Top performers at Hamline’s Pat Paterson Tournament

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023-2024 high school season is officially underway and we had the pleasure of being a part of a few milestones as [player_tooltip player_id='178269' first='Liv' last='McGill'], [player_tooltip player_id='252387' first='Aaliyah' last='Crump'] and [player_tooltip player_id='215953' first='Marisa' last='Frost'] all joined the 1,000-point club with impressive performances. Hamline head women's basketball coach Josh Hersch and company hosted the Pat Paterson Tournament held at the historic Hutton arena and, from my vantage point, the event went out off without a hitch. Games tipped off at 9:30 Friday morning with the last game getting underway just after 8 on Saturday evening. There were a lot of great individual and team performances for us to take in, so let's get after it! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NOTABLE PERFORMANCES </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Makyia Kenney - 2025 guard - St. Paul Como Park</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>My first time seeing Kenney was at a [program_tooltip program_id='712362' first='Legacy' last='Hoops'] AAU tryout back in August. With her build, quickness and gamesmanship, I was surprised I hadn't crossed paths with her before then, but better late than never. Against Waconia on Saturday, she was literally unstoppable. Makyia continuously put her head down and went hard right and got to her spot to get buckets for herself or teammates when the defense would over-help. Kenny was all over the court coming up with big rebounds and steals to help Como control the game pretty much from the jump leading by double figures for most of the contest. Waconia mounted a furious late-game comeback only to be thwarted by three and-1 opportunities by Kenney down the stretch to lead Como to a 57-48 victory. Kenney ended up with 21 points and sent a message that she plans to continue to carry the torch of talented players coming out of Como. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='346160' first='Ella' last='Keenan'] <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">-</span></strong> 2025 forward - Chaska</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New coach, no walking bucket in <strong>Kennedy Sanders</strong> (now at Colorado), no problem. The horns of the bull are there, Keenan just needs to grab them, and through two games so far, she has shown no issues in doing so. Keenan is currently the 25th-ranked prospect in the 2025 class and she's off to a blazing start. She had her hands full in both games tussling with Kansas State commit [player_tooltip player_id='178270' first='Finley' last='Ohnstad'] in the opener and South Carolina-Upstate commit [player_tooltip player_id='304934' first='Ava' last='Miller'] in the finale, besting the two of them individually and walking away with two convincing wins. Keenan was money around the basket finishing with either hand and showed the work she's been putting in as she stepped out and downed a few from beyond the arc. Defensively she moved well, making things difficult for the two aforementioned D1 commits, making them work hard for every bucket they got. Keenan averaged 21 points per game during the tournament and gobbled up rebounds galore to stuff the stat sheets. If Keenan can keep this going, along with [player_tooltip player_id='550015' first='Alexis' last='Schaefer'], [player_tooltip player_id='515651' first='Addi' last='Schneider'] and Bemidji State commit [player_tooltip player_id='302310' first='Aubrey' last='Heyer'] making major contributions, Chaska may not have fallen as far as many may think. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='339107' first='Jordyn' last='Schmittdiel'] <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">-</span></strong> 2024 forward - White Bear Lake</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Big, strong and versatile are all accurate adjectives when describing Schmittdiel and how she plays. Northern Michigan hit the jackpot nabbing this gem as she will fit right in with how they like to play. During the turkey day tournament, Jordyn got it done offensively from all three levels to the tune of 15.5 ppg over the weekend. Tough rebounds, check; finishing through traffic, check; defending her position, check. The 5'11 forward has put in a lot of work to improve her ball handling and it showed as she grabbed rebounds and pushed the ball in transition leading to easy buckets for herself and teammates alike. Jordyn had her hands full defensively attempting to slow down the super-talented St. Thomas commit [player_tooltip player_id='346166' first='Autumn' last='McCall'], who ultimately succumbed to an apparent ankle injury late in the 2nd half. Jordyn plays hard and gives her body up every single possession. The Bears lost a close one in the section semis last spring and have the bulk of last year's team returning, so I know they have state aspirations dancing in their heads, and we're here for it! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='453750' first='Addison' last='Post'] - 2025 gu</span><span style="text-decoration: underline">ard- White Bear Lake</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I really enjoy watching the pace at which Post plays. She has such a good feel for the game and seems to know when she needs to get certain players touches and when she needs to look for hers. In the first game against Waconia, teammates [player_tooltip player_id='339107' first='Jordyn' last='Schmittdiel'] and <strong>Heidi Barber</strong> had it going so Post kept the ball moving and ensured it got to the hot hands. In the second game on Saturday against Centennial, where it was nip-and-tuck the entire game, Post came up big. Every time the Cougars would cut into the lead or make it look as if they were ready to take over, Post would answer with another dagger. The smile in the profile pic above is a rare treat, because once she's on the court, it's all business. She finished the game with a team-high 18 points helping her squad secure a 50-43 victory over Centennial to improve to 2-0 to start the young season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='215953' first='Marisa' last='Frost'] - 2024 guard - Centennial</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The silent assassin. That just about sums up Marisa's quiet approach to the game, but there is nothing quiet about the results. In the season opener, her Centennial squad ran into a bit of a buzz saw falling to the [player_tooltip player_id='252387' first='Aaliyah' last='Crump'] led Minnetonka Skippers 56-36. Frost had a quiet 9 points, but she's played in a lot of games and didn't let this one bump in the road veer her off course. Fast forward a day later to a pretty evenly matched game with White Bear Lake and Frost showed why Division 1 North Dakota State will be her home for the next four years. I'll just get right to it. After McCall went down late in the 2nd half, it was all Frost. I counted at least three left-handed drives where she finished under and over the top of pretty darn good defenders. When she couldn't get into the lane, Marisa hit pull-up jumpers and step-back threes to the tune of a game-high 22 points to lead all scorers. If McCall's ankle injury keeps her out for any significant amount of time, Frost will need to turn that stove on a little earlier and start cooking from the jump. She's a very unselfish player, but when you score as effortlessly as she does, I don't think anyone will mind her putting up a few more shots. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='252387' first='Aaliyah' last='Crump'] - 2025 guard - Minnetonka </span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I don't know if there's another scorer in the state who makes it look as easy as Crump does. We've all watched her navigate this journey growing up in a proverbial fish bowl for everyone to see, and she's handled it with style and grace. Saturday night marked another milestone for the Team USA gold medal winner as she joined the vaunted 1,000 point club with as sweet a shot as you could draw up, an in-rhythm step-back three, nothing but the bottom of the nylon. Crump is putting up big numbers through two games (averaging 26 ppg) and will need to continue to do so if the Skippers are to meet the expectations of some to give the early favorite Hopkins a run for their money for that state title. Along with the scoring responsibility, Crump is defending, rebounding and is a very underrated, willing passer looking for teammates to help lighten the load. With the two-way standout Gopher commit [player_tooltip player_id='215958' first='Tori' last='McKinney'], super-smooth point guard [player_tooltip player_id='252383' first='Lanelle' last='Wright'] (the 3rd ranked prospect in the 2026 class), along with [player_tooltip player_id='520270' first='Harley' last='Wock'] and [player_tooltip player_id='304930' first='Grace' last='Hamdorf'], the Skippers will certainly be a tough out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other noteworthy performers:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='178270' first='Finley' last='Ohnstad'] </strong>of Lakeville South,<strong> Heidi Barber </strong>of White Bear Lake &amp;<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1194442' first='Audrey' last='Brown']</strong> of Waconia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>GAME OF THE NIGHT</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":813920,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/11/minnehaha-crop-1664x1093-1701215127.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-813920" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">DelaSalle vs. Minnehaha Academy</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The main event featured a handful of elite level players and a few up-and-coming prospects, and it certainly lived up to the hype. On the Minnehaha Academy side, you have the class of 2025 4^th ranked do-it-all sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id='252379' first='Addison' last='Mack'], the dynamic [player_tooltip player_id='178266' first='Angel' last='Hill'], the versatile [player_tooltip player_id='425385' first='Amina' last='Allen'] and up-and-coming [player_tooltip player_id='478390' first='Sinae' last='Hill'] plus 27th-rated 9th grader [player_tooltip player_id='529334' first='Isa' last='Griefenhagen']. On the Islanders side, much like the Red Hawks, they are led by their silky-smooth point guard [player_tooltip player_id='296527' first='Aneisha' last='Scott'], who is currently ranked 16^th in the 2025 class and is coming off a successful AAU campaign. Joining Scott in the backcourt is 23rd ranked sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='478363' first='Maddy' last='Blaylark'], who may have the best mid-range game I've seen in a while. Rounding out their vaunted front court is newly committed D1 volleyball phenom and absolute beast in the paint in [player_tooltip player_id='595567' first='Jordyn' last='Johnson'], the emotional leader in [player_tooltip player_id='396421' first='Dilan' last='Tubbs'] and [player_tooltip player_id='339167' first='Erianna' last='Moeschter'] who offers a touch of finesse and strength to balance out the group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As expected, the game started out with Mack and Scott looking to one-up each other. Early on, Scott had the slight advantage slithering into the lane with her patented feathery floater. Once settled in, Mack began to find her rhythm turning over the Islanders for a few quick transition layups. At the break, both had notched 10 points, and neither was ready to give an inch. Some early front court foul trouble put the Islanders in a bit of a pickle and needing to go to their bench a little earlier than expected. In comes [player_tooltip player_id='667778' first='Laila' last='Moses'], a 5'10 freshman, currently ranked 25^th in the class of 2027. Moments like this are what underclassmen dream of. Whether they're ready or not is another question, but on this day Laila was locked and loaded. Moses came in and gave the Islanders the shot in the arm they needed when it appeared the Red Hawks were looking to take control of the game. She tallied 5 quick points in the first half, including an and-1 opportunity that had her dad and the DelaSalle fan section going bananas! At the break, the Islanders held a slight 26-24 advantage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the second half, Mack continued to do what Mack does, but enter [player_tooltip player_id='178266' first='Angel' last='Hill']. Hill decided enough was enough and during a 3 to 4-minute stretch, it was all her. Back-to-back 3's, book it. As well as Moses played, it's a tough task to ask a freshman to check someone of Hill's pedigree, and you could tell Angel smelled blood in the water and went for it. On the Islanders side, Johnson took over and there was nothing anyone in a black jersey could do to stop her. She gobbled up offensive rebounds for put-backs and and-1's to keep the Islanders close and even up late into the contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Down by 2 with just over a minute to go, Mack hit a 3 from the corner to put the Red Hawks up one 59-58. The Islanders got 2 cracks at it with 17 seconds left and went to Scott to take them home. The Red Hawks defense answered the bell after DelaSalle got a second opportunity after Scott missed a 3 and Minnehaha deflected the loose ball out of bounds. You couldn't ask for a better ending as Scott went at Mack for the potential game winner but enter in [player_tooltip player_id='178266' first='Angel' last='Hill'] and [player_tooltip player_id='425385' first='Amina' last='Allen'] getting in the way just enough to force Scott into a very tough shot that came up short. With 2.3 seconds left, Mack knocked down 2 free throws to seal the deal at 61-58. A great all-around game saw Mack finish with 22, Angel with 20 and [player_tooltip player_id='425385' first='Amina' last='Allen'] with 13 big points including a timely 3 in the second half. &nbsp;Jordyn led the Islanders with 18 followed by Scott with 15 and Moses with 9 off the bench. We're looking forward to watching these two teams grow and get better as the season wears on. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->