AAU State Tournament: Division 2 Champions Part 2

We watched a few teams that could compete at the Division 1 level next year. Some of these younger teams/players will definitely get better over the next year as they continue to grow and get more experience. Here are the top performers from the Division 2 State Championship games from the classes of  2024 and 2025. <strong><u>2024 – Division 2</u></strong> <strong>P.R.E.P – Buerman</strong> P.R.E.P was too much for the Playmakers in the championship game, beating them by 33 points to take home the rings. Most of the games they played leading up to that were blowouts, proving they were the strongest team in D2. The big three for P.R.E.P came to play this weekend; they have some girls who can put the ball in the hoop with no problem. The top three scorers in the division all came from this team. <strong>Janyia Wright</strong> lead the way with 54 points in four games, scoring in double figures in three of the four games. Her best asset is scoring at the rim where she can create her own contact and get to the free-throw line. <strong>Evyn Eppinga</strong> plays pretty similar, where she can finish around the hoop with ease. She tends to be in the right spot at the right time, creating a lot of opportunities for herself. <strong>Nyomi Crushshon</strong> was the most consistent of the three, scoring in double figures all four games. She has a nice shot from beyond the arc and was <span style="font-size: 1rem;">clutch from the free-throw line. Her speed is one of her strengths on both offense and defense. </span> <strong>Playmakers <span style="font-size: 1rem; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">North 15U Showcase</span></strong> The Playmakers ran out of gas in the championship game after winning a close one in the semifinals. They weren't able to contain the big three from P.R.E.P. and the two best players from the Playmakers were shut down by their aggressive defense. <strong>Jessika Lofstrom</strong> kept her team in most of the games and played well all weekend. She has a nice first step on the attack and can beat the defender to finish her layups in stride. <strong>Eva Peterson</strong> is the team's three point shooter and was able to knock down the three when she was set. Once she gets her rhythm down, I think she will start to knock them down more consistently. She was best at drawing the foul and getting to the free-throw line, knocking down 13 in the four games. <strong><u>2025 – Division 2</u></strong> <strong>West Central United </strong> West Central United played with urgency beating the Minnesota Fury 2025 Yellow by 13 points to bring home the hardware. This weekend they beat each of the four teams by a 10+ point margin. In the championship game against the Fury Yellow, they pulled away early and the Fury were not able to catch up. <strong>Hadley Thul</strong> was the MVP for the team, putting up big numbers in each game this weekend. She attacked the rim hard and also shot the ball from outside well. In the four games she was the division leader in points scoring 59 total. <b>Macee Linow </b>also played big this weekend especially in the championship game. It was her sharp shooting from beyond the arc that gave WCU the push they needed. She hit three big threes pointers giving her a total of 13 points against the Fury. <strong>Allie Haabala</strong> was a big contributor for the team as well. <b>Minnesota Fury 2025 Yellow </b> Minnesota Fury also cruised past their other opponents, but West Central United had a little too much firepower for the Fury. <b>Avery</b><strong> Krumwiede</strong> had her best game of the weekend in the championship game. She shot the ball well from three and knocked down two triples while trying to help her team stay afloat. <strong>Raeana Skattum</strong> was the most consistent player on the team this weekend. She was able to get to the rim with ease and take the contact. Her aggressiveness on offense sent her to the free-throw line often. <strong>Taylor Hemann </strong>and <strong>Zoe Verhasselt</strong> were big contributors as well for the second place team. <b>More Top Performers From Division 2:</b> <strong>Jordan Metz - MN Heat 2024 - Skwarek</strong> <strong>Olivia Wren - Diamond Elite 2024 MMB</strong> <strong>Jenna Buer - Minnesota Suns 2024 Black</strong> <strong>Shaniya Glover - Five Star Future 2025</strong> <strong>Emma Dornan - Minnesota Suns 2025 Blue Star</strong> <b>Addison Pilarski - Minnesota Comets 2025 Blue</b>