Which youngsters shined at the Winter Lakes Classic?

Over the weekend, I tuned into the action at Alexandria Area High School, where Breakdown's Winter Lakes Classic was held. The event featured three girls varsity matchups; Sauk Centre versus New London-Spicer, Pelican Rapids against Albany, and Benilde-St. Margaret's versus Alexandria. Earlier in the week we looked at the top performers from the event, which were covered in two parts. That leaves one more group to cover; the younger players on the court. Here are a handful of 8th and 9th graders who stood out over the weekend.   [player_tooltip player_id='1233136' first='Korbin' last='Tanner'] – 2029 Forward, New London-Spicer   The freshman post player (pictured above) put on a dominant offensive performance on Saturday, dropping a team-high 19 points against Sauk Centre. Tanner, a 6'2 forward, controlled the paint at the Winter Lakes Classic. Using her strength to fight for positioning on the low block, the Wildcats ninth grader forced an impenetrable seal on her defender, making it easy for her teammates to get the ball into the post. Once the ball was in her hands, Korbin used simple, but highly effective footwork to get open looks at the rim. We caught some glimpses of her ever evolving pick-and-roll game as well. On the other end of the floor, Tanner used her mobility and length to block shots, jump passing lanes, and grab rebounds over her opponents.   Paycen Rutgers – 2030 Guard, New London-Spicer   While most of the youngsters at the Winter Lakes Classic were players we've scouted several times before, Rutgers was completely new to us. The New London-Spicer eighth grader entered Saturday's matchup and swiftly impressed with her quickness, light feet, and overall athleticism. Paycen immediately displayed her work ethic on the court, defending with heart, battling for rebounds, and getting on the ground to fight for loose balls. On offense, the 5'8 guard handles the ball with confidence, and excels at reading the defense in transition. Rutgers put up 10 points against the Mainstreeters, scoring on crafty drives to the basket and knocking down open looks from the perimeter. We'll be looking forward to watching Paycen more in the upcoming AAU season, but for now it looks like she could make quite the impact for the Wildcats in the postseason.   [player_tooltip player_id='1243302' first='Lily' last='Wesen'] – 2030 Guard, Albany   Now in the latter half of the high school season, Wesen has been finding her footing on Albany's varsity roster as of late. At the Winter Lakes Classic the 5'6 guard brought her usual fiery demeanor to the court, providing a spark off the bench for the Huskies. As soon as she stepped foot on the floor, Lily began turning her defense into offense. Using her lightning speed and knack for anticipating where the ball is headed, the eighth grader routinely cherry picked passes, giving her team chances to score in transition. On offense, Wesen exuded confidence when the ball was in her hands. She attacked the basket with a head full of steam using her quickness and crafty handle to blow by defenders, both in transition and in the half court.    [player_tooltip player_id='1090111' first='Riley' last='Beyer'] – 2029 Guard, Alexandria   Despite only being a freshman, the younger of the two Beyer sisters looked like a true veteran in Saturday's matchup against Benilde-St. Margaret's. The 5'7 guard looked confident in the point guard position, keeping a tight handle on the ball even when facing heavy pressure from the Red Knights stifling defense. Riley found opportunities to score, both from the perimeter and on explosive drives to the basket where she finished with a soft touch at the rim. On defense, the Cardinals freshman played with intensity and quickness on the perimeter, using her active hands to pick up steals and push the ball up the floor in transition. While the outcome of Saturday's contest wasn't what Alexandria was hoping for, Beyer showed great poise in her game by continuing to work until the final buzzer sounded.

Over the weekend, I tuned into the action at Alexandria Area High School, where Breakdown's Winter Lakes Classic was held. The event featured three girls varsity matchups; Sauk Centre versus New London-Spicer, Pelican Rapids against Albany, and Benilde-St. Margaret's versus Alexandria. Earlier in the week we looked at the top performers from the event, which were covered in two parts. That leaves one more group to cover; the younger players on the court. Here are a handful of 8th and 9th graders who stood out over the weekend.