The Week That Was #7: Ushering in a new year

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Not everyone's journey to college basketball is the same. Some kids enter the spotlight early and get lots of recognition by putting up big numbers and making a splash in middle school. Others quietly forge their game in the shadows, assembling the building blocks of greatness when nobody is watching. Last week we were reminded by Minnetonka guard [player_tooltip player_id='252383' first='Lanelle' last='Wright'] of just how important it is to run your own race at your own pace while building your game into something special. With the first weekend of 2025 now in the books, that's where we'll begin our recap of the Week That Was #7.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CHOOSE YOUR OWN PATH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Minnesota's Class of 2026 is special. Every week we marvel at the exploits of junior [player_tooltip player_id='205310' first='Tori' last='Oehrlein'] of Crosby-Ironton, who has a chance to become Minnesota's all-time scoring leader before she moves on to college. For years we have chronicled the success of Providence Academy junior [player_tooltip player_id='252381' first='Maddyn' last='Greenway'], who has dazzled us with her skill and ferocity and ability to lead her team to multiple state championships. Both players have excelled in Class 2A where much of the competition is nowhere near their level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='252383' first='Lanelle' last='Wright'] chose a different path, the never-ending grind of the vaunted Lake Conference. It is Minnesota's toughest circuit by far, a place where nearly every opponent is loaded and most games are a battle. At the Class 4A powerhouse level, it takes much longer to crack the rotation and earn minutes (never mind becoming a starter), and there are many Division 1 prospects vying for their share of the spotlight. Not to take away from the small-school players whose career exploits we celebrate here every week, but Wright's 1,000-point milestone just hits different.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When Wright was an 8^th grader, the Skippers backcourt was occupied by current D1 standouts <strong>Desiree Ware </strong>(Alabama-Birmingham) and <strong>Kiani Lockett</strong> (Creighton), but Lanelle still made 17 appearances and averaged 4.5 points per game. As a freshman, Wright was thrust into a primary role in the absence of <strong>Tori McKinney</strong> (current University of MInnesota starter and Big 10 Freshman of the Week), and she delivered 10.3 ppg. As a junior, Wright and McKinney shared the backcourt and Lanelle put up 13.6 ppg. This year the show is all hers and Wright has scored 213 points in 10 games. which is how she passed 1,000 last Friday night in Chaska.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The thing is, Wright's game is not all about point production. Lanelle (pictured above with her 7th grade sister [player_tooltip player_id='1090087' first='Lariah' last='Wright']) is the quintessential point guard, a player with a very high basketball IQ, tremendous feel for the game, a well-honed skillset that few can match, and the ability to come through in the big moment when needed. Greenway is the swashbuckling fighter who comes at you at full throttle all the time. Oehrlein is a unique combination of size and pace and vision that we've rarely seen. Wright is more of a surgeon, a cerebral competitor who thinks her way through the operation before unleashing the deadly cut. All three are amazing, but each in their own way. And that's the point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PASS THE CHAMPAGNE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With New Year's Day falling smack-dab in the middle of it, last week's high school schedule was relatively light with 222 games. That's half of the total this week or next. Ironically, we had a spate of record-setting performers anyway, with a dozen top players who set milestones on behalf of their particular programs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='396437' first='Aubrey' last='Morrison'] – The 2025 guard from Walker-Hackensack-Akeley became the Wolves' all-time leading scorer with 2,175 points. Morrison has signed with MSU-Moorhead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='453727' first='Kaitlyn' last='Rohloff'] – The Hancock guard scored 44 points in a win over Parkers Prairie to reach 2,000 for her career. Over the weekend Rohloff committed to Concordia-Moorhead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1131452,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/Carrier-1000.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-1131452" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: <a href="https://x.com/mak_carrier3" target="_blank">X.com</a></figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='595553' first='Makenzie' last='Carrier'] – The Kasson-Mantorville senior is one of the more dynamic, more entertaining point guards in the state. Last week she reached 1,000 career points. Carrier has signed with D2 Northern State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='212488' first='Myah' last='Maull'] – The 2025 guard from Eastview also reached the 1,000 milestone, capping an evolution that has seen her become one of the more well-rounded team players in the state. She has been a huge part of Eastview's return to prominence and earned a spot at Winona State for next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1131453,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/Haidyn-Sammons-1000.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-1131453" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Josh Sammons, <a href="https://x.com/seabass130" target="_blank">X.com</a></figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are a few more 1,000-point scorers:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Hailey Strain</strong> – 2025 post, Hastings</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='520266' first='Desirai' last='Chappell'] – 2025 guard, Richfield</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='533848' first='Zoe' last='Verhasselt'] – 2025 guard, Hutchinson</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1194449' first='Haidyn' last='Sammons']</strong> – 2026 guard, Windom</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='472446' first='Amaya' last='Penn'] – 2026 guard, St. Croix Lutheran</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='478390' first='Sinae' last='Hill'] – 2026 guard, Minnehaha Academy</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1131618,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/Hillcrest.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-1131618" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: <a href="https://x.com/Erka2tkff" target="_blank">X.com</a></figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ASCENDING IN CLASS A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, with an enrollment of 127 per the Minnesota State High School League, is a small Class A school in Fergus Falls that is rapidly working its way into the girls basketball spotlight. With a record of 9-0, and boasting some of the state's top young talent, the Comets are a team to watch in the weeks ahead</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last week Hillcrest senior <strong>Kate Olstad</strong> reached the 1,000-point milestone in a win over Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley joining junior [player_tooltip player_id='653851' first='Ella' last='Knutson'], who has 1,366 and counting. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='565313' first='Elsa' last='Retzlaff'], a Top 20 prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2028, is already within a hundred points of the same milestone. Senior <strong>Ruby Peterson</strong> has a good chance to reach 1,000, as well. Along with up-and-coming 7^th grader [player_tooltip player_id='1110548' first='Elin' last='Retzlaff'], the Comets are a team to be reckoned with.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“The girls have so much fun together and are so unselfish. We could have a&nbsp;different leading scorer every game,” said coach Hannah Clark. “Obviously Ella, Elsa, and Elin are great scorers and can do it all. They attract a lot of the&nbsp;defensive attention. But what really helps the team be successful are the other five girls who embrace their role so well. They can step up and make shots when needed and they play hard-nosed defense.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Will it be enough to make their way to Minneapolis in March? Competing in a loaded Section 6A that includes Hancock, Underwood and Breckenridge among others, it won't be easy for Hillcrest. “This is by far the deepest team I have coached since being here,” said Clark, citing the underappreciated Peterson as an example. “Ruby is playing so well for us and is our floor general. Her defensive anticipation and her court vision on&nbsp;offense is so valuable to us… She is one who can hit 6 or 7 threes on any given night once she gets hot.”&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>GAMES TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With 462 games on the schedule this week it can be a challenge figuring out what to watch. Here's one game per day that we think will be worth your time:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Tuesday – Providence at Minnehaha</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Wednesday – Hopkins at East Ridge</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Thursday – Lakeville North at Lakeville South</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday – Goodhue at Stewartville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Saturday – Minnehaha at Duluth Marshall</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->