AAU Week 7 recap: State Tournament standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The AAU State Tournament is all about the teams. From the impressive performance of Minnesota Stars 2026 3SSB to the standout youngsters of Fury 2027 Blue to the defensive prowess of North Tartan's 2024 and 2025 EYBL squads, there were plenty of great group performances this past weekend. Along the way, we also saw some high-quality individual play among the 2,000 or so high school athletes who competed. In this, our recap of AAU Week #7, we offer you a little bit of both as we highlight a few players and teams who got the job done at State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":511752,"width":256,"height":171,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/09/107-Sophia-Perry-scaled.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-511752" width="256" height="171" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STOCK RISERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='502552' first='Sophia' last='Perry'] <strong>– 2026 guard, Metro Stars 3SSB Wiese</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This past winter at Lakeville North, Sophia made a few cameo appearances on varsity and looked good doing it. Based on her performance when we watched this weekend at the AAU State Tournament, and the ongoing improvement in her game, it appears that Perry (pictured above) is about to bust loose for the Panthers under new coach Andy Berkvam. It's not like we haven't seen flashes of brilliance from Sophia in the past. Last summer she did enough to warrant a place in the Freshman 50, our first ranking of the Class of 2026. The lefty is strong and athletic. At 5'10, with a solid build, she offers size and length. On defense she is all over the personal space of opposing ball handlers making their lives uncomfortable. Her feet are quick, her lateral movement is nice, and she can elevate. Best of all, Perry has a motor and is highly motivated to get better. What we've seen from Sophia so far has been very good. What lies ahead is going to be great.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='453749' first='Allison' last='Berns'] <strong>– 2025 forward, Crossfire Tusler</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the questions entering the State Tournament was this: Would Crossfire Tusler be able to repeat its final four performance from one year ago despite the loss of forward [player_tooltip player_id='296747' first='Anna' last='Greene']? The answer came from Berns, the 6-footer from Wayzata who has taken Anna's spot in the Crossfire lineup. She stepped up and stood out, posting an 18-point performance in a one-point win over FBC Real on Friday night and scoring 13 in a battle with Minnesota Fury 2025 UAA against elite Division 1-bound competitors. Berns averaged 11 points per game. Crossfire scored a 50-49 win Saturday over a tough Crossfire Mueller squad to make the final four once again before falling to eventual champions North Tartan EYBL in the semifinals. Berns has size and length as well as the versatility to play inside or out. She is an excellent rebounder, finishes consistently at the rim, and continues to improve in all areas of her game. Defensively her length was once again a weapon for Crossfire.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='656983' first='Tessa' last='Frank'] <strong>– 2027 guard, Stars 2027 3SSB Antl</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is no shortage of talent on Scott Antl's Minnesota Stars team, the club's premier group in the Class of 2027. The tournament's #1 seed features sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id='657023' first='Analaya' last='Salanoa'] and grinder [player_tooltip player_id='656331' first='Isla' last='Silk'], athletic guards like [player_tooltip player_id='600748' first='Kaja' last='Nash'], [player_tooltip player_id='657022' first='Ava' last='Brynteson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='594874' first='Ashley' last='Fitzgibbons'], and size up front from [player_tooltip player_id='637605' first='Kaelyn' last='Bjorklund'] and [player_tooltip player_id='657028' first='Addison' last='Bjorklund']. And then there is Frank, a 5'7 guard who just gets the job done at the point. The Wayzata freshman-to-be is highly skilled with great handles, excellent court vision and a nice feel for the game. She is a quality distributor who can establish the pace, get the ball to an open teammate, or slip past bigger, stronger players to score at the hoop. The lefty can also shoot it. Tessa's court presence offers the sort of swagger we love to see from the point. And she is an active, physical defender who appears to relish being in the thick of the battle. Did we mention Tessa is a ton of fun to watch?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":534859,"width":256,"height":171,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/10/Laykin-Donnelly-action.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-534859" width="256" height="171" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TOP 10 SCORERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When the tournament was over, and the numbers had been tabulated, it was 7th grade point guard <strong>Lakyn Donnelly</strong> of Inspired Athletics 2028 National who topped all scorers with 71 points. This came as no surprise. We watched the team three times over the weekend as coach Monty Gordon's group from Fargo captured the 2028 D1 title. Lakyn was one of the most dynamic players in the tournament, an elite-level prospect with a bag of tricks far too deep for most defenders to deal with. There are a very few players in each class who immediately capture our attention when they arrive on the scene. Donnelly is one of those players and a prospect we will be watching for years to come.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are the rest of the tournament's Top 10 scorers from all divisions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>68 [player_tooltip player_id='657037' first='Maya' last='Meisinger'] – Legacy Hoops 10th Silver</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>68 <strong>Brooke Soash</strong> – Crossfire 2027 Herman</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>67 <strong>Madison Gothmann</strong> – Comets 2025 Notch</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>67 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='742286' first='Sydney' last='Schmitz']</strong> – Suns 2026 Blue Star</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>65 [player_tooltip player_id='565313' first='Elsa' last='Retzlaff'] – West Central United 2027</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>64 [player_tooltip player_id='178267' first='Rhyan' last='Holmgren'] – MN Rise 2024 Purfeerst</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>62 [player_tooltip player_id='205310' first='Tori' last='Oehrlein'] – MN Suns 2024 S40</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>62 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='778888' first='Bailey' last='Garrahy']</strong> – Crossfire 2025 Hutmacher</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>61 [player_tooltip player_id='178269' first='Liv' last='McGill'] – Metro Stars 2024 3SSB</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TEAM OF THE WEEK</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Metro Stars 2024 Szabla</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You'd think that choosing one team among the 64 Division 1 squads in the 2027-2024 tournaments might be a challenge. It was not. The play of Leah Szabla's Metro Stars 2024 squad (top photo) exceeded all expectations, especially after losing their first three games of the Prelims 10 days ago. We wanted to recognize a team that didn't win a State Championship but played beyond expectations. This edition of the Metro Stars, seeded 7th in the 2024 bracket, made it clear right from the get-go on Friday night that they were ready to compete, scoring an impressive 27-point win over the 10th seed Crossfire Davis. They followed that up early Saturday morning with a stunning 67-59 victory over their more heralded stablemates Metro Stars 2024 3SSB in the quarterfinals. That turned a lot of heads and had those in attendance buzzing. The team fell to the Minnesota Suns 2024 S40 in the semifinals but came back to defeat Minnesota Stars 3SSB 73-67 to take third place.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Credit to Coach Szabla, who was a heck of a player not long ago at the University of North Dakota, and is quickly building a reputation as head coach at North Central University in Minneapolis where she led the Rams to the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) D2 national tournament in her first season. Leah's Metro Stars squad returned just three players from one year ago and they have come together to produce the excellence we saw this weekend. One of the key additions has been point guard [player_tooltip player_id='296527' first='Aneisha' last='Scott'] of DeLaSalle, the #21-rated prospect in the Class of 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It took a little time for the uber-talented, ultra-shifty Scott to adapt to her new team's style of play but this weekend it seemed to come together for the highlight reel guard. Scott scored 56 points in the tournament, including 13 up against 2024 #2 [player_tooltip player_id='178269' first='Liv' last='McGill'], who has committed to the University of Florida. Combined with the efforts of veteran guard [player_tooltip player_id='215983' first='Drew' last='Buslee'] (6 ppg) and newcomers [player_tooltip player_id='215969' first='Nicole' last='Maenke'] (9), [player_tooltip player_id='425385' first='Amina' last='Allen'] (7.75) and [player_tooltip player_id='346181' first='Lydia' last='Schmitter']; and the exceptional contributions by forwards [player_tooltip player_id='178271' first='Willow' last='Thiel'] (7.5), [player_tooltip player_id='350099' first='Peyton' last='Shaffer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='461358' first='Mallory' last='Czinano'] (11), Metro Stars Szabla got the job done.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We also need to cite the performance of 2026 #12 seed North Tartan Elite coached by Chad Flies. They scored a surprise win late Friday against Inspired Athletics National 63-57, overcoming a 6-triple, 23-point performance from <strong>Fallon Passanante</strong> to win. In that game <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='736173' first='Carly' last='Olson']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='502569' first='Clara' last='Goodman']</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='567387' first='Mira' last='Wismer'] combined for 41 points and went on to score 65% of North Tartan's offensive production on the weekend. On Saturday morning, NT Elite pulled off another big win by knocking off 4th-seeded Minnesota Stars Nilsen 37-35. The team eventually finished 4th after giving Fury 2026 UAA a good run for their money.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>COMING UP</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the next couple of days we'll select our All-Tournament teams for each of the top four age groups from the classes of 2027 through 2024. We'll also choose our Players of the Game from Sunday's championship contests. There were so many great performances in the Division 1 finals but we managed to pick a handful of players who really jumped out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This coming weekend is the second NCAA live viewing period for Division 1 coaches. Many of Minnesota's top teams will once again scatter across the country to compete in the biggest events, but there will be plenty to see locally at the Lake Slam where 75 teams will compete. After attending the Minnesota Lynx WNBA home opener on Friday night we'll spend Saturday and Sunday at the Lake Slam.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->