Prospects who made the most of MLK Day at St. Kate's

Every year on the third Monday in January, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrates the life of an American icon. With school closed across the country, it has also become a popular day for basketball events, including the annual gathering at St. Catherine University in St. Paul. We watched five games on Monday, including an epic contest that saw Minnehaha Academy prevail over Minnetonka. Our colleague Tony Ragulen was also on hand from start to finish on Monday. He'll no doubt have plenty of details on that one in his MLK recap coming up in a day or two. Meanwhile, Ally McGinnis and I shared the load on Monday with a focus on new prospects and stock risers. Here are a few names we think you should know.   [player_tooltip player_id='1124545' first='Amelia' last='Truty'] – 2030 guard, Rochester Lourdes   We were a bit surprised to see a 7th grader earning significant minutes in the Rochester Lourdes lineup on Monday, but the longer we watched, the more Amelia made a positive impression on us. The 5-foot-6 guard has decent length, is fairly athletic, and has a tremendous demeanor on the court. Truty was incredibly poised, even when going up top-ranked freshman [player_tooltip player_id='433933' first='Chloe' last='Johnson'] of Duluth Marshall, who has been known to put defenders on their heels in a major way. Amelia has plenty of skill, as well. She has strong fundamentals, handles the ball with great proficiency, and can easily create her own space for a shot off the dribble – a skill that we seldom see in players this young. Despite the loss to the Hilltoppers, Truty led her team with 24 points with 12 of those coming from threes that were launched from outside the college line. This summer Amelia will play AAU for [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] Nike.   Lauren Hughes – 2026 guard, Cloquet   It was around this time last season that we last saw Hughes in action. At the time, Lauren impressed us with her ability to score at multiple levels, her basketball IQ, and the toughness she demonstrates on the court. This year, following the graduations of Ava Carlson, Quinn Danielson, and Augsburg guard Lelani Fonoti, Hughes has been tasked with a much larger role in her junior season. In Monday's matchup against St. Croix Lutheran, the 5'5 guard showed off her athleticism and aggressiveness on the defensive end. Hughes guarded St. Croix's [player_tooltip player_id='472446' first='Amaya' last='Penn'] (ranked #33 among the 2026s) with a high level of tenacity all game long. On offense, Lauren showed off her ability to handle the ball, her quality court vision and passing, and a smooth, quick shot release.   Juliana Stach – 2028 guard, Becker   With how young the Becker varsity roster is, it came as no surprise to see another new youngster on the floor in Monday's matchup against Stewartville. Just a freshman, Stach intrigues us with her length, solid fundamentals, and strong instincts. The 5'8 guard has a great release on her shot and can easily knock it down from beyond the arc. Stach also showed off her ability to crash the boards on Monday, totaling 5 points and 7 rebounds against the Tigers. Stach has worked her way into the rotation for Becker, one of five players in 8th or 9th grade playing key roles on the team including 2029 standout [player_tooltip player_id='884449' first='Andie' last='Changamire'] and highly touted 2028s [player_tooltip player_id='630285' first='Adele' last='Changamire'], [player_tooltip player_id='992410' first='Josie' last='Reckelberg'] and [player_tooltip player_id='897887' first='Tess' last='Brown'].   Isabella Bridge – 2026 guard, Cloquet   The Lumberjacks junior caught our attention with her quickness, athleticism, and high-energy play on Monday. She brings the type of motor every coach is looking for with the ability to provide the spark her team needs at both ends of the floor. Bridge has great instincts on the defensive end, pressuring her opponent when she's on the ball and always being there to help her teammates on the backside. Bridge runs the floor well, makes hustle plays, and is a strong rebounder, particularly for a mid-sized guard. Unfortunately, Cloquet has not posted individual statistics – not even its varsity roster – on mngirlsbasketballhub.com so details are sketchy on Bridge's season to date. Why some high school coaches skip this opportunity to help their kids get noticed is beyond us.   Maggie Sandcork & Alayna Hardy – 2027 guard/forward, Winona Cotter   Winona Cotter is a quality team that has had a ton of success over the years with coach Pat Bowlin, one of the all-time greats who has more than 700 wins to his credit. The Ramblers certainly demonstrated that once again on Monday at St. Kate's as their high-pressure defense put the clamps on a very good Walker-Hackensack-Akeley squad that features standout senior [player_tooltip player_id='396437' first='Aubrey' last='Morrison']. Bowlin always seems to lean heavily on his veterans, but both Saturday at the Kasson-Mantorville Showcase and again on Monday at the MLK Day event we watched two younger Cotter players with college potential.   Sandcork is a 5'7 sophomore guard who is quick and athletic. Her wingspan is impressive and she puts it to good use on the defensive end. She's pretty bouncy, too. We loved Sandcork's energy as she was constantly hustling to make something happen. Maggie didn't start but played plenty of minutes. Hardy is a 6'0 forward with a substantial wingspan, as well. She's long and lean but has yet to really grow into her body. That's not unusual, of course, for prospects who grow quickly and need time to adapt. Hardy rebounds fairly well already but has the length to become great. The potential is certainly there for her to play at the next level. We'll be patient and watch to see how Hardy progresses, especially with five seniors graduating after this season.   PGH scout Ally McGinnis contributed to these evaluations.

Every year on the third Monday in January, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrates the life of an American icon. With school closed across the country, it has also become a popular day for basketball events, including the annual gathering at St. Catherine University in St. Paul. We watched five games on Monday, including an epic contest that saw Minnehaha Academy prevail over Minnetonka. Our colleague Tony Ragulen was also on hand from start to finish on Monday. He'll no doubt have plenty of details on that one in his MLK recap coming up in a day or two. Meanwhile, Ally McGinnis and I shared the load on Monday with a focus on new prospects and stock risers. Here are a few names we think you should know.