Class A State Tourney: All-Tournament Teams

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The scoring came early and often for the Goodhue Wildcats on Saturday afternoon in the Class A State Championship game, and that put the defending title-holders Mountain Iron-Buhl on their heels. The assault began with an [player_tooltip player_id='302307' first='Elisabeth' last='Gadient'] three followed by a [player_tooltip player_id='862790' first='Natalie' last='Thomforde'] three and another quick bucket and the score was already 9-0 after just three minutes. The Rangers got back on track soon after but spent the rest of the afternoon trying to claw their way back into the contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Goodhue defended in a full-court press, double teaming MIB's [player_tooltip player_id='178277' first='Jordan' last='Zubich'] any time she touched the ball. Gadient, the engine that pulls the Wildcats train, was on fire draining 4 three-pointers in the first half. By half time the Wildcats were up 39-29 and Zubich was held to just 3 points, all from the free throw line. The North Carolina commit's first field goal finally came with 15 minutes remaining in the second half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rangers continued to push and senior guard <strong>Gabby Lira</strong> took advantage of her open looks, making quality cuts to the basket to score. The gap was closed to as little as 3 points, but thanks to big baskets from Thomforde and [player_tooltip player_id='550025' first='Kendyl' last='Lodermeier'], the Wildcats were able to hold off Mountain Iron. The final score was 70 to 65. Zubich finished with just 12 points while Lira had 24. Gadient finished with 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. Lodermeier had a 21-and-12 double-double. Thomforde finished with 11 points, making 3 of her 4 attempts from beyond the arc.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MOST VALUABLE PLAYER</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='302307' first='Elisabeth' last='Gadient'] <strong>– 2024 guard, Goodhue</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gadient had three outstanding performances in the tournament, leading her team in scoring in every game. In Thursday's statement win over Mayer Lutheran, she totaled 19 points and a whopping 15 rebounds. The next day she dropped another double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the semifinal against Underwood. Liz had her biggest and most crucial performance in Saturday's championship game against Mountain Iron-Buhl with 31 points on 13-of 26-shooting, including 5 of 10 from beyond the arc.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gadient showed a lot more on the floor this week than just her scoring abilities. She demonstrated her silky-smooth jump shot, elite handles, and ability to utilize her length on the defensive end. Perhaps most importantly, in every contest Liz led her team with poise, confidence, and maturity, showing that she is a true veteran on the floor. Ranked 17th in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2024, the D1 talent has elected to stay close to home and will play D2 in Mankato next season. We will certainly be watching.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BREAKOUT PERFORMER</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='862790' first='Natalie' last='Thomforde'] <strong>– 2026 guard, Goodhue</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This season, we first set our eyes on the Goodhue sophomore in December at the Breakdown Tip-Off Classic. The top 100 prospect wowed us with her aggressive defense, consistent hustle, and ability to finish around the rim. This weekend Natalie did all of that and more, and played a pivotal role in her team's road to the championship win. On Thursday it was hot scoring, hitting 7 of 12 from the field. She finished with 19 points against Mayer Lutheran. Thomforde's biggest contributions, however, came in Saturday's championship game. She finished with 11 points, making 3 of 4 shots from three, the last coming in the final three minutes of the second half, staking her team to a 6-point lead. Natalie also played a significant role in the defensive strategy for [player_tooltip player_id='178277' first='Jordan' last='Zubich'], which held the North Carolina commit to just 12 points.</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='302307' first='Elisabeth' last='Gadient'] – 2024 guard, Goodhue (MSU-Mankato)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='550025' first='Kendyl' last='Lodermeier'] – 2025 forward, Goodhue</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='461340' first='Hali' last='Savela'] – 2024 guard Mountain Iron-Buhl (Jamestown)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='178277' first='Jordan' last='Zubich'] – 2024 guard, Mountain Iron-Buhl (North Carolina)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='304915' first='Rachel' last='Kottke'] – 2024 guard, Buffalo-Lake-Hector-Stewart (St. Cloud State)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Second Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gabby Lira</strong> – 2024 guard, Mountain Iron-Buhl (Mesabi Range CC)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='461344' first='Elizabeth' last='Lukken'] – 2024 guard, Underwood</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='773408' first='Lily' last='Hubin'] – 2026 guard, Buffalo-Lake-Hector-Stewart</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='862790' first='Natalie' last='Thomforde'] – 2026 guard, Goodhue</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='304916' first='Kristi' last='Kottke'] – 2024 guard, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart (St. Cloud State)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='659121' first='Anna' last='Neyens'] – 2027 guard, Mountain Iron-Buhl</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='396437' first='Aubrey' last='Morrison'] – 2025 guard, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Danica Martin</strong> – 2024 forward, Mayer Lutheran</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1048130' first='Izabelle' last='Keaveny']</strong> – 2026 guard, Mayer Lutheran</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Jocelyn Barron</strong> – 2024 forward, Southwest Minnesota Christian</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Kallyn Grove</strong> – 2025 guard, Underwood</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='866106' first='Lola' last='Christianson'] – 2027 guard, Goodhue</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='665717' first='Mackenzie' last='Lodermeier'] – 2027 guard, Goodhue</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Mily Albjerg</strong> – 2025 forward, Underwood</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='675971' first='Trinity' last='Baker'] – 2027 guard, Underwood</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PGH scout Ally McGinnis contributed to this content.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->