Granite City’s best plug-and-play performers
In this article:
In today’s position-less basketball, versatility is everything. There’s less structure, more adjusting on the fly. Players are no longer tied to a single position. The more you can do, the more you are going to play. The more roles you…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIn today’s position-less basketball, versatility is everything. There’s less structure, more adjusting on the fly. Players are no longer tied to a single position. The more you can do, the more you are going to play. The more roles you can fill, the more valuable you are to college recruiters. It is with these new realities in mind that we bring you our most versatile athletes of this past weekend – the plug-and-play performers at the Breakdown Granite City Classic.
Elayna Boe Elayna Boe 6'0" | SG Lakeville North | 2025 State MN – 2025 guard , Lakeville North
The Granite City Classic featured two more stellar performances from the Lakeville North junior guard (pictured above), who is flourishing under new coach Andy Berkvam. The Panthers faced off against White Bear Lake and Wayzata, and in both matchups Boe was given tough defensive assignments that included Bears guard Addison Post Addison Post 5'6" | PG White Bear Lake | 2025 State MN and Trojans star Kate Amelotte Kate Amelotte 5'11" | SF Wayzata | 2026 State MN . Yes, Elayna can defend but she is also averaging 9.6 points per game this season. She showed her effectiveness on both ends of the floor against White Bear, totaling 16 points in the contest. Ranked #36 in the Class of 2025, the 5’11 guard has been garnering some well-deserved attention from college coaches of late and is making the case that she belongs in Division 1.
Kate Amelotte Kate Amelotte 5'11" | SF Wayzata | 2026 State MN – 2026 guard/forward, Wayzata
Despite being a young team, the Wayzata Trojans have no shortage of star power on their roster this season. Among those shining brightest is Amelotte, an uber-talented, ultra-effective 5’11 sophomore. Currently ranked as the #4 prospect in the Class of 2026 and averaging 17.7 points per game, Amelotte is a versatile, do-it-all player. In Saturday’s game against Lakeville North she totaled 21 points and several assists. In addition to being the team’s leading scorer, Kate is more than capable to handling some of the most difficult defensive assignments in the Lake Conference – players such as Ja’Kahla Craft Ja’Kahla Craft 5'9" | CG STMA | 2024 State MN and Cail Jahnke Cail Jahnke 6'2" | CG St. Michael-Albertville | 2026 State MN , and Hopkins guards Tatum Woodson Tatum Woodson 5'9" | CG Hopkins | 2025 State MN and Liv McGill Liv McGill 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2024 State MN . Needless to say, Amelotte is a high-major prospect.
Julia Thoms Julia Thoms 5'11" | PG Prior Lake | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Prior Lake (Jamestown)
Prior Lake delivered two close contests at the Granite City Classic, a 5-point loss to Delano and a 5-point win over Maple Grove, the Crimson’s first loss of the season. Providing solid minutes in both games for the Lakers was Thoms, a 5’11 senior guard. The University of Jamestown (North Dakota) commit is consistently a difference maker, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. She has great length and speed, and can guard anyone at any position. Her efforts in quieting Maple Grove star and Michigan State commit Jordan Ode Jordan Ode 5'11" | CG Maple Grove | 2025 State MN (never an easy task) were a key factor in the win for the Lakers. At the other end of the floor she is more than capable of executing on offense at a high level.
Claire Stern Claire Stern 6'0" | SF Maple Grove | 2024 State MN – 2024 wing, Maple Grove (North Dakota State)
The Maple Grove Crimson faced off against Prior Lake on Saturday, and while the outcome wasn’t what they had hoped for, we were able to witness another solid, all-around performance from Stern, a senior small forward who is committed to play at North Dakota State University next fall. Stern is currently ranked as the #6 prospect in the 2024 class and is Maple Grove’s second-leading scorer at nearly 15 points per game, behind only Ode. Claire may not be as flashy as some of the other top 10 juniors in Minnesota. She may not score as much, either. But one of the things we love most about Claire’s game is her consistency on both ends of the floor. That, coupled with a ton of length and the ability to contribute in multiple roles, is something that will translate very well to the Summit League. On Saturday Stern totaled 14 points, grabbed a multitude of rebounds, and committed several steals.
Tatum Woodson Tatum Woodson 5'9" | CG Hopkins | 2025 State MN – 2025 guard, Hopkins
This weekend’s tournament featured two highly anticipated encounters for the Hopkins Royals, going up against the Minot Majettes of North Dakota and the two-time defending Class 2A state champion Providence Academy Lions. While the Lions won last year’s contest between the two teams, it was the Royals who came out on top in the 80-73 win on Friday. Another feature of the weekend for Hopkins was two solid performances from Woodson, the junior guard who is a top 20 prospect in the 2025 class. Tatum tallied 10 points against Providence, and a season-high 22 points on Saturday against Minot. There were several college coaches in the gym for each game, including from D1 Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY, which extended a scholarship offer to Woodson on Monday.
Tori McKinney Tori McKinney 6'1" | CG Minnetonka | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Minnetonka (University of Minnesota)
The Minnnetonka Skippers faced off against the Tigers of Stewartville on Saturday morning, coming away with a convincing 74-47 win and bringing their record to 9-0 on the season. Back on the floor this year for Minnetonka is McKinney, a senior guard who sat out the entirety of last season with a knee injury. McKinney is undoubtedly one of the best defenders in the state. For a long time, however, there were plenty of observers who doubted her ability to be just as effective on the other end of the floor. Suffice to say, Tori has silenced the doubters and let her ample offensive abilities say all the right things. McKinney is currently contributing 14 points per game. The 6’1 point guard scored 15 in the win against the Tigers. Ranked 4th in the Class of 2024, Tori is signed to play for the University of Minnesota next fall.
Emma Millerbernd Emma Millerbernd 5'9" | CG Providence Academy | 2027 State MN – 2027 guard, Providence Academy
Another one of the state’s top defenders – Millerbernd earned our Prep Girls Hoops Defender of the Year award as an 8th grader – the Providence Academy guard delivered two solid performances this weekend. On Friday, the Lions faced off against Hopkins in the evening’s marquee matchup played before a full house at the College of St. Benedict gym. Ranked 4th among 2027 prospects, Millerbernd tallied 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 steal in the 80-73 loss to the Royals. The next day the Lions played the Hilltoppers of Duluth Marshall, who are led by 2028 phenom Chloe Johnson Chloe Johnson 5'11" | PG Duluth Marshall | 2028 MN . Providence came away with an 89-54 win and Emma contributed 7 points and 3 assists. Heading into another marquee encounter on Tuesday night with Addison Mack Addison Mack 5'9" | PG Minnehaha Academy | 2025 State MN and the Minnehaha Redhawks, the Lions sported a record of 9 wins and 2 losses. Millerbernd’s ability at both ends of the floor is one big reason why.
PGH scout Ally McGinnis contributed to these evaluations.