The Week That Was #13: First. Fastest. Finest.

I did something last week that I'm really not very good at – I took a vacation. Confession: I still wrote a number of articles on the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2025 rankings update but I promised my significant other that I wouldn't watch any basketball while we were traipsing around the Central Coast of California – with one exception. That would be the Providence Academy at Minnehaha Academy encounter on Friday night which I made certain to watch from the comfort of my hotel room in Santa Barbara. It turned out to be one of the most memorable games in the history of Minnesota girls basketball. Obviously it was the highlight of The Week That Was #13.

GAME OF THE WEEK

Providence Academy 126 Minnehaha Academy 94

After dealing with an early technical glitch in my online viewing plans, I was able to join the webcast about halfway through the opening period, just in time to see Maddyn Greenway Maddyn Greenway 5'8" | PG Providence Academy | 2026 State MN get fouled on a long-distance effort that enabled her to make one-two-three free throws to stake her team to a 26-11 lead. After that the action was fast and furious with Greenway and Minnehaha's Addison Mack Addison Mack 5'9" | PG Minnehaha Academy | 2025 State MN trading baskets at a breakneck pace. By the time the game reached its midway point, Greenway had compiled 27 points and Providence had already put up 62 for a 20-point lead. Wow! I could hardly believe what I was watching.

After the break there was more of the same. And more. And more. And more. Greenway simply could not be stopped. By the time the proceedings reached the midway point of the second period the lead was 30 and Providence never looked back. The 126 points was the second-highest total ever scored in a girls basketball game in Minnesota, just three behind the all-time record set by Janet Karvonen's New York Mills juggernaut way back in 1977. Maranatha Christian Academy also had 126 back in 2013 but they did it in a 121-point win over a tiny charter school. That's not quite the same thing as beating a state-championship contender with a high-major recruit running the point. Mack set a single-game school record with 45 points for Minnehaha, breaking her own mark of 43 set against Becker just days earlier.

Kudos to the Lions. It was one for the ages. Lest we forget, Providence junior Brooke Hohenecker Brooke Hohenecker 5'5" | SG Providence | 2024 MN had 7 three-pointers herself.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Maddyn Greenway Maddyn Greenway 5'8" | PG Providence Academy | 2026 State MN – 2026 guard, Providence Academy

We've provided you with an overview of Providence's remarkable victory but left out perhaps the most newsworthy item of all: Greenway finished the game with a stunning 60-point performance. She was everywhere en route to the third-highest single game point total in Minnesota history. She also had 12 rebounds and 11 assists for a remarkable triple-double. The all-time single-game record was set by Gianna Kneepkens of Duluth Marshall, the University of Utah standout who scored 67 points in the final game of her high school career. Ironically she did it against Providence in the Class AA state quarterfinals held at St. Cloud Tech. The second-highest total belongs to current Colorado State star McKenna Hofschild of Prior Lake who had 63 against Park Center at the Breakdown Tipoff in 2018.

MILESTONES OF THE WEEK

We've told you about Providence Academy's remarkable team effort and Greenway's heroic 60 points but as if that isn't enough we need to add one more fact: With her 51st point of the game, a free throw midway through the second half. Greenway reached 2,000 career points. She achieved the milestone in just her 80th career varsity game. If you think that type of milestone would stand for a very long time please think again.

On Saturday Tori Oehrlein Tori Oehrlein 5'11" | CG Crosby-Ironton | 2026 State MN of Crosby-Ironton eclipsed Greenway's mark when she scored her 2,000th career point in just her 72nd game. After becoming C-I's all-time leading scorer (male or female) earlier in the week, the 9th grade sensation had 28 points and 13 rebounds against New London-Spicer to hand the Wildcats a 59-58 loss, their first defeat of the season.

Bottom line: Greenway was first. Oehrlein was fastest. And both are the finest players in Minnesota's Class of 2026. As if these two milestones weren't enough, three more players also reached 2,000 career points last week:

More milestones of note…

Ivy Lothenbach may not be a household name but the junior from St. Croix Prep in Stillwater has been humming along under the radar while filling up the basket all season long. Last week Ivy broke the St. Croix Prep school record for most three-pointers in a game with 9 of them in a 46-point performance against Cristo Rey. She is right at the top of the state leaders list in three-pointers made this season with 90, a group that includes the likes of Mya Morris Mya Morris 5'7" | PG Perham | 2023 State MN of Perham, Drew Johnston Drew Johnston 5'9" | PG Roseville | 2023 State MN of Roseville and Virginia Johnson Virginia Johnson 5'10" | SF Mpls Southwest | 2023 State MN of Minneapolis Southwest. Three days later, Lothenbach scored 31 against Maranatha to reach 1,000 points for her high school career.

This week's other 1,000-point scorers included:

Other milestones:

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

St. Michael-Albertville junior Ja’Kahla Craft Ja’Kahla Craft 5'9" | CG STMA | 2024 State MN has been a model of consistency for the Knights this season. Although she is often overshadowed by McDonald's All-American Tessa Johnson Tessa Johnson 5'11" | SG St. Michael-Albertville | 2023 State #36 Nation MN (South Carolina), Craft is STMA's second-leading scorer. Over the past five games she has put up 21, 19, 19, 24 and 19, numbers that are super-impressive in the Lake Conference. Ranked #22 in the Class of 2024, Craft is averaging 16 points per game.

Senior Juliana Ewald Juliana Ewald 5'6" | CG Pillager | 2023 State MN has had a remarkable career at Pillager where she continues to set the standard for future Huskies. Unfortunately Pillager stats are hard to come by but we're told that Ewald had an outstanding week, including a 33-point, 6-assist performance against Sebeka and a 29-point, 9-steal showing vs Moose Lake-Willow River. Juliana has committed to Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato.

Junior Jordan Zubich Jordan Zubich 5'11" | SG Mountain Iron-Buhl | 2024 State MN of Mountain Iron-Buhl announced her commitment to the University of North Carolina last week, a remarkable achievement for the #3-rated prospect in the Class of 2024. She celebrated with her highest point output of the season – 45 – against Ogilvie, a game in which she went 11-for-12 from the field including 7-of-8 from three-point range. MIB was 20-3 on the season heading into Monday night's encounter with their rivals from Cromwell-Wright.

As the regular season winds down this week and teams prepare for section play, there are plenty of squads trending in the right direction. We're not sure anyone is hotter than Stewartville which knocked off Pine Island on Friday night to record its 20th win in a row. The Tigers haven't lost since Dec. 6 and are now 23-2. Let by veterans Haylie Strum Haylie Strum 5'6" | CG Stewartville | 2023 State MN , Keeley Steele Keeley Steele 5'8" | CG Stewartville | 2023 State MN and Savannah Hedin Savannah Hedin 5'9" | SG Stewartville | 2024 State MN , along with a talented cast of youngsters, Stewartville are most definitely the favorites to emerge from Section 1AAA but will have to get past Red Wing and Austin to reach the big stage in Minneapolis. Byron and Kasson-Mantorville might have something to say about that, too.

COMING UP

Things could get interesting this week, not only because it is the final stretch of regular season games but because the weather forecast looks positively frightening. If the somewhat dire projections come to pass the cancellations are sure to follow and that could play havoc with the proceedings entering section play. If you are looking for intriguing contests to watch this week we might suggest these 10: