Outstate Top 10s: The best of West Central Minnesota

Much of Minnesota's best girls basketball talent resides in the Twin Cities metropolitan region. Take a glance at the Prep Girls Hoops prospect rankings, however, and it becomes obvious that there is a ton of talent beyond the freeways and cul-de-sacs of MSP. That's why we're bringing you a four-part series this week on the Top 10 college prospects by region. We began on Wednesday with a look to the north. Today we're headed to West Central Minnesota.   For the purposes of our 10 best, we are defining West Central as the territory that falls south of U.S. Highway 2, west of Highway 371 and north of Highway 212. It stretches from Little Falls at the far eastern edge to Moorhead on the North Dakota border. In reality, though, it's clear that most of the basketball talent is centered in and around Alexandria. That's where we'll begin with our top prospect in the West Central region.   #1 [player_tooltip player_id='346165' first='Hadley' last='Thul'] – 2025 forward, Alexandria (South Dakota State)   Hadley is in a class of her own. The versatile top-10 senior (pictured above) quickly established her potential and then proceeded to get bigger, stronger and more physical while honing pretty much every aspect of her game. The result is Division 1 opportunity with one of the elite mid-major programs in the country. Thul is a stud!   #2 [player_tooltip player_id='904190' first='Malin' last='Youngberg'] – 2028 guard, Little Falls   The 5'11 freshman is one of the brightest prospects in the Class of 2028. Youngberg was recently named Prep Girls Hoops AAU Newcomer of the Year, which tells you all you need to know about the positive impression she made this summer with [program_tooltip program_id='713021' first='West' last='Central United']. This highly talented youngster has D1  prospect written all over her game.   #3 [player_tooltip player_id='653853' first='Peyton' last='Hoffman'] – 2028 forward, Climax-Fisher   Peyton has already posted historic numbers in high school basketball where her size and athleticism enables her to simply overpower the vast majority of her small-school opponents. This D1 prospect can bang inside, buries threes from distance, handles the ball with skill, and is one of the state's top freshmen as a result.   #4 [player_tooltip player_id='478362' first='Morgan' last='Korf'] – 2026 guard, Pelican Rapids   The quintessential floor general/coach's kid can perform at a high level at both ends of the floor. She moves the ball with intelligence and poise, has a skillset to match, and can bomb threes with the best of them. Did we mention her compete factor? The top 15 junior has the opportunity to excel at the D1 mid-major level.   #5 [player_tooltip player_id='396422' first='Tory' last='Jennissen'] – 2025 forward, Sauk Centre   Size matters and at 6'3 Tory is one of the tallest players in the state. Her size and length make her a weapon at both ends of the floor. Injuries may have held her back a little bit but the top 25 talent has the tools to be a difference-maker in a scholarship-level collegiate program. We're excited to watch her senior season.   #6 [player_tooltip player_id='565313' first='Elsa' last='Retzlaff'] – 2028 guard, Hillcrest Lutheran   Elsa has already been a force in small-school varsity basketball as a middle-schooler. This summer Retzlaff made it clear that she can deliver against top AAU competition. She is very skilled and can score the basketball, but it is the intangibles that set Elsa apart. The incoming freshman is big, strong, smart and versatile.   #7 [player_tooltip player_id='396428' first='Allie' last='Haabala'] – 2025 guard, Alexandria (SW Minnesota State)   The dynamic point guard has long been one of the most entertaining backcourt players in the state. She has a ton of ‘it' factor to go along with a strong skill set and a high level of athleticism. Her game really came together at both ends of the floor this summer and she has a ton of potential at the D2 level. SMSU landed a good one.   #8 [player_tooltip player_id='894002' first='Jayden' last='Sonnenberg'] – 2026 guard, Frazee   An under-the-radar prospect until this year, Sonnenberg is a super-athletic guard who is blessed with a tremendous amount of natural ability. She's got some size, skill, and a beautiful shooting form, all of which quickly earned her a top-50 ranking. Jayden holds at least one D1 offer, which tells you where her potential sits.   #9 [player_tooltip player_id='502604' first='Kaia' last='Anderson'] – 2026 guard, Perham   The top-50 junior has long been among the premier shooters in the state with the numbers to prove it. Over the past year, Anderson has evolved into a much more complete player at both ends of the floor. Kaia has the size and skill to excel at the scholarship level. She's a PGH stock riser and one of the best in her region.   #10 [player_tooltip player_id='595564' first='Abby' last='John'] – 2025 guard, Barnesville (MSU-Moorhead)   Some players just have a gift for being able to make things happen for their team as needed. That's Abby. She scores, she distributes, she defends, she leads… what doesn't John do? The top-50 senior makes it look easy at times with the height and length that will make her a threat at the next level.   OTHERS CONSIDERED   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='502543' first='Lauren' last='Beyer'] – 2026 guard, Alexandria</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='721209' first='Ayla' last='Caskey'] – 2026 guard, New London-Spicer</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='453736' first='Sydney' last='Dahl'] – 2025 guard, Minnewaska (MSU-Moorhead)</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='478377' first='Olivia' last='Danielson'] – 2026 guard, Minnewaska</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='918782' first='Kallyn' last='Grove'] – 2025 forward, Underwood</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='502537' first='Kate' last='Hennessy'] – 2026 forward, Alexandria</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='396423' first='Cierra' last='Kortan'] – 2025 guard, Sauk Centre (Concordia-St. Paul)</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='453771' first='Macee' last='Linow'] – 2025 guard, Alexandria (Bemidji State)</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='453727' first='Kaitlyn' last='Rohloff'] – 2025 guard, Hancock</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='346183' first='Chloe' last='Scholl'] – 2025 guard, Alexandria</li> </ul>   LOOKING AHEAD   Our look at top talent by region is limited to players currently in high school (Classes of 2028-2025) but there are plenty of younger prospects emerging in the West Central region. Here are a few names to remember.   [player_tooltip player_id='1090111' first='Riley' last='Beyer'] – The 2029 guard from Alexandria is a super-skilled, uber-competitive guard with top-end potential. She'll play for the Fury next summer.   Taylor Nesvig – We've already covered the 2029 from Hancock because she is an established varsity participant for the Owls. She is relentless, with a motor that never quits and an offensive game to match.   [player_tooltip player_id='1233136' first='Korbin' last='Tanner'] – The 2029 forward from New London-Spicer is raw, but her long-term outlook is very positive. She stands probably 6'1 or 6'2 already and has a prodigious wingspan that makes her a defensive weapon.

Much of Minnesota's best girls basketball talent resides in the Twin Cities metropolitan region. Take a glance at the Prep Girls Hoops prospect rankings, however, and it becomes obvious that there is a ton of talent beyond the freeways and cul-de-sacs of MSP. That's why we're bringing you a four-part series this week on the Top 10 college prospects by region. We began on Wednesday with a look to the north. Today we're headed to West Central Minnesota.