State Tourney: Class 3A MVP and All-Tournament Team

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From the beginning of the season it seemed like first-year head coach Tim Ellefson of Benilde-St. Margaret's was conducting a complex laboratory experiment. The hypothesis was simple: Could he take one of Minnesota's most talented but individually oriented rosters and mold them into a team that would come together to play as one and take home a title? At times this winter it looked like the Red Knights were going to blow up the lab and it would be all for naught. On other occasions, they made beautiful music together. In the end, however, Ellefson's endless trial-and-error produced a magical concoction that culminated Saturday in a state Class 3A championship for Benilde. But it wasn't easy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When elite 2025 guard [player_tooltip player_id='296523' first='Kendall' last='McGee'] went down with a serious knee injury in the Red Knights' semifinal game with Alexandria it was a pivotal moment for the team, the type of turning point that can see a squad go south in a hurry or rally together in the absence of their teammate. BSM took the high road, finished off the semifinal win in impressive fashion, and then fought through all manner of adversity on Saturday to take home the title against a red-hot Stewartville squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sparked by early buckets from standout sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='339131' first='Kate' last='Kapsner'], BSM jumped out to a quick lead as Stewartville struggled to get the ball through the cylinder. The lead grew to a dozen before the Tigers began to find their roar. With 17 seconds left in the first half Benilde's all-everything star [player_tooltip player_id='177728' first='Olivia' last='Olson'] scored on a sweet floater before Stewartville freshmen [player_tooltip player_id='458305' first='Audrey' last='Shindelar'] buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer from NBA+++ distance. BSM was up 34-26.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stewie fought back in the second half. [player_tooltip player_id='304914' first='Taylor' last='Klement'] came off the bench to splash a triple at the 11:23 mark that was followed by a [player_tooltip player_id='148327' first='Haylie' last='Strum'] 2+1 just 15 seconds later. The Tigers had made up a 10-point deficit and regained the lead. Benilde was not able to take it back until senior [player_tooltip player_id='108327' first='Sierre' last='Lumpkin'] buried a three at the 3:20 mark. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='208184' first='Zahara' last='Bishop'] cashed in on a steal-and-score on the next possession to stretch the lead to three. With under a minute left [player_tooltip player_id='339217' first='Savannah' last='Hedin'] nailed a long bomb to give Stewartville hope but Olson shut the door by going 5-for-6 at the free throw line in the game's last 60 seconds. Final score: Benilde-St. Margaret's 66 Stewartville 60.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lumpkin had arguably the finest game of her career, collecting 21 points along with 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. Hedin had a remarkable tournament, as well, going 17 and 5 in the final, averaging 14 and 5 for the week, and playing an absolutely crucial role in the Tigers' run to the title game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MOST VALUABLE PLAYER</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='177728' first='Olivia' last='Olson'] <strong>– 2024 guard, Benilde-St. Margaret's</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Olson is one of the most gifted players in the state. The #1 prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2024 has committed to the University of Michigan, represented her country overseas, and wowed us with her skill, finesse and grace. This week her team won a state championship because she was gritty, physical, tenacious and incredibly resilient. There was nothing pretty about it. Saturday was not her best day shooting the basketball but she still found a way. Olson went 11-for-15 at the free throw line, scored 17 points and hauled in 17 rebounds. For the tournament she averaged 25 points and 13 rebounds per game and did everything else possible to will her team to the title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our picks are based solely on games played in the main bracket. No consideration is given to consolation games since we are not able to watch those.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1st team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='177728' first='Olivia' last='Olson'] – 2024 guard, Benilde-St. Margaret's (Michigan)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='339131' first='Kate' last='Kapsner'] – 2025 forward, Benilde-St. Margaret's</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='148327' first='Haylie' last='Strum'] – 2023 guard, Stewartville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='339217' first='Savannah' last='Hedin'] – 2024 guard, Stewartville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='108304' first='Maren' last='Westin'] – 2023 guard, Becker (UW-Green Bay)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2nd team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='108327' first='Sierre' last='Lumpkin'] – 2023 forward, Benilde-St. Margaret's</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='589273' first='Ella' last='Theobald'] – 2026 forward, Stewartville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='186114' first='Keeley' last='Steele'] – 2023 guard, Stewartville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='346165' first='Hadley' last='Thul'] – 2025 guard, Alexandria</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='396428' first='Allie' last='Haabala'] – 2025 guard, Alexandria</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='186119' first='Ayla' last='Brown'] – 2023 guard, Becker (Sioux Falls)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Honorable mention</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='567389' first='Sydney' last='Friedly'] – 2027 guard, Benilde-St. Margaret's</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='296523' first='Kendall' last='McGee'] – 2025 guard, Benilde-St. Margaret's</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='339214' first='Jayci' last='Rath'] – 2026 forward, Stewartville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='458305' first='Audrey' last='Shindelar'] – 2026 guard, Stewartville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='296527' first='Aneisha' last='Scott'] – 2025 guard, DeLaSalle</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='478363' first='Maddy' last='Blaylark'] – 2026 guard, DeLaSalle</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='108338' first='Dani' last='Nuest'] – 2023 guard, Becker (Michigan Tech)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='302296' first='Jessika' last='Lofstrom'] – 2024 forward, Grand Rapids</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='396436' first='Elise' last='Groppoli'] – 2025 guard, Hill-Murray</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='302259' first='Brianna' last='Simpson'] – 2023 guard, Marshall</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->