Class 2A State Tourney: All-Tournament Teams

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the first half of Saturday's Class 2A state championship game, everything was going Albany's way. The Huskies got out to a 9-0 start, with senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='302297' first='Alyssa' last='Sand'] scoring 4 of those points. The Lions responded with a three-pointer by [player_tooltip player_id='529357' first='Emma' last='Millerbernd'] and a layup by [player_tooltip player_id='565312' first='Ari' last='Peterson'], bringing them within 4, but the score would never be that close again in the first half. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Providence switched their defensive strategy to a box-and-one, with the Lions' [player_tooltip player_id='392477' first='Brooke' last='Hohenecker'] face-guarding Albany's [player_tooltip player_id='594370' first='Tatum' last='Findley']. This seemed to help somewhat, but nothing could stop Sand from scoring. With under four minutes remaining in the half, Sand had 17 points and the Lions found themselves in an 18-point hole. Big baskets by Peterson, [player_tooltip player_id='296515' first='Hope' last='Counts'], and [player_tooltip player_id='252381' first='Maddyn' last='Greenway'] allowed PA to pull within 11 at the break.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The gap was closing in the second half, but with three of the Providence starters and Sand in foul trouble, both teams were forced to tread carefully on the defensive end. A series of missed shots and unlucky bounces for Albany in the final minute allowed the Lions to secure the ball on a fast break, where Greenway scored a layup with under 8 seconds remaining, giving PA their first lead of the day. The game ended 81-78 in favor of the Lions, who secured their third consecutive Class 2A state championship. The leading scorers were Greenway with 30, Sand with 29, and [player_tooltip player_id='302300' first='Kylan' last='Gerads'] with 23.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MOST VALUABLE PLAYER</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='252381' first='Maddyn' last='Greenway'] <strong>– 2026 guard, Providence Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What can be said about the star point guard from Providence Academy that hasn't been said a hundred times already? Quite honestly, not much, so well just give you the facts. Over three games in the state tournament, Maddyn totaled 109 points, 28 rebounds, 26 assists, and 15 steals. She shot 84% from the free throw line, making 37 of 44 attempts. She led her team to their third consecutive title, making Providence the first team to accomplish the feat since DeLaSalle in 2011-13. The Lions are the only team to ever do it in class AA since the state was split into 4 classes in 1997. Greenway's display of toughness, grit and sheer force of will was remarkable once again. Not many high school sophomores are capable of willing their team to victory the way she can. Greenway has done it before and on Saturday she did it again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BREAKOUT PERFORMER</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='565312' first='Ari' last='Peterson'] <strong>– 2028 guard/forward, Providence Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The uber-lengthy 8th grader has undergone an incredible transformation as a player this season. Over the past 6 months she has evolved into a sophisticated offensive threat, a confident ball handler, and a reliable defender. Perhaps the biggest addition to her game is the ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc. When you combine all of that with her length and elite athletic ability, it's obvious that Peterson is going to be scary good.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ari had a big game in Friday's semifinal game against Crosby-Ironton, tallying 20 points and 9 boards and making a pair of threes. Her performance against the Rangers was especially significant due to the fact that Greenway went down on the floor hard in the first half and obviously had a significant amount of pain in her knee. Greenway was able to return to the contest, but her explosiveness was clearly diminished. Ari's ability to step up and take over the offense for her team is a testament to her growth, and something we wouldn't have seen just a few months ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Please note: When making selections for the Prep Girls Hoops All-Tournament Teams, only performance in games played in the main draw is considered. We did not watch any consolation games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>First Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='252381' first='Maddyn' last='Greenway'] – 2026 guard, Providence Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='302297' first='Alyssa' last='Sand'] – 2024 forward, Albany (St. Thomas)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='205310' first='Tori' last='Oehrlein'] – 2026 guard, Crosby-Ironton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='252379' first='Addison' last='Mack'] – 2025 guard, Minnehaha Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='178271' first='Willow' last='Thiel'] – 2024 forward, Perham (UM-Crookston)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Second Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='565312' first='Ari' last='Peterson'] – 2028 guard/forward, Providence Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='529357' first='Emma' last='Millerbernd'] – 2027 guard, Providence Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='302300' first='Kylan' last='Gerads'] – 2024 guard, Albany (St. Cloud State)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='178266' first='Angel' last='Hill'] – 2024 guard, Minnehaha Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='594370' first='Tatum' last='Findley'] – 2024 guard, Albany</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Alayna Atherton</strong> – 2024 forward, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='840297' first='Ava' last='Carlson'] – 2025 forward, New London-Spicer</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='721209' first='Ayla' last='Caskey'] – 2026 guard, New London-Spicer</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='392477' first='Brooke' last='Hohenecker'] – 2024 guard, Providence Academy</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='502563' first='Lauren' last='Hust'] – 2026 forward, Rochester Lourdes</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='296515' first='Hope' last='Counts'] – 2025 forward, Providence Academy</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Kennedy Pilgrim</strong> – 2024 guard, Perham</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='826639' first='Sammie' last='Hachey'] – 2026 guard, Crosby-Ironton</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='461382' first='Savanna' last='Pelzer'] – 2024 guard, Albany</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='478390' first='Sinae' last='Hill'] – 2026 guard, Minnehaha Academy</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PGH scout Ally McGinnis contributed to this content.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->