The Week That Was #10: When the underdogs finished on top

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For about an hour on Saturday afternoon Prior Lake's 56-52 win over Minnetonka at the Breakdown Community Clash looked like it would be the biggest girls basketball story of the week. Until [player_tooltip player_id='252381' first='Maddyn' last='Greenway'] stole the Lakers' thunder, that is. As you've probably heard by now (<strong><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2023/01/greenway-leads-providence-academy-to-a-stunning-win-over-hopkins/">click here</a></strong> to read about it if you haven't) Greenway scored 41 points to lead Providence Academy to a stunning victory over Class 4A power Hopkins. Although it's not quite as newsworthy, Prior Lake's gigantic step in the right direction is definitely worth a closer look, as well. That's where we'll begin our recap of the Week That Was #10.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>A TALE OF TWO LAKES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Young but talented. That's kind of been the descriptor hanging around Prior Lake's neck from the beginning of the season until now. Coach Maurice Hodges' first season at the helm of the Lakers' ship has seen him navigate some choppy waters, but that is to be expected as a new coach in a new situation with a boatload of unfamiliar faces. Some nights the rather gifted group of sailors has looked like it could win the America's Cup. On other days it has been more like the <em>Poseidon Adventure</em>. On Saturday it was a little of both.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After playing the Minnetonka Skippers even for much of the opening period of play, Prior Lake gave up a 9-0 run in the final three minutes of the half to go into the break trailing 26-17. In the second period ‘Tonka held that margin for about eight minutes but a smooth three-pointer by sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='296513' first='Bree' last='Bowman'] at the 7:25 mark closed the gap to four. Moments later Bowman made a pair of free throws before [player_tooltip player_id='215979' first='Cece' last='McNair'] scored a field goal to tie the game at 46-46 with just over 5 minutes remaining.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What was most interesting throughout the half, and especially in the closing minutes, was just how &nbsp;dedicated the Lakers were to defense and just how vocal their bench was about doing so. That's a big shift. Actually there were two things that changed from the first half to the second. “Sharing the basketball and communication on defense,” Hodges said. “Once you share the basketball and communicate on the other end, and you get some stops, then you start getting some confidence. We are buying into the idea that we have to defend in order to be able to come down on offense and share the ball. Then once you hit some shots it gives you a little more juice when you are defending. It goes hand in hand.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the final few minutes Prior Lake scored just two field goals – a three-pointer by Bowman at the 3:04 mark and two-pointer by McNair with 54 seconds to go – but it was enough to hold the lead and earn their 9th victory against 7 losses. Bowman finished the game with 19 points, McNair had 12 and [player_tooltip player_id='296514' first='Alaya' last='Carter'] scored 9. [player_tooltip player_id='252387' first='Aaliyah' last='Crump'] led Minnetonka with 19 while [player_tooltip player_id='569487' first='Megan' last='Corkery'] had 14.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“It feels really good,” Hodges said. “Coming into the season we talked about discipline, about playing together. Now we see what we can do once we play together. Now we need to play on the defensive end. We're young. We don't have any seniors in our lineup. I'm just proud of them today.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The evolution of Bowman's game has played a huge role in the team's performance this season. She is a Top 10 prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2025 and has several Division 1 college programs interested in her services. Bree is averaging over 12 points per game. McNair is a physical presence in the paint, a handful down low who is hard to stop once she gets position on you. Cece leads the team in scoring at over 15 ppg. Hodges understands just how important those two are for his team. “We'll go as far,” he said, “as Cece and Bree take us.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='215974' first='Anna' last='Van Helden'] and [player_tooltip player_id='215989' first='Julia' last='Thoms'], and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='396425' first='Anna' last='Trachsel'], form a solid starting lineup for the Lakers. Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='296514' first='Alaya' last='Carter'] and [player_tooltip player_id='337630' first='Brooklynn' last='Holmberg'] are both highly touted prospects who bring skill and athleticism off the bench. And then there's sophomore <strong>Josie Horner</strong>, who started the season on JV and has clawed her way into an important role playing substantial minutes. It will be interesting to watch how they progress in the remaining weeks of the campaign.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STOCK RISER OF THE WEEK</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='453781' first='Ella' last='Frazier'] <strong>– 2025 guard, Mahtomedi</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last Thursday we went to Mahtomedi to see the Zephyrs take on the Polars of North St. Paul, one of the biggest surprises of this high school season. From the opening tip Ella made a big impression with her speed, skill and explosiveness. Defensively she was everywhere, putting pressure on the Polar ball-handlers and forcing them into ill-advised passes. Offensively Ella scored inside and outside, putting up a dozen points by halftime. The biggest improvement we saw from Frazier was playing more under control and not going 100 miles per hour all the time. That comes with maturity, of course, and produces quality results. It's a huge step forward for this gifted guard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TOP INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":592054,"width":483,"height":512,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/01/Fineday-58-points.png?w=966" alt="" class="wp-image-592054" width="483" height="512" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Twitter/fineday+21</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='396431' first='Gabby' last='Fineday'] of Cass Lake-Bena has had some monster games this season in the 30+ and 40+ neighborhood but the Minnesota Fury guard outdid herself last week. On Tuesday she shattered the CLB single-game scoring record with 58 points in a win over LaPorte. That tied Fineday for the second-highest single-game performance in Minnesota history behind only Prior Lake grad <strong>McKenna Hofschild</strong>, who is having an outstanding career at Colorado State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We told you back in the fall that senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='517639' first='Karly' last='Holm'] of Two Harbors was poised for a breakout season. Last Thursday she made good on that prediction, scoring 46 points in a win over Greenway. The super-athletic Holm played AAU for Starks Elite out of Duluth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='304917' first='Makadyn' last='Gust'] is a talented multi-sport athlete from St. Charles who has impressed us with her speed, quickness and physicality since we first saw her in the 8th grade. Last week the goalkeeper/softballer/hooper put up 40 points in a 64-53 win over Spring Grove.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Tuesday St. Cloud State commit [player_tooltip player_id='302273' first='Abigail' last='O'Reilly'] of Plainview-Elgin-Millville recorded 39 points, 10 rebounds, 6 steals and 2 assists in a win over Winona Cotter. In the same game Cotter sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='778750' first='Clarissa' last='Sauer'] </strong>made 7 triples en route to a school-record 36 points along with 10 rebounds and 7 steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Also on Tuesday DeLaSalle point guard [player_tooltip player_id='296527' first='Aneisha' last='Scott'] put up a season-high 30 points in a win over Fridley. The crafty floor general leads the Islanders in scoring at 17 points per game and is the #21-ranked prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last week freshman [player_tooltip player_id='502539' first='Avery' last='Douglas'] of Swanville earned her way into the PGH Class of 2026 rankings. The third-year varsity veteran also had an outstanding performance against Sebeka, scoring 28 points along with 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MILESTONES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='474479' first='Adella' last='Olesiak'] leads our parade of players reaching career milestones. It happened a couple of weeks ago but it's not too late to salute Olesiak for becoming the all-time leading scorer, boys or girls, at South Ridge with 1,789 points. She also earned bragging rights at Thanksgiving dinner because the record was previously held by her sister.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":592058,"width":394,"height":512,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/01/Brylee-Iverson.jpg?w=787" alt="" class="wp-image-592058" width="394" height="512" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Twitter/BryleeIverson</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Triton senior [player_tooltip player_id='108322' first='Brylee' last='Iverson'] became the Cobras' all-time scoring leader, as well. The Southwest Minnesota State commit reached 1,592 points for Triton where she has been an impact varsity performer since middle school. Iverson is a Top 50 senior in Minnesota.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":592095,"width":261,"height":512,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/01/Hannah-Compton-1500_low.jpg?w=521" alt="" class="wp-image-592095" width="261" height="512" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Twitter/jcompton79</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='302264' first='Hannah' last='Compton'] of Crosby-Ironton reached a milestone of her own, recording the 1,500th point of her high school career in a win over Holdingford. Compton, who played the last several years for Legacy Christian Academy in the Twin Cities, also had a 31-point game against Staples-Motley, a contest in which freshman [player_tooltip player_id='205310' first='Tori' last='Oehrlein'] put up another double-double with 42 points and 11 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two weeks ago we saw a rare 1,000-point double when Becker seniors [player_tooltip player_id='108338' first='Dani' last='Nuest'] (Michigan Tech) and [player_tooltip player_id='108304' first='Maren' last='Westin'] (UW-Green Bay) both reached the milestone in the same game. Last Monday it happened again when twin sisters [player_tooltip player_id='304915' first='Rachel' last='Kottke'] and [player_tooltip player_id='304916' first='Kristi' last='Kottke'] of Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart both hit the 1,000 mark in a win over Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":592074,"width":400,"height":263,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/01/Mylea-Monahan-1000-crop-2958x1942-1675105768.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-592074" width="400" height="263" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Monahan</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The daily double struck again 24 hours later. I was in the gym at Glencoe-Silver Lake when New London-Spicer senior <strong>Avery Rich</strong> recorded her 1,000th point. Later in the game GSL sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='307818' first='Mylea' last='Monahan'] also hit the 1,000 mark.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":592109,"width":353,"height":512,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/01/Jess-Lofstrom-1000.jpg?w=705" alt="" class="wp-image-592109" width="353" height="512" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Twitter/LofstromJessika</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grand Rapids junior [player_tooltip player_id='302296' first='Jessika' last='Lofstrom'] reached 1,000 last week in a win over Duluth East, the same game in which Thunderhawks coach Kris Hamling got her 200th win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":592068,"width":294,"height":512,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/01/Ava-Holman-1000.jpg?w=588" alt="" class="wp-image-592068" width="294" height="512" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Twitter/AvaHolman11</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='215959' first='Ava' last='Holman'] of Champlin Park is one of the most skilled sophomores in the state having earned a Top 25 ranking in the Class of 2025. Last week the crafty guard scored the 1,000th point of her outstanding career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mounds Park Academy had its second 1,000-point scorer in as many weeks when junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='339146' first='Nora' last='Pederson'] hit the mark after her teammate, senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='302286' first='Audrey' last='Jakway'], had posted her 1,000th the week before.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":592076,"width":512,"height":385,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/01/Land-1000.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-592076" width="512" height="385" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Twitter/HolyFamilyFire</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Butler University commit [player_tooltip player_id='322999' first='Jocelyn' last='Land'] of Holy Family is certainly leaving her mark on Minnesota basketball. The junior forward reached 1,000 career points on the weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finally, UW-Stout commit [player_tooltip player_id='361969' first='Molly' last='Bills'] of LaCrescent reached the 1,000-point milestone. Her Wisconsin Playmakers AAU teammate <strong>Sydney Torgerson </strong>of Houston, Minn. topped 1,000 points in December and last week reached 1,000 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->