Who are the 10 best prospects in Northern Minnesota?

It's a matter of fact that the majority of Minnesota's college-bound girls basketball prospects reside in the Twin Cities metropolitan region. That's not an indictment of the talent in the rest of the state. It's just a numbers game with the Twin Cities having 65% of Minnesota's 5.7 million people. These facts led us to ask the question at hand: Who are the best girls basketball prospects in the rest of the state? Our goal this week is to figure that out.   Beginning today, we're bringing you a geographical delineation of the Top 10 prospects in the Classes of 2028 to 2025 in each of four regions: North, South/Southwest, Southeast and West Central. Beyond sorting and selecting top prospects, one of the harder parts of an exercise like this is defining what's in the Metro and what isn't. To do that we consulted data from the official Twin Cities Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). An MSA is a geographic region defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that is comprised of counties containing an urbanized area with a population of at least 50,000, plus adjacent counties with a high degree of economic and social integration..   With that in mind, we decided that certain communities we might think of as rural are really part of the Twin Cities MSA now and would need to be left out. This includes places like New Prague, Jordan, Glencoe-Silver Lake and Northfield to the south and southwest . To the northwest, we left out Becker, St. Michael-Albertville, Delano, Monticello, Princeton, Milaca and Annandale. To the north, Cambridge-Isanti and North Branch are also out of the picture. Apologies in advance go to players such as [player_tooltip player_id='205299' first='Ella' last='Kuhlman'], [player_tooltip player_id='595199' first='Maya' last='Kilian'], [player_tooltip player_id='458302' first='Abbie' last='Pietila']. [player_tooltip player_id='307818' first='Mylea' last='Monahan'], [player_tooltip player_id='502602' first='Morgan' last='Staloch'], [player_tooltip player_id='515676' first='Samantha' last='Voll'] and others,   The dividing lines for what is considered North or West Central or South/Southwest and Southeast was a whole other issue. We'll define these lines in the four individual articles. With the preliminaries out of the way, let's get on to our first Top 10 – ‘Up North.'   THE NORTHERN TOP 10   We're defining the North region as everything north of U.S. Highway 2, which extends from East Grand Forks to Duluth. This includes such schools as Cass Lake-Bena, Grand Rapids, Mountain Iron-Buhl and Duluth Marshall. We've also included a territory that's east of Highway 371 and north of Highway 210, including schools like Walker-Hackensack-Akeley, Pequot Lakes, Brainerd, Crosby-Ironton and Cromwell-Wright.   #1 – [player_tooltip player_id='433933' first='Chloe' last='Johnson'] (Duluth Marshall) & [player_tooltip player_id='205310' first='Tori' last='Oehrlein'] (Crosby-Ironton)   Some choices are clear cut. Others can be debated for days on end. We've decided to let you choose from these two truly elite players who have excelled from a very young age and are now among the premier prospects in America regardless of grade. Johnson is the top prospect in Minnesota's Class of 2028, a generational talent who does things most players can't even conceive of. Oehrlein (along with [player_tooltip player_id='252381' first='Maddyn' last='Greenway']) is the top prospect in Minnesota's Class of 2026 and has scored at a faster pace than any player in Minnesota history. Both athletes hold Division 1 offers from some of the most prestigious high-major programs in the country. We're running out of superlatives to adequately describe the pair. Just click on either player's name and the links will take you to thousands of words on these two special players.   #2 [player_tooltip player_id='665719' first='Addison' last='Bjorklund'] – 2027 forward, Brainerd   Addy is a can't-miss Division 1 prospect all day long. The 6'1 power forward demonstrated that once again in 2024 on behalf of [program_tooltip program_id='714566' first='Minnesota' last='Stars'] Antl, showing week after week against top competition that she knows what's up. Bjorklund is a skilled competitor with nice mobility, exceptional length and deceptive athleticism who uses her natural assets to defend players of all descriptions. The sky is the limit for this standout sophomore.   #3 [player_tooltip player_id='296516' first='Regan' last='Juenemann'] – 2025 guard, Crosby-Ironton   The uber-athletic guard burst onto the scene in middle school at Duluth East where she lit it up and established herself quickly as one of the top players in the Northland. Then at Duluth Marshall she did the same. After a rollercoaster 2023-24 season, Juenemann is coming off a nice AAU summer with [program_tooltip program_id='714566' first='Minnesota' last='Stars'] 3SSB where she showed she could excel in a completely different role. She's expected to play her senior year at Crosby-Ironton.   #4 [player_tooltip player_id='918612' first='Lexi' last='Lawrence'] – 2027 forward, EGF Sacred Heart   The 6-foot forward from East Grand Forks made her AAU debut this summer playing two years up and we were impressed. She entered the rankings this summer at #41 in the Class of 2027 and will be moving up this fall. Lexi has impressive length, natural athleticism, and great instincts. Lawrence's mom was a college standout and we think Lexi has the potential to do the same. D1 coaches need to see her more but the early reviews are strong.   #5 [player_tooltip player_id='502561' first='Marta' last='Forsline'] – 2026 forward, Mesabi East   Size is a huge factor (pardon the pun) when it comes to college basketball potential. At 6'2, Marta has plenty, and is capturing the attention of scholarship-level coaches from around the region. When she's playing her best, the Top 25 junior is a force to be reckoned with. As her consistency improves, Forsline is showing off her enhanced skillset both inside and out. There's no doubt that Marta has D1 potential.   #6 [player_tooltip player_id='478373' first='Chloe' last='Carlson'] – 2026 guard, Proctor   We're not sure Chloe could have performed any better than she did this summer with the [program_tooltip program_id='712700' first='Minnesota' last='Suns']. Week after week Carlson brought it all – energy and effort at both ends of the floor, consistent offensive productivity, big plays in big moments and a ton of impressive intangibles. Ranked in the top 25 in the Class of 2026, Chloe is establishing herself as a legitimate Division 1 prospect.   #7 [player_tooltip player_id='897052' first='Tatum' last='Morrison'] – 2028 guard, Deer River   Tatum has been racking up the miles over the past couple of years in search of better competition, better training and enhanced skill development. Her quest is paying off. The big guard has size, skill, strength, and a strong set of offensive and defensive abilities. The incoming freshman, who played for [program_tooltip program_id='713021' first='West' last='Central United'], has top 25 potential in the Class of 2028.   #8 [player_tooltip player_id='918767' first='Anna' last='Westby'] – 2025 forward, Rock Ridge   This has been a breakout year for the 5'11 power forward from the Iron Range who was largely an unknown commodity 12 months ago. Westby turned in an outstanding performance at the high school state tournament and carried that over into the summer season with [program_tooltip program_id='784736' first='High' last='Impact']. She's big and strong, has no issues with being physical, and has grown her skillset significantly. The key question is which sport she'll play after high school.   #9 [player_tooltip player_id='665721' first='Peyton' last='Walker'] – 2027 guard, Proctor   The athletic guard has quite rapidly established herself as a scholarship-level prospect. Ranked in the top 35 among Minnesota sophomores, Walker is one of the most natural athletes in the Class of 2027. She can handle the ball well, shoots it at a high level, can beat most defenders one-on-one, and has the ability to finish through contact. Her motor and defensive intensity only enhance an attractive package.   #10 [player_tooltip player_id='396431' first='Gabrielle' last='Fineday'] – 2025 guard, Cass Lake-Bena   The [program_tooltip program_id='712700' first='Minnesota' last='Suns'] guard is one of the best pure shooters in the state, but she can do so much more than fire the rock from distance at a prodigious clip. Not many players can boast of a career-high single game of 58 points! Gabby isn't very big but she plays much bigger thanks to a high basketball IQ, excellent defensive effectiveness, and sheer effo!rt level. Fineday is a surefire scholarship-level performer at the next level.   OTHERS CONSIDERED   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='927227' first='Cairin' last='Berger'] – 2026 forward, Esko</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='502577' first='Kylee' last='Binkley'] – 2026 guard, Northome/Kelliher</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='786203' first='Bethany' last='Black Lance'] – 2028 guard, Brainerd</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='716895' first='Lexi' last='Mahlen'] – 2026 forward, Fosston</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='764185' first='Candice' last='Ndomb'] – 2027 guard, Duluth Marshall</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='659121' first='Anna' last='Neyens'] – 2027 guard, Mountain Iron-Buhl</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='595565' first='Alyssa' last='Prophet'] – 2025 guard, Mesabi East</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='782558' first='Kate' last='Thayer'] – 2026 guard, Northome/Kelliher</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='734370' first='Paige' last='Evans'] – 2025 guard, Proctor</li> </ul>

It's a matter of fact that the majority of Minnesota's college-bound girls basketball prospects reside in the Twin Cities metropolitan region. That's not an indictment of the talent in the rest of the state. It's just a numbers game with the Twin Cities having 65% of Minnesota's 5.7 million people. These facts led us to ask the question at hand: Who are the best girls basketball prospects in the rest of the state? Our goal this week is to figure that out.