Saturday at the Southern Minnesota Hoops Fest

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like so many events staged by Breakdown Sports, the toughest part of Saturday's Southern Minnesota Hoops Fest wasn't finding good basketball – it was figuring out where to go and when. With 10 girls games and 27 total contests spread across a region stretching 30 miles north to south and 20 miles east to west, mapping out a coverage plan was no small feat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We hadn't yet seen Northfield live this season, so we started our day in Byron for the Raiders' matchup with Woodbury. From there, it was a quick dash to Kasson-Mantorville, where we spent the rest of the day while keeping tabs on other games online. It was a whirlwind that began before sunrise and wrapped more than 15 hours and 250 miles later. In all, I saw four games in person. Here are some of the day's highlights.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Team to Watch: Northfield</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northfield entered the Hoops Fest with just two losses – one to Stewartville, the other to a surging Rochester Mayo squad – and we were eager to get a closer look. The Raiders started four upperclassmen in their convincing 62-45 win over Woodbury: seniors <strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Mostad</strong>, <strong>Tatum Sawyer</strong>, and [player_tooltip player_id='502559' first='Amber' last='Mahal'], along with junior <strong>Alaia Douah</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mostad, a lanky guard with a smooth release, took a lot of shots and finished with 19 points (about seven above her season average) to earn Breakdown Player of the Game honors. Returning from a concussion, 5'11" senior post <strong>Kate Sand</strong> gave Northfield quality minutes off the bench. So did junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='889629' first='Sydney' last='Livingston'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mahal, a future college track and field athlete, brings outstanding length and athleticism. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='630284' first='Maia' last='Richardson'] does a little of everything, and Douah, a 5'11" forward, is a fluid, natural athlete with a college-ready frame – although we're told her future lies on the soccer pitch. But it was the play of Northfield's younger talent that is most noteworthy from our prospect-centric point of view.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='991212' first='Callie' last='Lynch'], the Raiders' starting point guard, is one of the most technically sound ball handlers we've seen. With top-75 status in the Class of 2028, she's averaging 12 points per contest and shows an innate feel for the game. With elite quickness and a rapid-fire initial step, she routinely gets to the rim against bigger defenders – and has a variety of skills to finish when she arrives. Pictured above going one-on-one with Woodbury's [player_tooltip player_id='905146' first='Harper' last='Vossen'], Lynch is a high-level tactician with a deep box of tools.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='994863' first='Siri' last='Richardson'] was impressive off the bench. The 5'11" guard, ranked #32 in the Class of 2029, is a calm, reliable contributor well beyond her years. A knockdown shooter who might possess D1 potential, Richardson fits perfectly alongside Lynch as a floor-spacer and scorer. She's averaging around 8 points per game but that's going to go up significantly down the road.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One player who didn't make an appearance – but definitely deserves a mention – is 7th grader [player_tooltip player_id='1354631' first='Kendra' last='Lynch'], who was sidelined by illness. She has mostly played JV this winter. A year from now there's no telling just how impactful she might be. At just 5'1", Kendra is already one of the most skilled young guards we've seen, with a tireless work ethic and natural feel for the game. Remember the name because Callie's little sister is going to be special.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We watched Northfield again online Monday night. The Raiders lost a tough one, giving up a lead to their Section 1AAA rivals from Byron falling 60-55. Those two teams will battle it out with Stewartville for the right to get to the State Tournament in March.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":774184,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/09/Izzy-Guetzlaff.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-774184" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Most Valuable Player: [player_tooltip player_id='717664' first='Izzy' last='Guetzlaff']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's time Guetzlaff got her due. The Red Wing senior has been a force for years, and Saturday's dominant effort in a 61-28 win over Kasson-Mantorville was no exception. It's fitting that Guetzlaff plays in the town that has crafted the world's best work boots for more than a century. All she does is grind. And rebound. And score. And then do it all again. Averaging over 18 points per game, she notched 10 double-doubles last season while garnering All-Conference honors in the Big 9.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6-footer controls the paint, hits from the perimeter, and lives at the free throw line. She's surpassed 1,000 career points and does it all with a mix of grit and savvy. She's dangerous with her back to the basket and has the touch to face up and knock down jumpers or even stretch the defense from beyond the arc.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Janesville's Terrific Twosome</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We can't remember the last time we caught Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton live, but their 83–69 loss to Minnehaha Academy at Kasson-Mantorville on Saturday reminded us why we've followed the Bulldogs' excellent backcourt since the spring of 2022. That's when we first evaluated [player_tooltip player_id='1145714' first='Katie' last='Olson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1145715' first='Neveah' last='Weimert'] as new prospects with the [program_tooltip program_id='712699' first='Minnesota' last='Rise']. It has been fun watching them grow into polished players with college pedigree.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Olson is a dynamic athlete who can do it all. She shoots with confidence, attacks off the bounce, distributes with vision, and plays with grit. She's the kind of player who inspires confidence – tough, vocal, and willing to do whatever it takes to win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Weimert brings elite quickness, great court sense, and a selfless style of play. Like Olson, she's a high-level defender and prolific in stealing the basketball. Offensively, her signature skill is shooting – when Nevaeh gets hot, the threes start falling in flurries. She's also a strong facilitator with an endless motor. The duo combined for 35 points in the contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Also standing out was senior guard <strong>Mikayla Wheelock</strong>, who tallied 13 points and was active on both ends. We were intrigued by 6-foot freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1616472' first='Ashlynn' last='Wolff'], who scored 13 second-half points and showed real promise. We'll have more on her later in the week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With a current record of 8-5, JWP competes in Section 2AA. St. Clair, led by UW-Eau Claire commit [player_tooltip player_id='502551' first='Brooklin' last='Hinze'], is 8-1. Norwood-Young America, powered by Dakota Wesleyan signee [player_tooltip player_id='773410' first='Vanessa' last='Schmidt'], is 7-2. We'd throw [player_tooltip player_id='1264767' first='Elaine' last='Schwarz'] and Blooming Prairie into the mix, along with [player_tooltip player_id='861905' first='Clara' last='Jeddeloh'] and Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial. I suspect Maple River, Glencoe-Silver Lake, or Minnesota Valley Lutheran might be in the conversation before it's all over. Bottom line: The road to Minneapolis is wide open in 2AA and JWP has the goods to get there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>More Saturday Standouts</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Among the other top performers we watched on Saturday were:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='734360' first='Gigi' last='Coleman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1090108' first='Addison' last='Harris'] of Minnehaha Academy</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='866100' first='Addie' last='Iversen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='458302' first='Abbie' last='Pietila'] of Delano</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='339214' first='Jayci' last='Rath'] and [player_tooltip player_id='458305' first='Audrey' last='Shindelar'] of Stewartville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='905146' first='Harper' last='Vossen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='992381' first='Alexa' last='Fahey'] of Woodbury</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->