back and forth in the first half with North Tartan holding a four-point lead at the intermission. It remained tight in the second until about the midway mark when Welson scored on consecutive drives to push the lead to eight and give North Tartan a dose of momentum. That edge was further bolstered moments later by Lauren Arnold Lauren Arnold 5'9" | CG Chanhassen | 2024 State MN ’s and-1 that stretched the lead to 11. Arnold made three free throws in the final 90 seconds and Welson made four to close the deal. Rhyan Holmgren Rhyan Holmgren 5'9" | SG St. Peter | 2024 State MN had another strong game for North Tartan, as did Tori McKinney Tori McKinney 6'1" | CG Minnetonka | 2024 State MN , but it was a collective effort of the best variety.
CLASS OF 2025: Stars Borowicz 55 v North Tartan Nike 52 (OT)
Kendall McGee is no stranger to the big moment and Minnesota Stars Borowicz has had an awful lot of them. In Sunday’s first of the big four title contests, McGee called “game” by burying a buzzer-beating three-point shot in overtime to give the Stars a hard-fought 55-52 win over North Tartan. It was the third straight 2025 state championship for the Borowicz crew and their fourth in the past five years.
The game was a virtual dead heat throughout the first half before McGee hit a triple to give coach Bruce Borowicz’s Stars a four-point lead at the break. In the second half the Stars got some separation, building a lead that had reached as much as 11 points with just over five minutes remaining. Then Ashley Ellis-Milan’s North Tartan squad went on a 15-5 sprint and eventually tied the game when Addison Mack Addison Mack 5'9" | PG Minnehaha Academy | 2025 State MN made a pair of free throws with just over a minute remaining. McGee had a chance to win it with a three to end regulation play but just missed. In overtime she made no mistake, launching a three in a crowd that found the cylinder as time expired to give the Stars a dramatic win. McGee finished the game with 20 points while Sam Wills turned in an outstanding performance, as well, with 17. Mack had 17 points to lead North Tartan.
COMING UP
We’ll have top performers, all-tournament teams and more in the next few days.