Holiday Hoops: 10 dynamic duos who did well

Batman & Robin. Lennon & McCartney. Mario & Luigi. Peanut Butter & Jelly – who doesn't enjoy a great dynamic duo?! Whether we're talking about cartoon characters or musicians or basketball players or lunch, we most certainly do. We saw a few dynamic duos doing good work throughout the holiday hoops season this past week in Minnesota. Here are 10 nearly perfect pairs we liked a lot at the Breakdown Granite City Classic.   [player_tooltip player_id='396428' first='Allie' last='Haabala'] & [player_tooltip player_id='346165' first='Hadley' last='Thul'] – Alexandria   The Cardinals are loaded with enticing young talent but none of their budding prospects have a brighter future than these two sophomores. Haabala is a 5'7 point guard rated in the Top 40 of the 2025 class. She has tremendous feel for the game and knows just what to do to make things happen for the 6'2 Thul, who is rated #11 among Minnesota 10th graders. They were exceptionally good at both ends of the floor against a strong Mahtomedi squad, combining for 33 points and a whole lot of mojo.   [player_tooltip player_id='302297' first='Alyssa' last='Sand'] & [player_tooltip player_id='302300' first='Kylan' last='Gerads'] – Albany   We've seen a lot of good stuff from Sand and Gerads over the past couple of seasons, from their excellence at the state high school tournament to their summer success with the Minnesota Comets. I'm not sure we've seen them ever look better than they did Friday in a complete dismantling of Pine City. Alyssa and Kylan were on fire early and often and we were thoroughly entertained. Sand, a 6'2 junior ranked #16 in the class, had 18 points. Gerads, a 5'10 small forward in the Top 25, scored 25.   Lauren Youngquist & [player_tooltip player_id='339117' first='Evyn' last='Eppinga'] – Anoka   I'm going to be honest to a fault right now and say this: We did not see Anoka coming this season. The Tornadoes have been relentless so far, parlaying their size, speed and physical presence into a record of 9-1 entering the new year. Much of the credit goes to the 5'11 senior forward Youngquist and the 5'5 junior guard Eppinga pictured above. We could definitely add 5'10 sophomore forward Maddie Freking to the mix (Terrific Trios?). All three were excellent against a tough Cambridge-Isanti team at St. Bens as they extended their win streak to eight.   [player_tooltip player_id='186119' first='Ayla' last='Brown'] & [player_tooltip player_id='108338' first='Dani' last='Nuest'] – Becker   Since the graduation of all-time greats Julia Bengtson, Courtney Nuest and Megan Gamble, Ayla and Dani have been the backbone of a Bulldogs squad that also features UW-Green Bay commit [player_tooltip player_id='108304' first='Maren' last='Westin'] and rising star [player_tooltip player_id='304938' first='Alexis' last='Rose']. But against Minnetonka on Friday, Westin was sidelined and Rose left the game hurt in the first half. That left Brown (Sioux Falls) and Nuest (Michigan Tech) to put on one of the most gutsy displays of basketball we've seen. The Bulldogs held on to the lead all the way to the bitter end thanks to the efforts of these two before falling by a whisker to the Skippers. It was an incredible display of heart and determination.   [player_tooltip player_id='220837' first='Maraya' last='Wiltrout'] & [player_tooltip player_id='220838' first='Evelyn' last='Wiltrout'] – Cambridge-Isanti   The Bluejackets look different this year with the graduation of Mikayla Aumer, who is now playing at the University of North Dakota. Fortunately guards [player_tooltip player_id='339110' first='Haylie' last='Jerde'] and Bre Knight have really stepped up and the Wiltrout twins have taken their game to new heights. Both the 6'1 Evelyn (UW-River Falls) and 6'2 Maraya (UW-Stout) have expanded their arsenal and are now putting the ball on the floor, going to the rim off the bounce and finishing in different ways. Plus they still outwork and overpower most opponents on the regular.   [player_tooltip player_id='302264' first='Hannah' last='Compton'] & [player_tooltip player_id='205310' first='Tori' last='Oehrlein'] – Crosby-Ironton   Hannah is a self-made player, a Top 100 prospect who has put in the work to maximize her potential and earn a roster spot next year at St. Scholastica in Duluth. Tori is a truly elite talent who, as a freshman, as being recruited by a Who's Who of major college programs. Together they are special. Compton scored 16 points against Montevideo, including 6-for-6 at the free throw line. Tori staged a mano-a-mano, 35-point performance for the ages against Mountain Iron-Buhl and [player_tooltip player_id='178277' first='Jordan' last='Zubich'] on Friday, a game nobody in attendance will soon forget.   [player_tooltip player_id='352774' first='Sage' last='Ganyo'] & [player_tooltip player_id='178277' first='Jordan' last='Zubich'] – Mountain Iron-Buhl   Saddled with four fouls for half the game, Jordan managed to stay in the contest until the final whistle sounded while keeping her team in the hunt against Oehrlein's heroics. She recorded her 2,000th career point during the proceedings and finished with 33 on the day. Zubich just does so much, but much of what she does works well because of what Sage does to facilitate. The Top 100 prospect is a warrior and a dynamic player whose impact on games is undeniable. It is the combination of those two, along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='461340' first='Hali' last='Savela'] and a young supporting cast, that really makes the Rangers go.   [player_tooltip player_id='252383' first='Lanelle' last='Wright'] & [player_tooltip player_id='252387' first='Aaliyah' last='Crump'] – Minnetonka   Lanelle and Aaliyah are truly special. The 5'8 Wright is a thinking man's point guard, a cerebral floor general who sees the court as well as anyone, has great judgement for such a young player, and has forged a skill set that enables her to execute with excellence. The 6'1 Crump is simply one of the best sophomores in the country, with length and speed and grace and touch and a suitcase full of high-major offers. She's got it all. It was their play down the stretch that propelled the Skippers to a hard-fought win over Becker in the final game of the week, the type of effort we never tire of watching.   Alyssa Sadlovsky & Lyndsey Strohmeier – Pierz   To be honest with you we were not as familiar with Alyssa and Lyndsey prior to Granite City as we should have been. We've seen them from time to time in AAU but it was different watching them in this setting. Let's just say we were suitably impressed. Sadlovsky is a scrappy 5'7 guard who wasn't afraid to mix it up or knock it down. She made four triples en route to a 26-point performance against West Fargo Horace. Lindsey is a 6-foot junior guard with nice skills who played her heart out in this physical contest, scoring 10 points and making countless big plays. We'll be watching these two again. They've earned more scrutiny.   Jaiden Haile & Lakyn Donnelly – West Fargo Horace   Not only did Haile and Donnelly remind us just how impressed we were with them this summer, the duo made history at the same time on Thursday at St. Bens by recording the first varsity win in the young program's existence, an 80-64 defeat of Pierz . Horace is a new high school located in a fast-growth area 20 minutes southwest of downtown Fargo with a roster made up entirely of sophomores and younger. The 6'2 Haile, a 2025 power forward, owned the paint on this day with a 34-point double-double. The precocious 5'5 Donnelly, one of the smoothest 7th graders we've see so far, put up 10 points and ran the show like a veteran. Both are scholarship-level prospects.

Batman & Robin. Lennon & McCartney. Mario & Luigi. Peanut Butter & Jelly – who doesn't enjoy a great dynamic duo?! Whether we're talking about cartoon characters or musicians or basketball players or lunch, we most certainly do. We saw a few dynamic duos doing good work throughout the holiday hoops season this past week in Minnesota. Here are 10 nearly perfect pairs we liked a lot at the Breakdown Granite City Classic.