Tony's Takeaways from Week #14

As we wind down the regular season and start to ramp up for the post season, there was some very impressive play from some who's who and some storied rivalries coming to a head in a couple of epic battles to close things out and gain some momentum. There were a couple of outstanding games in the Lake Conference, both involving the Hopkins Royals. While some of the players in the game are already household names, it wouldn't be fair not to show them some love for the work they put in day in and day in day out.   [player_tooltip player_id='178269' first='Liv' last='McGill'] - guard Hopkins   The Florida commit was her usual dominant self, logging a ton of minutes and doing it on both ends to keep the Royals right there in the thick of things in games last week, going 1-1, knocking off STMA in overtime and fell just short against the Skippers from Minnetonka a couple of days later. She finished with 37 points and shot 92% from the charity stripe, going 12/13 while nabbing 3 boards and dishing out 3 assist to down the Knights 80-78 in OT. She followed that up with a 28-point performance and was just seconds away of getting credited with the winning bucket before [player_tooltip player_id='252383' first='Lanelle' last='Wright'] would shatter those hopes and dreams with an improbable 3-point play seconds later to upend the Royals 64-61.   McGill's relentless work ethic and attention to detail on both sides of the ball is unmatched and when a big bucket or defensive play is needed, she more times than not finds a way to answer the call. The Royals hadn't lost to a Minnesota opponent since last season's state championship game, so the loss to the Skippers if nothing else, fueled an already smoldering fire.   [player_tooltip player_id='252383' first='Lanelle' last='Wright'] - guard - Minnetonka   Wright would start the game against Hopkins with 2 made free throws and end it in the same fashion in route to a 64-61 win for the Skippers to head into the post season with some confidence and swagger. You could tell from the outside that Lanelle was focused and determined to help the Skippers do something they hadn't done in recent memory, not only beat Hopkins, but do it on their home court. Wright would account for 6 of the Tonka's 1st 11 points with a nice drive by [player_tooltip player_id='215958' first='Tori' last='McKinney'] and a deep trey from [player_tooltip player_id='252387' first='Aaliyah' last='Crump'] sprinkled in.   Wright would end the game with 20 points, scoring the last 5 for Tonka including a huge and-1 to put them up 62-61 with 10 seconds remaining, immediately after [player_tooltip player_id='178269' first='Liv' last='McGill'] put Hopkins up 61-59 with a tough runner in the lane. Wright would add 2 free throws with .4 seconds left to send the Tonka crowd into a frenzy and upset the mighty Royals on their homecourt.   [player_tooltip player_id='339129' first='Ja'Kahla' last='Craft'] - guard - STMA   It was a tough week for the Knights dropping two big games to Hopkins and Wayzata to close out the regular season, 19-7. Craft was brilliant in the two games averaging 25.5 to keep the Knights in contention before ultimately falling in both contests. Against Hopkins, Craft did a great job of getting to her left hand to finish at the rim and create enough space to get her feathery soft jump shot off with defenders draped all over her. With the help of [player_tooltip player_id='344333' first='Cail' last='Jahnke'], the Knights almost pulled off the big win, but fell just short as [player_tooltip player_id='453753' first='Lauren' last='Hillesheim'] and [player_tooltip player_id='296531' first='Tatum' last='Woodson'] came up big in OT for the Royals to thwart the upset bid for the Knights.   Against the Trojans, the Knights fell behind big early before Craft got going to help pull STMA to within 6 at the break, but the Trojans proved to be just too much as [player_tooltip player_id='212489' first='Sophie' last='Hawkinson'], [player_tooltip player_id='478350' first='Kate' last='Amelotte'] and [player_tooltip player_id='659119' first='Maren' last='Day'] took turns putting a stop to Craft and company everytime it looked like they were ready to get over the hump. Craft is battle-tested and with Jahnke, [player_tooltip player_id='330743' first='Abby' last='Hoselton'] and company, the Knights are still the defending state champions until someone knocks them off!   [player_tooltip player_id='657037' first='Maya' last='Meisinger'] - forward - Eagan   The 5'11 junior had it stuck on automatic last week in a big win for the Wildcats over Burnsville. Meisinger was knocking them down from beyond the arc and causing havoc on the defensive side, getting deflections leading to easy run-out buckets to the tune of a season-high 18 points. It's no secret that the Wildcats go as University of Sioux Falls commit [player_tooltip player_id='215983' first='Drew' last='Buslee'] goes, but to get this kind of contribution from Meisinger will go a long way as the 16-10 Wildcats start sections with a match up against Park of Cottage Grove looking to punch their ticket to the big dance. Maya can score in a variety of ways, but one of her biggest attributes is on the defensive end. She's quick, long, and is a flat out gamer. It's all there for the taking.   [player_tooltip player_id='461368' first='Nyomi' last='Crushshon'] - guard - Champlin Park   Things haven't gone quite as many had hoped this season for the Rebels, but factor in a new coaching staff, some big loses from the player side, growing pains are to be expected. Crushshon made the move over from Park Center for her senior year and has been all gas no breaks. Crushshon plays as hard as any player out there and it was on full display last week when the Rebels faced off against Coon Rapids and [player_tooltip player_id='302295' first='Helen' last='Ben'], another Park Center defector. You could tell Nyomi had an extra pep in her step as she tussled with Ben, her friend and former high school and AAU teammate. Crushshon scored a season-high 25 point doing it in a variety of ways, most notably attacking the paint with reckless abandon, finishing at the rim and getting to the foul line. Her defensive exploits is where she hangs her hat with quick feet, hands and anticipation being second to none. As with everyone, the reset button has been pushed as sections begin. Maple Grove is the clear favorite in Section 5, but I wouldn't count anyone out just yet.   Other players with notable performances last week:   [player_tooltip player_id='529334' first='Isa' last='Griefenhagen'] of Minnehaha Academy with a season high 15 points against Cretin-Derham Hall.   Isabella Cassidy of St. Anthony Village with a season-high 18 points against Bloomington Kennedy.   [player_tooltip player_id='350439' first='Janiya' last='Wright'] of Marantha Christian Academy with 24 points against St. Agnes and 14 points and 13 rebounds against St. Croix Prep.

As we wind down the regular season and start to ramp up for the post season, there was some very impressive play from some who's who and some storied rivalries coming to a head in a couple of epic battles to close things out and gain some momentum. There were a couple of outstanding games in the Lake Conference, both involving the Hopkins Royals. While some of the players in the game are already household names, it wouldn't be fair not to show them some love for the work they put in day in and day in day out.