Orono makes a statement at the Winter Lakes Classic

It was stunning. There's no other way to describe the start the Orono Spartans had in their contest Saturday night against the favored Alexandria Cardinals at the Breakdown Winter Lakes Classic on Alex's home floor. It was what unranked Orono did after jumping out to a 15-2 lead that should catch the attention of Minnesota's Class 3A contenders – they defended well enough to cruise to a 76-52 win over a top 5 team.   “It was a welcome change. We tend to dig ourselves a hole,” said Orono coach Chris Bjoorgard, whose squad was down 15-6 to St. Louis Park in their previous outing before clawing back to win. “So to be up and give ourselves a little bit of breathing room, and not have to worry about tightening our rotations, it was absolutely a welcome change for us."   Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='186129' first='Kayla' last='Kallenbach'] opened play with a three-pointer about 45 seconds into the contest. Alex freshman [player_tooltip player_id='502537' first='Kate' last='Hennessy'] answered with a two-point field goal before Kallenbach counterd. Then Orono's standout 9th grade point guard [player_tooltip player_id='471360' first='Mya' last='Moore'] went to work, knocking down her first triple of the game, following quickly with a transition 2 and then a mid-range jump shot. By the time senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='108340' first='Lauren' last='Knudson'] made a three at the 11:44 mark the lead was 15-2 and the Cardinals were reeling.   Alexandria was ice cold inside, outside, any side. They just could not score. That's the way it goes sometimes, of course, but you have to give the Spartans credit for making things difficult for the home team. Just past the midway point of the period Orono was ahead by 20. They finished the first half with 9 threes to zero for the Cardinals, good for a 34-14 lead on a state contender that had won 11 games in a row coming in. It was shocking. Surely Alex would amp up the volume in the second half and make a game of it, wouldn't they? In spite of an impressive surge by standout sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='346165' first='Hadley' last='Thul'], it never happened. Orono buckled down, played cohesive defense at a high level, and secured a victory.   “That was a point of emphasis” Bjorgaard said of his group's halftime conversation. “We knew that they are an excellent team. They struggled shooting the ball tonight, especially in the first half. I can empathize with a team that struggles from the perimeter. I said the first 5 minutes of the second half was going to be the most important. We could not let them come out with more intensity than us. We had to make sure that we were in our gaps. What we really wanted to do was challenge them to put the ball on the deck and get our defensive team rotations down, and make them make quicker decisions. For the most part we were able to do that.”   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/02/Watkins_Moore_combographic.png?w=759" alt="" class="wp-image-594518" width="569" height="383" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">2027 Watkins (left) & 2026 Moore (right)</figcaption></figure>   Orono's record is a little deceiving   On paper it's a huge upset. In reality, Orono's 9-9 record is deceiving. If you look at who the Spartans have lost to, it paints a more complete picture: Lakeville South back at the start of the season, Minnehaha Academy, Anoka when they were 9-1, Benilde-St. Margaret's, St. Croix Lutheran and a Robbinsdale Cooper team that has 16 wins. And mighty Chaska.   When Kallenbach (banner photo left) missed six games with injury, Orono was a little out of sync. Averaging over 11 points per game, with a penchant for big buckets and bigger defensive stops, Kayla is clearly a key piece for the Spartans. So, too, is Knudson, a top-60 ranked senior (banner photo right). She leads the team in scoring at 17.5 ppg and has committed to Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. The two veterans were outstanding against Alexandria.   So were Orono's young stars. Moore is the #6-rated prospect in the Class of 2026, averaging north of 16 ppg. Although we have yet to rank the Class of 2027, it's clear that [player_tooltip player_id='498661' first='Pressley' last='Watkins'] will be in the top 5. The big guard is first off the bench for Orono and is a major contributor at both ends of the floor as an 8th grader.   Those four are surrounded by a strong supporting cast that includes 2024 post [player_tooltip player_id='461360' first='Maggie' last='Lundell'] and 2024 guard [player_tooltip player_id='339188' first='Evie' last='Kompelien'], both starters. Maggie provides size in the post and 8 rebounds per game while Evie is the do-it-all utility player who is clearly Orono's glue girl. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='304939' first='Estelle' last='Atkinson'] provides size and athleticism off the bench as does sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='396440' first='Rae' last='Pearce'], a 5'11 talent with a world of potential.   “It has been a little bit of a challenge mixing and matching and finding the right combinations, and our record probably reflects a little bit of that,” Bjorgaard said, “but I think we are locked in now with who is going to play and what their roles are and they're all buying in. When we play the right way and share the ball, where that trust is evident, you can see the results. We can play with people.”   Orono certainly did that on Saturday. Knudson and Moore finished the game with 20 points apiece while Watkins had 12 (with four triples), Kallenbach had 11 (with three triples) and Pearce had 9 (with three triples). Thul, who had just three points in the first half, finished with 18 for the Cardinals.   What does this win do for the Spartans? “I think it helps us with what we are trying to do and that's build momentum into March,” said Coach Bjorgaard. “It also helps because the coach has been preaching that we are good enough and we can do this. The fact that they bought in on the defensive side is the main thing. Now we can stay in games when we don't shoot well. When we shoot well and play that defense, you kind of saw a little bit of the results tonight. We can frustrate teams when we're not missing and we do have great shooters.”

It was stunning. There's no other way to describe the start the Orono Spartans had in their contest Saturday night against the favored Alexandria Cardinals at the Breakdown Winter Lakes Classic on Alex's home floor. It was what unranked Orono did after jumping out to a 15-2 lead that should catch the attention of Minnesota's Class 3A contenders – they defended well enough to cruise to a 76-52 win over a top 5 team.