The Southern Minnesota pipeline keeps on delivering

United South Central High School has not had a winning season in the past decade. When Taylor Ovrebo took over as head coach, there were barely enough players for a team. Today the Rebels are 9-6 and boast a strong collection of young players who are setting scoring records and building a reputation as solid next-level prospects. Today we bring you a look at the best of USC and a couple more players who are the latest prospects flowing through the Southern Minnesota pipeline.   REBELS WITH A CAUSE   Located 40 miles west of Austin in the town of Wells, United South Central is a huge district that covers some 370 square miles. It serves students from small towns most Minnesotans have probably never heard of such as Bricelyn, Easton, Freeborn and Walters, but has an enrollment of just 167. Ovrebo graduated from USC in 2010 where she played under coach Rob Stevermer, who went on to have great success at Mankato East. Her twin sisters Katie and Kristi also played there and are now her assistant coaches. “I took over the girl's program in 2022-23 season,” said the coach. “We played a hybrid varsity season, and only played 15 varsity games. We were extremely close to not having a program. It was very fortunate to have Olivia and some of these younger girls coming through at the right time.”   [player_tooltip player_id='764222' first='Olivia' last='Bungum'] – 2027 guard, United South Central   The Olivia that Ovrebo refers to is Bungum, a 5'9 combo guard who has earned a Top 75 ranking in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2027. Bungum first came to our attention in AAU ball with the [program_tooltip program_id='712699' first='Minnesota' last='Rise'], but her high school accomplishments and the power of social media have elevated Olivia's profile significantly over the past year. Last winter she set school records for most points in a season (505) and most three-pointers made (65), along with single-game records for points (34) and threes (7).   The lefty with extensive range is averaging just under 20 points per game along with 7 rebounds and 6 steals. She is a strong athlete who gets to the basket through traffic and has a physical presence. She can score at a high level but has also become a really good on-ball and off-ball defender who leads the Rebels in steals and deflections. She's about to pass 1,000 career points as a sophomore.   [player_tooltip player_id='999555' first='Ivy' last='O'Rourke'] – 2027 guard, United South Central   Bungum isn't the only talented young prospect on the team. Last week O'Rourke scored 32 points in a win over Cleveland. She made 8 three-point baskets in the game to eclipse Bungum's record. O'Rourke attended the Prep Girls Hoops Sophomore ID camp in September. She is a lengthy guard who is averaging 15.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 steals per game. Ivy is a prototypical gym rat who has had a nice growth spurt over the past year. She's shooting threes with a 47% success rate and has added a mid-range game this year. O'Rourke also plays for the Rise.   More Rebels of note   On Monday night, 5'8 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1140912' first='Taylor' last='Schroeder'] also eclipsed the 1,000-career points mark against Mankato Loyola. Taylor is a slasher and driver who is averaging nearly 15 ppg along with 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 steals. Earlier this year she broke Bungum's single-game scoring record with 36 points. She's also an athletic, physical on-ball defender. Schroeder is one of just two seniors on the team; Addison Mithun is the other. The 5'8 guard/forward may not post big numbers but Mithun is a true glue player, a two-year starter and captain whose leadership has been crucial to the team's turnaround.   5'10 freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1140914' first='Alivia' last='Bruegger'] is averaging 8.3 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Right now she's at her best on the defensive side of things, a player who brings a physical presence to the paint. Since arriving on the varsity roster as a 7th grader, Alivia has averaged double-digit rebounds. On offense she's just figuring out how to play the position but is still putting up numbers. Last week she went 27-and-14 in one game and 15-and-14 in another. “She has had several 18-plus rebound games,” said the coach. “She can also stretch the floor as a 3-point shooter.”   Another promising freshman post is 6'0 [player_tooltip player_id='1140913' first='Chloe' last='Bullerman'], who is average 8.7 rebounds and 6.8 blocks per game. She is long and athletic but still raw. “Chloe is a great shot blocker and alters a ton of shots,” said Ovrebo. “Her presence has really changed our team defense. She has spiked more basketballs into the first row of the stands this year than I have seen in my entire coaching career!”   After going 2-16 in Gopher Conference play one year ago (8-19 overall), the Rebels improvement is definitely eye-opening. It is, however, a long hill to climb in Section 2A where there are numerous strong programs and talented individuals. Among them are Top 10 sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='498658' first='Morgan' last='Mathiowetz'] of Sleepy Eye St. Mary's, Southwest Minnesota State commit [player_tooltip player_id='773408' first='Lily' last='Hubin'] of Buffalo-Lake-Hector-Stewart, UW-River Falls commit [player_tooltip player_id='453733' first='Emily' last='Anderson'] of Martin County West along with standouts [player_tooltip player_id='498657' first='Aubrey' last='Steffl'] of Cedar Mountain plus [player_tooltip player_id='595575' first='Lainey' last='Braulick'] and Lilly Henriksen of BOLD. That's a solid list!   TWO MORE FROM DOWN SOUTH   [player_tooltip player_id='1106575' first='Zadi' last='Farmer'] – 2029 guard, Jackson County Central   We first told you about Zadi back in early December when the 5'6 combo guard from Lakefield made it obvious that she was going to be a player to be reckoned with among Minnesota's 8th graders. Zadi is an elite shooter who has provided JCC with an injection of energy and scoring punch. Over the past several games, Farmer has also made it obvious that she is a more-than-reliable free throw shooter, always one of the most underappreciated assets a player can have.   As of Monday's win over Luverne, Farmer has made 28 consecutive free throws. The streak began Dec. 17 against St. Peter. She went a remarkable 12-for-12 at the line against Redwood Valley, which was one short of the free throw accuracy record set by her sister – 2023 JCC graduate Maci Farmer. Zadi was 6-for-6 versus Windom, 5-for-5 against Belle Plaine and 2-for-2 against Marshall. There were two games in the streak in which she didn't get to the line. And on Monday she was perfect again. Overall Farmer was averaging 14 points and 4.7 rebounds per game entering the week.   There's no doubt it has helped Farmer following in the footsteps of her sister Maci, the great Alaina Wolff, Sadie Voss and others. Currently she has Winona State commit [player_tooltip player_id='550001' first='Rylie' last='Cother'] setting a great example. The senior guard has exploded following the Christmas break, scoring 44 against Belle Plaine, 39 vs Redwood Valley and 36 against Windom. For the season, Cother is shooting better than 50% from the field for over 26 points per game to go with 5.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.5 steals.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/engler-1000-crop-1466x963-1736894972.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-1140933" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: <a href="https://x.com/AliviaEngler" target="_blank">X.com</a></figcaption></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1139146' first='Alyvia' last='Engler'] – 2026 guard, Plainview-Elgin-Millville   In Monday's recap of recent action – <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/01/the-week-that-was-8-halfway-to-the-finish-line/">The Week That Was #8: Halfway to the finish line</a> – we presented our weekly rundown of players who had reached the 1,000-point milestone for their careers. Among the names was Alyvia. Unless you are a regular at Plainview-Elgin-Millville games, you may not know about Engler. We certainly were not well-versed in just how much the 2026 prospect has to offer. After watching film and conferring with some coaches, this is what we've learned.   Engler is a lightning-quick combo guard with a great first step and good speed in the open court. Despite being only 5'5, she is a fearless performer who constantly attacks the basket. As a result, this Bulldog draws a ton of free throws and is currently shooting nearly 75% from the line. She's shooting over 40% from the field and is also a quality 3-point shooter. Alyvia is a coach's kid – dad Scott Engler is PEM's head coach – who plays with a high IQ, has nice court vision, and has put in the time to forge a solid set of fundamentals.   Alyvia did not compete in AAU last summer but has committed to play for Ryan Haraldson's [program_tooltip program_id='774605' first='Southern' last='MN Fury'] squad in 2025. Coach Haraldson says Engler knows how to score and is electric to watch. That's certainly illustrated by her sprint to 1,000, a stretch of three games in which she scored 26, 30 and 30 points to reach the milestone. Add it all up and Engler is worthy of a closer look which we will definitely do. We've seen some fine point guards out of PEM over the past decade, including Sarah Hart and Macy Holtz, both of whom went on to substantial success at the collegiate level. Engler may be next.

United South Central High School has not had a winning season in the past decade. When Taylor Ovrebo took over as head coach, there were barely enough players for a team. Today the Rebels are 9-6 and boast a strong collection of young players who are setting scoring records and building a reputation as solid next-level prospects. Today we bring you a look at the best of USC and a couple more players who are the latest prospects flowing through the Southern Minnesota pipeline.