Wednesday’s top performers at Maturi Pavilion

On a day when pretty much everything went according to form, it should come as no surprise that the biggest names had the biggest games on opening day at the State Tournament. It reads like a Who's Who of girls basketball in Minnesota at the moment – names like Oehrlein, Crump, Greenway and Olson. Here's a quick rundown on the day's top performers for the games played at the Maturi Pavilion on day 1.   [player_tooltip player_id='177728' first='Olivia' last='Olson'] & [player_tooltip player_id='208184' first='Zahara' last='Bishop'] – Benilde-St. Margaret's   What can you say about [player_tooltip player_id='177728' first='Olivia' last='Olson'] that hasn't already been said? From her excellence with Team USA to her dominance of the high school game over the past five seasons, from her superior leadership skills to incredible physical presence, the Michigan commit can do it all. With Minneapolis Roosevelt giving her Red Knights plenty of trouble in the first half, Olivia took over the game in the second. She went 13-for-22 from the field for 35 points on the day to go along with 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. She wasn't the only standout to step up for the defending Class 3A state champions. The junior Bishop struggled to make shots in the opening minutes but buried the ball in the second half to finish the game shooting an impressive 8-for-15 for 17 points. It was one of the best performances we have seen over the years form Zahara, who is a top 20 prospect among the 2025s. She played like it on Wednesday.   [player_tooltip player_id='302297' first='Alyssa' last='Sand'] & [player_tooltip player_id='302300' first='Kylan' last='Gerads'] – Albany   How long have Sand and Gerads been hauling the water for the Albany Huskies? Long enough to have established a reputation as one of the top duos of all time in Minnesota girls basketball. Sand is a 6'3 senior with size and skill who is ranked 6th in the PGH Minnesota Class of 2024. She's earned a D1 commitment to St. Thomas. Gerads is a top 25 senior. The 5'11 forward is one of the grittiest players around, a high-energy competitor who always seems to deliver in the biggest games, earning her a scholarship to St. Cloud State. We expected the duo to dominate on opening day against Rochester Lourdes and they did in a 58-41 victory. The two combined for 46 points, 20 rebounds and 9 steals. The Huskies are seeded #1 at the State Tournament for good reason and it showed on Wednesday.   [player_tooltip player_id='346165' first='Hadley' last='Thul'] & [player_tooltip player_id='453771' first='Macee' last='Linow'] – Alexandria   Hadley is a high-major recruit ranked as a Top 10 prospect in Minnesota's Class of 2025. Linow is a high-energy guard who can bomb it, two attributes that earned the junior an early commitment to Bemidji State. Despite having the public address announcer butcher her name throughout the contest, Macee was on fire. She went 5-for-9 from beyond the arc and 7-for-12 overall for 21 points. Thul, whose prodigious length and superior agility are just really difficult to contain for anyone and everyone, also put up 21. She was 9-for-13 from the field and had 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. We'd be remiss not to mention sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='502543' first='Lauren' last='Beyer'], who was also very good. She nailed 4 triples and scored 17 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='550024' first='Chloe' last='Nuss'] – 2025 guard, Totino-Grace   Two years ago the Eagles were the surprise of the Class 3A tournament as the private school from Fridley took home the title. There would be no such surprises this year as coach Mary Dengerud's Eagles fell 81-49 to DeLaSalle. Nuss has had an amazing season, right from the get-go with her standout performances over Thanksgiving weekend to the very end on Wednesday. She scored 28 points on 10-for-23 shooting and went 6-for-7 at the free throw line. Her improvement over the past 12 months has been palpable.   [player_tooltip player_id='178267' first='Rhyan' last='Holmgren'] – 2024 guard, St. Peter   Since the first time we watched her way back in 8th grade, Rhyan has been a force for St. Peter. The Saints were on the short end of a 47-46 win by Stewartville in the Class 3A quarterfinals on Wednesday, a heartbreaking loss for a St. Peter team that has had a memorable season. Throughout the year, the MSU-Mankato commit has been excellent. She went 7-of-14 from the field against Stewartville for 14 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Along with freshman [player_tooltip player_id='764209' first='Kylie' last='Southworth'] (12 points) and senior post [player_tooltip player_id='304899' first='Abby' last='Maloney'] (12 points), Rhyan gave her all for the Saints as she has done for the past five seasons.   [player_tooltip player_id='178266' first='Angel' last='Hill'] & [player_tooltip player_id='252379' first='Addison' last='Mack'] – Minnehaha Academy   The Redhawks rolled against Waterville-Elysian-Morristown in the final Class 2A game on Wednesday, scoring a 75-39 win as anticipated. Mack was special early to establish the tone for the contest by going end-to-end for a bucket on numerous occasions. How many times have we said that over the years about the #4 prospect in Minnesota's Class of 2025? Hill followed that with a superb run of her own as the senior continued the form she has shown throughout the year. Angel has grown into a complete player who brings it every game. Addi went 12-for-18 from the field for 29 points. Angel was 10-of-14 for 26 points as the twosome dominated. Hill also reached 2,000 career points in the win.   The Committee – Stewartville   Our final top performer notification from day 1 at Maturi Pavilion goes to ‘The Committee' of four that has been so instrumental in the Tigers return to the State Tournament where they finished runner-up one year ago to Benilde-St. Margaret's. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='339217' first='Savannah' last='Hedin'] (Jamestown) and [player_tooltip player_id='304914' first='Taylor' last='Klement'] (Hamline) combined with sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='458305' first='Audrey' last='Shindelar'] and [player_tooltip player_id='339214' first='Jayci' last='Rath'] to pull out a 47-46 squeaker over St. Peter. Their consistent work rate, offensive production, and defensive energy were impactful as per usual. Hedin scored 15 points to lead the Tigers while Shindelar had 13. Rath pulled down 10 rebounds and dished 8 assists while scoring 9 points. Klement did her usual yeoman's service in the trenches with 7 points and 7 boards.

On a day when pretty much everything went according to form, it should come as no surprise that the biggest names had the biggest games on opening day at the State Tournament. It reads like a Who's Who of girls basketball in Minnesota at the moment – names like Oehrlein, Crump, Greenway and Olson. Here's a quick rundown on the day's top performers for the games played at the Maturi Pavilion on day 1.