Breakout Player of the Year: Kendyl Lodermeier

We were intrigued when we watched [player_tooltip player_id='550025' first='Kendyl' last='Lodermeier'] last summer, but there was no indication that she was ready to bust loose. We loved what we saw from her in January when Kendyl was omnipresent for Goodhue at the Breakdown event in Kasson. But what she did on the big stage last week in Minneapolis was beyond all expectations. In her final four games of the year, Lodermeier averaged nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds per game on 55% shooting as 29-4 Goodhue nearly made it to the Class 2A title game at the State Tournament. For her body of work this winter, we are pleased to name Lodermeier as our Prep Girls Hoops Breakout Player of the Year.   “As a freshman off the bench last year Kendyl had some positive moments but mostly helped us tread water until the starter was able to return,” said Goodhue coach Josh Wieme. “This year as a sophomore Kendyl made an impact on every game. Even in games where she didn't score a lot we could always count on her physicality and rebounding. She has a great respect for the little things in the game and really takes pride in rebounding. Of course at the end of the season we were designing plays for her and calling them often so her ability to score led to an even greater impact.”   In our mid-winter update of the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2025 rankings, Lodermeier was our single biggest stock riser. She moved from #125 to #61. The way she played down the stretch demonstrated that her ceiling is likely higher. Listed at 5'11 but playing much bigger, Kendyl is has gotten stronger, become more assertive and aggressive, and now exudes the type of confidence that leaders have.   “Kendyl's improvement really came in all facets of her game,” said Wieme. “She went from someone who we hoped could take a step forward to being someone we absolutely relied on in the State Tournament. I think that gives a great indication of what Kendyl can do next year. She can be someone who takes over games with consistent scoring and provides whatever it is our team needs. I'm excited to see her next steps in the game.”   RUNNER-UP   [player_tooltip player_id='436101' first='Lily' last='Peper'] – 2023 forward, Roseville   The potential was always there. Watching Peper over the course of the past two summers in AAU, we saw glimpses of what was possible – the hot streaks where she was draining long-bombs with ease, the superior shot-blocking ability, the willingness to venture into heavy traffic to grab a rebound or make a play. This winter it all came together for the 6-foot senior, who was a beast for the Raiders.   “I told her in our post-season one-on-one meeting last year that I needed her to get her confidence up on both sides of the court,” said Roseville coach Tanysha Scott. “We needed her to play a big role in what we wanted to do as a team, which was be more athletic, to run and get up a lot of shots. In AAU I thought she worked on a lot of those things and it just carried over into the start of the season.”   Lily is a quiet person, the type of player who lets her game do the talking. This season her play spoke volumes, clearly telling one and all that the lengthy prospect with the big wingspan was ready to take it to the next level. She made a bigger and bigger impression as the season went on. In the Raiders' section title game with Maple Grove, Peper put up 12 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks.   “Lily is such a great kid and very shy so I had to stay on her a lot in the beginning to really be a leader for us in her own way,” Scott said. “I knew she was never going to be a big talker or loud on the court but I think she did it with the work she put in every day and the team and other players would feed off that energy… Her improvement in scoring and blocking shots this season was huge for us and caught a lot of teams off guard because she didn't play a lot the previous year. As her confidence grew, and my assistants put in the time working with her on the little things, it changed her game and that started showing on the court consistently for us.”   HONORABLE MENTIONS   [player_tooltip player_id='478913' first='Anna' last='Stromberg'] – 2024 post, Legacy Christian Academy   Post players often blossom later in their careers and that's exactly what we've seen over the past year from Stromberg, a 6'3 center who parlayed a great fall season into a really good winter campaign that saw her average a remarkable 20 points and 16 rebounds per game in Class A. Now ranked #74 in the class, Anna was the highest-rated newcomer in our most recent rankings update. Playing with Legacy Hoops, she has a chance to prove herself this spring against higher-level opponents, defend better players and do it all at a faster pace. If she's successful you can expect Stromberg to keep on climbing.   [player_tooltip player_id='339131' first='Kate' last='Kapsner'] – 2025 forward, Benilde-St. Margaret's   While her teammates [player_tooltip player_id='177728' first='Olivia' last='Olson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='296523' first='Kendall' last='McGee'] drew the headlines; Kate did the grunt work. The 5'11 forward played a huge role in Benilde-St Margaret's highly successful 26-6 season that culminated in a Class 3A state championship on Saturday night. She didn't light up the scoreboard, she just did her multi-faceted job really, really well. Rebounding. Defending. Facilitating. Along the way her role grew, her confidence rose, her impact became more magnified. Kapsner's breakout season has seen her move up to #54 in the Class of 2025 rankings and still trending northward.   [player_tooltip player_id='550004' first='Lauren' last='Queensland'] – 2025 guard, Grand Meadow   Basketball is the family business for the Queenslands (OK, they're into real estate and stock car racing, too) and Lauren is the latest practitioner for her dad the coach. What Ryan saw this winter from his 10th grader was spectacular growth – in physical presence, skill development, leadership and ability to put her stamp on pretty much every Superlarks game. Lauren's development was a huge reason Grand Meadow went 27-3 and why she rose from #110 to #73 in the rankings. Lauren shot 53% from 2-point range, 36% from 3, averaging over 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game.   [player_tooltip player_id='478366' first='Riley' last='Ang'] – 2026 guard, Rosemount   We were expecting big things from Riley this year as she worked her way into a more significant role for Rosemount. We weren't expecting her to immediately be such an important piece for an Irish squad that went 21-8 and made it to the section final. Ang averaged over a dozen points per game, expanded her capabilities well beyond her prolific 3-point shooting prowess, and became a go-to player for coach Chris Orr. That bodes well for spring and summer ball where Riley will be part of the top 2026 North Tartan team facing elite competition every week.

We were intrigued when we watched Kendyl Lodermeier Kendyl Lodermeier 6'0" | PF/SF Goodhue | 2025 State MN last summer, but there was no indication that she was ready to bust loose. We loved what we saw from her in January when Kendyl was omnipresent for Goodhue at the Breakdown event in Kasson. But what she did on the big stage last week in Minneapolis was beyond all expectations. In her final four games of the year, Lodermeier averaged nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds per game on 55% shooting as 29-4 Goodhue nearly made it to the Class 2A title game at the State Tournament. For her body of work this winter, we are pleased to name Lodermeier as our Prep Girls Hoops Breakout Player of the Year.