State Tournament: Best of Class AAAA in the quarter & semifinals

Class AAAA usually hosts the best teams in the state, and that is because they are the bigger schools. Its a tough class to be in because all of these teams have multiple division 1 prospects on them. For Class AAAA, Hopkins has dominated over the last 15 years, and is the team to beat. <span style="font-size: 1rem; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">The one cool thing about sections and state is there’s no guarantee even if you are a top-ranked team. March is for upsets, breakout performances, and really high level basketball. Let’s take a look at some players who made a huge impact in the first two rounds. </span> <strong>MOST VALUABLE PLAYER</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108299" first="Tessa" last="Johnson"] - 2023 combo guard, St. Michael-Albertville</strong> There should be no surprise here that Johnson is the MVP of the quarter and semifinals. The combo guard is the definition of calm, cool and collected. When it was time for her to take over, she did just that. With her height and athleticism, she is always the best kid on both ends of  the floor. On offense she was knocking down the three with ease and finishing around the rim. She plays a lot of point guard, but against Roseville she posted up multiple times, using her superb foot work in the paint. On defense she uses her volleyball skills to jump up high and get blocks. In the quarterfinals against Centennial, she dropped 24 points and shot 60% from the field. In the semifinals she put up 25 points including six three pointers and pulled down 9 rebounds. She was hot from beyond the arc in both games shooting way beyond 50 percent. <strong>TOP PERFORMER</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="178269" first="Liv" last="McGill"] - 2024 combo guard, Hopkins</strong> Liv is the definition of a hooper. She comes alive when the pressure is on. On defense she is a pest and will get in your face, not giving you room to breathe. She makes you uncomfortable dribbling the ball, which is how she is able to pick pocket the person she’s guarding. On offense she has a lot in her bag whether it be a spin move, eurostep or a combo move to beat you downhill. With her confidence and skill, she has the tools to be one of the best kids in the state. When she’s hot she’s hot, there’s not many people who can stop her when she’s on a roll. The combo guard shot 100 percent from the three-point line in the two games and dropped 29 total points. <strong>X FACTOR</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="215968" first="Kendall" last="Barnes"] - 2024 guard, </strong><b>Roseville</b> Barnes has been one of the key factors to Roseville’s success this season. She's a 5’7 guard who plays on the wing and plays her role well. She can handle the ball and is a good outside shooter. In the quarterfinals she was the key factor in the win over Shakopee knocking down clutch free throws down the stretch. She put up 15 points and shot 63% from the field, along with 7 rebounds. <strong>TOP DEFENDER</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="12713" first="Amaya" last="Battle"] - 2022 point guard, Hopkins</strong> Battle leads by example, and her work ethic is unmatched. Being the point guard, makes you a leader by default, but the senior goes above and beyond. However we rarely talk about her defense. The top 5 point guard has text book defense strategies, where she can guard you full court or give you a hard time in the half-court set. The senior always has the tough task of guarding the best person on the other team. She has that role because she slides her feet, beats you to the spot and has active hands. In the semifinal game Battle has 9 steals, 11 points and 8 rebounds, almost resulting in a triple double. Let’s just say I wouldn’t want Amaya guarding me. <strong>OTHER TOP PERFORMERS</strong> <b>[player_tooltip player_id="339129" first="Ja’Kahla" last="Craft"] - 2024 combo guard, St. Michael-Albertville</b> The combo guard has become one of my favorite kids to watch. She continues to get better as time goes on and impresses us in new ways every time we see her play. She can do it all on the offensive end. At 5’9 she has a strong build that she uses to power over the smaller guards. She's got a great left hand around the rim and can finish with contact. She is also one of the team’s best three-point shooters where she can knock it down at a high clip. In the quarterfinals she dropped 19 points and shot 5 for 10 from beyond the arc. She added another 18 points in the semis. I hope college coaches have their eye on Craft. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="335641" first="Trinity" last="Wilson"] - 2024 Center, Lakeville North</strong> Trinity has been making a name for herself this year and continues to get better. The center is tough to guard with her size and strength. She was best at getting good position on the block for a quick turnaround bucket off the glass. Lakeville North had the tough task of playing Hopkins in the first round of the State Tournament. The sophomore held her ground against one of the best forwards in the country, May Nnaji. She had 9 points and 11 rebounds in the first round against Hopkins and added another 10 in the semis. <b>[player_tooltip player_id="109124" first="Emma" last="Miller"] - 2022 point guard, St. Michael-Albertville</b> Miller is the glue to this team. She is a vet and knows what it takes to win. Her and teammate Johnson take turns playing point guard, but she is the definition of a true point guard. She looks for other teammates before she looks for her own. She is quick in every facet and will beat you off the bounce and finish against taller opponents with her use of the backboard and hang time. The 5’1 point guard had 15 points and 9 assist in the quarters and shot 50 percent from the field. In the semifinals she was a key spark finishing with 15 points and getting her 1000 point. What a great way to finish out her senior year. <strong>SHARP SHOOTERS</strong> <b>[player_tooltip player_id="108324" first="Drew" last="Johnston"] - 2023 point guard, Roseville </b> The 5’7 point guard looks for her three-point shot quite a bit and her teammates know to get her the ball when she’s open. Johnston is the leading scorer on her team, and when she gets hot, she can really get going. She dropped 23 points total in the two games including 7 threes. <b>Sydney Kubes - 2022 guard, Centennial</b> Kubes is one of the best three-point shooters on her team. She averaged 8 points per game in the regular season but has exceeded her average during the State tournament. In the quarter finals she knocked down 4 threes, along with 7 rebounds, scoring 14 points and added another 13 in the semis. <strong>FRESH FACE TO WATCH</strong> <strong>Addison Post - 2025 point guard, White Bear Lake</strong> The freshman point caught our eye, where she was impressive in the semifinal game. She doesn’t put up a bunch of points, but she controls the pace of the offense really well for WBL. Post is a small guard, but she is one of the fastest players we’ve laid eyes on. She pushes the ball up the court almost every possession and has a great left hand. In the quarter finals she was able to blow by multiple Hopkins players, where she would drop a pass to her teammates and make the right read.