The Week That Was #6: Wrapping up a wild year

The last week of December was pretty glum 12 months ago. After all, 2020 had been a really difficult year and nobody knew what lay ahead for the delayed high school basketball season. One year later things are moving on in a relatively normal way (so far) and that meant the return of the much-loved holiday tournament season. With Christmas falling on a Saturday this year, the tournament schedule was compressed into just four days of play. We watched a ton of basketball, assessed a lot of talented prospects, and enjoyed every last exhausting minute of it. As we wrap up a wild year, here’s our recap of The Week That Was #6. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-209185" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/120_Audrey-Swanson_1.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> GAME OF THE WEEK: Waconia 70 Perham 68 I saw 15 complete games and portions of seven or eight more in four days this week. In our highlights of the Granite City Classic on Friday we told you about the dramatic events in Duluth Marshall’s double OT victory over Pierz. That was an incredible game, but it didn’t quite make Game of the Week status. We’ll hand that honor to Waconia’s stunning 70-68 overtime victory at Perham on Tuesday. Since it would take a thousand words to tell you the whole story we’ll just offer up the Reader’s Digest version beginning in the final minute of regulation play. Even after Perham’s [player_tooltip player_id="178271" first="Willow" last="Thiel"] cashed in on an and-1 with 25 seconds left, Waconia was still in control with a three-point lead and possession of the basketball. They even scored a pair of free throws at the 20-second mark to stretch the margin to five. But the Yellowjackets weren’t done yet as they scored a quick basket to pull within three before nailing an improbable 3-pointer at the buzzer to force OT. The home team made the most of its opportunity in the extra period and by the time the clock read 0.9 seconds, Perham held a one-point lead. In a seemingly impossible situation, Waconia inbounded the ball to Southwest Minnesota State commit [player_tooltip player_id="109148" first="Audrey" last="Swanson"] (photo above) who somehow managed to launch a desperation attempt from way beyond the arc. Remarkably the ball departed her hand a millisecond before the final horn sounded. Even more surprising it somehow landed in the cylinder and the Wildcats were the winners. It doesn’t get any more dramatic than that. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-285108" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/05/Willow-Thiel1-300x206.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="206" /> BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE WEEK [player_tooltip player_id="178271" first="Willow" last="Thiel"] – sophomore forward, Perham Last summer we chronicled Willow’s exploits with West Central United as the AAU club did battle on the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit. The 5’11 post/wing was often dominant in age group play and we noted at the time that her game was evolving in exactly the right direction. In Perham’s epic battle with Waconia, we saw first-hand just how far Thiel has come. She had 30 points and 10 rebounds in the contest, including 20 points in the last 7 minutes of regulation and overtime. That’s really good, especially when you consider that she was being guarded for much of the time by Waconia’s [player_tooltip player_id="109135" first="Ava" last="Stier"], a physical force with a scholarship to MSU-Mankato. Thiel is now averaging 17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals per game for the Yellowjackets. We have been excited about Thiel’s potential since Perham coach T.J. Super gave us a heads up three years ago that he had someone special working her way into the varsity picture. Still only 15 years old, Thiel has a big frame and is strong for her age. She can handle herself in a physical battle against all types of players. She is deceptively quick and athletic and has excellent touch around the basket. It is Willow’s on-court demeanor that has always impressed us. The Top 50 prospect is calm and level-headed, makes good decisions under pressure, and never seems to get sped up. She is also a terrific passer out of the post which has helped Perham average 24 three-point attempts per game with a solid success rate of 41 percent. Bottom line: Willow is a next-level prospect drawing strong interest from scholarship-level programs. HIDDEN GEM OF THE WEEK Sydney Torgerson – junior guard, Houston Cruising cyberspace for games to watch early in the week I came across an encounter that took me back to my college days in Texas – Houston at TCU. Except this was the Minnesota version of Houston playing in the Tri City United tournament in Montgomery, Minn. In watching this one I was reminded that we need to be paying closer attention to Torgerson, who continues to make an oversized impact for the Hurricanes. Sydney isn’t going to win a lot of style points for the way she plays. Her game is all about physicality, not finesse. She is one of the grittiest competitors in the state, a hard-hat/lunch-pail kind of player if ever there was one. She is also incredibly effective in many different facets of the game. Torgerson stands about 5’10 with a big frame, wide shoulders, a sturdy build, and a ton of strength. She plays the 3, 4 and 5 spots and is a rebounding machine. Sydney guards players of all descriptions, employing a high basketball IQ, great court vision and huge motor to outthink and outwork her foes. Torgerson, who summers with the Wisconsin Playmakers, has been a mainstay on the Houston varsity since junior high. Over time her skills have come along nicely. She has become more adept at beating defenders one-on-one and her shooting has improved, as well. Last year she averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds per contest while shooting over 50% on a team that went undefeated until falling in the Class A state tournament. On Tuesday she also scored her 1,000th career point. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-338444" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/43-Annika-Southworth.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> TEAM OF THE WEEK: St. Peter When you have a high-quality point guard, a serious Division 1 prospect, a sizeable post player and several kids who know their roles and play them well, chances are you are going to win some basketball games. That’s what St. Peter has. That’s what St. Peter has done. Although they suffered a minor setback at the end of the week by falling to Mankato West, the Saints are off to an excellent start. With a record of 9-1, Coach Bob Southworth’s crew have played some really solid basketball. We’ve watched the Saints a couple of times, including in a decisive victory in Northfield on Tuesday. St. Peter’s full array of assets were on display. There’s Top 50 freshman [player_tooltip player_id="208187" first="Annika" last="Southworth"] (photo above), a cerebral point guard whose game has progressed a ton in the past six months. She is a coach’s kid with a high IQ, a patient demeanor, and the ability to see what needs to be done. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="178267" first="Rhyan" last="Holmgren"] is the 11th-rated prospect in the Class of 2024, one of the most athletic players in the state and a sure-fire D1 talent. We have seen 6’1 post [player_tooltip player_id="304899" first="Abby" last="Maloney"]’s game grow a lot this year, too, and the 72nd-rated sophomore has picked right up where 2021 graduate Morgan Kelly (Gustavus) left off. Also at the Saints’ core is 5’8 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="147464" first="Josie" last="Wiebusch"] (#157), who is a hard-nosed, versatile contributor who can be counted on to deliver on a regular basis. The Saints have already won more games this season than they did all last year. They’re playing faster, defending better and their youngsters are coming of age. The task now is to get past Marshall, Mankato East, Mankato West and Worthington in section 2AAA. Stay tuned. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-338622" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/247-Audrey-Jakway.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES OF NOTE <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="205310" first="Tori" last="Oehrlein"] continues to make headlines at Crosby-Ironton. In addition to her recent scholarship offer from the University of Minnesota, on Tuesday the 8th grader went 8-for-13 from three-point range to score 42 points and lead the Rangers to a win over Virginia. She also had 15 rebounds and 8 assists. Crosby-Ironton is now 7-2.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108316" first="Taryn" last="Hamling"] of Grand Rapids has led the young Thunderhawks to a record of 10-1 thus far. On Tuesday the North Dakota State commit scored a season-high 37 points in Grand Rapids’ win over Monticello.</li> <li>Aubrey Morrison of Walker-Hackensack-Akeley is having an incredible freshman year. We noted earlier in the season that the 2025 guard scored 36 in the Wolves’ season opener. Last week she had another outstanding performance with 36 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in a win over Sebeka.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57939" first="Natalie" last="Bremer"] of Lake City (MSU-Mankato) made news last week for reaching 2,000 career points on the same night as her Wisconsin Playmakers teammate [player_tooltip player_id="109156" first="Natalie" last="Mikrot"] of Moose Lake-Willow River. This week she scored a career-high 33 points in the Tiger’s impressive win over Totino-Grace.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108299" first="Tessa" last="Johnson"] of St. Micheal-Albertville is the #1-rated prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2023 and she is certainly playing like it. Tessa scored a season-high 33 points on Wednesday against Chanhassen, going 11-for-21 from the field while adding 7 rebounds and 6 assists.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="302286" first="Audrey" last="Jakway"]’s journey was well-chronicled in 2021 as the Mounds Park Academy junior became one of the most improved players in Minnesota. The 5’11 forward (photo above) was at it again this week, scoring 31 points against St. Croix Prep. Jakway and teammate [player_tooltip player_id="339146" first="Nora" last="Pederson"] combined for 51 of their team’s 53.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148328" first="Hannah" last="Hanson"] of Rochester Mayo is an athletic anomaly whose ability to parlay her elite quickness into defensive excellence is amazing. Those assets certainly paid off against New Richmond, Wisc., this week when Hanson had 11 steals to go along with 9 rebounds and 26 points. The 5’9 guard is ranked 44th in the Class of 2023.</li> </ul> MILESTONES In addition to Sydney Torgerson’s aforementioned 1,000-point milestone this week, we are aware of two more juniors who did the deed, as well. That would be Minnesota Fury teammates [player_tooltip player_id="108313" first="Brynn" last="Beffert"] of Hutchinson and Colorado commit [player_tooltip player_id="108301" first="Kennedy" last="Sanders"] of Chaska. If you know of more milestones to report, please let us in on the information either via email (<a href="mailto:gmachoops@gmail.com">gmachoops@gmail.com</a>) or via Twitter DM (@gmachoops). Top photo: [player_tooltip player_id="178271" first="Willow" last="Thiel"] of Perham competed with West Central United this summer on the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit.