State Tournament: Top AAA performers in quarters, semis
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For anyone who fancies themselves as a basketball fan, March is absolutely the best time of the year for top-notch hoops from grassroots to the NCAA. A lot of these faces we’re watching this week will end up playing at…
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Continue ReadingFor anyone who fancies themselves as a basketball fan, March is absolutely the best time of the year for top-notch hoops from grassroots to the NCAA. A lot of these faces we’re watching this week will end up playing at the next level and we’ll remember the names and faces and tell stories of how great they were in the state tournaments so on and so forth. I just wanted to highlight a few of the players that brought their hard hats and lunch pails to the tournament and left everything they had on day 1 and 2.
Most Valuable Player
Hannah Herzig Hannah Herzig 6'0" | CG Totino Grace | 2022 State MN – 2022 guard, Totino-Grace (MSU-Mankato)
You notch a 29-point, 12-rebound and 11-assist triple double against the battle-tested St. Paul Como Park squad, no one will argue about Herzig being the MVP of the opening rounds of the State Tournament. She also went 12-for-12 from the line and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. We’ve watched her all season and she has been a pillar of consistency. It all came together against Como in the semifinals as every button she pushed was the right one. She handled the pressure like a chiseled veteran and made every shot and pass her Eagles team needed to hold off another super senior in Ronnie Porter Ronnie Porter 5'2" | CG Como Park | 2022 State MN . Herzig was poised and business-like the entire game and it was evident that she believes that her team has just as good a shot of hoisting the 3AAA trophy as anyone. They’ll certainly have their hands full with the experienced squad from Becker, but I wouldn’t bet against the Eagles with Herzig in the mix.
Top Performers:
Alexis Rose Alexis Rose 5'10" | CG Becker | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Becker:
Rose’s numbers weren’t gaudy by any means in her team’s opening game against Austin as she finished with a total of 8 points and 3 rebounds, but her presence on the defensive end more than made up for it. Fast forward to game 2 against a really good Mankato East team where Rose found her stroke as she went 6-of-11 from behind the arc to finish with a team-high 21 points to lead her team to a 67-63 victory over the Cougars. We’re looking forward to a shootout in the 3AAA championship game between Becker and Totino-Grace and I’m sure the Bulldog hopefuls are banking on Rose continuing her hot shooting to help lead them to the promised land!
Mackenzie Schweim Mackenzie Schweim 5'10" | PG Mankato East | 2022 State MN – 2022 guard, Mankato East (MSU-Mankato)
Schweim got her state tournament appearance off to a great start against Benilde-St. Margaret’s just dominating around the basket and finishing with 17 points shooting just under 50% from the field. She moved well without the ball and has been a willing passer to boot. Her timely offensive rebounding just broke the will of the Red Knights which helped her squad knock off the higher seed. She brought that same energy into the match-up with the #1 seeded Becker Bulldogs as she posted 17 points in that contest, as well. Schweim played physical and left everything on the court as her team just ran out of time and fell to the Bulldogs 67-63 in a very tightly contested ball game.
Leah Dengerud Leah Dengerud 5'9" | SF Totino Grace | 2022 State MN – 2022 guard, Totino-Grace (Concordia-St. Paul)
Dengerud has been very good on day 1 and 2 of the state tournament. Whether it’s knocking down open jumpers or making the extra pass, she’s been very timely with both. In the opening game against Detroit Lakes she knocked down two early jumpers and assisted on another sparking her squad to a 9-0 run to take control of the game and never look back. She finished with 14 as her Eagles team knocked off the Lakers 64-43. In their semifinal game against St. Paul Como Park, Dengerud did a masterful job handling the pressure that Como brought and ended the game with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals before fouling out.
Hope Dudycha Hope Dudycha 5'6" | CG Austin | 2022 State MN – 2022 guard, Austin (UM-Crookston)
Hope is as steady as they come. In 3 games she averaged just under 14 ppg and led her team to the 3AAA consolation championship. After falling to Becker in the opener she led her team to wins over Benilde-St. Margaret and Detroit Lakes to help her squad take home some hardware. She’s a strong ball handler that doesn’t wow you, but she doesn’t turn it over and gets the the ball to open teammates in a position to take and make shots. Defensively she had active hands getting in the passing lanes disrupting her opponents all game long.
Other Notables:
Abby Lord – 2023 post, Totino-Grace
With Herzig and Dengerud garnering most of the attention, Lord has quietly put together 2 solid games with 14 in the opener and 20 against Como. Doing most of her damage in the paint, she also has the ability to step out and knock down the long ball. Her presence could be the difference in the championship showdown.
Olivia Olson Olivia Olson 6'1" | CG Benilde-SM | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Benilde St. Margaret’s
Not exactly how Olson thought her 1st State Tournament appearance would end up, but with another year of experience under her belt and the growth of her super young team, you can bet this won’t be the last time we’ll talk about Olivia in the State Tournament. She averaged 22.5 in the two games and did what she could, but the lack of size and experience ended up being the dagger.
Ronnie Porter Ronnie Porter 5'2" | CG Como Park | 2022 State MN – 2022 guard, St. Paul Como
Not enough can be said about the contribution Porter has made to the game of basketball in Minnesota, specifically St. Paul, and she is the ultimate underdog story. Porter is averaging 22 ppg thus far and this certainly isn’t the end for her as she’ll be playing for 3rd place in the State Tournament. Not exactly what she had in mind, but still an accomplishment if they’re able to take care of Mankato East, which will be no small task.