State Tournament: The Best of Class 2A

When it comes to picking a Most Valuable Player in any sport at every level it has become standard practice to pick someone from the winning team. That makes sense, doesn’t it? Combine a star player with a big performance in the big game to win a championship and you have the usual MVP formula. Given how well [player_tooltip player_id="252381" first="Maddyn" last="Greenway"] played in Saturday’s Class 2A State Championship game – an excellent performance that helped Providence Academy win the crown with a 55-53 victory – she would be the logical choice. What [player_tooltip player_id="30148" first="Ellie" last="Colbeck"] did for Fergus Falls, however, was deliver a virtuoso performance for the ages, the kind of game that will be etched in our collective memory far into the foreseeable future. Had Ellie not come up so so so big, the Otters would likely have been done and dusted by half time. With that explanation to set the scene, here are the Prep Girls Hoops top performers in Class 2A. <strong>MOST VALUABLE PLAYER</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="30148" first="Ellie" last="Colbeck"] <strong>– 2022 guard, Fergus Falls</strong> There aren’t enough superlatives to describe what Ellie did on Saturday afternoon at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. After putting up 25 points in each of the Otters first two games at the State Tournament and leading her team to the title game, Ellie did absolutely everything one player can do in a single game. She was relentless defensively and produced offense by every imaginable means. She knocked down threes, made mid-range jumpers and got to the rim in spite of the enormous inside presence offered up by the Lions. Colbeck went 14-for-31 from the field in spite of being double-teamed all game long, scored 41 points with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. It was a sight to behold. The #9 ranked prospect in the Class of 2022, who is headed for South Dakota State, gave absolutely everything there was to give. <strong>TOP POINT GUARD</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="252381" first="Maddyn" last="Greenway"] <strong>– 2026 guard, Providence Academy</strong> Saturday’s championship game represented the final time we got to see Colbeck in a high school basketball game. That’s the bad news. The good news is this: We’ve got four more years to savor the out-of-this-world abilities Miss Greenway has to offer. Just two years into a six-year high school odyssey, and six months away from actually entering high school, Maddyn has already shown us exceptional talent, untold amounts of grit, and a fierce desire to win. On Saturday she did it all and won it all. She was outstanding in all three rounds of the event, with 21 points against Montevideo, 20 against Albany and another 15 on Saturday in the most important game to date in her budding career. By all measures it was an MVP-level performance. <strong>BREAKOUT PERFORMER</strong> <strong>Ainsley Hansen – 2022 guard, Fergus Falls</strong> As almost always happens, a relatively unknown athlete emerged at the State Tournament to play a crucial role for her team in the biggest games of her life. Ainsley did that this week. Listed at 5’9, she looks taller, plays bigger and does the little things well that enable the headliners to get the job done. Hansen was absolutely crucial in the Otters’ semifinal win over Minnehaha Academy, collecting 13 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. In the championship game she pulled down another absolutely necessary 10 rebounds and made one big hustle play after another, including an improbable save on a ball headed off the raised floor that enabled Colbeck to score two of her 41 points in spectacular fashion. Passion and energy mean a lot and Hansen delivered with both. <strong>RISING STARS</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="296515" first="Hope" last="Counts"] – We’ve already told you all about the Providence Academy freshman’s performance on opening night. The 6’2 9th grader came off the bench to play a crucial defensive role against Montevideo’s 6’3 specimen [player_tooltip player_id="302256" first="Avery" last="Koenen"]. Hope also scored 12 points had 5 rebounds and 5 steals. At the tournament she showed how far her game has come this year and how much more confident she is. Counts is ranked #32 in the Class of 2025. <strong>Emma Millerbernd </strong>– Precious few 7th graders get to participate in the high school State Tournament. Even fewer manage to play a starting role, draw hugely difficult defensive assignments and walk away with a championship. That’s what Emma did. The 5’8 2027 guard from Providence Academy is long, athletic and skilled. And she has a super-calm demeanor for such a young player. Millerbernd is bound to be one of the top prospects in her class. This week she showed why. <strong>BEST FORWARDS</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="57963" first="Maria" last="Counts"] – The 5’11 senior from Providence Academy remains one of the most under-appreciated players in the Class of 2022. All she did in this State Tournament was everything. In the semifinals and finals Maria made one big play after another. Saturday she went 8-for-14 from the field for 19 points with 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Against Albany in the semis she provided 13 and 10. Talk about a clutch couple of performances in the two biggest games of her life. [player_tooltip player_id="148338" first="Grace" last="Counts"] – The 6’1 junior from Providence Academy is the #27-rated prospect in the Class of 2023 and she looked every bit the D1 prospect at the State Tournament. She was outstanding inside and out, combining with her sisters for a textbook execution of the high-low game. She scored in multiple ways, hauled in a ton of important rebounds and showed excellent leadership ability. Grace had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the final, was 12 and 7 in the semis and 19 and 6 in the quarters. Solid! [player_tooltip player_id="302256" first="Avery" last="Koenen"] – We only saw the 6’3 junior from Montevideo once before her Thunder Hawks were ousted from the event by Providence. What she showed us on Wednesday night, however, was a Division 1-caliber athlete who can out-run, out-reach and out-jump the vast majority of her peers. That’s why we have her ranked #16 in the Class of 2023 and why North Dakota State had her sign on the dotted line. Avery had 25 points, 14 rebounds, 5 steals and 5 blocks. It was impressive. [player_tooltip player_id="302300" first="Kylan" last="Gerads"] – The Albany sophomore had her coming out party on opening night at the State Tournament. We have been well-aware of Kylan’s capabilities since last summer, but for many of the college coaches in attendance, it was their first up-close encounter with the 6’0 forward/guard. Her performance on opening night – she went 10-for-13 from the field for 24 points and had 13 rebounds – represented a new level of excellence, and Gerads could not have done it at a better time. She’s currently #36 in the Class of 2024 and rising. <strong>TOP GUARDS</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="252379" first="Addison" last="Mack"] – The freshman floor leader from Minnehaha Academy, currently ranked #5 in the Class of 2025, is a special talent. Although her team struggled mightily in the first half of its semifinal encounter with Fergus Falls, Addy almost single-handedly brought the Redhawks back into contention in the second half. She made one outstanding play after another, attacking the basket and scoring in droves. The 5’8 point guard finished with 25 points. It wasn’t quite enough, of course, but it was certainly indicative of her abilities. <strong>Bailey Keske</strong> – In previous seasons, including last year’s State Championship run, the 5’7 senior from Albany played in the very big shadow cast by <strong>Paige Meyer</strong>. When the elite point guard moved on to South Dakota State this year she gave the keys to the castle to Keske, who showed us this week that she is a more-than-capable point guard with quality skills, a sound basketball mind and the ability to deliver under pressure. Keske had 9 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in the semifinal game. [player_tooltip player_id="109125" first="CJ" last="Adamson"] – Rochester Lourdes was eliminated in the opening round so those in attendance had a very limited window in which to see CJ do her thing. That’s unfortunate because, as we’ve witnessed over the past five or six years, Adamson can do so much. The 5’8 senior, ranked #35 in the Class of 2022, will take her versatile repertoire to Augustana next season. Her 16-point, 5-rebound, 3-assist performance against Albany offered one final reminder of just how much she has contributed over the years.