Youngsters who excelled at the Granite City Classic

One of the most interesting aspects of the first few weeks of the high school season is watching the younger players dive into the deep end of varsity action. It's often a sink-or-swim affair as youngsters we have evaluated and followed in AAU make the big jump to varsity. This past weekend at the Breakdown Granite City Classic, there were several youngsters who swam rather well and distinguished themselves in the games we watched at St. Ben's.   [player_tooltip player_id='630285' first='Adele' last='Changamire'] – 2028 guard, Becker   Becker pulled off two big wins at the Granite City Classic, against Duluth Marshall and Hancock. After several graduation losses, the Bulldogs are now led by University of Sioux Falls commit [player_tooltip player_id='304938' first='Alexis' last='Rose'] and the gifted 8th grader Changamire (pictured above). The 2028 prospect had two solid performances over the weekend, including a season-high 19 points against Hancock. Adele can score all over the floor, and is especially skilled at driving to the basket. She plays with a ton of confidence and is a skilled ball handler, seemingly having the orb on a string wherever she goes. As an elite runner with the medals to show for it, Adele is remarkably fast. What's more impressive is her ability to control and change her speed at will – a skill that often takes players many more years to master. Despite their youth, Changamire and the Bulldogs have the opportunity to make more noise than expected this year in Class 3A.   [player_tooltip player_id='600748' first='Kaja' last='Nash'] – 2027 guard, Southwest Christian   Like several others on this list, we last saw Nash at the Prep Girls Hoops Freshman Showcase in the fall. These days she has found a home in the starting lineup for Southwest Christian High School, after beginning her high school career at Maranatha Christian Academy. Kaja, who is ranked as the #14 prospect in the class, is currently averaging 14.9 points per game. Over the weekend, she showcased her basketball IQ, high motor, and proficiency handling the basketball. In Friday's matchup with Pequot Lakes, Nash played excellent, high-pressure defense on Pequot's [player_tooltip player_id='850572' first='Kelsi' last='Martini']. Nash finished the game with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. The Stars have had some other roster shake-ups this year, adding junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='453770' first='Maddy' last='Hamdorf'], who we wrote about earlier this week, freshman [player_tooltip player_id='734360' first='Gigi' last='Coleman'], and first-year head coach Alex Elrod.   Kinley Bartsch – 2027 guard, Minot   While this was the first time we had seen the Minot Majettes play this season, we have been fortunate enough to look at a couple of their star players in Minnesota before. Most well-known of the Majettes is North Dakota's #1-ranked prospect in the 2026 class, Leelee Bell along with #2 Maggie Fricke. One year below them is Bartsch, a gifted freshman guard. We last saw Kinley in September at the Prep Girls Hoops Freshman Showcase, where she impressed us with her toughness and grit. Over the weekend we saw the 5'8 point guard play off the bench on Friday, and enter the starting lineup the next night against Hopkins. Kinley more than held her own out on the floor against one of Minnesota's highest-caliber teams. While we don't have stats from the matchup, Bartsch showcased her ball handling, exquisite court vision and passing, and ability to fight through contact when attacking the basket. Her motor looks exceptional.   [player_tooltip player_id='644100' first='Annika' last='Kieser'] – 2027 guard Wayzata   Another rather young team, the Wayzata Trojans are off to a solid start so far this year. With only two losses heading into the weekend, Wayzata is still set to be one of the strongest teams in the state, despite losing personnel such as Shannon Fornshell (Drake), Abby Krzewinski (North Dakota State), Jessica Oberlander (Jamestown), and Brynn Senden (Minnesota). Among the underclassmen making an impact is Keiser, a versatile 2027 guard. The 20th-ranked prospect made a splash at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic and has been providing reliable minutes ever since. Annika is an athletic, physical player who gives every possession her all. While not overly flashy, she is a difference maker on both ends of the floor, playing high intensity defense and showing the ability to drain threes. With the door for the Class 4A state title seemingly wide open, only time will tell what this season has in store for Wayzata.   [player_tooltip player_id='565312' first='Ari' last='Peterson'] – 2028 guard/forward , Providence Academy   The graduation of senior forward Grace Counts from Providence has meant a significantly increased role this season for Peterson, who may be the most athletic prospect in the 2028 class. Now in the 8th grade, Peterson has entered the starting lineup for the Lions where she is averaging 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Ari stands at about 6 feet tall, has tons of length, and is extremely athletic with light feet. These physical gifts, in addition to a burst in recent skill development, are turning her into a force to be reckoned with. In Saturday's game against Duluth Marshall, she tallied a season-high 17 points, along with 10 rebounds and 2 steals. Ari scores most of her points in transition, or off of put-backs, but she can shoot the ball, too. Peterson has added a solid three-point shot to her game this season. There's little doubt now that Ari is going to be one of the most highly touted prospects in the 2028 class, and deservedly so.

One of the most interesting aspects of the first few weeks of the high school season is watching the younger players dive into the deep end of varsity action. It's often a sink-or-swim affair as youngsters we have evaluated and followed in AAU make the big jump to varsity. This past weekend at the Breakdown Granite City Classic, there were several youngsters who swam rather well and distinguished themselves in the games we watched at St. Ben's.