Game Notes, Ell-Saline at Minneapolis

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unable to travel to a game this evening I decided to go the livestream route. After browsing through my Youtube subscriptions Ell-Saline at Minneapolis became my pick. The class 2A Cardinals, suffered an season opening loss to Herrington a few days ago, hail from the Heart of America League. The class 3A Lions, of the North Central Activities Association, were opening their season with returning NCAA two-time first team [player_tooltip player_id='649344' first='Maci' last='McClure'] and honorable mention Braede Weatherman. After losing all of their three all-league selections to graduation Ell-Saline entered the season sorting out leadership and roles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1105537' first='Baylee' last='Randall-Hurt']</strong>, 5'10", PF, Minneapolis, 2027 - Randall-Hurt is big that is going to make a great deal of noise. Her size and length are one thing but her north-south speed even with the ball is another. Watching her finish transition plays, off missed and made shots, is something Lion fans will see a bunch of. Randall-Hurt will step out and hit a corner three but will make a living working around the block and on offensive boards. Watch for her defensive prowess to grow as she gets her box-out game on both ends going and improves her lateral quicks. A strong candidate for all-league honors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='649344' first='Maci' last='McClure'], 5'7", PG, Minneapolis, 2025 - McClure will continue to be the straw that stirs the Lions' drink in 2025. Confident with the ball, she is faster with the ball than a high percentage of opponents are without it. McClure looks for opportunities to go end-to-end off the defensive rebound. On any given night she could hang a couple dozen points up but, being the unselfish floor leader, she shares the ball well. Whether her teammates finish her dime drops or she slices through defenses to find a perimeter shooter, McClure creates. She is a perimeter threat, capable of canning the open three from anywhere, and a solid free throw shooter. A lock for first team NCAA honors again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Braede Weatherman</strong>, 5'6", CG, Minneapolis, 2025 - Weatherman runs the floor, passes solidly in transition, is a perimeter threat, and finishes with speed. What I enjoyed watching the most was her ability to cause turnovers. In the first half alone I counted five steals. Weatherman jumped passing lanes well and showed quick hands to pick pockets. An experienced guard likely to repeat as all-league.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Taelor Hardesty</strong>, 5'6", CG, Ell-Saline, 2025 - Hardesty is the most skilled and instinctive player on the Cardinal roster. She does not turn the ball over, hurts teams who do not respect her driving ability, scores the ball well and is easily the team's best passer. What amazed me the most was her rebounding. She had nearly ten defensive rebounds in the first half alone. The dust settles after a scrap, Hardesty often has the ball. She is sneaky defensively as well, able to slip from behind unaware opponents to snag steals. A stabilizer for her inexperienced team that should reap all-league honors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Isabelle Porter</strong>, 5'9", SF/SG, Ell-Saline, 2025 - Porter is easily the Lions' most athletic and instinctive scorer. She slides into open spaces, generates athletic shots around the hoop, and has a quick bounce to her jumpers off the catch. That bounce is present when she challenges shots as well. Where she got into trouble was trying to do too much in the passing department. I expect to see her decisions and accuracy improve on the way to making all-league. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1105535' first='Paisley' last='Jensen']</strong>, 5'9", PF, Ell-Saline, 2028 - A young forward to watch in the league is Jensen. With solid speed and some ability to score through contact she will be a player to watch develop. The freshman starter will become a better defender as her technique and sit-down strength improves, helping her lateral quickness improve. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->