Breakdown Fall League: Lions who roared in Week 3

For the second Sunday in a row we went east for the Breakdown USA Fall League to Park High School in Cottage Grove. Our goal was to catch a few of the teams in the East Metro league that we missed last time, including Hastings, Mahtomedi, Mounds View and St. Croix Prep. The Lions of St. Croix Prep are a team we don't get to watch as often as we might like, but if Sunday's action is an accurate indicator we might need to fix that. Here's our take on some talented Lions and a few other players who impressed at the Breakdown Fall League.   LOOKING AT THE LIONS   Most folks assume St. Croix Prep is an elite private school. It might be elite in terms of academic performance, and the caliber of traditional education it offers, but the school is a tuition-free public charter that is celebrating its 20th anniversary. It's not an athletic factory by any means, but the school has built a reputation for fielding competitive mid-level teams where kids have a positive experience. With an enrollment of just under 400 in the high school grades, the Lions posted 19 wins last winter and finished third in the Skyline Conference behind St. Croix Lutheran and Maranatha Christian.   The last time we ventured out to Stillwater to see the Lions play was to watch Ruthanna Doely in the early stages of her high school career. The 5'10 senior is an intriguing prospect who has been in the Prep Girls Hoops 2024 Top 150 rankings since 2021. Unfortunately, Doely wasn't on the court this time around but we were impressed by several of her teammates.   Senior guard Ivy Lothenbach is the best known of the SC Prep crew and the oldest of three Lothenbach sisters on the roster. She is a high-production point guard and a vocal leader for her team. While only about 5'3, that certainly doesn't stop Ivy from being super-effective on the court. She is a tremendous 3-point shooter – one of the state's best – and led her team in scoring last year with 24.5 points per game. Ivy is also a strong passer who consistently makes the right reads when getting the ball to her teammates. This girl can also get downhill to score at the rim.   Lily Lothenbach and Eden Lothenbach are both 2026s who compete hard and contribute at both ends of the floor. Lily is particularly scrappy. She hustles, likes to attack the basket and finishes well through contact. Lily is also a feisty defender with quick hands. She's fast down the floor and will hawk the ball in transition if given the opportunity. Lily and Eden combined to produce 10 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists per game in the 2022-23 campaign.   Junior Avary White is a solidly built 5'8 guard who competes with gusto and is an outstanding rebounder. A member of Minnesota Heat Wyman, Avary is productive on the offensive end (11.5 ppg last season) and a very strong rebounder (9.3 rebounds per game). She's not flashy but you pretty much know what you're going to get from White every time out… and it's good.   That brings us to their most intriguing prospect, one we watched briefly this summer with Opportunity Basketball. That would be 2026 combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='828833' first='Kylie' last='Battle'], pictured above. What we saw on Sunday from Battle really caused us to sit up and pay attention. Battle is a solid athlete who moves about the court with ease. She's plenty quick and goes fast in the open spaces. Her handles are solid and she has nice court vision. When you combine those assets into one neatly wrapped package it's not difficult to comprehend how she was able to spot the narrowest of openings, split the defenders, and get to the rim to finish with relative ease. Battle showed off nice shot form, a quick release, and the ability to create space for her shot. She's confident, poised and mature. When the game with Park Cottage Grove turned physical, Battle lived up to her name and was able to dish out just enough contact make her presence known when that's what was needed. Last year Kylie averaged over 7 ppg as a freshman. On Sunday she ran the show like a veteran.   THE REST WHO IMPRESSED   Eva Karkoska-Wosmek – 2027 forward, Centennial   This 5'11 post certainly has a wide range of skills to go along with a big body and plenty of strength. In addition to scoring down low and rebounding well, Eva was also a coach on the floor. We saw her call a number of plays, including setting a solid down screen to get her teammate a wide open three and later reading her own mismatch and calling precisely the right out-of-bounds play and then hitting a turnaround jumper off the inbound. Good stuff. Karkoska-Wosmek showcases an impressive amount of leadership and basketball IQ, particularly for a freshman. We liked her mid-range game and nice shot release. Eva played this year for Minnesota Heat Stavek.   Natalie Gimm – 2024 forward, Mounds View   When you watch the Mustangs its impossible to take your eyes off senior point guard Bria Stenstrom. The dynamic Winona State commit was everywhere on Sunday and it was a ton of fun watching her go head-to-head with St. Thomas commit Laura Hauge of St. Croix Lutheran. Down low, however, we were certainly paying attention to Natalie, who has never been on our radar before. Gimm isn't huge for a post but she has a nice frame with a muscular build and had no difficulty in holding her own in the paint. She's a physical player, a strong rebounder, and she's not at all afraid to guard or post up against much larger opponents. Gimm finished well, particularly in the 3-9 foot range. We were also impressed with her ability to pass the rock as Natalie showcased nice dishes to cutting teammates on several different plays.   Haley Strain – 2025 forward, Hastings   Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was Hastings junior Haley Strain. Although named to the Breakdown Sports Top 75 Juniors list, for whatever reason Strain hasn't been in our wheelhouse in the past. Oops. From the moment the 6'2 forward steps on the court, it is obvious that she is a natural-born athlete. With long limbs, a muscular build and quick feet, Strain has all of the physical tools required to be a good post player. She's a strong rebounder, a powerful shot blocker, and scores well around the basket. Last year for Hastings she averaged 12.5 points per game, second-best on the team behind Top 25 junior Keagan McVicker. Haley's 9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks were tops on the Raiders. All of this becomes even more impressive when you consider the fact that Strain (as best as we can tell) does basketball one season out of the year. She is a multi-sport athlete who plays elite softball with the Magic and is a high-end volleyball player, too. If Haley decided to make basketball a priority, she'd be a Top 50 prospect all day long.   PGH scout Ally McGinnis contributed to this report.

For the second Sunday in a row we went east for the Breakdown USA Fall League to Park High School in Cottage Grove. Our goal was to catch a few of the teams in the East Metro league that we missed last time, including Hastings, Mahtomedi, Mounds View and St. Croix Prep. The Lions of St. Croix Prep are a team we don't get to watch as often as we might like, but if Sunday's action is an accurate indicator we might need to fix that. Here's our take on some talented Lions and a few other players who impressed at the Breakdown Fall League.