Minnesota Class AAA & AAAA All-Tournament Team

[player_tooltip player_id="2122" first="Julia" last="Bengtson"] and her Becker Bulldogs have put on a lot of miles together for the better part of a decade, sticking together from their early days of elementary school through many grueling AAU summers, and the heartbreak of two lost opportunities to win a Class AAA State Championship. On Friday night all of their collective effort paid off in spades as Julia and her fellow seniors [player_tooltip player_id="29532" first="Megan" last="Gamble"], [player_tooltip player_id="109774" first="Courtney" last="Nuest"] and [player_tooltip player_id="109797" first="Alayna" last="Lindquist"] celebrated with junior [player_tooltip player_id="30163" first="Adeline" last="Kent"] and sophomores [player_tooltip player_id="108304" first="Maren" last="Westin"], [player_tooltip player_id="186119" first="Ayla" last="Brown"] and [player_tooltip player_id="108338" first="Dani" last="Nuest"]. It certainly wasn’t easy. Becker had to overcome an incredibly tough, very physical team from Marshall who gave the Bulldogs everything they could handle before Becker finally prevailed by a score of 70-58. It was a game of runs, as Becker seized control for the first time on a 14-2 spurt late in the opening half to build a 13-point lead at the break. In the second period, Marshall just kept pounding away with their relentless defensive pressure and ability to get to the rim through sheer physicality and strength of will. In spite of losing Westin to injury early in the second half, Becker just kept on pushing the pace and eventually pulled away. After falling to DeLaSalle in the 2019 state title game, and watching their shot at a rematch with the Islanders evaporate last spring, the Bulldogs put together a championship season to remember. It was well-deserved. <strong>CLASS AAA ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM</strong> <strong>First Team</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="2122" first="Julia" last="Bengtson"] – senior guard, Becker (Eastern Illinois)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="30163" first="Adeline" last="Kent"] – junior guard, Becker (Tampa)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109774" first="Courtney" last="Nuest"] – senior forward, Becker (Bethel)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109746" first="Jordyn" last="Hilgemann"] – senior guard, Marshall (Northern State)</li> <li><strong>Emily Meier</strong> – senior forward, Marshall</li> </ul> <strong>Second Team</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108304" first="Maren" last="Westin"] – sophomore guard, Becker</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="2134" first="Lilli" last="Mackley"] – senior guard, Hill-Murray (Dakota State)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57959" first="Hope" last="Dudycha"] – junior guard, Austin</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108316" first="Taryn" last="Hamling"] – sophomore guard, Grand Rapids (NDSU)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="2117" first="Frankie" last="Vascellaro"] – senior forward, Holy Angels</li> </ul> <strong>CLASS AAAA ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM</strong> One perfect play. In a season full of superlatives, with a gigantic semifinal win already in the books and a flawless record on the line, the Chaska Hawks executed one last play exactly as their coach had drawn it up. As a result, the Hawks earned a last-second Class AAAA state championship title with a stunning 45-43 victory over the Rosemount Irish. It was a terrific battle between two well-coached, highly talented squads who left it all on the court one final time. After a season of turmoil due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a year’s worth of what-ifs after last year’s tournament cancellation, the final game of the 2021 season could not have been more exciting. Rosemount nearly pulled it off, thanks in no small part to the play of senior [player_tooltip player_id="109744" first="Helen" last="Staley"], who saved the game of her life for the final moments of her high school career. Helen has been a mainstay for the Irish for five years, having played through injuries and adversity and in every position on the floor. She finished the night with 17 points on 50% shooting to go along with 9 rebounds and 5 assists. But after junior [player_tooltip player_id="109132" first="Tayah" last="Leenderts"] had scored at the rim to put the Irish ahead with 17 seconds remaining, Chaska coach Tara Seifert called time out to draw up one last play. It worked, as [player_tooltip player_id="108301" first="Kennedy" last="Sanders"] slipped the pass inside to [player_tooltip player_id="12714" first="Mallory" last="Heyer"] who caught a cutting [player_tooltip player_id="57077" first="Kaylee" last="Van Eps"] at the back door where she made no mistake. We have watched all three of those kids make wonderful plays over the years but none they will remember more than the one that gave them a state championship. The moment would not have been possible if not for the stellar play of [player_tooltip player_id="57170" first="Kelsey" last="Willems"], the Augustana commit who made big plays and big shots throughout. Junior [player_tooltip player_id="147447" first="Kendall" last="Karrmann"] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="108310" first="Ashley" last="Schuelke"] were very good, as well. What a game! Here is the Class AAAA All-Tournament Team: <strong>First Team</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="12714" first="Mallory" last="Heyer"] – junior forward, Chaska (Minnesota)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57077" first="Kaylee" last="Van Eps"] – senior guard, Chaska (Lehigh)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108301" first="Kennedy" last="Sanders"] – sophomore guard, Chaska</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109744" first="Helen" last="Staley"] – senior guard, Rosemount (Oakland)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109123" first="Alexa" last="Ratzlaff"] – junior guard, Rosemount</li> </ul> <strong>Second Team</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="29547" first="Ivory" last="Finley"] – senior guard, Rosemount (UMass-Lowell)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108298" first="Taylor" last="Woodson"] – sophomore forward, Hopkins</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108348" first="Nunu" last="Agara"] – sophomore forward, Hopkins</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109756" first="Peyton" last="Blandin"] – senior guard, Farmington (Southwest Minn. State)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="6396" first="Jodi" last="Anderson"] – senior guard, Centennial (North Dakota)</li> </ul>