Experience trumps youth at the Breakdown Collision
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All four of the headliners were ranked in the top 10 of last week's Minnesota Basketball News poll. All four are big name brands in Minnesota girls basketball. To the casual observer at the Breakdown Collision at Cretin-Derham Hall on Saturday, these two contests should have been a dead heat. They were not, and the theme in both Wayzata's win over Lakeville North and Minnetonka's defeat of Rosemount was the same: Experience over youth.
WAYZATA 68 LAKEVILLE NORTH 32
Sparked by senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='212489' first='Sophie' last='Hawkinson'] and senior posts [player_tooltip player_id='296517' first='Katie' last='Kelzenberg'] and [player_tooltip player_id='453749' first='Allison' last='Berns'], Wayzata jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead that soon stretched to 19-9. By the time Kelzenberg scored with 4 minutes remaining in the opening half, the Trojans were up by 17 and Katie and Sophie had already combined for 28 points. The tone had been established and Wayzata was hitting all the right notes. At halftime the score was 41-16 in favor of Wayzata and Lakeville North never recovered.
The contest was largely decided in the paint where Berns and Kelzenberg were taking no prisoners. Up against 6'2 senior [player_tooltip player_id='396430' first='Aduke' last='Ojullu'] and 6'3 freshman [player_tooltip player_id='644878' first='Sahara' last='Wilson'] – one of the most talented prospects in the state – the Trojan pair delivered perhaps the strongest performance we have seen from them this season. They were relentless, they were physical, and their impact was enormous..
The realities of youth have been the story of North's season so far, along with the impact of injuries. The Panthers are relying on 9th grader [player_tooltip player_id='908286' first='Lauren' last='Robison'] to run their show from the point. The top 20 prospect has done an admirable job. When she was out injured for a month, and UM-Duluth commit [player_tooltip player_id='346182' first='Elayna' last='Boe'] was in and out of the lineup with an ankle injury, North's uphill climb was even steeper, their inexperience even more pronounced. Hawkinson, on the other hand, is a grizzled veteran by now. A top 10 prospect in the class of 2025, Sophie is headed for North Dakota State University in the fall.
After leaving basketball behind for a couple of years in favor of volleyball, Kelzenberg returned to the court last season and made a major impact for Wayzata. The 6'2 power forward brings strength, physicality and a bit of a mean streak to the task. She hasn't made a decision about what to do in college but she's certainly capable of playing Division 1 basketball. Berns started her high school career as more of a finesse player but has evolved into a warrior who's willing to go toe-to-toe with anyone. She has signed to play with D2 Jamestown of the Northern Sun Conference. On this day the seniors were dominant en route to a convincing 68-32 victory.
With that threesome, along with a talented crew of sophomores that includes elite prospects [player_tooltip player_id='659119' first='Maren' last='Day'], [player_tooltip player_id='644100' first='Annika' last='Kieser'] and [player_tooltip player_id='600748' first='Kaja' last='Nash'], Wayzata coach Julie Stewart has a lot to work with. 5'11 senior [player_tooltip player_id='396445' first='Lindsey' last='Harvey'] has parlayed her length and experience into a key role for the Trojans, as well, along with top 20 9th grader [player_tooltip player_id='948888' first='Mallory' last='McBeth']. Hawkinson finished the game with 23 points, Kelzenberg and Berns combined for 26, and Kieser scored 11.
Right now it's all working very well for Wayzata. Fresh from their first win at Hopkins in two decades, the 5th-ranked Trojans are 6-1 in January, 13-4 overall. They've lost to #1 Maple Grove twice, #3 Eden Prairie and #7 Prior Lake. The #9 Panthers fell to 9-8 on the season with all eight losses having come against teams ranked in the top 10,
MINNETONKA 76 ROSEMOUNT 67
The story in Saturday's second game at the Collision was similar. The separation wasn't quite as dramatic as Minnetonka built a 41-25 lead at the half on their way to a 76-67 victory. Again, the difference came down to experience in the paint. After dealing with a troublesome ankle injury for the past couple of weeks, floor general [player_tooltip player_id='252383' first='Lanelle' last='Wright'] looked more like herself running the Minnetonka offense. The top 5 junior did an excellent job of execution, including getting the ball to junior post [player_tooltip player_id='782562' first='Lesedra' last='Williams'] in the paint. That combination proved deadly as Williams doubled her average output with a season-high 30 points.
Unlike years past where Rosemount had one or the other or both of the lengthy Teko-Folly sisters in the paint (not to forget current Montana State forward Taylor Jannsen before that), the Irish are inexperienced up front. Their offense is heavily dependent on outside shooting and the success of the uber-talented Ramlall sisters, who are averaging a combined 47.7 points per game. That's over 70% of their team's offense. On Saturday. [player_tooltip player_id='578467' first='Amisha' last='Ramlall'] made 5 three-point baskets and scored 26 points, [player_tooltip player_id='716527' first='Ashna' last='Ramlall'] had 23 and [player_tooltip player_id='630243' first='Arshia' last='Ramlall'] scored 3.
Although they are ranked in the top 10, this was always going to be a rebuilding year for the Irish. Rosemount lost six seniors from last year's state tournament team. They are without two key pieces as [player_tooltip player_id='478366' first='Riley' last='Ang'] and [player_tooltip player_id='656331' first='Isla' last='Silk'] are hurt. With a record of 9-8, and still ranked in the top 10, Rosemount has lost a handful of games by the thinnest of margins – St. Michael-Albertville by 4 points, Lakeville South and Eagan by 3 and Lakeville North by 1. Six of their eight losses are to top 10 teams.
#8 Minnetonka is now 12-6 trailing 15-3 Eden Prairie and 14-3 Prior Lake in Section 2AAAA. Saturday's win was their fourth game of the week. After falling 75-71 to [player_tooltip player_id='252379' first='Addison' last='Mack'] and Minnehaha Academy on Monday, and dropping a 65-57 contest to Eden Prairie on Tuesday, ‘Tonka defeated Edina on Thursday. It was a grueling six days that ended in fine fashion.
THE NIGHTCAP
Unfortunately, we couldn't stick around for the nightcap on the girl's schedule as the host team from Cretin-Derham Hall went up against Park Center. It was the youngsters who put their stamp on this contest as CDH 8th graders [player_tooltip player_id='939003' first='Isabella' last='Deleeuw'], Teagan Jacobs and [player_tooltip player_id='897060' first='Madeleine' last='Hamiel'] combined for 42 points. Along with 20 points from junior Sage Gilbert, it was too much for Park Center as the Raiders won 85-76. Junior Lyric Singleton and 8th grader [player_tooltip player_id='1090092' first='Demi' last='Holman'] combined for 46 points for the Pirates while 8th grader Koko Tossou scored 11. With a record of 11-7, Cretin sits atop the Section 3AAA standings just ahead of 11-8 Two Rivers with 10-10 Como Park lurking nearby. Park Center dropped to 4-15.
