State Tournament: 2023 & 2024 All-Tournament Teams

There were some tremendous individual performances over the weekend at the Minnesota AAU State Tournament. The players cited here were the best of the best. We have selected our All-Tournament teams based on the division the players competed in – not their actual graduation year – so a player from the Class of 2025 could be selected for the 2024 All-Tournament Team if they are playing up a year. The selections are for Division 1 competition only. Similar to our high school All-Tournament team selections, a player’s team had to advance to the second round in order to be considered. Here are the honorees. <strong>2024 ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM</strong> <strong>First Team</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="215958" first="Tori" last="McKinney"] – North Tartan EYBL thrives on defense so it’s only fitting that their best defender earn some accolades. The lanky 6’1 guard from Minnetonka also scored key buckets. McKinney is one of the premier prospects in 2024. [player_tooltip player_id="178263" first="Laura" last="Hauge"] – The shooting guard from St. Croix Lutheran has built a reputation as a certified long bomber and when North Tartan EYBL needed her threes the most she came through. Laura had 43 points and 11 triples in the event. [player_tooltip player_id="205310" first="Tori" last="Oehrlein"] – The 8th grade guard from Crosby-Ironton plays two years up in AAU for Minnesota Suns Blue Star, which made it all the way to the championship game on Sunday. She scored 42 points in four outings at State. [player_tooltip player_id="178265" first="Kadence" last="Hesse"] – Minnesota Rise Purfeerst nearly pulled off the upset of the tournament by taking North Tartan EYBL all the way to overtime. They did it because the slippery point guard from Sleepy Eye was nothing short of sensational. [player_tooltip player_id="178277" first="Jordan" last="Zubich"] – Minnesota Fury 2024 UAA didn’t have the results they were hoping for at State but that didn’t stop the Mountain Iron-Buhl guard from doing her thing. Zubich made 15 triples and led the division in scoring with 57 points. <strong>Second Team</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="178266" first="Angel" last="Hill"] – The guard from Minnehaha Academy has added new dimensions to her game this year and when you need a bucket in a big way Angel is likely to deliver. She did that and more for Minnesota Stars Bjorgaard in their upset of Fury UAA and was solid all weekend. [player_tooltip player_id="302300" first="Kylan" last="Gerads"] – The big guard/small forward from Albany had a stellar high school season and her success has continued in AAU. She scored 52 points, third-best in the division, to help Minnesota Comets Elite make it to the final four. [player_tooltip player_id="215985" first="Olivia" last="Pawlicki"] – Like Gerads, it was a breakout winter for Olivia as she led Shakopee to the state high school tournament. This weekend her play for Minnesota Suns Blue Star was no less impressive. She is a weapon at both ends of the court. [player_tooltip player_id="302307" first="Elisabeth" last="Gadient"] – The gifted guard from Goodhue has really come into her own over the past year or so and she showed off her skill, confidence and leadership once again for Minnesota Fury Premier. She is unflappable. [player_tooltip player_id="215953" first="Marisa" last="Frost"] – Some of her Minnesota Fury UAA teammates put up more points and draw more attention than Marisa does, but the ultra-crafty point guard from Centennial is the straw that stirs the drink for the squad in pretty much every game. [caption id="attachment_430216" align="alignnone" width="400"]<img class="wp-image-430216" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/North-Tartan-2023-scaled-crop-2367x1554-1652706424-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="263" /> 2023 champions North Tartan EYBL[/caption] <strong>2023 ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM</strong> <strong>First Team</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="108299" first="Tessa" last="Johnson"] – The guard from North Tartan EYBL (St. Michael Albertville) was stellar throughout the event which she capped off by hitting the game winner in the dying seconds. She had 52 points in four games, second-most in in the division. [player_tooltip player_id="108298" first="Taylor" last="Woodson"] – North Tartan EYBL had a ton of players step up but none more so than Taylor did in the championship game. Playing against her Hopkins teammates and former AAU club, Woodson was outstanding at both ends of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id="108348" first="Nunu" last="Agara"] – The big forward from Metro Stars Pryor, who is committed to Stanford University, was her usual impressive self. The Hopkins Royal, ranked 3rd in the Class of 2023, scored 47 points in four games and rebounded with passion. [player_tooltip player_id="178269" first="Liv" last="McGill"] – The Hopkins point guard from Metro Stars Pryor was a floor leader in every sense of the word this weekend. She ran the offense, led the defense, and motivated her crew with encouraging words throughout. The 2024 #2 is a workhorse. [player_tooltip player_id="108301" first="Kennedy" last="Sanders"] – The crafty point guard from Minnesota Fury 2023 UAA always brings it to the big stage, whether in AAU or for her high school team in Chaska. The Colorado commit scored 39 points to lead her team to the final four. <strong>Second Team</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="353081" first="Macaya" last="Copeland"] – 43 Hoops Elite had an excellent tournament, knocking off 4th seed Fury Premier in the opening round before falling to North Tartan in the semifinals. The Hopkins guard, who continues to improve, averaged 10.5 ppg. [player_tooltip player_id="148315" first="Emily" last="Christenson"] – The lengthy guard/forward from East Ridge does it all for Minnesota Stars Hersch at both ends of the floor. She is a versatile performer who can score at all three levels and guard any position. Emily had 7 threes and 36 points in four games. [player_tooltip player_id="148332" first="Ashlee" last="Burchette"] – Minnesota Diamond Elite ousted 5th-seeded Minnesota Comets Elite in the first round to turn some heads. The clever point guard from Bloomington Kennedy was a major factor as she usually is. [player_tooltip player_id="108340" first="Lauren" last="Knudson"] –  The Metro Stars Weise junior from Orono is one of the top floor generals in the state, with exceptional vision, a fine sense of timing and all of the intangibles you could ask for. She is the backbone of her team week in and week out. [player_tooltip player_id="186113" first="Aalayah" last="Wilson"] – The shifty guard from Osseo is a walking bucket who can put up numbers. The FBC Real Lark leader topped the 2023 Division in scoring with 72 points in 4 games, helping her team go 3-1 at the State Tournament. <em>Top photo: 2024 champions North Tartan EYBL</em>