The Week That Was #7: A record-breaking start to 2024

As the #1-rated player in Minnesota's senior class, pretty much everything [player_tooltip player_id='177728' first='Olivia' last='Olson'] does is newsworthy. On Thursday, after being sidelined for six weeks with a hand injury, the University of Michigan commit returned to the court for Benilde-St. Margaret's. Olivia's accomplishments on the night captured the attention of basketball observers from here to Ann Arbor and back. Fitting then that her 32-point performance against Jordan should top our recap of the Week That Was #7, a stretch that definitely kicked off the New Year in style.   A RECORD-SETTING RETURN   Olson's senior season began with high expectations and plenty of fanfare. Most observers figured she was the odds-on favorite to win Ms. Basketball and Benilde was in position to for a second consecutive Class 3A state championship. All of that noise was silenced on Thanksgiving weekend when Olson suffered a broken left hand. Fortunately the rehabilitation process went well and Olivia was able to return wearing a brace against [player_tooltip player_id='502602' first='Morgan' last='Staloch'], [player_tooltip player_id='330744' first='Savannah' last='Borowicz'], [player_tooltip player_id='461347' first='Maddie' last='Olinger'] and the Jordan Jaguars.   Olivia looked a little rusty in the early going Thursday as Jordan jumped out to an 11-3 lead thanks in part to a pair of triples from Olinger and Borowicz. Olson's first shot attempt was a mid-range jumper that bounced off the the rim about 4 minutes into the game. There was a corner three that came up short, as well, before Olivia recorded her first points on a put-back at 11:49 on the clock.     Olson's reverse layup at the 11-minute mark tied the game at 11-11. At 8:23 she did the same on an extra-effort play. At 3:35 Olson banked one in off the backboard to put BSM up 34-25 as the Red Knights went on a huge run to take over the game. At 2:34, Olivia nailed a corner three that enabled her to eclipse 2,000 career points. That stopped the contest for a well-earned celebration. BSM led by 21 at the half before coasting home to the victory. Olson finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists.   Olson has carved up the BSM record books throughout her career and is the school's all-time leading scorer, but she's not done yet. Just around the corner is another milestone: 1,000 career rebounds.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/Ajiem-Agwa-scaled.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-443162" /></figure>   PLAYER OF THE WEEK   [player_tooltip player_id='453728' first='Ajiem' last='Agwa'] – 2025 guard, Austin   Olson's return was destined to be the biggest news of the week, but she wasn't the only star attraction in the spotlight on Thursday. About 100 miles to the south, Agwa was making headlines of her own as the talented point guard from Austin had the biggest game of her career. Against Rochester Mayo, Agwa broke a 30-year-old Packers record for most points in a single game (37) with a 40-point performance against the Spartans. Ajiem followed that up two days later by posting 51 points against Mankato West. Her numbers in the game were remarkable: 18-for-26 from the field (69 percent) and 7-of-8 from three-point range (87.5%), with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 8 steals. It was a game for the ages.   The 5'8 Agwa is an athletic guard with terrific handles, great court vision and a nice feel for the game. She gets to the rim with relative ease thanks to a very quick first step. Obviously, she can also shoot the ball from pretty much anywhere and is a strong lockdown defender. This is hardly the first time that Agwa has turned heads. She has been dominant in the summer with [program_tooltip program_id='712352' first='Air' last='Minnesota'] on the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit and was a second-team AAU All Star in 2023.   Ajiem first entered the PGH Class of 2025 rankings in the summer of 2022 and has been hovering around the #50 mark ever since. Over the past two winters following the graduation of long-time standouts Hope and Emma Dudycha (now at Minnesota-Crookston), the spotlight has shone much brighter on Agwa's accomplishments. After averaging 17.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last winter, Agwa's latest exploits have bumped her averages up to 25 ppg on 48% shooting from the field, 39% from three, with 6.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 4.6 steals. College coaches – Division 2 in particular – need to pick up the phone and call Austin coach Eric Zoske. It will definitely be worth their time.   OTHER STANDOUTS   It was another big week for some Division 1 commits in Minnesota. Ja'aKhla Craft of St. Michael-Albertville (Seton Hall) scored 37 points against Moorhead while Butler commit [player_tooltip player_id='322999' first='Jocelyn' last='Land'] of Holy Family had 36 in a win over Breck. St. Thomas commit [player_tooltip player_id='178263' first='Laura' last='Hauge'] made nine threes for St. Croix Lutheran against Maranatha and finished the week with a 31-point performance against Winona. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='215987' first='Daviney' last='Dreckman'] of New Ulm is a versatile all-around performer committed to Jamestown. She had 25 points, 12 rebounds and 8 steals in a win over St. James.   Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='396437' first='Aubrey' last='Morrison'] of Walker-Hackensack-Akeley continues to do good work. Against Hill City-Northland Morrison had 33 points on 13-for-15 shooting from the field, including 7-for-9 from three-point range, with 8 assists and 8 steals. Against Staples-Motley she scored 22 points on 8-for-13 from the field with 4 steals and 3 assists. Another junior who had a big week was 6-foot forward [player_tooltip player_id='778748' first='Ellie' last='Davis'] of Cambridge-Isanti. She had career highs in points and rebounds with 25 and 19 plus 6 blocks against St. Francis. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='205299' first='Ella' last='Kuhlman'] of North Branch had a 30-point game this week with 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals. She is the 35th-ranked prospect in the Class of 2025.   A few youngsters got in on the act, as well, as the state's top freshman [player_tooltip player_id='377583' first='Mya' last='Wilson'] scored 32 points with 11 rebounds and 4 steals against her former teammates from Mahtomedi. It was the biggest offensive output of the season for Wilson, who is routinely double-teamed and face-guarded. Meanwhile 2026 standout [player_tooltip player_id='205310' first='Tori' last='Oehrlein'] kept on rolling with 48 points and 15 rebounds for Crosby-Ironton in a win over Pillager. On Saturday she had 39 and 22 versus Mountain Iron-Buhl. These are astounding numbers that have become nearly routine for Tori.   One more player we need to mention is 2026 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='653851' first='Ella' last='Knutson'] of Hillcrest Lutheran in Fergus Falls. She had a pair of standout performances this week going 35 and 14 against Norman County East and 35 and 11 versus Parkers Prairie. She's now averaging a double-double with over 24 points and 10 rebounds per game.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/Kendall-Barnes-1000.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-834893" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: <a href="https://x.com/GirlsRoseville" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a></figcaption></figure>   MILESTONES   A pair of seniors also hit the mark this week as Vanderbilt commit [player_tooltip player_id='335641' first='Trinity' last='Wilson'] of Lakeville North and UW-Milwaukee signee [player_tooltip player_id='215968' first='Kendall' last='Barnes'] of Roseville (pictured above) each reached 1,000 career points.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/Brielle-Janssen-1000.jpg?w=243" alt="" class="wp-image-834887" /></figure>   Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='515673' first='Brielle' last='Janssen'] of MACCRAY also hit the mark. The 6'1 forward from the Minnesota Rise followed that up with a monster performance against Yellow Medicine East with 40 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals. Brielle is a top 25 prospect in the Class of 2026.   A couple of weeks ago senior [player_tooltip player_id='215986' first='Tresa' last='Baumgard'] of Chisholm celebrated 2,000 career points. This week the MSU-Moorhead commit became the Bluestreaks all-time leading scorer with 2,152.   Clemson University commit [player_tooltip player_id='215970' first='Morgan' last='Miller'] of Andover became her school's all-time leading rebounder with 615. [player_tooltip player_id='396438' first='Addison' last='Pilarski'] of Holdingford did the same with 682 rebounds.   Last week [player_tooltip player_id='563259' first='Maddy' last='Mitchell'] of Holdingford hit the 1,000-point standard. This week she became the Huskers career assists leader with 338. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='215983' first='Drew' last='Buslee'] of Eagan, who is committed to the University of Sioux Falls, did the same with 290.   AT THE NEXT LEVEL   On Wednesday we attended Maryland's Big 10 win over Minnesota at Williams Arena. We were also at the midday shootarounds for both teams. Watching a team like Maryland go through its pre-game routine up close was a stark reminder of just how big high-major players generally are. I'm not talking necessarily about height, although Maryland has plenty of that. I'm referring to body size. Obviously all college players get bigger as they proceed through their careers, but high-major athletes have a head start on most mid-major players and below.   When scouting prospects we'll often say “she has a college body.” This is what we are referring to. Some good examples would be Mallory Heyer (Minnesota), Alyssa Ustby (North Carolina) or Michigan signee [player_tooltip player_id='177728' first='Olivia' last='Olson'] of Benilde-St. Margaret's. All are skilled players but their sheer size and bulk gives them a real advantage from the get go. While the Gophers have gotten bigger of late – the addition of 6'5 center Sophie Hart from Farmington helps – from top to bottom the Maryland players are bigger and taller with 11 athletes over 6 feet in the lineup on Wednesday. The difference showed.   The Gophers played well on Wednesday. Wayzata graduate Mara Braun had another outstanding game for UM. Hart was exceptionally good in the first quarter (giving the Gophers an early lead) before the Terapins switched up their defensive scheme to neutralize her. When the Gophers were within single digits in the game's last few minutes, Maryland battened down the hatches with punishing on-ball defense and held the Gophers without a basket for the final 4 minutes. That gave the visitors a 72-64 win, their 14th in 15 meetings between the two teams. Minnesota is absolutely trending in the right direction under new coach Dawn Plitzeweit, but the program needs to keep landing bigger, stronger athletes to achieve the long-term success of a program like Maryland that seems to be in the national conversation every year.   COMING UP   Ally McGinnis and I spent Saturday at Breakdown's Southern Minnesota Hoops Fest with stops at Kasson-Mantorville, Hayfield and Byron on the agenda. We're working on three articles covering those games and more.   This coming weekend Tony Ragulen will be out covering the Hall of Fame Classic at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. Ally and I will be back in Kasson-Mantorville for the 2024 Girls Basketball Showcase featuring nine Southern Minnesota squads with a marquee encounter set between Stewartville and Benilde-St. Margaret's.

As the #1-rated player in Minnesota's senior class, pretty much everything Olivia Olson Olivia Olson 6'1" | CG Benilde-SM | 2024 State MN does is newsworthy. On Thursday, after being sidelined for six weeks with a hand injury, the University of Michigan commit returned to the court for Benilde-St. Margaret's. Olivia's accomplishments on the night captured the attention of basketball observers from here to Ann Arbor and back. Fitting then that her 32-point performance against Jordan should top our recap of the Week That Was #7, a stretch that definitely kicked off the New Year in style.