Best of day 1 at State: 5 breakout performances

It happens every year. Inevitably, somebody will step up on opening day of the Minnesota girls basketball State Tournament and turn in a statement performance that makes everyone in the gym sit up and take notice. On Wednesday evening at Williams Arena that someone was Albany sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="302300" first="Kylan" last="Gerads"]. That’s why she leads the way today in our look at 5 breakout performances on opening day. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338614 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/239-Kylan-Gerads-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="302300" first="Kylan" last="Gerads"] <strong>– 2024 guard, Albany</strong> “How good is this Gerads kid?” That was a question I’ve heard more than once leading up to the State Tournament. On Wednesday the 6-footer answered that query for all in attendance: She’s very good. And getting better. Kylan was on fire right out of the gate Wednesday night as the defending state champion Huskies faced off with Rochester Lourdes. She buried a three in the first couple minutes to get her team rolling and scored 9 of her teams first 11 points in a variety of ways. She added another bucket from the lane at the 6:20 mark and drove hard to drop the ball in the basket again with 4 minutes left in the first half. By the time the period had ended she had 13 points and 11 rebounds and made it clear she was there to take care of business which Albany did with a 57-41 victory. My phone was buzzing throughout the game as college coaches wanted more information on Kylan. She’s big and strong and athletic and plays really hard. She has gained a lot of poise over the past year and her touch around the basket has improved. Gerads, who plays AAU for the Comets, finished the night at 24 and 13, going 10-for-23 from the field. Albany won the 2A state title a year ago, and Gerads and her 6’2 teammate [player_tooltip player_id="302297" first="Alyssa" last="Sand"] drew plenty of notice for their quality play, but Kylan’s opening day performance this time around was a whole other thing. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338597 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/215-Hope-Counts-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="296515" first="Hope" last="Counts"] <strong>– 2025 forward, Providence Academy</strong> Facing Montevideo in Wednesday’s Class AA quarterfinals presented some big challenges for Providence, none bigger than the Thunder Hawks 6’3 junior [player_tooltip player_id="302256" first="Avery" last="Koenen"] who scored 25 points and had 14 rebounds on the night to go along with 5 steals and 5 blocks for good measure. Avery is a physical specimen with great athleticism and length, attributes which have earned her a D1 scholarship to North Dakota State. The Lions countered with three bigs of their own, however, and in the end prevailed 68-55. On a day when senior [player_tooltip player_id="57963" first="Maria" last="Counts"] and junior [player_tooltip player_id="148338" first="Grace" last="Counts"] had their hands full with Koenen, it was their “little” sister Hope who stepped out from the shadows to take center stage at the Big Dance. The game changed when Hope came off the bench, and the 6’2 forward showed she has what it takes to go toe-to-toe with a player like Koenen when all the chips are on the table. The top 40 freshman, who plays AAU for the Metro Stars, was incredibly disruptive defensively and she scored, too, going 5-for-6 from the field for 12 points to go with 5 rebounds and 4 steals. The Thunder Hawks’ student section was the largest and the loudest of the day by far, but in the end it was Hope who made the most noise. [player_tooltip player_id="304924" first="Ellie" last="Edberg"] <strong>– 2024 guard, Mankato East</strong> The Cougars turned in a standout performance, executing coach Rob Stevermer’s game plan to the letter as they stunned [player_tooltip player_id="177728" first="Olivia" last="Olson"] and her Benilde-St. Margaret’s squad by a score of 62-51. East’s veterans came up big and [player_tooltip player_id="109139" first="Mackenzie" last="Schweim"] and [player_tooltip player_id="148324" first="Peyton" last="Stevermer"], in particular, were excellent. In our preview of the event, we predicted that sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id="304895" first="Macy" last="Birkholz"] might show out on the big stage, and she did. What we didn’t expect was for Edberg to do the same. The 5’9 guard played with tremendous poise under pressure, handling the ball beautifully in the heat of the game’s stretch run, making solid decisions throughout, and executing at both ends of the court. Ellie went 4-for-5 from the field for 10 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, and made it clear that she’s ready to move it up a notch or two in our prospect rankings. Edberg is currently #102 in the Class of 2024. She’ll play this spring for the Minnesota Rise, and we look forward to watching. <img class="alignnone wp-image-209126 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/40_Ja_Kahla-Craft_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="339129" first="Ja’Kahla" last="Craft"] <strong>– 2024 guard, St. Michael-Albertville</strong> Ja’Kahla was another sophomore featured in our preview of potential breakout players at the State Tournament and she did not disappoint. The stocky 5’8 guard was on fire early as STMA went on a 10-0 run in the first half to stake a 22-11 lead on the strength of Craft’s 12 points. She was attacking the basket constantly, driving hard from the left side, slipping her way through defenders and finishing despite contact. The lefty also demonstrated a smooth stroke from distance. I suppose we should be getting accustomed to this level of play from Ja’Kahla by now. She arrived at STMA last fall and quickly established herself as a reliable contributor who was playing far too effectively to be kept off the floor. On Wednesday Craft was in the starting lineup at the State Tournament. That’s a heck of a ride over a four-month period, especially in a solid 4A program like STMA. She showed zero stage fright – none – and got the job done under the bright lights, finishing with 19 points as the Knights eliminated Centennial. She plays AAU for Metro Stars. [player_tooltip player_id="346166" first="Autumn" last="McCall"] <strong>– 2025 forward, Centennial</strong> Autumn’s team didn’t get the victory on opening day, but the long and lanky 6’2 forward won a lot of hearts and minds with her play and her potential. That was particularly apparent among the folks who will have a lot of say in her future opportunities – the D1 college coaches in attendance. There was a lot of buzz about Autumn’s abilities, both natural and acquired, and we fielded plenty of questions gauging our opinion on the matter. The fact is, we are bullish on this stock, far more so than we were last fall. The growth, the improvement, the maturity – all of it is quite noticeable. From timid AAU newcomer last spring to quality performer by summer’s end to center stage at the State Tournament, it has been quite a ride for Autumn over the past 12 months. No way she would have been prepared for this moment a year ago, but she was definitely ready on Wednesday. McCall, who plays for Minnesota Fury, enters the summer ranked 37th in the freshman class but as she gets stronger and gains more high-level experience she will no doubt be trending up. A lot.