Standout forwards at the Granite City Classic

There were so many great performances delivered by some of Minnesota's best forwards at the Granite City Classic. We were stationed courtside at the College of St. Benedict for the duration of the state's premier holiday tournament so we had an up close and personal view of these prospects. But the tournament was played at seven sites in the St. Cloud region, and there were plenty of forwards who performed well beyond our view.   Take [player_tooltip player_id='346165' first='Hadley' last='Thul'], for example. The Alexandria junior is one of the state's best small forwards as her #9 ranking in the Class of 2025 will attest. She scored 18 points and had 15 rebounds in a game against Stewartville, a showdown that may repeat itself at the high school state tournament in March. Against Mankato East Thul put up a second double-double in 24 hours with 31 points and 10 rebounds, another big performance against solid competition.   Of course, there were other forwards who delivered at different locations, too. Kudos to them. Here are a half dozen front court players who stood out when we were watching at St. Ben's.   [player_tooltip player_id='296517' first='Katie' last='Kelzenberg'] – 2025 , Wayzata   It's hard to put into words how impressed we were with Kelzenberg's performance over the weekend, but we'll do our best. After two years away from the basketball court, Katie has rejoined the Trojans' starting lineup and is reminding everyone why she was once ranked as a top 5 prospect in the Class of 2025. In the Friday night' matchup against Minot, Kelzenberg contributed key defensive minutes down the stretch up against North Dakota's #1 2026 prospect, Leelee Bell. Wayzata came out on top in the 60-58 win courtesy of a buzzer-beating bucket by [player_tooltip player_id='453749' first='Allison' last='Berns']. The next day Kelzenberg was tasked with guarding [player_tooltip player_id='335641' first='Trinity' last='Wilson'], the 6 '3 Vanderbilt commit out of Lakeville North. From the jump Katie showed just how much of a beast she can be, bringing intensity on both ends of the floor. Not only did Kelzenberg hold Wilson to just 8 points before eventually fouling out, she also tallied 19 of her own, a new season high. It's safe to say that Kelzenberg will be rejoining the Prep Girls Hoops 2025 rankings at the next update.   [player_tooltip player_id='215979' first='Cece' last='McNair'] – 2024, Prior Lake (UW-Milwaukee)   We saw several solid performances from members of the Prior Lake squad over the weekend – check out our pieces about the <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/01/5-players-who-raised-their-stock-at-granite-city/">stock risers </a>and <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/01/granite-citys-best-plug-and-play-performers/">plug-and-play performers</a> – and rounding out the list is the Lakers senior McNair. Ranked as the #26 prospect in the 2024 class and rising, McNair is a 6'2 post with a simple yet effective game. She's a solid shot blocker and has a killer drop step in the paint. Cece is also a tremendous rebounder. She frequently finds a way to wrestle boards away from opponents, and often scores off of offensive put-backs. Currently averaging 10.3 points per game, she delivered two double-figure performances over the weekend with 11 points against Delano and 12 versus Maple Grove. Cece is signed to play at Division 1 UW-Milwaukee next year.   [player_tooltip player_id='550025' first='Kendyl' last='Lodermeier'] – 2025, Goodhue   It was a great weekend in St. Cloud for the Goodhue Wildcats, who pulled off victories over both Mountain Iron-Buhl and Crosby-Ironton, bringing them to an 8-3 record. Lodermeier, a junior forward for the Wildcats, along with senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='302307' first='Elisabeth' last='Gadient'], was a key contributing factor in both wins. Kendyl is one of those players that knows her role on the basketball court, and executes it very well. She's a strong rebounder, has great vertical and strength, and has a high understanding of timing and spacing. She does the majority of her scoring in the 3- to 7-foot range, and finishes at a high rate of efficiency. Lodermeier, who is averaging 15 points per game this season, had two 20-plus point performances over the weekend, posting a season-high 23 points against Mountain Iron-Buhl. Overall, Kendyl has the type of game that will translate very well to the next level. She's a strong Division 2 candidate but D1 is not yet out of the equation.   [player_tooltip player_id='339168' first='Misti' last='Zempel'] – 2024, Hancock (Mayville State)   Misti and her Hancock Owls have been off to a hot start this season, going 6-0 prior to the Granite City Classic. On Friday, they played Holdingford. Zempel, who is the team's leading scorer in the 20 ppg range, compiled a season-high 24 points in the win over the Huskers. Misti showcased her footwork and finishing prowess around the rim, as well as her ability to catch just about any pass sent to her in the post, no matter how many defenders were on her. Unfortunately for Hancock, the Owls were handed their first loss of the season by the young Becker Bulldogs on Saturday. The Mayville State commit finished that game with 19 points. The Owls bounced back Tuesday with a 75-62 win at Minneota and its always an accomplishment to steal a win on the Vikings' home floor.   [player_tooltip player_id='178273' first='Taylor' last='Tool'] – 2024, Delano (Northern State)   With wins over Prior Lake and Brainerd at Granite City, the Delano Tigers continued their hot start to the season bringing them to an 11-0 record. The Tigers were led in scoring by Thul who is a senior forward. She tallied 18 points and a significant number of boards against Brainerd. Versus Prior Lake Tool had 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 steals. As we've seen over the years at both Delano and with Crossfire AAU, Tool is a dominant force who can score from anywhere on the floor. She is particularly good at embracing contact and drawing fouls to get to the free throw line. Taylor is a top 40 prospect in the 2024 class and is signed to play Division 2 next year at Northern State in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Delano will have some tough conference play coming up, with teams such as Southwest Christian, Jordan, and Holy Family on the docket as they aim to remain undefeated.   [player_tooltip player_id='558627' first='Erma' last='Walker'] – 2027, Hopkins   Erma is the youngest player (by at least two years) on our list of outstanding forwards from the Granite City Classic. Now in her third varsity season, Erma is a seasoned veteran for the Royals. At 6 feet tall, she possesses a combination of size and strength that is extremely rare for a player in the 9th grade. Even more impressive is her sheer presence in the paint on both ends of the floor. On defense she uses her size to her advantage, often going up against much larger opponents and shutting them down. On the offensive end Walker has great touch around the rim, in addition to her shooting ability. Currently Erma is averaging 8.3 points per game, and in Saturday's matchup against Minot, she totaled a season high 18 points. Going up against the enormous Bell, who is a high major prospect truly making a name for herself, Erma was outstanding and had a huge impact on behalf of the Royals.   PGH scout Ally McGinnis contributed to these evaluations.

There were so many great performances delivered by some of Minnesota's best forwards at the Granite City Classic. We were stationed courtside at the College of St. Benedict for the duration of the state's premier holiday tournament so we had an up close and personal view of these prospects. But the tournament was played at seven sites in the St. Cloud region, and there were plenty of forwards who performed well beyond our view.