Super Sunday at State: North Tartan takes 2029 D1 title

If you had to boil the rivalry between [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] 2029 EYBL and [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] 2029 Blue down to its essence, the end result would be something like this: Tartan's punishing defense vs the Fury's offensive prowess. It's never quite that simple, of course, but that's how things played out at the AAU Division 1 State Championship 8th grade final. On Sunday afternoon in Shakopee, the #2 seeded Fury were held mostly in check and top-seeded Tartan put up plenty of points themselves as the defending champions scored a 60-45 victory.   The game opened with Tartan on the run and the Fury firing threes. It was at the midway point of the opening half with NT began to get some separation, beginning with a three-pointer from Chanhassen guard [player_tooltip player_id='1244229' first='Lucy' last='Hilgert'] at the 7:16 mark that seemed to light a fire. That bucket was followed less than a minute later by a field goal from Mounds View 7th grader [player_tooltip player_id='1120672' first='Jaycie' last='Helmer'] and a triple by Becker guard [player_tooltip player_id='884449' first='Andie' last='Changamire'] at 5:30. That made the score 19-12 in favor of [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'].   At the 4:20 mark, Cretin-Derham Hall standout [player_tooltip player_id='897060' first='Madeleine' last='Hamiel'] pulled off a sweet 360-degree spin move in the lane to score at the rim. That was followed by a bucket from Wayzata's [player_tooltip player_id='1243841' first='Sawyer' last='Backer'] which grew the lead to a dozen. [player_tooltip player_id='1095939' first='Raegan' last='Kelm'] of Byron had a pair of threes in the final two minutes of the half as [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] completed a 22-7 run for a 36-19 lead. After the break, NT scored the first two baskets of the 2nd half to stretch the margin to 21 points. It grew to as much as 25 points before the Fury closed the gap. It was too late.   The performance was quintessential [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] – a complete team effort punctuated by defensive intensity. Backer, who had an outstanding two weeks at Prelims and State, led the way with 14 points, half of them at the free throw line. Changamire had a dozen for the winning side, the same as she had done in a win over [program_tooltip program_id='713021' first='West' last='Central United'] Blue. Hamiel was a two-way contributor throughout, with two 12-point performances and 40 for the weekend. [player_tooltip player_id='872714' first='Beckett' last='Greenway'] ran the show from the point as usual. She had 17 in the opening-round win and 41 for the event. As usual, Tartan spread the wealth. [player_tooltip player_id='925046' first='Jordan' last='Staloch'] had a dozen against both Fury Yellow and Suns Black. The efforts of [player_tooltip player_id='1132957' first='Sadie' last='Romens'] didn't show up on the scoreboard but were valuable.   The Fury had made it to the championship game with a convincing 78-39 defeat of [program_tooltip program_id='714566' first='Minnesota' last='Stars'] Wright. They also scored wins over [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] Elite and [program_tooltip program_id='712665' first='Metro' last='Stars'] Gold. One of the keys to the Tartan victory was containing [player_tooltip player_id='932145' first='Brielle' last='Denkmann'] of Wayzata. On a Fury roster that is loaded with next-level prospects, she stands above the rest. The high D1 college prospect had an outstanding tournament, dominating the Fury's semifinal win with a 25-point performance and leading the division in scoring with 54 points. Against Tartan, she was held in check.   The Fury is hardly a one-woman show, though. [player_tooltip player_id='941745' first='Nevaeh' last='Grosse'] of Eastview is a three-point shooting machine with a stellar stroke. She had 15 triples in four games, 51 points in all. [player_tooltip player_id='994855' first='Izze' last='Austin'] of Edina put up 33 points for the weekend, one more than [player_tooltip player_id='1090111' first='Riley' last='Beyer'] of Alexandria. Mountain Iron-Buhl's [player_tooltip player_id='1055102' first='Farrah' last='Thomas'] had 25. We were impressed by the defensive efforts and tenacity of Chaska guard Brooke Bachmann. The 29s are a very good Fury team. On this day Tartan was better.   Top finishers in Division 1   <ol class="wp-block-list"> <li>[program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] EYBL</li>   <li>[program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] Blue</li>   <li>[program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] Yellow</li>   <li>[program_tooltip program_id='714566' first='Minnesota' last='Stars'] Wright</li>   <li>[program_tooltip program_id='713021' first='West' last='Central United'] Blue</li>   <li>[program_tooltip program_id='714566' first='Minnesota' last='Stars'] Hersch</li> </ol>   D1 Scoring Leaders   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='932145' first='Brielle' last='Denkmann'] – [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] Blue (54)</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1246844' first='Nikki' last='Gustafson'] – [program_tooltip program_id='712665' first='Metro' last='Stars'] Gold (51)</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='941745' first='Nevaeh' last='Grosse'] – [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] Blue (51)</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1246847' first='Greta' last='Layton'] – [program_tooltip program_id='713021' first='West' last='Central United'] Blue (46)</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='981166' first='Leah' last='Brustad'] – [program_tooltip program_id='712699' first='Minnesota' last='Rise'] Levendoski (42)</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='872714' first='Beckett' last='Greenway'] – [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] EYBL (41)</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='897060' first='Madeleine' last='Hamiel'] – [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] EYBL (40)</li> </ul>   Division 2   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Champion: [program_tooltip program_id='713214' first='Minnesota' last='Starks'] Hart</li>   <li>Runner-up: [program_tooltip program_id='712697' first='MN' last='Crossfire'] South Ferber</li> </ul>   Division 3   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Champion: [program_tooltip program_id='712362' first='Legacy' last='Hoops'] Gold</li>   <li>Runner-up: Lakes Novotny</li> </ul>

If you had to boil the rivalry between North Tartan 2029 EYBL and Minnesota Fury 2029 Blue down to its essence, the end result would be something like this: Tartan's punishing defense vs the Fury's offensive prowess. It's never quite that simple, of course, but that's how things played out at the AAU Division 1 State Championship 8^th grade final. On Sunday afternoon in Shakopee, the #2 seeded Fury were held mostly in check and top-seeded Tartan put up plenty of points themselves as the defending champions scored a 60-45 victory.