Which senior is going to win Miss Basketball?

Who will win Minnesota’s coveted Miss Basketball Award? The winner will be announced during the high school state tournament and the nominees list will come out a few weeks before that. Now that the season is half over we figured it was time to handicap the field and speculate on who the selection committee might choose to nominate. We’ve laid out the favorites, the contenders, 10 others who will get consideration and 10 more who should. Keep in mind, these aren’t our predictions or choices but rather an educated guess on who the committee might pick. Based on previous years we know they like to include representation from outstate and smaller schools even if those players may not be the top performers in the state. We have included each player’s college commitment along with their Prep Girls Hoops prospect ranking which is, as you know, a rating of their college potential and not their performance as a high school basketball player. As a reminder, the last five winners of Minnesota’s Miss Basketball award were: <ul> <li>2021 – <strong>Adalia McKenzie</strong>, Park Center (Illinois)</li> <li>2020 – <strong>Paige Bueckers</strong>, Hopkins (UConn)</li> <li>2019 – <strong>Kacie Borowicz</strong>, Roseau (North Dakota)</li> <li>2018 – <strong>Megan Walstad</strong>, Eastview (UW-Milwaukee)</li> <li>2017 – <strong>Gabbi Haack</strong>, Elk River (Bradley)</li> </ul> <strong>THE FAVORITES</strong> [caption id="attachment_276564" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-276564" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/IMG_9261.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> Photo: Kelly Cutler <a href="https://x.com/cutlerka" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="12714" first="Mallory" last="Heyer"] – forward, Chaska (Minnesota) #4 When Mallory hit the 2,000-point milestone last week we offered her a big old tip of the hat in our Sunday recap of the Week That Was #8. What more can you say about the elite power forward who brings size and skill and smarts to the table, and is one of the best teammates around? There’s no doubt in our mind she’ll make the same impact in the Big 10. [caption id="attachment_199839" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-199839" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/Amaya-dribble_Crissha-Walton-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Crissha Walton Photography[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="12713" first="Amaya" last="Battle"] – guard, Hopkins (Minnesota) #3 Everyone knows Hopkins is loaded and has been throughout Amaya’s high school career. But playing in the rather enormous shadow cast by Paige Bueckers can leave your accomplishments in the background. The fact of the matter is, however, that Battle has been absolutely crucial to the Royals' success. She’s subtle and amazing all at once. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-342703" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/Mara-Braun-1.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> [player_tooltip player_id="12715" first="Mara" last="Braun"] – guard, Wayzata (Minnesota) #2 On Thursday night Mara returned after being sidelined for a month with a knee injury. The impact of her absence was immediately highlighted upon her return when the elite guard scored 20 points to lead her team to a come-from-behind win. Mara has been a stellar performer throughout her five-year career, a fact that will not be lost on the selection committee. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-361116" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/Kiani-Lockett-crop-1414x929-1638811458-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="12727" first="Kiani" last="Lockett"] – guard, Minnetonka (Creighton) #8 Kiani is one of the state’s most exciting guards, a dynamic force of nature with skill and speed and savvy. She led DeLaSalle to a Class 3A state title before moving over to 4A Minnetonka where her team is a serious contender to do the same. Nobody competes harder than Lockett, night in and night out, and she has the tools to match. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-273500" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/Mathiowetz-family-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="109131" first="Madison" last="Mathiowetz"] – guard, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s (South Dakota State) #12 Maddie is the class of Class A. Hailing from a school of fewer than 100 students, she has been breaking records and chalking up victories for years. Carrying on a long Mathiowetz family tradition at the tiny parochial school, Maddie has established herself as the premier small-school player in the state. Her body of work speaks for itself. <strong>THE CONTENDERS</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="12720" first="Callin" last="Hake"] – guard, Chanhassen (Nebraska) #7 Hake is closing in on 2,000 career points and 500 rebounds, exactly the sort of numbers that will get you some serious consideration for this award. Her team hasn’t had state tournament exposure but Callin has been front and center regardless. [player_tooltip player_id="12712" first="Maya" last="Nnaji"] – forward, Hopkins (Arizona) #1 The 6’4 power forward offers a unique combination of enormous size with high-quality skills which is why she was one of the most recruited players nationally in the Class of 2022. When she’s at her best she’s very, very good. [player_tooltip player_id="12732" first="Nia" last="Holloway"] – forward, Eden Prairie (Minnesota) #5 Nia has all of the qualities you’d want in a great player and a great person. She is a true leader in every sense of the word, as well as a rebounding machine. Nia is a complete all-around performer who has an infectious-energy that spills over onto everyone around her. [player_tooltip player_id="30148" first="Ellie" last="Colbeck"] – guard, Fergus Falls (South Dakota State) #9 This week Ellie reached the 2,000-career points mark. That’s most definitely a milestone of significance. So is carrying your team to the state tournament, something that is also on her resume. Colbeck is a multi-dimensional talent. [player_tooltip player_id="12722" first="Lilly" last="Meister"] – forward, Rochester John Marshall (Indiana) #6 If Lilly played on a high-profile program in the Twin Cities, one that was making trips to the state tournament and generating some buzz, she could be in the top 5. Her performance certainly merits that sort of notoriety as all of Indiana will find out soon. <strong>10 MORE WHO WILL GET SERIOUS CONSIDERATION</strong> There is a ton of talent in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2022. That has been well-documented of late. This year’s group of seniors may go down as one of the best ever in the state of Minnesota. That makes choosing a Miss Basketball more difficult than ever. Here are 10 more players who deserve serious consideration. <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109125" first="CJ" last="Adamson"] – guard, Rochester Lourdes (Augustana) #33</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="30162" first="Mikayla" last="Aumer"] – guard, Cambridge-Isanti (North Dakota) #20</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57939" first="Natalie" last="Bremer"] – guard, Lake City (MSU-Mankato) #29</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57963" first="Maria" last="Counts"] – forward, Providence Academy #70</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57959" first="Hope" last="Dudycha"] – guard, Austin #78</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57914" first="Ronnie" last="Porter"] – guard, St. Paul Como Park #16</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="147454" first="Abbie" last="Riederer"]– guard, Minnesota Valley Lutheran (Upper Iowa) #54</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57928" first="Amber" last="Scalia"] – guard, Stillwater (St. Thomas) #18</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109139" first="Mackenzie" last="Schweim"] – guard, Mankato East (MSU-Mankato) #24</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57907" first="Desiree" last="Ware"] – guard, Minnetonka (Alabama-Birmingham) #10</li> </ul> <strong>OTHERS WHO SHOULD MAKE THE NOMINEES LIST</strong> With Mathiowetz sure to make the finalists list it takes a little pressure off the committee to have more representation from Class A. Still they will probably put at least one more on their list and we’re guessing it will be [player_tooltip player_id="223913" first="Taryn" last="Frazer"], the scoring machine out of Cass Lake-Bena who also checks a box as providing representation from the northern reaches of the state which is lacking this year. Here are 10 more who should make the grade. <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57908" first="Kaylynn" last="Asberry"] – guard, St. Paul Como Park (Saint Peters) #23</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="12718" first="Ellie" last="Buzzelle"] – guard, Rogers (Grand Canyon) #11</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="223913" first="Taryn" last="Frazer"] – guard, Cass Lake-Bena</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="30174" first="Lily" last="Fandre"] – forward, Eagan (Lehigh) #14</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="147443" first="Lizzie" last="Holder"] – forward, Stillwater (Colorado) #15</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="30163" first="Adeline" last="Kent"] – guard, Becker (Tampa) #30</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109156" first="Natalie" last="Mikrot"] – guard, Moose Lake-Willow River (UM-Crookston) #74</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109148" first="Audrey" last="Swanson"] – forward, Waconia (Southwest Minnesota State) #37</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109135" first="Ava" last="Stier"] – forward, Waconia (MSU-Mankato) #42</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="12747" first="Savannah" last="White"] – guard, DeLaSalle (Wisconsin) #13</li> </ul> <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Top photo: Four of last year’s five finalists (left to right): Sophie Hart, Adalia McKenzie, Gianna Kneepkens and Alexis Pratt.</em></span>