What we we learned at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic

We're lucky in Minnesota to have so many great girls basketball events throughout the season., from the Thanksgiving tournaments coming up later in the week to the Christmastime gatherings across the state to the high school state tournament itself. Those are all terrific, but nothing quite equals the annual Breakdown Tip Off Classic. Staged by the Breakdown USA organization, the Tip Off Classic brings together 32 quality teams to one location for an unmatched day of competition. It normally happens on the first weekend of December but this year's event preceded Thanksgiving. It was electric.   Now, after 24 hours of rest and recovery, we bring you a laundry list of things we learned on Saturday.   Rising to the occasion   On paper, the first game of the day in any tournament is never a marquee match-up. It's sort of like being the opening act at a 10-band music festival. At the Tip Off the 9 a.m. encounter between Park Center and Fridley turned out to be highly entertaining. The first half belonged to [player_tooltip player_id='589280' first='Lyric' last='Singleton'] of Park Center, a gifted athletic junior who has impressed us with her skill and tenacity in the past. Early in the game, Lyric drove to the lane and executed a sweet spin-and-score move that showed she was ready to do business in spite of the early hour. Singleton played a fearless half of basketball, putting up 18 points and helping her team pull ahead by one at the break.   The second half was all Fridley, thanks to the senior leadership of [player_tooltip player_id='346167' first='Mya' last='Karsten'], [player_tooltip player_id='346180' first='Brandi' last='Washington'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1071908' first='Aubrey' last='Cochran-Starr'] who could do no wrong. The Tigers roared out of the gate in period 2 and quickly garnered a 15-point lead. The margin soon stretched to 20 then 30 and ended with a final score of 106-69. Yes, 106 points in a high school game with the senior threesome accounting for 77% of the offensive production. Cochran-Starr scored 37, Washington had 23 and Karsten scored 22. It was a great way to start the day… although the Pirates might beg to differ.   Living up to the hype   Fridley vs Park Center may not have generated much pre-tournament conversation, but there were plenty of other match-ups that did. The contest between future South Dakota State Jackrabbits [player_tooltip player_id='458305' first='Audrey' last='Shindelar'] of Stewartville and [player_tooltip player_id='346165' first='Hadley' last='Thul'] of Alexandra did not disappoint as the Cardinals slipped by the Tigers with a narrow victory. The sister vs sister encounter that saw [player_tooltip player_id='630285' first='Adele' last='Changamire'] and [player_tooltip player_id='884449' first='Andie' last='Changamire'] of Becker face [player_tooltip player_id='377583' first='Mya' last='Wilson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='923286' first='Ashlee' last='Wilson'] of Hill-Murray was another close one. Ditto for the much-anticipated [player_tooltip player_id='205298' first='Jordan' last='Ode'] vs [player_tooltip player_id='252381' first='Maddyn' last='Greenway'] encounter that saw Greenway lift Providence Academy to a last-gasp victory.   Over on the Activity Center court, the much-anticipated point guard mano-a-mano between [player_tooltip player_id='252379' first='Addison' last='Mack'] of Minnehaha Academy and [player_tooltip player_id='471360' first='Mya' last='Moore'] of Orono was no less intriguing. Working under the direction of a new coach trying to get his young charges moving in the same direction, Mack (a Maryland commit) did her best to carry the full weight of the Redhawks on her shoulders. Moore, who recently verballed to Creighton, was leading the charge for the Spartans, and doing it rather well.   The game came down to the final seconds, but it was Mya's younger sister [player_tooltip player_id='644898' first='Ally' last='Moore'] who had to come through in the clutch with some stellar defending on Mack after Mya fouled out. The 9th grader, ranked top 15 in the Class of 2028, delivered on cue and Orono made it through some tense final seconds to prevail by a score of 71-67. Addi finished the game with 32 points, including 15 made free throws. She also had 5 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Mya totaled 20 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 steals.   Impressing the college coaches   College coaches love the Breakdown Tip Off Classic. Every year they tell us there's nothing else like it around the country. They'd certainly know more about that than we would, but the proof is in their commitment to the event. Despite it being in the midst of the college season, coaches come from far and wide to check on kids they've already offered and to shop for the next generation of players. The attendance list was a who's who of schools from the Midwest and beyond, including Iowa State, Nebraska, Kansas, Drake, Creighton, TCU, Michigan State, South Dakota, North Dakota, UW-Green Bay, Michigan and more. The University of St. Thomas had three different coaches in the building during the event. Minnesota's Ariel Braker was there from start to finish with head coach Dawn Plitzuweit spending hours on site watching recent commits [player_tooltip player_id='578467' first='Amisha' last='Ramlall'] of Rosemount and Tori Oerhlein of Crosby-Ironton along with their top 2028 target in [player_tooltip player_id='433933' first='Chloe' last='Johnson'] of Duluth Marshall. Their efforts will no doubt pay off down the road. For us it's a great opportunity to network with the decision makers, offer our perspective on local players and get their feedback on where those prospects fit in the grand scheme of things.   Thriving in a new venue   The Hopkins Royals Athletic Center is the long-time home of the Tip Off Classic but, through no fault of their own, organizers had to make a last-minute relocation. Considering that Southwest Christian High School in Chaska was new to holding a major event like this, and had only a few days to prepare, they were terrific hosts. Most folks we talked to throughout the day loved the new setup that featured two completely separate gyms operating simultaneously, each with an adequate amount of seating but not too much. The place was buzzing and the atmosphere was excellent. Fears of parking hassles never materialized. The WiFi system was a little overwhelmed, but adequate. Bottom line: We loved it.   I wish I had a dollar for every time someone asked me over the past week why the event had been moved. The answer is this: The Minnesota State High School League determined that the portable shot clocks used on the East Court at Hopkins were not allowed for sanctioned games. Apparently, only backboard-mounted shot clocks can be used even though the event was held on the same courts one year ago. You can't make this stuff up. As a result, organizers had to scramble and eat the inevitable financial losses.   Saving the best for last. Not.   We started out discussing the limited expectations for a 9 a.m. game. In contrast, the final game of the night is always a much-anticipated battle between two elite-level programs on the big stage. Hopkins has traditionally had the honors on their home court, and were scheduled against state championship contenders Lakeville North. Even running nearly an hour behind schedule, we were certain this one would be worth the wait. Nope.   What we had were two great teams who put it all out on the floor with maximum effort and minimal fear and the result was a hot mess. The game was too fast. Too intense. Too physical. Too frantic. There were too many turnovers and too many fouls – both called and uncalled – and, as the British like to say, it turned out to be a dog's breakfast.   At one point in the first half, the score was stuck at 6-5 forever. There was no rhythm. No flow. Just carnage. And it's not as though there's anyone to blame, either, although many wanted to throw shade on the men in stripes. It was just that type of game. It felt a little like watching the Daytona 500 in anticipation of a giant crash. Or witnessing two boxers beat each other bloody in the ring. Or gathering the family together in the early 1990s to watch an endless parade of regular folks do untold damage to themselves on America's Funniest Home Videos. It was too ugly to watch but compelling enough that we couldn't turn away.   Thankfully nobody was seriously injured, although Belmont commmit [player_tooltip player_id='296531' first='Tatum' last='Woodson'] of Hopkins did have a bloody nose at one point to go along wither her 14 points and Player of the Game award. In any case, the end result was 43-41 in favor of the Royals. If the two teams are to meet again this season, they'll do it at the state tournament in March. Wouldn't that be something?   Players of the Game Awards   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='346167' first='Mya' last='Karsten'], [player_tooltip player_id='1071908' first='Aubrey' last='Cochran-Starr'], [player_tooltip player_id='346180' first='Brandi' last='Washington'] – Fridley</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='377583' first='Mya' last='Wilson'] – Hill-Murray</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='205310' first='Tori' last='Oehrlein'] (Minnesota) – Crosby-Ironton</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='346183' first='Chloe' last='Scholl'] (Gustavus) & [player_tooltip player_id='346165' first='Hadley' last='Thul'] (South Dakota State) – Alexandria</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='453731' first='Haven' last='Fisher'] (Tulsa) & [player_tooltip player_id='764229' first='Toni' last='Fisher'] – Prior Lake</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='866100' first='Addie' last='Iversen'] – Delano</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='212489' first='Sophie' last='Hawkinson'] (North Dakota State) – Wayzata</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='252480' first='Rae' last='Ehrman'] (Montana) – Eden Prairie</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1078537' first='Aubrey' last='Christianson'] & [player_tooltip player_id='866106' first='Lola' last='Christianson'] – Goodhue</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='344333' first='Cail' last='Jahnke'] – St. Michael-Albertville</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='471360' first='Mya' last='Moore'] (Creighton) & [player_tooltip player_id='644898' first='Ally' last='Moore'] – Orono</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='433933' first='Chloe' last='Johnson'] & [player_tooltip player_id='927227' first='Cairin' last='Berger'] – Duluth Marshall</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='252381' first='Maddyn' last='Greenway'] (Kentucky) – Providence Academy</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='396423' first='Cierra' last='Kortan'] (Concordia-St. Paul) & [player_tooltip player_id='947971' first='Elly' last='Herickhoff'] – Sauk Centre</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='252383' first='Lanelle' last='Wright'] – Minnetonka</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='296531' first='Tatum' last='Woodson'] (Belmont) – Hopkins</li> </ul>

We're lucky in Minnesota to have so many great girls basketball events throughout the season., from the Thanksgiving tournaments coming up later in the week to the Christmastime gatherings across the state to the high school state tournament itself. Those are all terrific, but nothing quite equals the annual Breakdown Tip Off Classic. Staged by the Breakdown USA organization, the Tip Off Classic brings together 32 quality teams to one location for an unmatched day of competition. It normally happens on the first weekend of December but this year's event preceded Thanksgiving. It was electric.