Who raised their stock at the Community Clash?

There’s no place like in the glare of the spotlight to put your best foot forward. Saturday’s Breakdown Community Clash at St. Michael-Albertville certainly offered participants that opportunity with a half dozen quality games, sizeable crowds, high major college coaches in attendance, and plenty of basketball media gathered in anticipation of a great day of hoops. Yes, the spotlight was shining brightly and these 5 players made the most of their opportunity. Meet the biggest stock raisers from the Community Clash. [player_tooltip player_id="339129" first="Ja’Kahla" last="Craft"] <strong>– 2024 guard, St. Michael-Albertville</strong> To say Ja’Kahla is on a roll would be an understatement. Last Tuesday Craft (top photo) scored 22 points against Buffalo. On Friday night she had 21 versus Hopkins. And on Saturday at the Community Clash she put up 20 more against Prior Lake. That’s heady stuff for a kid who showed up at STMA last fall with no guarantees of anything. Through hard work, aggressiveness, and sheer strength of will this young lady has earned herself a spot in the starting lineup for one of the state’s strongest 4A programs. When we update the Class of 2024 rankings in a couple of weeks you will no doubt see that Craft has definitely raised her stock. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338618 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/243-Anna-Van-Helden-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="215974" first="Anna" last="Van Helden"] <strong>– 2024 forward, Prior Lake</strong> The Lakers are so young. That means there is plenty of opportunity for freshmen and sophomores to step up and stand out. That’s exactly what Anna did on Saturday night, giving her team a spark just when they needed it most. Van Helden scored three consecutive baskets just before halftime, including back-to-back 3-pointers to pull the Lakers within a bucket of STMA. She finished the game with a season-high 15 points. Anna’s game has grown a lot in the past 12 months as the 5’11 forward has become a better ball-handler, a more reliable shooter and a more versatile contributor. She definitely generated some buzz on Saturday. <img class="alignnone wp-image-209113 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/18_Brooke-Gunderson_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="298811" first="Brooke" last="Gunderson"] <strong>– 2022 guard, Buffalo</strong> We told you in our preview of the Community Clash that Brooke was an unsigned senior to watch. Well she certainly made us look good in Saturday’s opening contest that pitted her Bison against a very talented Andover team. Brooke was good in the first half; in the second she was stellar, scoring the first 9 Buffalo points after the break. She used her speed, aggressiveness and tenacity to force turnovers and attack the basket in transition at every opportunity. Gunderson finished the game with 27 points. Brooke is having an outstanding senior season and making a compelling case for herself at the next level. <img class="alignnone wp-image-208580 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/84_Elliana-Lenzen_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="108341" first="Anna" last="Lenzen"] <strong>– 2023 guard, Chaska</strong> It’s a tad misleading to say Anna raised her stock at the Community Clash. At least not for us. Currently ranked #37 in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2023, we have long had high expectations for the 5’9 guard who has had a strong AAU career. However, because she had to wait patiently for the graduation of 2021 standout <strong>Kaylee Van Eps</strong> (now of D1 Lehigh) to earn a ton of varsity minutes, many observers simply weren’t aware of how much Anna brings to the table. Well she made it obvious for all on Saturday, scoring 15 points and making her presence felt in pretty much every aspect of the game. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338562 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/175-Avery-Moeller-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="339142" first="Avery" last="Moeller"] <strong>– 2024 guard, Prior Lake</strong> Elite freshman point guard [player_tooltip player_id="296514" first="Alaya" last="Carter"] has been having an excellent season for Prior Lake. On Saturday, however, she was sidelined with a nagging shin injury which opened the door for Avery to step into the Lakers’ starting lineup. The 5’9 guard, currently ranked among the top 125 sophomores in the state, made the most of her opportunity. We love Avery’s energy. She plays hard every time out. She is aggressive on both sides of the ball, can play at a high tempo, and exudes confidence in everything she does. And over the past year or so she has filled out, gotten stronger and grown her overall game.