Breakdown Summer State: 2A All-Tourney Team

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the past number of years Goodhue has been one of the most consistently excellent programs in the state. The Wildcats have been regulars at the big dance and won state championships in 2017 and 2019. If the team's performance on Sunday at the Breakdown Summer State Tournament is any indication we should expect great things out of Goodhue again this season. The Cats were firing on all cylinders as they scored wins over Holdingford, Perham and St. Croix Lutheran to capture the Class 2A title. No single player had more to do with her team's success at the event than incoming junior [player_tooltip player_id="302307" first="Elisabeth" last="Gadient"]. Last week we elevated her into the Top 30 in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2024 prospect rankings. On the weekend she made us look smart, earning MVP honors at the event and leading the way on our Class 2A All-Tournament Team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>First Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="302307" first="Elisabeth" last="Gadient"] <strong>– 2024 guard, Goodhue</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liz just makes plays. One after the other after the other. Looking like her usual calm, cool and collected self, Gadient ran the Goodhue offense really, really well. She sets the tone for everything the team does and never seems to get rattled. And when her squad needs Liz to make a big individual play at a key moment, she usually does. Her length is a weapon at both ends of the floor and so is her basketball IQ. Last winter Gadient averaged 15.6 points per game for the Wildcats. On Sunday she scored 17 against Holdingford, 17 versus St. Croix Lutheran and 24 in the championship game against a strong Lac Qui Parle Valley squad as the Wildcats delivered once again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="302260" first="Tori" last="Miller"] <strong>– 2023 forward, Goodhue</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When a team shows up at the gym with a great point guard and a power forward who will not be denied, well that's one heckuva combination for defenders to deal with. That's exactly what Goodhue has in the Gadient-Miller tandem. The 5'10 Tori is a big, physical forward who attacks the basket relentlessly, knows how to finish through any kind of contact you'd care to offer, and rebounds with power and passion. She's not going to out-finesse anyone or knock down shots from NBA range. What Tori is going to do, however, is get buckets and boards and she's going to make the opponent earn everything they get. The Top 100 prospect, who averaged nearly 16 ppg last winter, scored 19 on Sunday against Holdingford, 14 versus Perham and another 12 against St. Croix Lutheran. If we had rebound numbers whose would no doubt be just as impressive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="148319" first="Olivia" last="Harazin"] <strong>– 2023 guard, Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lot of people are late to the party figuring out just how good Olivia can be. We've been watching her since 7th grade and have always been suitably impressed by her offensive skillset and on-court swagger. She's got terrific handles, can shoot it from anywhere, and plays with a healthy dose of moxie. That has been a winning recipe for her and the Knights, who looked really good at the Breakdown. Harazin led LCWM in scoring last season at 21 points per game, shooting 53% from the field and 43% from three-point range. She topped the 20-point mark 20 times while averaging 6 rebounds, 3 assists and nearly 4 steals per game. Sunday she scored a bunch more buckets and gave those in attendance plenty to talk about.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Amaya Penn</strong> <strong>– 2026 guard, St. Croix Lutheran</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Amaya is only entering the 9th grade but the crafty guard is already a seasoned varsity veteran. Penn was her team's third-leading scorer as an 8th grader while shooting nearly 50% from the field. This summer, as a member of the AAU state champion Minnesota Stars Hill squad, she was even better. On Sunday at the Breakdown we saw more of the same as Penn recorded 19 points against Pequot Lakes, 13 versus Goodhue and 10 against LCWM. She's got speed and quickness to spare, and she's never afraid to fire up the jets, blow past a defender and score at the rim. Although Penn isn't very big she is still effective against bigger, older, stronger players. She's also part of an intriguing SCL lineup that includes St. Thomas commits [player_tooltip player_id="178263" first="Laura" last="Hauge"] and [player_tooltip player_id="108311" first="Zoey" last="Washington"] and big 2026 post [player_tooltip player_id="362575" first="Callie" last="Oakland"].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="178271" first="Willow" last="Thiel"] – <strong>2024 forward, Perham</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In reality there were any number of players could have been selected here – pick one of the five listed below – but it's hard to overlook Willow's contributions once again. The big power forward, who is ranked #45 in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2024, generally leaves her mark on any game in which she participates, including the three contests Perham played on Sunday. She scored 23 points against the tough defense of Goodhue and 17 versus Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial. Since the 8th grade Thiel has been an impact player for the Yellowjackets, who won 21 games last winter before falling in the Section 8AA semifinals. If the team is to go farther than that next spring, Willow will have to be at her very best.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Second Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="302300" first="Kylan" last="Gerads"] <strong>– 2024 forward, Albany</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="302297" first="Alyssa" last="Sand"] <strong>– 2024 forward, Albany</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="396438" first="Addison" last="Pilarski"] <strong>– 2025 forward, Holdingford</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="339207" first="Lauren" last="Cooper"] – <strong>2023 guard, Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="108311" first="Zoey" last="Washington"]<strong> – 2023 guard, St. Croix Lutheran (St. Thomas)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->