State Tourney: Class 4A MVP and All-Tournament Team
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In the first half of Saturday’s Class 4A state championship game, everything that could go right for St. Michael-Albertville did. Really right. So stunningly right that everyone in the building wasn’t sure if they should believe what they were seeing.…
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Continue ReadingIn the first half of Saturday’s Class 4A state championship game, everything that could go right for St. Michael-Albertville did. Really right. So stunningly right that everyone in the building wasn’t sure if they should believe what they were seeing. What the Knights did in the opening 18 minutes was as close to perfect as a team can play in the biggest game of their lives.
STMA senior Tessa Johnson Tessa Johnson 5'11" | SG St. Michael-Albertville | 2023 State #36 Nation MN got on the scoreboard just two minutes into the game with an end-to-end rush to give her team a two-point lead. Then junior guard Ja’Kahla Craft Ja’Kahla Craft 5'9" | CG STMA | 2024 State MN got down to business, nailing a three-point shot from the corner at 13:10 to put the Knights ahead by 8. Less than a minute later, Craft made a court-length rush to score at the rim and STMA just kept on rolling – a mid-range jump shot from Johnson, an Abby Hoselton Abby Hoselton 5'11" | PF STMA | 2025 State MN corner 3, another bucket form Craft, another from Johnson… it was nuts. Before long the Knights were ahead by an unimaginable 20 points and Hopkins was 1-for-15 from the field. At the half it was 42-25.
With under 12 minutes remaining in the game, STMA was up 20. And then Hopkins came back. You knew they would. And they did so with a vengeance sparked primarily by the heroics and physical presence of Taylor Woodson Taylor Woodson 6'0" | PF Hopkins | 2023 State #28 Nation MN and Nunu Agara Nunu Agara 6'1" | PF Hopkins | 2023 State #32 Nation MN . The Royals assembled a 13-0 run to narrow the gap to 7. With 30 seconds remaining on the game clock, junior guard Liv McGill Liv McGill 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2024 State MN attacked the basket to score, pulling Hopkins within 4. At the 22-second mark, Woodson cut the margin to just two. But Johnson made a pair of free throws with the clocking showing 7.6-seconds to make it four again before a Boyle 3-pointer with under three seconds remaining left the Royals a single point short. TMA was a 71-70 victor. Coach Kent Hamre’s post-game jump for joy and Craft’s on-court dance party spoke volumes about what it meant to the Knights. It was certainly a memorable moment for Minnesota basketball.
While Johnson’s performance was exceptional, and Craft delivered a big-time display in the most important game of her career, the one player whose efforts cannot go unnoticed is Piper Carlson Piper Carlson 5'11" | SF St. Michael-Albertville | 2023 State MN . When Johnson and Craft were lighting up the scoreboard, Carlson was down low dishing out punishment, trying to contain the Hopkins’ bigs, and making life miserable to all who came her way. The big senior is, without a doubt, the Knights’ unsung hero, a player who has improved every year, earned everything she has, and will play Division 1 basketball next season at Idaho State because of it. When you scroll down to see our All-Tournament team you’ll find Piper’s name in the first five. She earned it.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Tessa Johnson Tessa Johnson 5'11" | SG St. Michael-Albertville | 2023 State #36 Nation MN – 2023 guard, St. Michael-Albertville
When Tessa missed an entire basketball season with a broken femur, you had to wonder how it was going to impact what was already looking like an amazing career. Would she ever play like she had before? Could she be as quick, as fast, as graceful? The answers came in due course: Yes. Yes. Yes. This season Johnson has done it all, announcing her commitment to the University of South Carolina, earning Gatorade Minnesota Player of the Year Honors, being chosen as a McDonald’s All-American, and making herself an odds-on favorite to win Miss Basketball. It was only fitting then that Tessa should turn in a virtuoso performance in her final high school game, which is exactly what she did on Saturday. Johnson went 8-for-16 from the field and 10-for-10 at the free throw line for 27 points to go along with 10 rebounds. 7 assists and a half dozen smiles even when the game was hanging in the balance. Johnson is special and now she’s a state champion.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
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.
1st team
- Tessa Johnson Tessa Johnson 5'11" | SG St. Michael-Albertville | 2023 State #36 Nation MN – 2023 guard, St. Michael-Albertville (South Carolina)
- Ja’Kahla Craft Ja’Kahla Craft 5'9" | CG STMA | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, St. Michael-Albertville
- Piper Carlson Piper Carlson 5'11" | SF St. Michael-Albertville | 2023 State MN – 2023 forward, St. Michael-Albertville (Idaho State)
- Taylor Woodson Taylor Woodson 6'0" | PF Hopkins | 2023 State #28 Nation MN – 2023 forward, Hopkins (Michigan)
- Nunu Agara Nunu Agara 6'1" | PF Hopkins | 2023 State #32 Nation MN – 2023 forward, Hopkins (Stanford)
2nd team
- Liv McGill Liv McGill 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Hopkins
- Amy Thompson Amy Thompson 5'10" | SG Stillwater | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Stillwater
- Abby Hoselton Abby Hoselton 5'11" | PF STMA | 2025 State MN – 2025 forward, St. Michael-Albertville
- Molly Lenz Molly Lenz 5'8" | CG Eden Prairie | 2023 State MN – 2023 guard, Eden Prairie (Illinois State)
- Tori Schlagel Tori Schlagel 5'9" | CG Eden Prairie | 2025 State MN – 2025 guard, Eden Prairie
Honorable mention
- Annika Anderson Annika Anderson 5'8" | CG Eden Prairie | 2023 State MN – 2023 guard, Eden Prairie
- Lexi Karlen Lexi Karlen 6'0" | SG Stillwater | 2023 State MN – 2023 forward, Stillwater (UM-Duluth)
- Liana Buckhalton Liana Buckhalton 6'0" | CG Stillwater | 2025 State MN – 2025 guard, Stillwater
- Trinity Wilson Trinity Wilson 6'3" | PF Lakeville North | 2024 State MN – 2024 forward, Lakeville North
- Gracie Winge Gracie Winge 5'10" | CG Lakeville North | 2025 State MN – 2025 guard, Lakeville North
- Gabby Betton Gabby Betton 5'9" | CG Lakeville North | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Lakeville North (Loyola MD)
- Marisa Frost Marisa Frost 5'8" | PG Centennial | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Centennial (North Dakota State)
- Autumn McCall Autumn McCall 6'2" | PF Centennial | 2025 State MN – 2025 forward, Centennial
- Kendall Barnes Kendall Barnes 5'7" | CG Roseville | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Roseville
- Drew Buslee Drew Buslee 5'9" | PG Eagan | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Eagan