Tony’s Takeaways: Section recap… Farewell to the Seniors part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='215985' first='Olivia' last='Pawlicki'] - forward - Shakopee</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's less than a week to the day two years ago on March 11th, 2022 that the young sharp-shooting Pawlicki and company knocked off the favorite Eden Prairie at home to advance to the State Tournament. Not many players get to experience a tournament run let alone be a major cog in the wheel as Pawlicki was during the 2021-22 season. The 13th-rated prospect in the 2024 class and Colorado State commit had her high school career ended at the hands of the Chaska Hawks in the section quarterfinals. Pawlicki's stellar career ended with her reaching the illustrious 1,000 point club. Goes to show she was a very unselfish player as she certainly has the tools to fill it up. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='215990' first='Lauren' last='Arnold'] <strong>- guard - Chanhassen</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Storm will have some big shoes to fill with this St. Ben's commit and 1,000-point scorer walking off into the sunset. Arnold increased her scoring average every year from her freshman season where she averaged 7.8 ppg to her senior campaign where she led Chan with 17.3 ppg. If you've watched her, you know she's as unselfish a player as there is and gave you your money's worth on both ends of the court game in and game out. The Bennies are getting a quality player and even better human being. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='215943' first='Somah' last='Kamara'] - guard - Cooper</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kamara is another standout in the long history of great guards to don the Cooper colors over the years. A 1,200+ point scorer who's unstoppable getting to the basket if you give her a step. She worked on her jump shot to where you had to respect her range, making her almost impossible to guard. Somah was a monster on the boards too, finishing less than 20 from leading the team in rebounds this season and was clearly the Hawks vocal and emotional leader. The 42nd-rated prospect in the 2024 class is still undecided on where she'll suit up next season, but word on the street is that she'll be making an announcement soon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='215980' first='Bella' last='Sutch'] - forward - Spring Lake Park</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've written about Sutch a few times and I've always appreciated the way she plays. If I've said it once, I've said it 1,000 times, they just don't make em like this anymore. Sutch is tenacious rebounder and rim runner who does all the dirty work in the paint, sets solid screens and runs the pick-and-roll with the best of them. After a freshman season in which she only appeared in one varsity game, she burst on the scene her sophomore year to lead the team in scoring and did so for the last 3 seasons while eclipsing the 1,000-point mark this season, as well. Sutch will be right down the road in St. Peter suiting up for Gustavus Adolphus where I'm sure she'll continue to shine and play the game the right way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='302295' first='Helen' last='Ben'] - guard - Coon Rapids</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ben (pictured above) made a move that's pretty uncommon this late in your high school career, transfering after her junior season from Park Center to Coon Rapids, but it worked out for her. Ben always plays with a smile on her face and gives you maximum effort every time she touches the floor. The Maryville commit more than doubled her scoring average from a year ago and put the Cardinals on her back throughout the season to help them win the most games the program has won since the 2017-18 season. An accomplished scorer, Ben is a very unrated rebounder and defender who uses her length and great instincts to cause havoc on the defensive end. This is one to keep your eyes on as I think she has only scratched the surface and has a lot of untapped potential. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='178270' first='Finley' last='Ohnstad'] - forward - Lakeville South</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had the privilege along with many others to be present at the Breakdown Tipoff Classic game in December where Ohnstad went completely off and scored a career-high 45 points against the Wayzata Trojans. We all knew she could fill it up, but many of us have never had to pleasure to watch someone "in a zone" like that. The Kansas State commit has a very complementary inside/outside game and plays with a lot of passion and energy. The Cougars will have their work cut for them to replace this 1,000-point scorer and overall leader as she takes her talents to Manhattan to suit up for the Wildcats. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='178263' first='Laura' last='Hauge'] - guard - St. Croix Lutheran</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hauge is a flat-out scorer. If you just looked at the score from her last game played against Minnehaha Academy, you wouldn't know any better, but to be there and marvel at her incredible shot making ability was a treat. She capped off her high school career with a 25-point performance in the section final and left everything she had on the court. The respect she received from the Minnehaha players was as classy as it gets. The top 10-rated prospect in the 2024 class and St. Thomas commit gets to stay home and continue to show up and show out for her fans (me included,) and will no doubt take her game to another level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->