Who rocked it on day 2 of holiday hoops?

There are those moments, those days, those games in the rebuild of a basketball program where it becomes obvious that positive change is starting to sink in. Thursday was one of those days for the Two Rivers Warriors, the former Henry Sibley program from Mendota Heights that is undergoing a makeover courtesy of first-year head coach Nia Hollie. The Warriors turned in a quality performance at the Cretin-Derham Hall tournament that resulted in a 67-65 win. It was the most entertaining contest we watched on day 2 of the holiday tournament season in Minnesota.   “I told them coming in that this was going to be our toughest game going up against a Division 1 athlete who scored 36 points,” Hollie said, referring to Holy Family power forward [player_tooltip player_id='322999' first='Jocelyn' last='Land'], who made life difficult for the Warriors at every step. “We've been working all season to get to this point. One step at a time. One day at a time. That's all that matters.”   If the name Nia Hollie sounds familiar, it should. As a senior at Hopkins she was named Minnesota's Ms. Basketball and went on to a college career at Michigan State. After serving on the coaching staff at Cretin the past couple of seasons, Hollie is now in charge of reviving a Two Rivers program that won just five games last winter. It's a process.   “These kids are young but they are tall and they are talented,” said the coach. “The biggest thing they needed was some structure, a little bit of discipline and a little bit of focus. “I tell them every day that I want to help them make the hard easy. I think we are starting to learn it, to understand it when it comes to discipline, focus and open communications.”   The Warriors certainly showed that against the Fire. The lengthy Kirchner sisters – 6'4 UM-Duluth commit [player_tooltip player_id='471269' first='Gabrielle' last='Kirchner'] and 5'11 junior [player_tooltip player_id='471192' first='Isabelle' last='Kirchner'] – showed off their improved level of play throughout the game. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='502564' first='Landis' last='Williamson-Andrews'] came off the bench to make some big plays. But the two difference-makers who raised their stock the most in this game were 6'1 sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='829629' first='Sophia' last='Amundson'] and 5'9 junior [player_tooltip player_id='829627' first='Elayna' last='Van Nett'] (pictured above). The pair made several big plays down the stretch that resulted in the W. Amundson, who is averaging 13 points and nearly 7 rebounds per game, scored 17 in the victory while Van Nett (12.2) had 15. Izzy (12 ppg) recorded 13 points, Williamson-Andrews had 10 and Gabi (13 & 15) had 8.   The win was Two Rivers' 8th of the season. Just 24 hours later, they dropped a 54-43 decision to Cretin. Hollie knows there will be plenty more ups and downs going forward. To help her team be resilient and continue to grow throughout the rollercoaster ride, Hollie is digging deep into her Hopkins memory bank to employ much of what she learned from then-Royals coach Brian Cosgriff. “To be honest I use the same stuff that Cos uses,” she said. “I think the biggest thing he taught me in high school was that ‘next play' mentality and it has never meant more to me than it does now. I tell that to our kids all the time. It's going to be a game changer for us.”   STOCK RISERS   [player_tooltip player_id='829627' first='Elayna' last='Van Nett'] & [player_tooltip player_id='829629' first='Sophia' last='Amundson'] – Two Rivers   Van Nett is a transfer from Como Park and the younger sister of former Cougars standouts Makayla and Shania Van Nett. She's been operating largely in the shadows until now, but the win over Holy Family just might be her coming out party. It started early when Van Nett buried a three-point basket for the Warriors first points of the game. It ended with a memorable few minutes for the win. With about 5 minutes left in the game, Van Nett scored a transition bucket to cap a little run that gave Two Rivers the lead. Holy Family responded with two buckets of their own before Elayna struck again, driving hard to the basket through traffic where she was fouled by Land. Van Nett made both free throws at the 2:25 mark. With 1:35 remaining Elayna attacked the glass to cash in on a 2-and-1 for a 66-63 margin. With under 20 seconds to go, Elayna came up with a huge block that gave the Warriors the ball before Williamson-Andrews sealed the deal at the free throw line.   “Elayna has had to make biggest adjustment of anybody,” Hollie said. “She plays a completely different role now. She has always been a great shooter, but I also think she's a great passer, a great defender and a great teammate. She encompasses all of those things. We came together here as a team today and she really showed out for us. I'm really proud of her.”   Amundson was huge for Hollie's crew, both literally and figuratively. Having never been in AAU, and competing for a lower-profile program like Two Rivers, she has barely registered on our radar before. Sophia's physicality, rebounding ability, and scoring touch around the rim were impressive, and she's got that competitive fire that can be a difference maker in the months ahead as she ventures into AAU competition for the first time.   “You're going to know her!” Hollie said of Amundson. “She is one of our toughest kids by far. She has lots of raw talent, and she's only a sophomore so she might grow a little bit, too. I'm excited to see where she takes it.” So are we.   FRESH FACES   With his team firmly in control of the contest early in the second half against Como Park, Minnehaha Academy coach Damien Lolar parked his starters and gave us a glimpse into the next generation of Redhawks. It was an intriguing look at four players who appear to have the potential to carry the Minnehaha brand into the future. In addition to freshman [player_tooltip player_id='529334' first='Isa' last='Griefenhagen'], who has already earned her way into the Class of 2027 top 30, the Redhawks youngsters we liked included:   <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1090106' first='Tayjha' last='Van Leer'] is a tiny 2029 point guard with great basketball lineage and the potential to be an elite-level performer. She's currently being tutored by Redhawks standout Addi Mack.</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='932016' first='Caroline' last='Sonstegard'] is a 6-foot forward with a ton of length. The freshman is a terrific playmaker who always seems to be in the right place at the right time.</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1090108' first='Addison' last='Harris'] is a 6'1 forward in the 7th grade. She has a big frame, natural touch and exceptional footwork for her age. Both of her parents played D1 basketball.</li>   <li>Brooke Siwek is a 5'9 sophomore who has an elite motor, excellent work ethic and a strong desire to improve. She could turn out to be a great glue player.</li> </ul>   A FEW TOP PERFORMERS   [player_tooltip player_id='322999' first='Jocelyn' last='Land'] – The Holy Family power forward was a handful against Two Rivers as she has been pretty much every night this season. The Division 1 commit (Butler University), ranked #13 in the Class of 2024, scored 36 points for the Fire, about 4 above her season average.   [player_tooltip player_id='296528' first='Sam' last='Wills'] – The forward/wing from Visitation was everywhere for the Blazers as she led her team to its first win of the season as they defeated Cretin-Derham Hall 68-64. Wills scored 32 points for Vis, hauled down a truckload of rebounds, and was her team's inspirational leader as always. The 6'1 junior is ranked #5 in the Class of 2025.   [player_tooltip player_id='252379' first='Addison' last='Mack'] & [player_tooltip player_id='178266' first='Angel' last='Hill'] – The Minnehaha Academy tandem were on fire early for the Redhawks as they jumped all over Como Park in a dominant victory. By halftime the duo had combined for 36 points and MA was in complete control, going on to win 89-41. Mack finished with 27 while Hill had 20 playing far few minutes than usual.   [player_tooltip player_id='396436' first='Elise' last='Groppoli'] & [player_tooltip player_id='377583' first='Mya' last='Wilson'] – The junior point guard and freshman guard from Hill-Murray are forging a potent one-two combination for the Pioneers. They certainly showed that in a win over New Richmond, Wisconsin. Wilson, the #1-ranked prospect in the Class of 2027, finished with 21 points while Groppoli (top 100 in 2025) had 17.   [player_tooltip player_id='515688' first='Lexie' last='Mathews'] & [player_tooltip player_id='520263' first='Bra'ja' last='Torry'] – Our Thursday began at the Rosemount holiday tournament where we saw Eastview knock off Woodbury 74-39. The Lightning were led by the lengthy Mathews, a top 40 prospect in the Class of 2026. She combined with Torry to get the job done. Bra'ja is rated #65 among Minnesota juniors.

There are those moments, those days, those games in the rebuild of a basketball program where it becomes obvious that positive change is starting to sink in. Thursday was one of those days for the Two Rivers Warriors, the former Henry Sibley program from Mendota Heights that is undergoing a makeover courtesy of first-year head coach Nia Hollie. The Warriors turned in a quality performance at the Cretin-Derham Hall tournament that resulted in a 67-65 win. It was the most entertaining contest we watched on day 2 of the holiday tournament season in Minnesota.