5 youngsters we liked at the Winter Lakes Classic

In any given graduating class there are only a handful of players 6’2 and above. That automatically makes Sauk Centre freshman <strong>Tory Jennissen</strong> a hot commodity even if she doesn’t know it yet. When Jennissen stepped on the floor Saturday at the Breakdown Winter Lakes Classic in Alexandria, that’s why everyone in the gym who was paying attention immediately took notice. The questions, as always in this situation, were pretty basic: Is she mobile? Does she have hands? Can she execute the basics required of a post player to wants to go to the next level? It quickly became obvious that in Jennissen’s case the answers are ’yes,’ ‘yes’ and ‘yes.’ That’s why Tory leads the way today as we look at 5 youngsters we liked in Alexandria. <strong>Tory Jennissen – 2025 post, Sauk Centre</strong> It wasn’t a surprise when Jennissen (top photo) didn’t start on Saturday given her relative lack of experience and the fact that the Mainstreeters can rely on junior [player_tooltip player_id="186128" first="Jenna" last="Gapinski-Vogt"] to deliver down low on a regular basis. The game was barely underway, however, when Tory entered the fray and immediately made it clear that her potential as a collegiate player is way up there. Tory is at least 6’2, more likely 6’3. Her brother Jacob is a 7’1 sophomore at Colorado State, so the possibilities are good that she’ll grow another inch or two. She’s got super-long arms, as well. What impressed us most was the 9th grader’s movement. Tory is smooth, with nice footwork, substantial speed in the open court, and the ability to execute in the paint, both facing the basket and with her back to the target. Tory looked great up against quality bigs [player_tooltip player_id="339120" first="Kloey" last="Lind"] and [player_tooltip player_id="302309" first="Karly" last="Jusczak"] of Pine City, scoring 15 points and being a major defensive difference maker. How good can she be? We believe Tory has high major potential if she chooses to play AAU basketball and works with the right people on her skill development. Volleyball has been her priority to date, but if that changes the sky is the limit. Literally. <strong>Cierra Kortan</strong> <strong>– 2025 guard, Sauk Centre</strong> Cierra certainly made a name for herself during the summer of 2021. Playing with North Tartan Elite 2025, the athletic guard put up numbers week after week. She was the engine that propelled the group and every time we watched she was creating and attacking and creating and attacking. That’s kind of what you want from a point guard, isn’t it? Cierra is a quality three-point shooter, isn’t afraid to get downhill with a full head of steam and is constantly in attack mode. She’s strong and physical with a solid frame. Kortan handles the ball well, sees the floor, and has nice touch around the basket. On Saturday she combined beautifully with bigs Gapinski-Vogt and Jennissen. Kortan is good and she made her teammates look better. <strong>Mackenzie Anderson – 2025 guard, Menahga</strong> Saturday was our first live look at Menahga this year. What a fun team to watch! They remind me so much of Goodhue – a team-first, all-in, high-energy ball of fire. Coach Cody Pulju has developed a tremendous culture and the kids are delivering as a result. One newbie who made her presence felt on Saturday was 5’7 freshman guard <strong>Mackenzie Anderson</strong>. While much of the focus is on her backcourt partner senior <strong>Maryn Pinoniemi</strong> (and rightly so!) Mackenzie has been more than holding her own and is averaging over 10 points per game. She is a skilled guard with nice handles and a variety of finishing moves in her repertoire. She sees the court well, executes the offense as required and has been the Braves most consistent three-point shooter all season. Anderson hasn’t played AAU to date. Hopefully we’ll see her in that environment in the future because she’s got a lot to offer. [player_tooltip player_id="346183" first="Chloe" last="Scholl"] <strong>– 2025 guard, Alexandria</strong> Chloe made an excellent impression last summer, which is exactly what you want to do heading into the 9th grade. At about 5’9, Chloe has the size and length to be successful at the next level. She’s also very strong and solidly built. Combine that with an advanced skill set and it’s not difficult to see how Chloe earned the #46 ranking when we rolled out the Freshmen 50 for the first time last fall. Like the rest of the young Cardinals, Scholl looked really good through two-thirds of the basketball game against Marshall at the Winter Lakes Classic. She was using her skills and aggressiveness to attack the basket consistently, creating scoring opportunities for herself and others. You probably know by now that the wheels came off for Alex after the 10-minute mark in the second half, but that did nothing to diminish our enthusiasm for all four of the Cardinals freshmen who are impact players in the Class of 2025. <strong>Allie Haabala – 2025 guard, Alexandria</strong> We’ve talked a lot all winter about Allie. She made quite the impression at the Breakdown Tipoff back in December and her performance level has continued over the past couple of months. As our colleague Tony Ragulen wrote at the time, “Allie commanded her team’s offense like she had been there for years... She has a very nice handle and plays with good pace.” Every time we have seen her since, and every time we have watched with others who get paid to evaluate talent, the reactions have been similarly positive. Haabala is about 5’7. She has really light, really quick feet. Her lateral movement is impressive, particularly on defense. She’s got quick hands, nice instincts and seems to be 100 percent dialed in defensively most of the time. Allie is emerging as one of the most exciting guards in the class and we’ll no doubt be telling you all about it for years to come.