Granite City Classic: Best breakout performances

As advertised! That was my thought immediately following [player_tooltip player_id="322999" first="Jocelyn" last="Land"]’s breakout performance last week at the Breakdown Granite City Classic. We had heard the transfer from Vermont was an impact player who was going to make some noise in Minnesota basketball, but you never know. After all, the standard of play is pretty high in these parts. I have no idea how it is in the Green Mountain State. What we know now, especially after Land’s performance for Holy Family in Thursday’s 66-47 win over Rocori, is Jocelyn is officially a factor in Minnesota basketball. Maybe we should call her the ‘Land of 10,000 Lakes.’ Sorry! Couldn’t resist. All silliness aside, the sophomore tops the list today as we bring you the best breakout performances at the Granite City Classic. [player_tooltip player_id="322999" first="Jocelyn" last="Land"] – 2024 forward, Holy Family Land arrived in Minnesota this summer. Our first glimpse of her came in August at North Tartan’s workout/evaluation sessions. We liked what we saw from the hard-working, athletic, physical competitor. But we weren’t blown away. Over the course of the next few weeks we watched her at several AAU tryouts – she’ll play for the Metro Stars in 2022 – and then in fall league. When it came time to update the Class of 2024 rankings we put Land at #38. That’s solid scholarship-program territory in our opinion. Since we hadn’t seen her play an actual high school game yet, we thought it was a fair place to begin with the intent to adjust up or down based on what came later. Well, later has arrived and that ranking is too low. On Thursday we saw just how much Jocelyn is capable of. In some cases, statistics from a single game can be misleading and don’t really tell the whole story. In this case the numbers speak for themselves: 28 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks. Land was dominant from the get-go. Holy Family has looked good this season but had to do without the services last week of senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id="109127" first="Nicole" last="Bowlin"], the Colorado Christian commit who does an outstanding job of running the Fire’s offense but was home sick. It didn’t seem to matter in Wednesday’s win over Pierz nor in their Thursday defeat of Rocori. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="215975" first="Sophia" last="Zay"] did an excellent job filling in at quarterback. Providence College commit [player_tooltip player_id="108315" first="Sophi" last="Hall"] played to her usual lofty standards. Senior guards [player_tooltip player_id="109200" first="Lucy" last="Hertel"] and Reagan Cizik were bulldogs as always. And then there was Land, who may just be the special sauce HF needed to raise its game a notch or two. The Fire got off to a 10-0 start against the Spartans. By the time she put the ball in the basket at the 12:48 mark to make the score 18-3, Land already had 10 points. Just 18 seconds later Jocelyn added two more by powering her way to the rim as she does so well. She finished the half with 14 points, a feat she would repeat in the second period. It was impressive stuff. Land is simply relentless. She’s big and strong and physical. She attacks the basket on offense, gets position and overpowers her opponents to grab more than her share of rebounds, and she never seems to give up on the play. Jocelyn is not particularly smooth but she’s so strong and has quality touch. In many ways she reminds us of Hastings senior [player_tooltip player_id="57921" first="Lilly" last="Nuytten"], who will play next winter at MSU-Mankato. Holy Family is now 8-2 and Land has found herself a new home. Here are five more breakout performers from Granite City. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/Hadley-Thul_Alexandria-scaled-crop-2239x1470-1641256826.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-371872 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/Hadley-Thul_Alexandria-scaled-crop-2239x1470-1641256826-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="346165" first="Hadley" last="Thul"] – 2025 guard, Alexandria One month ago, Thul was among our breakout performers at the Tip Off Classic. Last week at Granite City she raised her game even higher. With her first Division 1 scholarship offer firmly in hand, the 6’1 guard/wing played with a ton of confidence and performed in ways we simply don’t expect from a freshman. She scored 23 points against Providence Academy, where she was up against some outstanding defenders who aren’t shy about being physical. Hadley used her superior length, mobility and athleticism to get to the basket and create scoring opportunities. She ended up at the free throw line on multiple occasions and knocked down a couple of three-pointers, as well. Hadley is currently ranked #33 in the Class of 2025, but she will be taking the fast lane north if she keeps playing like she did at St. Ben’s. <img class="alignnone wp-image-371873 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/Chloe-Turner_Sartell-scaled-e1641256972626-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="352781" first="Chloe" last="Turner"] – junior guard, Sartell-St. Stephen Back in the spring we were super-impressed by what we saw from Turner at the Bloomington Shootout, a one-day event in week #4 of the AAU season where she suited up with the Central Minnesota Swish. At the time we wondered out loud how long it would be before she made an impact on varsity. If you were in the gym at St. Ben’s on Thursday you already know. Sartell plays fast and aggressive. They put constant pressure on opponents at both ends of the floor and that’s exactly what they did against Lakeville South. It was fun to see Chloe in the starting lineup. When the game tipped off she was immediately everywhere, blowing past defenders one-on-one. At one point she scored three transition buckets in succession by using her speed, quickness and top-drawer athleticism to make stuff happen. Chloe finished the game with 16 points as Sartell-St. Stephen won by 15 to run its season mark to 8-1. <img class="alignnone wp-image-371875 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/Kloey-Lind_Karly-Jusczak-1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="339120" first="Kloey" last="Lind"] & [player_tooltip player_id="302309" first="Karly" last="Jusczak"] – forwards, Pine City I don’t recall spending any time in Pine City, so I can’t tell you for sure if there are any skyscrapers in the town of 3,100 located on the way to Duluth. Pine City definitely had its own version of Twin Towers on full display at Granite City. Kloey and Karly are both 6-foot plus with nice length. They understand the game, work constantly at their craft, and are being relied upon just a little bit more now in the absence of UW-Green Bay commit [player_tooltip player_id="108318" first="Sophie" last="Lahti"], another 6-footer who is out with an ACL injury. We saw a ton of great stuff this summer from Jusczak, who played a key role for North Tartan’s State Champion 2024s. Her improvement earned Karly a jump into the Top 50 among Minnesota sophomores. Lind is more of a late bloomer, a 2023 workhorse who has raised her standard substantially over the past six months. With much-improved footwork, greater mobility and a willingness to bang on the inside, Lind is a prospect on the rise. Both kids played exceptionally well in a 73-47 win over the Tartan Titans, combining for 51 points. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338437 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/35-Haylie-Jerde-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="339110" first="Haylie" last="Jerde"] – sophomore guard, Cambridge-Isanti Nobody knows when opportunity will show up at the front door and offer you the chance to walk right in. The key is simply to be prepared for that moment. Jerde’s performance on Thursday at St. Ben’s is proof positive. Haylie has put in a ton of work over the past year. Inspired by the incredible example of teammate [player_tooltip player_id="30162" first="Mikayla" last="Aumer"], who parlayed an exceptional work ethic and training regimen into a scholarship at the University of North Dakota, Jerde started training with Aumer in the off-season. The work she put in with Damien Lolar has transformed Hailey from a decidedly average JV/varsity player into a college basketball prospect. On Thursday, Aumer was in early foul trouble which opened the door for Jerde to show what she could do. The unranked 5’5 guard was exceptionally good. She played fast, moved the ball effectively, was under control and made solid choices on the floor. Aumer sat most of the second half. When she returned Jerde stayed in, too, burying a corner three with 5 minutes remaining to bring the Bluejackets to within three. At 2:26 she tallied an and-1 to put Cambridge ahead for good against a tough Alexandria squad. Welcome to the limelight Haylie! Top photo: Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="322999" first="Jocelyn" last="Land"] of Holy Family