The Week That Was #15: Sections and seniors

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's always exciting in the first week of March to watch the section finals shape up as the table gets set for the State Tournament beginning March 13 in Minneapolis. Unfortunately, there is a lot of sadness, as well, as teams get eliminated and seniors leave the court for the final time in their high school careers. We started the week seeing some of that and finished it off Saturday night in St. Peter with more of the same. That's where we'll begin our recap of the Week That Was #15.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SAYING GOODBYE TO SOME SENIORS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='461349' first='Kaitlin' last='Flack'] of Lake Crystal-Welcome Memorial has always been one of the most entertaining players in Minnesota's Class of 2024. She made her varsity debut on a strong Knights squad while she was still in junior high, proving that she could compete at both ends of the floor and making a name for herself with a high-energy style of play. On Monday her career came to an end as LCWM was eliminated by Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, but Flack went out in style by reaching 1,000 career points. She'll run track next year just up the road at Gustavus-Adolphus College in St. Peter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gustavus is where our week of viewing ended on Saturday when we watched one of the most dynamic players to come out of that region in a good while – [player_tooltip player_id='304895' first='Macy' last='Birkholz'] of Mankato East – conclude her top-notch career. The Cougars fell 61-55 to a tough Marshall squad in the Section 2AAA semifinals, but Birkholz did everything within her power to will the Cougars to the win. It wasn't quite enough. Following the 2022 graduation of top 25 prospects <strong>Mackenzie Schweim</strong> (MSU-Mankato) and <strong>Lexi Karge </strong>(UM-Duluth), and the 2023 departure of <strong>Peyton</strong> <strong>Stevermer</strong> (Gustavus), it was hard to imagine that East could remain competitive. They did because Macy made it happen. Macy is a dynamic performer, and one of the most competitive athletes we've seen. She's heading to Nebraska this fall to play for Wayne State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the earlier game Saturday at Gustavus we watched a much more somber departure as senior [player_tooltip player_id='215987' first='Daviney' last='Dreckman'] of New Ulm (pictured above) watched the final game of her high school career from the end of the bench. That's because she suffered the second major ACL injury of her career a couple of weeks ago. The Eagles played well in a close loss to St. Peter, but they aren't the same team without Dreckman's energy and leadership. Dreckman is one of the most fun players we've had the pleasure of scouting since she first exploded on the scene as an 8^th grader, a high-octane competitor with speed, skill and smarts. Her college debut at the University of Jamestown will now be delayed but we're confident that Dreckman will return to form when she's healthy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the all-time greats from Southern Minnesota saw her high school career end earlier in the week, as well. After an excellent season, [player_tooltip player_id='178265' first='Kadence' last='Hesse'] and Sleepy Eye were knocked out of the section 2A competition by their cross-town rivals from Sleepy Eye St. Mary's. Hesse rewrote the Indians record book throughout her career. From her early days as a precocious youngster to her most recent performances as one of the top prospects in the class, Hesse has competed at a high level. She's off to D2 Southwest Minnesota State University.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":865836,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/03/Olivia-Pawlicki-1000-family.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-865836" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: <a href="https://x.com/JeffPawlicki" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a></figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By every measure, [player_tooltip player_id='215985' first='Olivia' last='Pawlicki'] of Shakopee has had a memorable high school career. Ranked #13 among Minnesota's 2024 prospects, the Colorado State commit finished her varsity run by reaching 1,000 career points this week. Shakopee's approach to the game has never been about points, and on the elite 2024 [program_tooltip program_id='712700' first='Minnesota' last='Suns'] team Olivia was often overshadowed by the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='205310' first='Tori' last='Oehrlein']. But Pawlicki's &nbsp;contributions were limitless and she handled herself with class throughout. She's going to be a standout collegian at the D1 level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior [player_tooltip player_id='605702' first='Ashley' last='Bryfczynski'] of Waconia also bowed out this week as the Wildcats fell to Eden Prairie in section 2AAAA. The sharpshooting guard established a new program record as she rode into the sunset, making her 88th three-point basket of the season. That broke the standard set by the great <strong>Sydni Olson</strong> in 2018-19 when she was a sophomore. Ashley led Waconia in scoring this year at 15 points per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='339110' first='Haylie' last='Jerde'] of Cambridge-Isanti exited the high school stage, as well, during Week #15. She put up 29 points in a tough 74-61 loss to Anoka. Over the years we watched Haylie evolve from an undersized guard scrambling to find an AAU team that would take her to a legitimate college-ready player. Jerde trained relentlessly with Damien Lalor's group at Verve Basketball and her development is testament to how far a player can go if they have serious passion for the game and a willingness to do the work.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are too many graduating seniors to mention, of course, and we're bound to leave out some terrific competitors who deserve a final dash of recognition. Regardless, here are a few more of our longtime favorites who were eliminated from high school competition last week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='178274' first='Amy' last='Thompson'] of Stillwater (South Florida)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='215979' first='Cece' last='McNair'] of Prior Lake (UW-Milwaukee)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='215981' first='Kylie' last='Waytashek'] of Royalton (Valparaiso)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='302309' first='Karly' last='Jusczak'] of Pine City (Idaho)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='304934' first='Ava' last='Miller'] of Rochester Mayo (SC-Upstate)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='302314' first='Taylor' last='Clarey'] of Rochester Century (Lake Superior State)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='520282' first='Olivia' last='Kesti'] of Spring Lake Park&nbsp;(Augustana)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='304938' first='Alexis' last='Rose'] of Becker (Sioux Falls)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='215983' first='Drew' last='Buslee'] of Eagan (Sioux Falls)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='302310' first='Aubrey' last='Heyer'] of Chaska (Bemidji State)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='215990' first='Lauren' last='Arnold'] of Chanhassen (St. Ben's)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='215980' first='Bella' last='Sutch'] of Spring Lake Park (Gustavus Adolphus)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>COMING UP</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week the field for the State Tournament in Minneapolis will be determined as section play continues through Friday. Here are some nice matchups to see this week:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Monday</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Class 1A: Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart vs Sleepy Eye St. Mary's</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wednesday</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Class 2A: Providence Academy vs Holy Family, Duluth Marshall vs Crosby-Ironton</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Class 1A: Fosston vs Kelliher-Northome, Hancock v Breckenridge</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thursday</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Class 4A: Hopkins vs Wayzata, Rosemount vs Eastview</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Class 3A: Delano at Benilde-St. Margaret's, St. Peter vs Marshall</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Class 2A: Winona Cotter vs Rochester Lourdes</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Class 1A: Goodhue vs Hayfield</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Class 4A: Lakeville North vs Lakeville South, Minnetonka vs Eden Prairie</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Class 3A: Byron vs Stewartville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check the MN ScoreFeed app for times, locations and streaming options.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":865837,"sizeSlug":"thumbnail","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-thumbnail"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/03/Ella-Kletti-1000.jpg?w=150&amp;h=150&amp;crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-865837" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: <a href="https://x.com/crossfireschuck" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a></figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MILESTONES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In addition to the aforementioned Bryfczynski, Flack and Pawlicki, there were a couple more 1,000-point scorers we are aware of during the past week. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='304927' first='Ella' last='Kletti'] of Mahtomedi (Florida Southern) reached the milestone in the Zephyrs win over Hill-Murray on Saturday. Also reaching 1,000 during Week #15 were senior [player_tooltip player_id='302302' first='Braya' last='LaPlant'] of Grand Rapids and Northern Michigan commit [player_tooltip player_id='339107' first='Jordyn' last='Schmittdiel'] of White Bear Lake.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='252379' first='Addison' last='Mack'] of Minnehaha Academy became the Redhawks' all-time leading scorer, male or female. She surpassed the great <strong>Jalen Suggs</strong>, who now plays in the NBA with the Orlando Magic. Suggs played six years of varsity ball and compiled 2,945 points. Mack has 2,960 in four years at Minnehaha plus another 523 during her 7th grade season at Blake. Addi scored 33 points in a lopsided win to get the record, a game in which she only played one half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='595556' first='Katherine' last='Boulanger'] of New Prague set a new program standard for points in a single season with 634, surpassing 2012 graduate <strong>Anna Rynda</strong> who had 622. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='453728' first='Ajiem' last='Agwa'] of Austin set a similar mark for the Packers, becoming the first player in school history to top 600 points in a season. The top 50 prospect finished the year averaging 23 points per game on 46% shooting to go along with 6.8 rebounds, 4.7 steals and 3 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vanderbilt commit [player_tooltip player_id='335641' first='Trinity' last='Wilson'] of Lakeville North, a top 5 prospect in the Class of 2024, reached a big-time milestone last week by grabbing the 1,000th rebound of her career. The 6'3 post is obviously a force in the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='520263' first='Bra'ja' last='Torry'] of Eastview recorded a triple-double for the Lightning in a Section 3AAAA win over Bloomington Jefferson on Wednesday. Torry had 14 points. 11 assists, and 11 steals. She's ranked #56 In the Class of 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='396423' first='Cierra' last='Kortan'] of Sauk Centre became the all-time three-point leader for the Mainstreeters. She slipped by one of the all-time greats in <strong>Maesyn Thiesen</strong> (UM-Duluth) and now has 260 triples.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='178271' first='Willow' last='Thiel'] of Perham broke the Yellowjackets single-game scoring record with 41 in a section win over Park Rapids. Willow was so efficient going 16-for-19 from the field and 9-for-13 at the free throw line. She added 16 rebounds in the win for yet another double-double. Thiel is committed to UM-Crookston.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Division 1 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='478362' first='Morgan' last='Korf'] of Pelican Rapids is no stranger to heroics. On Saturday the sophomore point guard nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer against Frazee in the Section 8AA playoffs to force a third overtime period during which the Vikings secured a 71-62 victory. Korf recorded a triple-double in the game with 28 points, 14 assists, 12 rebounds and 5 steals. Her teammate [player_tooltip player_id='850566' first='Ellie' last='Welch'] was 20 and 15 while <strong>Anna Roisum</strong> went 18 and 8. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->