The Week That Was #4: Hitting pay dirt early and often
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We begin every week with basically the same goal – find the emerging talent from across Minnesota and track the progress of those players we have scouted before. Some weeks the quest starts off slowly and it can take until…
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Continue ReadingWe begin every week with basically the same goal – find the emerging talent from across Minnesota and track the progress of those players we have scouted before. Some weeks the quest starts off slowly and it can take until Friday or Saturday to find what we are really looking for. Other weeks we hit the jackpot right out of the gate. This week we struck gold a few minutes into our first game on Monday, quickly locating our Newcomer of the Week: Abby Pietila of Delano. We’ll start there in this, our recap of The Week That Was #4, the best of Minnesota girls basketball over the past seven days.
NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
Abbie Pietila – 2026 point guard, Delano
When you watch games online, particularly when the contest is being streamed by one of those stationary cameras high up in the rafters, it can be challenging to evaluate new players. The format works well to check up on kids we already know about, but let’s be honest here – it’s not the best for identifying the next big thing. Despite the obstacles, it took only a few minutes Monday evening to recognize that Abbie is going to be something special. For me it was the feet. So light, so quick, so natural. There are a lot of things that go into making a player great, but when I see a kid with really light feet it makes me sit up straight and pay attention. Immediately.
We don’t know the Class of 2026 very well yet. The in-depth research of next year’s freshmen is our primary assignment next spring and summer. But when halftime rolled around on Monday night I did a little research and soon discovered that Abbie is a mainstay on the top Fury squad in that age group. I also learned that she became a varsity track athlete in 7th grade. It’s the feet! She did a ton of great stuff against Buffalo. Pietila obviously has a nice feel for the game and a high basketball IQ. Her head is on a constant swivel. She sees the court well. She’s smooth with the basketball and makes nice passes. She is also a passionate defender. I’m told her three-point shooting has improved a lot over the past few months. This was only a brief first look but we’ll be watching plenty more of Miss Pietila going forward because she is a legitimate next-level prospect. Even on a blurry computer screen.
UNSIGNED SENIOR OF THE WEEK
Megan Selgado – 2022 guard, New Life Academy
After cashing in on Monday night, we went hunting again on Tuesday. The destination this time was New Life Academy in Woodbury where coach Greg Wilson had been telling us about a secret senior who would be worth a visit. I’ve learned over the years from watching Greg coach high school and AAU basketball is that, in addition to be an outstanding coach, he is an excellent judge of talent. Ten minutes into the Lions’ encounter with the Beacons of Concordia Academy I realized that once again Mr. Wilson was correct. That’s why, as of this moment, Megan is no longer a secret.
Salgado is a 5’5 guard with an athletic build. She is a vocal, assertive, aggressive player with nice ball-handling ability and obvious leadership tools. Megan also possesses one of the best catch-and-shoot executions we’ve seen. She does it by the book – it’s all in one motion and she gets it up high really, really quickly. Feed her the ball in the corner and Megan is going to bury it more often than not. Here’s the thing about Selgado’s ability that is truly remarkable: she didn’t play travel basketball. None. She’s never played AAU, either. The senior didn’t develop a passion for the game until middle school, but since then she has invested a tremendous about of time and energy working with a trainer to catch up on skill development. Now Megan is a quality performer capable of playing at the next level. She’s currently talking to a couple of Christian Division 3 schools in the region, which would be a perfect fit. Megan scored 18 on Tuesday night to lead her team to victory.
WHAT WE WATCHED
- Monday – Delano at Buffalo, Creighton vs Arizona State (online)
- Tuesday – Concordia Academy at New Life Academy
- Wednesday – Minnesota vs Ohio, St. Thomas vs Northland (online)
- Thursday – Elk River at Maple Grove, Holy Angels at Shakopee, South Dakota at Creighton (online)
- Friday – Mahtomedi at Fridley
- Saturday – Crosby-Ironton at Duluth Marshall, Prior Lake at Wayzata, North Dakota at Detroit Mercy (online)
GAME OF THE WEEK
Mahtomedi 68 Fridley 63
Friday night brought us to Fridley High School for an encounter between two teams with impressive young talent trending in the right direction. Fridley features a pair of Top 50 freshmen in #37 Mya Karsten Mya Karsten 5'6" | PG Fridley | 2025 State MN and #40 Brandi Washington Brandi Washington 5'5" | CG Fridley | 2025 State MN , a pair of smaller guards who offer quality skills with big energy. Mahtomedi is led by senior point guard Zoie Centers Zoie Centers 5'5" | PG Mahtomedi | 2022 State MN , the #53-rated prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2022. The Southwest Minnesota State signee (photo above) scored 16 points and was the high-revving motor that propelled the Zephyrs to the win. Top 100 junior Sonya Potthoff Sonya Potthoff 5'9" | CG Mahtomedi | 2023 State MN did what she usually does, which is a little bit of everything as required. And then there were the youngsters.
Top 100 sophomore Ella Kletti Ella Kletti 5'5" | CG Mahtomedi | 2024 State MN is a bundle of energy at both ends of the floor, a whirling dervish who never seems to run out of gas. Forward Savanna Stockness Savanna Stockness 6'0" | SF Mahtomedi | 2024 MN is also a Top 100 sophomore, a tall, lengthy presence up front. Anna Greene Anna Greene 6'0" | SF Mahtomedi | 2025 State MN , another versatile and lengthy forward, is ranked #35 among Minnesota’s 9th graders and has Division 1 possibilities. It’s an impactful crew, but none impresses more than 7th grader Mya Wilson. Like 2024 #1 Olivia Olson Olivia Olson 6'1" | CG Benilde-SM | 2024 State MN of Benilde St. Margaret’s, and 2025 #1 Aaliyah Crump Aaliyah Crump 6'1" | SF Minnetonka | 2025 State MN of Minnetonka, and 2026 probable #1 Tori Oehrlein Tori Oehrlein 5'10" | CG Crosby-Ironton | 2026 State MN of Crosby-Ironton, there is just something about the leading candidate for top spot in the Class of 2027 that’s different. Way different. That’s all we’ll say for now. In summation, it was a delicious physical battle between two talented teams who fought oh so hard until the bitter end. Watching Wilson work was the cherry on top.
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES
Hayfield is on a roll in Class A. Located 20 miles north of Austin, the Vikings stretched their record to 8-0 on Friday with a big assist from Aine Stasko. The senior made 9 three-pointers against Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, scoring 40 points in the win. That is the second-highest single game total in program history. The record of 44 is held by Emma Holst, who did it in 2018.
With the graduation of her sister Courtney and three other starters last spring, junior guard Dani Nuest Dani Nuest 5'6" | CG Becker | 2023 State MN has had to step up her offensive production at Becker. The junior guard did exactly that on Monday, scoring 39 points to lead the Bulldogs to a win over the new St. Cloud Crush co-op program. Nuest had 9 triples in the game, including 7 in the first half. The Michigan Tech commit is averaging 24 points per game along with 3.6 assists and 4.2 steals.
It seems like 33 was a magic number of sorts this week when it comes to standout performances:
- Junior Ashlynne Guenther Ashlynne Guenther 5'11" | SF Duluth East | 2023 State MN of Duluth East recorded her first career triple double with 33 points. 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a win over Hibbing.
- Senior Camille Cummings Camille Cummings 5'8" | CG Centennial | 2022 State MN of Centennial (photo above) has been on a roll the past couple of weeks. The unsigned guard scored 33 this week in a win over Osseo and is now averaging 22 points per game.
- Senior Kiani Lockett Kiani Lockett 5'9" | PG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN of Minnetonka is no stranger to the score sheet. This week the Creighton commit had a 33-point performance in a win over St. Michael-Albertville. Lockett was 9-for-12 from 3-point range. She made seven of those in the second half as the Skippers came from 11 down to win.
- Last week we neglected to tell you about another 33-point performance from Aby Shubert Aby Shubert 5'8" | CG Kasson-Mant. | 2023 State MN of Kasson-Mantorville. She made 5 triples in that game and went 10-for-10 at the free throw line. The Top-10 junior was at it again this week, scoring 30 in a win over Zumbrota-Mazeppa.
Other notable performances this week included:
- Junior Kinsley Duppong of Fosston scored 32 points in a win over Bagley. The 5’7 combo guard is a standout shooter from distance who plays for West Central United.
- Senior Ronnie Porter Ronnie Porter 5'2" | CG Como Park | 2022 State MN is no stranger to the scoresheet. The talented guard from St. Paul Como Park reached the 30-point mark for the first time this season in an impressive 98-62 win at Maranatha.
- Senior Audrey Swanson Audrey Swanson 5'11" | SF Waconia | 2022 State MN is leading the way this season as Waconia makes the transition to Class 4A. The Southwest Minnesota State commit (photo above) scored 30 points Friday night but it wasn’t enough as the Wildcats fell to St. Michael-Albertville. Swanson is averaging 19 points per game.
- Senior Mikaelah Counce Mikaelah Counce 5'8" | CG Champlin Park | 2022 State MN of Champlin Park can always be counted upon to generate offense, whether she’s setting up teammates for the score or putting the ball in the basket herself. Last week the Livingstone commit had an impressive 29-point performance in a win over Armstrong. Counce is averaging 20 ppg.
- Junior Hannah Hanson Hannah Hanson 5'9" | CG Rochester Mayo | 2023 State MN is carrying more than her share of the load this season as Rochester Mayo transitions following mass graduations last spring. The uber-athletic guard certainly delivered in a comprehensive way on Friday by recording 26 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 steals in a big win over Mankato West.
- 8th grader Brooklyn Lewis Brooklyn Lewis 5'7" | PG New Ulm | 2026 State MN of New Ulm is a name to remember in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2026. The dynamic guard topped the 20-point mark for the first time in her young career last week, draining 5 threes and scoring 23 points in a win over Sibley East.
MILESTONES
University of Minnesota commit Nia Holloway Nia Holloway 6'0" | PF Eden Prairie | 2022 State #45 Nation MN of Eden Prairie is considered to be among the top two or three rebounders in the state so it wasn’t surprising to learn that Nia slipped past the 500 mark for her career on Saturday in a convincing win over East Ridge. Holloway has led her team to a perfect 6-0 record.
Congratulations to this week’s 1,000-point scorers:
- Junior Brylee Iverson Brylee Iverson 6'0" | SF Triton | 2023 State MN of Triton
- Junior Tessa Johnson Tessa Johnson 5'11" | SG St. Michael-Albertville | 2023 State #36 Nation MN of St. Michael-Albertville
- Junior Olivia Harazin Olivia Harazin 5'8" | PG LCWM | 2023 State MN of Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial
If you know of others who have reached a significant milestone please let us know, either by email (gmachoops@gmail.com) or direct message via Twitter (@gmachoops).
Top photo: Senior Megan Salgado and coach Greg Wilson of New Life Academy.