The Week That Was #12: All in the (Brekke) family

UPDATED 2/12   Basketball pedigree counts for a lot in our evaluation process. If a player's parents were great players, if there are siblings having success in the game, chances are better that any given prospect might be on the same track. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='918612' first='Lexi' last='Lawrence'] of Sacred Heart School in East Grand Forks certainly fits in that mold, but her lineage is more impressive than most. Let's begin our recap of the Week That Was #12 with a milestone to remember.   1,000 x 7 RELATIVES   Lexi was one of a handful of Minnesota players who reached 1,000 career points last week. In addition to getting there as a sophomore, what makes Lawrence's achievement special is the fact that she is the 8th person in her family to do it. Yes, we said 8th! When Lawrence reached the milestone in Monday's win over Thief River Falls, she joined her mom Sam Brekke (Cavalier, ND) who played at the University of North Dakota, and her aunt Durene Frydenlund (nee Heisler), who was a 2,000-point scorer at Devils Lake, ND.   Lexi's grandpa Steve Brekke was a star for legendary coach Dave Gunther at UND in the early 1980s. I watched Steve from the student section at the old Hyslop Sports Center when he was a senior in Grand Forks and I was a freshman. Lexi's great uncle Doyle Hunter was also a 1,000-point scorer as was her great aunt Kim Brekke, her uncle Brandon Brekke, and her cousins Madison Cox and Chelsey Hanson (Frydenlund). These Brekkes can ball!   We first saw Lexi at Crossfire's Battle on the Hardwood last summer in her first-ever AAU appearance. With length, size and touch, the 6'1 forward is really just getting started on the journey to college basketball. We like the simplicity of her game and the solid decision making. She moves well and can get up and down the court at pace. By summer's end Lawrence had earned an honorable mention for our AAU Newcomer of the Year award, was selected among our top 10 prospects in Northern Minnesota regardless of class, and was placed among the top 50 prospects in the class of 2027.   YOUNG PROSPECT TO WATCH   [player_tooltip player_id='1057125' first='Macie' last='Henrikson'] – 2029 guard, Farmington   It's not unusual by this time in the basketball season for youngsters to have emerged within a particular program and staked their claim to a spot in the varsity rotation. Count Macie among them. What makes her situation a little unusual is the fact that Henrikson began the season on the 9th grade/B squad, moved up to junior varsity and was then inserted into the varsity lineup for the first time on Jan. 16 at Eastview. Henriksen scored 10 points that night and 17 in her following game against Rochester Mayo, two of Farmington's toughest opponents of the season. That certainly raised some eyebrows, ours among them.   We made a point to have a look at Farmington as soon as possible which happened last Tuesday when the Tigers hosted Lakeville South in a South Suburban Conference matchup. It was evident immediately that the 5'8 combo guard is a player with much potential. She has a good base with a solid lower body and plenty of strength for an 8th grader. She has nice length, is an excellent athlete, and moves very well. Macie has nice handles with either hand and possesses the degree of bounce to take defenders on one-on-one and score at the rim. Her stroke from three-point range is also sweet. All of that was obvious pretty quickly. All of it says she's got a chance to be pretty good.   As the game progressed, however, it became clear that Macie has a lot to learn – not surprising for an 8th grader just getting her feet wet in the varsity game. At times she tried a little too hard, forcing the ball where there wasn't room to put it, gambling a little too often which is also pretty normal stuff for a talented athlete who is used to having a great deal of success against players her own age. Henrikson's potential, though, is excellent and she is a player to watch in the class of 2029.   Farmington has had trouble scoring the basketball all season. On this night senior [player_tooltip player_id='550005' first='Hannah' last='Hanson'] came up big with 24 points for the Tigers, who sprinted from 7 points down at halftime to score a 67-62 victory. Sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='630245' first='Gianna' last='Carpentier'] was in foul trouble in the first half and had difficulty finding the cylinder. Down the stretch Carpentier made some big shots, including a step-back three and a couple of free throws in the waning moments. When Hendrikson's game grows, she and Carpentier will be a deadly one-two combination in the Farmington backcourt.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/Brylee-Miller-scoring-group.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-1184736" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: <a href="https://x.com/FairmontGBB" target="_blank">X.com</a></figcaption></figure>   MILESTONES   We had four big-time milestones reached during Week #12:   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='453727' first='Kaitlyn' last='Rohloff'] of Hancock became the Owls all-time scoring leader with 2,304 career points. Rohloff, who has committed to Concordia-Moorhead, is a Class A all-state selection who led her team to the state championship as a freshman. Hancock is located about 45 miles southwest of Alexandria. Kaitlyn played AAU ball for the [program_tooltip program_id='767539' first='Minnesota' last='Comets'].</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='478375' first='Kadence' last='Pierce'] of Ogilvie became the Lions' all-time scoring leader last week. The 5'10 guard, ranked top 50 in the class of 2026, reached the 2,000-point mark about a month ago. Last week against Mille Lacs she topped the program's all-time best at 2,184. Ogilivie is a tiny map dot about an hour north of the Twin Cities.</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='595575' first='Lainey' last='Braulick'] of BOLD bettered 2,000 points for her career, the third player in school history to reach that milestone. The record came almost two years to the day after Braulick reached 1,000 career points. Lainey has been the Warriors' starting point guard for five years. The senior helped BOLD get to the Class A state tournament in 2023.</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='339179' first='Brylee' last='Miller'] of Fairmont became her team's all-time scoring leader last week in a 28-point performance against Redwood Valley. That enabled her to top the previous career mark of 1,308. She finished the night at 1,334. A top 20 prospect in the class of 2026 who plays AAU for the [program_tooltip program_id='712699' first='Minnesota' last='Rise'], Miller has committed to MSU-Mankato.</li> </ul>   There are three 1,000-point scorers to make note of this week:   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='453734' first='Laynie' last='Meister'] of Rochester John Marshall scored 32 points and had 10 rebounds in a win over Northfield on Friday night to push her past the 1,000-career points milestone. She's the second Meister sister to do it after sister Lilly, a 2022 JM graduate who plays for the University of Indiana.</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='578467' first='Amisha' last='Ramlall'] of Rosemount reached the 1,000-point mark last week in a 25-point performance versus Prior Lake. She'll have bragging rights at home given that her brother Anish, who is a standout sophomore at St. Cloud State, made it to 905 in his career with the Irish. Amisha is only a sophomore. She has committed to the University of Minnesota.</li>   <li>Addison Staples also reached 1,000 career points last week for West Central Area, located a half hour west of Alexandria in the town of Barrett. The senior for the Knights played her AAU basketball on the strong [program_tooltip program_id='713021' first='West' last='Central United'] 2025 squad.</li> </ul>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/Malmgren-1000-rebounds.png?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-1184737" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: <a href="https://x.com/MadelynMalmgren" target="_blank">X.com</a></figcaption></figure>   We also need to mention a couple of players who made it into the selective 1,000-career rebounds club, beginning with senior [player_tooltip player_id='396427' first='Madelyn' last='Malmgren'] of St. James. The University of Jamestown signee is the second at the school to reach the milestone. Also reaching 1,000 boards for her career is an honorary Minnesotan from West Fargo Horace. That would be Gonzaga commit Jaiden Haile, who played AAU for [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'].   <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/04/Addison-Hoof-scaled-crop-2560x1681-1649893497-crop-601x395-1739157223.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-1184758" /></figure>   TOP PERFORMANCES   Last week we told you about 2028 guard [player_tooltip player_id='886920' first='Regan' last='Hemberger'] of Perham, who has been on fire from beyond the three-point line of late. Last week Regan outdid herself, establishing a new single-game school mark for success from distance. In a win over Frazee on Friday, Hemberger made four triples in the first half and seven more in the second half for a remarkable 11-for-12 shooting performance from beyond the arc. She finished the game with 34 points. “If you walk by the gym in the summer, fall, or winter you are bound to see Regan shooting,” said Yellowjackets coach T.J. Super. “She made 75,000 shots this summer. She has put in the work to be a great shooter!”   Meanwhile senior Ruby Peterson of Hillcrest Lutheran Academy recorded a triple-double against Parkers Prairie with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals and 6 assists. Other top individual performances of note include:   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='502561' first='Marta' last='Forsline'] of Mesabi East put up 44 points Monday in a win at Deer River.</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='396435' first='Addison' last='Hoof'] (MSU-Mankato) of Lester Prairie (pictured above) scored 44 against Sleepy Eye. She's averaging 34 ppg.</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='212489' first='Sophie' last='Hawkinson'] (NDSU) of Wayzata had a career-high 41 points Friday in a win over Eden Prairie.</li>   <li>Junior Emma Thein of MACCRAY scored 37 points Thursday in a win at Ortonville.</li>   <li>Freshman Addison Ringhold of Spectrum scored 34 on Thursday in a win over Breck.</li>   <li>Junior Jada Dykhoff of Wadena-Deer Creek had a 33-point outing on Thursday in a win at Henning.</li> </ul>   COMING UP   I'll be traveling for the next two weeks so my viewing will be of the online variety. Monday's schedule is usually pretty light but this week there are more than 70 games on the docket. The two best matchups are probably Glencoe-Silver Lake at Jordan and St. Michael-Albertville at Eden Prairie. On Tuesday Benilde-St. Margaret's travels to Chanhassen. Thursday it's the big Hopkins vs Wayzata rematch. On Friday we think Byron at Goodhue should be a game to watch.   There were a handful of cancellations last Friday and Saturday due to the weather, including three games scheduled at the Breakdown Winter Lakes Classic in Alexandria. As a result, the event has been rescheduled for this coming Saturday with just two games: Minneapolis North vs Sauk Centre and Delano vs Alexandria, in a battle of two strong Class 3A programs.   Perhaps the most entertaining place to be on Saturday is at Moorhead High School for the Red River Showcase. It opens Friday night with Minnehaha Academy facing West Fargo Sheyenne. Saturday's schedule includes Fargo Davies vs St. Michael-Albertville, West Fargo Horace vs Minnetonka, Bismarck Century vs Moorhead, and Bismarck Legacy vs Wayzata in a battle of strong programs from North Dakota and Minnesota.

UPDATED 2/12