State Tournament: The Best of Class 4A – Finals

The Class AAAA State Tournament wrapped up Saturday night with the last game of the day. Two very talented teams ranked top 5 in the state matched up in the championship, playing each other for the third time this year. The cool thing is that both teams come from the Lake Conference, which is no surprise, as it has been one of the most dominant conferences for years. In the first two rounds, Hopkins beat St. Michael-Albertville by 13 and 40. In this game the Knights kept it close all game, closing the gap to 14 at one point late in the second half. My guess is that we saw at least 8 Division 1 prospects on the court each possession. I think it comes down to Hopkins having more weapons and them being disciplined on defense pulling out a 72-56 victory and ending with an undefeated record in Minnesota. These players made big contributions in the championship game <strong>MOST VALUABLE PLAYER</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="178269" first="Liv" last="McGill"] - 2024 combo guard, Hopkins</strong> McGill came out of the gate playing no games. She put the team on her back and ran! It's her tenacity and grit that separates her from the rest. She has put in so much extra work, her swift moves look flawless and smooth. The combo guard knows just what to do to get in her opponent's head. She wants you to challenge her so she can show you who's boss! I think she wanted us to know it's her team now. With 6 seconds left in the first half she laid up a shot at the buzzer giving her 16 points in the first half and added another 11 in the second. She shot 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and 85% from the field and also added 4 assist and 4 steals. The sophomore phenom shot 8-for-8 from the three in the three games combined. I can't say what her best asset is because she so good at defense, attacking the hoop and knocking down the three. Glad we have two more years to watch her. <strong>TOP PERFORMER</strong> <b>[player_tooltip player_id="108298" first="Taylor" last="Woodson"] - 2023 forward, Hopkins (Michigan)</b> Woodson is probably the most consistent kid on the Hopkins team and can sometimes fly under the radar with so many other talented kids on the squad. We know what we're going to get from Woodson every game. She is going to get to the hoop, draw contact and finish. Although she hasn't extended her range to the three-point line, her midrange has continued to get better every year. The forward had a double double in the championship game with 16 points and13 rebounds and was 50% from the field. <strong>LEADERSHIP </strong> <b>[player_tooltip player_id="109124" first="Emma" last="Miller"] - 2022 point guard, St. Michael-Albertville (UM-Crookston)</b> Miller gets the leadership award for the Championship game because that's exactly what she did. She led her team through the ups and downs, making big plays all game. Emma is needed on the court and played 35 minutes against Hopkins, the most minutes on the team. Size is talked about a lot in basketball and you see the 6-foot kids having the most success. In this case size doesn't matter because the point guard has perfected her game to the point where she knows how to be strategic. At 5’1 she is usually the shortest kid on the court, but in return she has the biggest heart. In the championship she was using her moves in the lane to shoot over the 6’4 and 6’2 forwards of Hopkins. She also kept the game within reach with her three-point shooting. Even though it ended in a loss we are glad to have been able to watch her play for the last four years and progress. She ended up with 15 points including three triples. <strong>OTHER STANDOUTS TO NOTE</strong> Since we talked about these girls in the previous article, I wanted to give them a shout out for their efforts not only in the championship game but in the whole state tourney. All four of these girls could literally win every accolade I have listed. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108348" first="Nunu" last="Agara"] - 2023 forward, Hopkins (Stanford)</strong> The forward was a beast on the offensive boards. If she misses her first shot, there's a 99% chance that she is getting her own rebound and putting it back up. The work she has done in the gym has shown, and she is becoming an all-around player with her midrange and three-point shot looking good. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="12713" first="Amaya" last="Battle"] - 2022 point guard, Hopkins (Minnesota)</strong> Battle is the backbone to this team. Everything runs through her. The leadership she provides on and off the court is unmatched. In the championship game she dished out 6 assists. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108299" first="Tessa" last="Johnson"] - 2023 point guard, St. Michael - Albervtille</strong> Johnson gave it her all in the championship game but with the crippling defense of Hopkins, it was hard for her to get going. The point guard still put up 18 and kept her teammates engaged even when they were down big. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="339129" first="Ja’Kahla" last="Craft"] - 2024 combo guard, St. Michael - Albertville</strong> Craft came in this year new to the school, but it didn't take her long for her to adjust and step into a big-time role. She played some of her best basketball in the State Tournament. In the championship game she couldn't get her three to drop but she ended with a double double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. <strong>X FACTOR</strong> <b>[player_tooltip player_id="220824" first="Piper" last="Carlson"] - 2023 forward, St. Michael-Albertville</b> The forward was key in the team's success in the State Tournament. She isn't going to blow up the stat sheet, but she does the little things. In the championship game she had the tough task of guarding the big three that Hopkins has, and she worked her butt off. She was big on the boards and had great timing to out-rebound girls bigger and stronger than her. Craft ended the tournament with 25 total rebounds. <strong>SUPER SENIORS</strong> When I say super seniors, I don't mean that these kids had to complete their senior year twice. I say super seniors because these seniors went out with a bang. These three have flown under the radar their whole high school career but when it came down to it, they were big contributors in the State Tournament. There is nothing better than making it to the State Tournament your senior year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="388033" first="Lauren" last="Eckerle"] </strong>- 2022 guard, White Bear Lake <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="147451" first="Nevaeh" last="Hughes"]</strong>- 2022 forward, White Bear Lake (Rock Valley CC) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="148311" first="Hattie" last="Mae DeVries"] </strong>- 2022 forward, Roseville <strong>FRESH FACE TO WATCH</strong> <b>[player_tooltip player_id="344333" first="Cail" last="Jahnke"] -</b> 2026 point guard, St. Michael - Albertville The 8th grader didn't play much in the State Tournament, but coach had the confidence in her to put her on the floor. Jahnke has played some high-level basketball in AAU and my guess is that we will see her get big minutes next year.