The Week That Was #16: High drama on the way to State

Throughout the course of the season it can be challenging as we put together the Week That Was trying to decide which highlights matter most in any given week. I mean, there are so many great things that happen – both events we have witnessed ourselves and those reported to us from around the state – that’s it’s difficult to pick a mere handful to pass along. Not this week. [player_tooltip player_id="109179" first="Kate" last="Cordes"] made it easy. Let’s begin our final weekly recap of the season – that would be Week #16 – with that. PLAY OF THE WEEK When your game-winning shot makes it on ESPN’s Sports Center, you know you’ve done something special. That’s what happened to Cordes, Shakopee’s senior point guard who is committed to the University of Jamestown in North Dakota. Her Sabers started slow in Friday’s Section 2AAAA championship game, spotting the Eagles a 10-point lead early before fighting back to trail by just four at the break. The game was tied throughout the second half before the epic finish that saw [player_tooltip player_id="109183" first="Maya" last="Mitchell"] cash in on a layup at the 8-second mark to put the Sabers ahead and then [player_tooltip player_id="12745" first="Myra" last="Moorjani"] score to tie it at 47-all with just 2.6 seconds remaining on the clock. That left just enough time for Shakopee to inbound the ball to Cordes who promptly hoisted a mighty heave from beyond the half-court line that found the net to spark bedlam and move the Sabers on to the State Tournament. <a href="https://kstp.com/minnesota-sports/high-school-girls-basketball-shakopees-kate-cordes-hits-a-60-footer-for-the-game-winner/">Click here</a> to see a KSTP Television recap that includes video of the winning bucket and highlights of the 50-47 Sabers win. PLAYERS OF THE WEEK <img class="alignnone wp-image-208540 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/81_Drew-Johnston_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="108324" first="Drew" last="Johnston"] – 2023 guard, Roseville There were no last-second heroics in the Raiders Section 5AAAA championship win over Maple Grove. It was just a punishing grind from beginning to end. The Crimson held Roseville scoreless for the first nine minutes as [player_tooltip player_id="205298" first="Jordan" last="Ode"], the #3 freshman in the state, clung to Johnston like stink on you know what. But Roseville kept grinding in this foul-filled encounter as they almost always do. It was Drew who orchestrated the comeback while quarterbacking the Roseville offense to a remarkable second-half that culminated with her making a series of clutch free throws in the game’s waning moments. Johnston scored 15 points on the night in a tremendous display of resilient leadership. She had 31 in the Raiders semifinal win over Spring Lake Park and 24 in an opening-round defeat of Park Center, three virtuoso performances that made it clear why Drew is a top 30 prospect in the Class of 2023. [player_tooltip player_id="302264" first="Hannah" last="Compton"] – 2023 guard, Legacy Christian The evolution of Hannah’s game has been something to see over the past couple of seasons as the small-school guard has transformed from a moderately skilled contributor to a force of nature. After raising her game to a whole new stratosphere last summer, Compton has had one dominant game after another this winter. She had 32 points against Heritage Christian, for example, and scored 45 and 32 against Eagle Ridge Academy. No performance was better or bigger than the 26 points – 10 of them in overtime – she had this week in Legacy’s 50-44 double overtime victory against New Life Academy in the Section 4A semifinal game. Hannah was everywhere, displaying a level of skill, a degree of tenacity, and an example of leadership that was scarcely imaginable two years ago. She also dropped a dramatic bomb from an impossible position that forced a second overtime in the contest and then helped her team pull away for the win. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338491 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/94-Maddyn-Greenway-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="252381" first="Maddyn" last="Greenway"] – 2026 guard, Providence Academy The 8th grader is now on the tail end of her second remarkable season leading the Lions, but never has she been more dominant than this week. Greenway was unstoppable in the Lions’ semifinal drubbing of Maranatha, scoring 39 points. She did it again on Friday with a 31-point performance as Providence knocked off Holy Family in the Section 5AA final. Eight times she has topped the 30-point mark this winter while scoring a career’s worth of points – a stunning 727 – in a single season. The 26-4 Lions earned the #1 seed in Class AA at the State Tournament and will open play on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Williams Arena when they face Montevideo. With Maddyn running the show the Lions are the favorites to take home the ultimate prize. MILESTONES This week freshman [player_tooltip player_id="252379" first="Addison" last="Mack"] of Minnehaha Academy broke the Redhawks’ single-season scoring record with 664 points set by 2020 graduate Mia Curtis, who now plays at Dartmouth. Mack achieved the milestone in her 28th game of the year and the season is still in progress for Minnehaha. Earlier this season Addi reached 1,000 career points at the beginning of her freshman year. Given all of her accomplishments to date, perhaps the most amazing stat about Mack is this one: She’s still only 14 years old. In the same game, Mack’s teammate [player_tooltip player_id="109134" first="Charita" last="Lewis"] reached 1,000 career points despite beginning her high school career as a hockey player in St. Cloud and then missing all of last season with a torn ACL. [player_tooltip player_id="30162" first="Mikayla" last="Aumer"]’s illustrious high school career came to a close on Wednesday when her Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets were eliminated by Centennial. Aumer, the #19-ranked prospect in the Class of 2022, had 3 assists in her final game to break both the single-season assists record (143) and career assists record (334). The University of North Dakota commit also established a new standard for most points in a single season with 678 as she averaged 24.2 per game. Aumer scored 1,699 in all. It took Maple Grove senior [player_tooltip player_id="147458" first="Kyla" last="Overskei"] a good long while to crack the varsity lineup for the Crimson in a program with a ton of depth and some very high standards. When she finally did, Kyla definitely made the most of her opportunity. This year she raised her standards even higher, becoming Maple Grove’s leading scorer and set a new mark for most three-point baskets in a single season with 85. [player_tooltip player_id="57955" first="Emma" last="Lade"] may be going off to Texas in the fall to play college volleyball but she will also graduate this spring as one of the greatest players in the history of Mayer Lutheran basketball. On Tuesday in the Crusaders’ section semifinal win over Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart, Emma became the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,503 and counting. She shattered the record for points in a single season by more than 100, set a new mark for most assists, and has the highest field goal percentage ever at 60 percent which is a remarkable number for a guard. Emma is not done yet as the Crusaders are the #2 seed in Class A at this week’s State Tournament. THE DEAR DEPARTED We watched a lot of very talented seniors conclude their high school careers this week. It’s always so sad in the seconds that follow defeat when players realize that this is the last time they’ll ever compete in a high school basketball game. It’s particularly difficult watching those special kids who have been transformational for their program. Among this week’s elite players who exited a high school court for the final time were: <img class="alignnone wp-image-338619 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/244-Mara-Braun-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> #2 [player_tooltip player_id="12715" first="Mara" last="Braun"] of Wayzata fell to Hopkins by a score of 84-68 to end her outstanding high school career. She may not have won a state championship but she left a trail of positive impressions and gave us a highlight reel’s worth of greatness on the way to the University of Minnesota. <img class="alignnone wp-image-209195 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/137_Niamaya-Holloway_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> #5 [player_tooltip player_id="12732" first="Nia" last="Holloway"] of Eden Prairie could only stare in disbelief as her high school career concluded abruptly on Friday night when Shakopee’s [player_tooltip player_id="109179" first="Kate" last="Cordes"] nailed a half-court buzzer beater to stun everyone involved. Her impact at Eden Prairie, both on and off the court, is undeniable. Nia will join Mara at Minnesota. #6 [player_tooltip player_id="12722" first="Lilly" last="Meister"] of Rochester John Marshall and her 18th ranked teammate [player_tooltip player_id="30143" first="Katie" last="Hurt"] have had outstanding careers as the backbone of Rochester John Marshall’s program for nearly five seasons. On Friday the pair fell to Lakeville North in the Section 1AAAA final to conclude their high school careers. Lilly will play at Indiana. Katie is off to Lehigh. [caption id="attachment_363985" align="alignnone" width="168"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-363985" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/Ellie-Buzzelle-168x300.png" alt="" width="168" height="300" /> Photo: <a href="https://x.com/EllieBuzzelle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>[/caption] #11 [player_tooltip player_id="12718" first="Ellie" last="Buzzelle"] of Rogers led her team from the wilderness this season to a banner campaign that erased years of disappointment for the Royals. The girls in blue fell to St. Michael-Albertville in the Section 8AAAA final but not before the Grand Canyon commit left an indelible mark on the program in her five years as a varsity starter. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-273502" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/Mathiowetz-family-scaled-crop-1919x1261-1618502041-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> #12 [player_tooltip player_id="109131" first="Madison" last="Mathiowetz"] put tiny Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s (enrollment 82) on the Minnesota girls basketball map, rewriting the record books and leading her team to unprecedented success. Maddie’s incredible talent pales in comparison to her leadership skills and character. She’s headed for South Dakota State. #13 [player_tooltip player_id="12747" first="Savannah" last="White"] of DeLaSalle lost a heartbreaker to St. Paul Como Park by a score of 75-72 in the Section 3AAA final. We saw her do some incredible stuff over the years, and the sky is the limit for the talented senior. Savannah will no doubt be a standout in college where she’ll play at the University of Wisconsin. <img class="alignnone wp-image-209157 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/75_Amber-Scalia_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> #15 [player_tooltip player_id="147443" first="Lizzie" last="Holder"] and #17 [player_tooltip player_id="57928" first="Amber" last="Scalia"] of Stillwater (above photo) fell to White Bear Lake in a Section 4AAAA shocker but they have both had outstanding high school careers to earn college opportunities at a high level. Lizzie will head west to Colorado. Amber is staying local at St. Thomas. <img class="alignnone wp-image-187491 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/07/Natalie-Bremer-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> #22 [player_tooltip player_id="57939" first="Natalie" last="Bremer"] of Lake City transformed the Tigers program with a unique combination of talent, work ethic and leadership ability, but she bowed out this week in a tough battle with Rochester Lourdes. After rewriting the record books in high school, Natalie heads to MSU-Mankato in the fall. Like all of the above, she will be missed. THE END This is the 16th and final installment of The Week That Was for the 2021-22 high school season. Thanks for reading. Other than rankings, this is our most-viewed feature pretty much every week. We really appreciate your interest in this type of coverage that recognizes the players, teams and coaches for their weekly accomplishments. We’ll do something similar during the AAU season so watch for that beginning April 4th. In the meantime we’ve got a State Tournament to cover. Top photo: Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="302264" first="Hannah" last="Compton"] of Legacy Christian