Boyle’s bombs light up the Hall of Fame Winter Classic

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We've been watching Kelly Boyle Kelly Boyle 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2023 State MN drop bombs for half a decade now, but on a cold winter afternoon in January the Hopkins senior lit up the sky like the Fourth of July – and she did it when her team needed those fireworks the most. Boyle's air show was one of many highlights on Saturday at the Minnesota Basketball Hall of Fame Winter Classic at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, an event that featured Benilde-St. Margaret's versus Minnetonka, Pine City against Goodhue, and Hopkins versus Roseville.

After Roseville overcame an early eight-point deficit, the Raiders clawed their way back into the game thanks to a relentless attack on the basket by junior Kendall Barnes Kendall Barnes 5'7" | CG Roseville | 2024 State MN that yielded a field goal and 7 made free throws to put the Raiders up 17-16 with under 7 minutes remaining in the first half. That's when Boyle fired up the rockets, lit the fuse and went to work.

With moon ball buckets at 6:15, 5:04, 3:15 and 2:45 – sandwiched around a pair of Taylor Woodson Taylor Woodson 6'0" | PF Hopkins | 2023 State #28 Nation MN baskets – Boyle got things moving in exactly the right direction to give Hopkins a 38-27 lead at halftime. The Royals never looked back. By the time she was done, Boyle had posted a career-best 3+3+3+3+3+3+3+3+3 – count ‘em 9 triples – on 18 attempts for 27 points to lead the Royals to a 74-53 win, stretching their season record to a picture-perfect 12-0.

Boyle, a 5'7 combo guard, is a Top 50 senior who has yet to make a college commitment. Although she is often overshadowed in a lineup loaded with thoroughbreds, she is a starter whose contributions have been absolutely crucial to the Royals' success this season and last. Woodson, who is committed to the University of Michigan, had a really strong second half for Hopkins and the Royals pulled away. She went 9-for-13 from the field for 20 points and recorded 9 rebounds and three steals. Stanford commit Nunu Agara Nunu Agara 6'1" | PF Hopkins | 2023 State #32 Nation MN finished with 9 points and 5 rebounds. 8th grader Erma Walker Erma Walker 6'0" | PF Hopkins | 2027 State MN had 8 rebounds off the bench.

Barnes had an exceptionally good game for the Raiders, finishing with 19 points, including 9 free throws, 8 rebounds and 2 assists. She took to the court for the opening tip wearing a face shield thanks to knock on the nose suffered late in Friday night's game with Forest Lake. Barnes quickly ditched the protection and went to work. Her performance in this game was indicative of how she has done it all season.

Barnes is averaging 18 points per game with a punishing slate of opponents, more than double her production of last year. She put up 39 points in game just before Christmas against all of the big dogs of Chaska. She has been more aggressive, more physical and played with more confidence than we have seen in the past. Currently ranked #29 in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2024, the only thing between Kendall and a Division 1 scholarship is a more consistent jump shot and the willingness to go left with greater frequency. Stay tuned. Senior Drew Johnston Drew Johnston 5'9" | PG Roseville | 2023 State MN , a Minnesota-Duluth commit who just passed 1,000 career points this week, made four threes for a dozen points.

Here are the rest of our notables from the Hall of Fame Winter Classic.

Rabbit Out of the Hat Award

Aaliyah Crump Aaliyah Crump 6'1" | SF Montverde Academy | 2025 State FL – 2025 guard, Minnetonka

Saturday's event opener against Benilde-St. Margaret's was a classic encounter that featured an excellent battle between 2024 #1 Olivia Olson Olivia Olson 6'1" | CG Benilde-SM | 2024 State MN of the Red Knights (Michigan commit) and Crump, who is the 2025 #1. They went at it hard from the get-go. It was fierce and physical and a whole lot of fun to watch. The only real difference between the two was Olson's shots were going in the basket and Crump's were not. In fact the whole Tonka team struggled to put the ball in the cylinder in the opening period as the Skippers shot under 25% and were 2-for-17 from three. Still, the game was tied at 26 at the break.

In the second half, Minnetonka's shots started to fall at a more normal rate and you just had the feeling that, at some point, Aaliyah was going to do something special. With about four minutes remaining, I turned to the gentleman sitting next to me at the scorer's table and said, ‘Watch her make two or three big ones to win it.' And in this case the crystal ball was right.

At the 3:26 mark Aaliyah nailed a huge three just as the shot clock expired to give the Skippers a 51-47 lead. At 2:38 she elevated at the top of the key and knocked down a smooth jump shot. A minute later Crump went airborne again and nailed another jumper to give her team a five-point cushion with a minute and a half remaining. That was the margin the Skippers needed and they closed out the game for a 56-52 win.

Olson finished with 21 points on 9-for-16 shooting with 9 rebounds. Crump was 2-of-9 from beyond the arc and 8-for-24 overall. With 5-of-6 free throws made it added up to a 23-point performance, including the seven biggest points of the game. Rabbit meets hat.

Stock Riser of the Day

Elisabeth Gadient Elisabeth Gadient 5'10" | CG Goodhue | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Goodhue

Most quality prospects will raise their game when they face another big name, particularly one who has already landed the coveted Division 1 scholarship. That's exactly what Gadient did on Saturday. Motivated by the presence of Top 20 senior Sophie Lahti Sophie Lahti 6'1" | SF Pine City | 2023 State MN of Pine City on the other side of the floor, Liz was clearly amped up to face the Wisconsin-Green Bay commit. The game was tied about 4 minutes in when Gadient made her first three-pointer of the day to put Goodhue ahead. Senior Tori Miller Tori Miller 5'10" | SF Goodhue | 2023 State MN soon followed with another bucket before Gadient scored again and Kendyl Lodermeier Kendyl Lodermeier 6'0" | PF/SF Goodhue | 2025 State MN added to the momentum with one of her own. Suddenly the lead was 13 and the Wildcats never looked back. By the time the half was completed Goodhue had put up 57 points on 22-for-38 shooting with six threes.

Over the past two years Liz has raised her stock consistently and substantially. Unranked the fall of 2020, she entered the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2024 in June of 2021 at #62. In a testament to her unrelenting work ethic, enhanced physical development and experience gained, she is now the #24 prospect in the grade. She holds multiple Division 2 offers but the level of interest from D1 coaches has spiked over the past few months. With Saturday's performance as yet another indicator, that is clearly the level where Liz belongs in our opinionm, although the right D2 program would clearly be great, as well. She finished 7-for-10 from the field with 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals, one block and 16 points as Goodhue rolled to an 86-58 victory. Miller, by the way, finished with 22 points. The sophomore Lodermeier went 7-for-9 from the field for 14 points with 4 rebounds and 4 steals.

Relevant Rookie of the Day

Sydney Friedly Sydney Friedly 5'9" | CG Benilde-St. Margaret's | 2027 State MN – 2027 guard, Benilde-St. Margaret's

A lot has gone right for coach Tim Ellefson in his first season at BSM, but it has been a bit of a rollercoaster at times. With the Red Knights' big dogs gradually figuring out how to work together in unity, perhaps the most consistent player in the Benilde lineup has been the youngest, least-experienced one of all. Friedly has been a revelation. The 8th grade guard is averaging 20 minutes a game off the bench and it's not hard to see why. Sydney is versatile, incredibly intelligent on the floor, and has a really good feel for the game. She almost always seems to put the ball in the right place and very seldom turns it over. She is a great facilitator who usually makes the right play for the situation. The plug-and-play guard isn't real big but she is quick, agile, and skilled. She showed it again on Saturday with 5 points, 3 assists, 2 steals and just one turnover in 22 minutes of action.

A few other youngsters also made an impression at the Hall of Fame Winter Classic: