Ally's top performers on day 2 at the State Tournament

When we think about State Tournaments in the past, it is the nail-biter battles and fights to the finish that we remember. The Albany vs Providence Academy struggles of the past couple of years, for example,  or the classic Eastview vs Hopkins final of a few years ago. Those games are what the big dance at Williams Arena is all about. On day 2 of the 2024 State Tournament in Minneapolis, however, there were not a lot of close ones with the Class A games being won by an average of 27 points and two of the big-school contests being rather one-sided.   Fortunately, the Hopkins vs Maple Grove thriller in the evening session saved the day and produced some memorable individual performances. With Stewartville and Alexandria both departing in Class 3A, and St. Michael-Albertville and Maple Grove being eliminated in 4A, there were plenty of top performers who exited the proceedings on Thursday and went out with a bang. PGH scout Ally McGinnis watched all of the games in Class 3A and 4A at Williams Arena and these are her top performers, beginning with players who were knocked out of the tournament.   [player_tooltip player_id='458305' first='Audrey' last='Shindelar'] – 2026 guard , Stewartville   After beating St. Peter in the quarterfinals by a margin of just one point, Stewartville went on to face defending Class 3A champion Benilde-St. Margaret's on Thursday. While the Tigers struggled to get into their offensive rhythm thanks to BSM's defensive efforts, top 10 sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='458305' first='Audrey' last='Shindelar'] was able to churn out a very nice performance. The 6-foot guard scored a team-high 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting. In addition to the points, Audrey tallied 4 assists and 7 rebounds in the 73-42 loss to the Red Knights. Audrey's younger sister [player_tooltip player_id='991231' first='Danika' last='Shindelar'] also appeared in the contest for Stewartville. The 8th grader hit a pretty reverse layup in the contest and looks to be a key piece for next season.   [player_tooltip player_id='346165' first='Hadley' last='Thul'] – 2025 guard/wing, Alexandria   Alexandria star [player_tooltip player_id='346165' first='Hadley' last='Thul'] had an outstanding performance on Thursday afternoon against DeLaSalle in the Class AAA semifinals. A top 10 prospect in Minnesota's junior class, Hadley scored 29 points on 9-of-11 shooting, as well as 9-for-12 from the free throw line. Hadley also racked up 5 assists and 5 rebounds. The contest was much closer than the 13-point margin might lead you to believe as the Cardinals fought all game long to stick with DeLaSalle. In the end, the Islanders were able to outlast Alex and come away with the 82-69 win. Several other Cardinals scored in double figures, including [player_tooltip player_id='502543' first='Lauren' last='Beyer'] (10), [player_tooltip player_id='346183' first='Chloe' last='Scholl'] (12), and [player_tooltip player_id='396428' first='Allie' last='Haabala'] (10).   [player_tooltip player_id='215944' first='Ava' last='Cossette'], [player_tooltip player_id='215956' first='Claire' last='Stern'] & [player_tooltip player_id='205298' first='Jordan' last='Ode'] – Maple Grove   The Maple Grove Crimson put up an incredibly hard fought battle on Thursday night in their semifinal loss to the Hopkins Royals, and it was most definitely the highlight game of the day. After tying things up with a buzzer-beater 3 at halftime, the Crimson fell to a 10-point deficit early in the second half, and spent the rest of the contest trying to claw their way out of the hole. Several players left it all out on the floor, delivering gutsy performances in the biggest moment of their careers to date. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='215944' first='Ava' last='Cossette'] (South Dakota) finished with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and was a defensive dynamo. North Dakota State senior commit [player_tooltip player_id='215956' first='Claire' last='Stern'] was in a zone for the second day in a row, making plays and finishing near the basket. Stern had 19 points (7-of-8 field goal attempts) and 8 assists. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='205298' first='Jordan' last='Ode'] (Michigan State), the 2nd-rated prospect in the Class of 2025, had 21 points and 7 rebounds, also coming away with a nasty gash on her chin. Despite their best efforts, Maple Grove was unable to close the gap and fell 84-78 to the Royals.   DAY 2 BREAKOUTS   [player_tooltip player_id='558627' first='Erma' last='Walker'] – 2027 forward, Hopkins   Of all of the outstanding players we watched on Thursday, the most impressive performance we witnessed was delivered by one of the youngest players on the floor. Hopkins freshman [player_tooltip player_id='558627' first='Erma' last='Walker'] put on a clinic in the paint Thursday night in the semifinal matchup against Maple Grove. From the tip, Erma was on her offensive A game, burying players in the lane to score from the 3-to-5 foot range. The 6-foot forward was incredibly efficient, making 14 of her 16 shots. She finished with a season-high 30 points, as well as 9 rebounds, although it felt more like 19. Walker will be a key piece for the Royals on Saturday when they face off against Minnetonka in the Class 4A championship game. After a breakout performance on Thursday, one of the top prospects in the Class of 2027 made it obvious she is up to the task.   OTHER TOP PERFORMERS   Hopkins has advanced to the State Championship game by putting together two dozen team-first performances in what has been a most impressive three-month run to the final. Their win over Maple Grove was no exception. In addition to Walker's excellence, the Royals had strong performances from [player_tooltip player_id='296531' first='Tatum' last='Woodson'] (14), [player_tooltip player_id='453753' first='Lauren' last='Hillesheim'] (11), and Florida commit [player_tooltip player_id='178269' first='Liv' last='McGill'] (20).   Benilde-St. Margaret's leader [player_tooltip player_id='177728' first='Olivia' last='Olson'] (Michigan) finished with 32 points and 7 rebounds on 12-of-23 shooting in the semifinal win over Stewartville. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='208184' first='Zahara' last='Bishop'] had a second strong game in a row at State, tallying 18 points. Benilde will face off against DeLaSalle in Saturday's championship game.   The Islanders moved on to the finals after a 82-69 win over Alexandria. As has been the case all season, it was junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='296527' first='Aneisha' last='Scott'] who set the pace for DLS. The flashy floor general finished the contest with 29 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, and 11 assists. That's what you call a stat line! Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='595567' first='Jordyn' last='Johnson'] had 20 points, and sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='478363' first='Maddy' last='Blaylark'] finished with 12 points and 5 rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting.   Minnetonka put together a clinical dismantling of St. Michael-Albertville in the final contest of day 2 in Minneapolis. Tonka junior [player_tooltip player_id='252387' first='Aaliyah' last='Crump'] was unbelievably good from the opening tip as she sparked the Skippers to a fast start. In the end the score was 67-49 but it wasn't really that close as Brian Cosgriff's team put together a textbook performance. Crump, the top prospect in Minnesota's Class of 2025, finished with 29 points and 9 rebounds. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='252383' first='Lanelle' last='Wright'] had 15 points and 7 assists while senior [player_tooltip player_id='215958' first='Tori' last='McKinney'] (Minnesota) scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.   PGH scout Ally McGinnis did the player evaluations for Class 4A and 3A on Thursday

When we think about State Tournaments in the past, it is the nail-biter battles and fights to the finish that we remember. The Albany vs Providence Academy struggles of the past couple of years, for example, or the classic Eastview vs Hopkins final of a few years ago. Those games are what the big dance at Williams Arena is all about. On day 2 of the 2024 State Tournament in Minneapolis, however, there were not a lot of close ones with the Class A games being won by an average of 27 points and two of the big-school contests being rather one-sided.