St. Kates MLK Day Classic: Top Performers, Pt. 2

This tournament at St. Kate's gives us a chance to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. while celebrating the game we all care about. Dr. King stood for excellence, accountability, and lifting others up, values that still matter every time the ball is tipped. The focus of this article is to recognize the top performers who rose to the moment on this floor. These players didn't just fill the stat sheet; they competed the right way, led their teammates, and played with purpose. Strong decision-making, effort on both ends, and staying composed under pressure separated them from the rest. As we highlight those performances, it's important to remember that moments like this are earned through preparation and commitment. Today was a reminder of how powerful the game can be when it's played with intention and respect.   [player_tooltip player_id='866106' first='Lola' last='Christianson'] - 2027 guard - Goodhue   Christianson's impact was steady on both ends from start to finish. At 5'4, she's not supposed to see over the defense and make some of the reads she did, but there wasn't a pass she needed that she couldn't deliver. It wasn't luck, it was feel. Lola understood angles, spacing, and when to stay out of trouble. The bounce pass was there when it was needed, the skip pass when the help came, and everything was on time. She played with patience and stayed under control, and that calm carried over to everyone on the floor with her. You could feel the difference when she went to the bench, as things didn't flow nearly as cleanly. Her confidence and command of the game are growing, and the attention she's getting right now is earned.   Chloe Theissen - 2026 guard - White Bear Lake   With the game hanging in the balance, and Goodhue doing everything it could to stay within reach, Theissen delivered knockout blows when it mattered most. On multiple possessions in the second half, she buried timely threes that took the air out of any momentum Goodhue was building. Her constant movement without the ball made her tough to track, and those clean looks didn't go to waste. Every make forced the defense to stretch just a little more, opening driving lanes and space for her teammates to operate. When her team needed a steady hand and a scoring punch, Theissen answered. Eleven of her game-high 20 points came after halftime, all in moments where the pressure was real and the margin was thin. That's the kind of shot-making that swings games and separates players when it counts.   [player_tooltip player_id='502600' first='Jayda' last='Wilson'] - 2026 guard - Eastview (Gustavus)   In a complete contrast to last week's showing against Farmington, the Eastview Lightning came out locked in and couldn't miss from deep. Eight of their first 11 made baskets came from beyond the arc, setting the tone early. Wilson knocked down two of those first-half threes and poured in 13 points before the break, finishing with a game-high 19. What made Wilson even tougher to guard was her balance. When defenders ran her off the line, she attacked gaps for clean finishes or earned trips to the stripe. Jayda wasn't just scoring either. She was active on defense, forcing turnovers that fueled transition chances. When the Lightning are shooting like this and pairing it with pressure on the other end, they're capable of lining up with anyone in the state.   [player_tooltip player_id='1234522' first='Addison' last='Ruffridge']- 2026 post - Stewartville (St. Olaf)   No one would fault me for leaning toward [player_tooltip player_id='458305' first='Audrey' last='Shindelar'] or [player_tooltip player_id='339214' first='Jayci' last='Rath'] as the top performer, but this one belonged to Ruffridge. She had her hands full with the younger, quicker combo of [player_tooltip player_id='1090085' first='Georgia' last='Watkins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1090108' first='Addison' last='Harris'], but you can't teach experience. Ruffridge kept it simple and played through contact, and it was clear she's spent plenty of time on the Mikan drill. She went right and left repeatedly, never bringing the ball down and taking away any chance for the defense to tie her up. With the Minnehaha Academy defense locked in on Shindelar, Ruffridge made herself available possession after possession. Despite three first-half fouls, she stayed poised and finished with 18 points, including two late buckets that put the game away.

This tournament at St. Kate's gives us a chance to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. while celebrating the game we all care about. Dr. King stood for excellence, accountability, and lifting others up, values that still matter every time the ball is tipped. The focus of this article is to recognize the top performers who rose to the moment on this floor. These players didn't just fill the stat sheet; they competed the right way, led their teammates, and played with purpose. Strong decision-making, effort on both ends, and staying composed under pressure separated them from the rest. As we highlight those performances, it's important to remember that moments like this are earned through preparation and commitment. Today was a reminder of how powerful the game can be when it's played with intention and respect.