Best of the East

<p><strong>Center—</strong>Kristi Fett, Lyle/Austin Pacelli, 6-5, senior. How could we not pick Fett, who scored 30 points to lead the A’s to an 11-point win over Cromwell, 64-53. Fett is huge and she stays focused on things that she can do, like presenting a nice target to her guards, catching the ball in traffic, and getting it up on the rim. And, going up after both offensive and defensive boards. She works hard getting up and down the floor and gets into position faster than you might expect. At Mankato State, they’re probably going to be working with her on her footwork and foot speed, but I’m sure that’s a project they undertake willingly. The upside is obvious.</p> <p><strong>Power Forward—</strong>Kierra Wheeler, Cooper, 5-11, freshman. Wheeler was probably the 2nd best player on the East Court after Sam Haiby, and Wheeler is just a freshman! My goodness. She gets after the offensive board like nobody’s business, grabbing 10 O-boards (to go with 8 defensive boards), and this was against Elaina Jones, Olivia Travis, and Mary Claire and Nora Francois.  She is the reason Cooper won this game.</p> <p><strong>Small Forward—</strong>Olivia Matti, Hayfield, 5-10, senior. In Class A, Matti is a power forward. But she’s mobile enough with good perimeter skills to be a 2, if that had been the hand that life had dealt. She was the best player on the court as Hayfield manhandled Mayer Lutheran, scoring inside and out, handling it well enough, and harassing Mayer’s big 2, Hucky and Chmielewski, on the perimeter defense.</p> <p><strong>Point Guard—</strong>Elena Herberg, Rush City, 5-8, junior. Charismatic lefty, plays with flair and creativity, now and again a little too much creativity. Gets careless sometimes though I wouldn’t say she is generally high-risk, high-reward. Especially on defense, she gets in people’s faces and frustrates them and wears them down rather than going for the steal. Hasn’t gotten a lot of recognition, but her upside is right there with the bigger names.</p> <p><strong>Shooting Guard—</strong>Sam Haiby, Moorhead, 5-10, senior. 46 points. ‘Nuff sed.</p> <p><strong>2nd Team</strong></p> <p><strong>Center—</strong>Maggie Streightiff, Hayfield, 6-0, senior. Headed for college as a volleyball player, Streightiff is anything but flashy on the basketball court. She lets the game come to her, and when it does, she gets it done. She managed 16 points without calling any particular attention to herself. Just solid and methodical and effective.</p> <p><strong>Forward—</strong>Delaney Young, Park, 5-11, senior. Big, strong around the rim, which is pretty much where her points come from. Plays under control, uses her strength to her advantage. Fundamentally sound.</p> <p><strong>Point Guard—</strong>Kenzie Rensch, Hutchinson, 5-10, senior. Wow, close call between Rensch and Herberg, but while Herberg is a little more flashy, she also gets careless. Rensch is anything but, well, except for the occasional rambling/gambling defensive play. But on offense, she minds her Ps and Qs for the most part, involving teammates and scoring mostly after everybody else has touched the ball. By far the best player on the court at Hutch demolished St. Anthony.</p> <p><strong>Shooting Guard—</strong>Teana Hakamaki, Cromwell, 5-8, senior. Nailed 6 3s. Very natural, simply knows how to play basketball on and around the 3-point line.</p> <p><strong>Shooting Guard—</strong>Leigh Steiner, Holy Family, 5-11, junior. Long, lanky, strong, quick with great handles. Her shot needs some work. Rush City’s guards frustrated the heck out of her, but her athleticism and her upside are hugely.</p> <p><strong>Breakouts</strong></p> <p>Some girls we weren’t familiar with or had no idea they could do what they did.</p> <p><strong>Center—</strong>Morgan Ellis, Hutchinson, 6-1, sophomore. Not strong yet, but has a good instinct and some good post moves down low. Scored 3 buckets in a hurry late.</p> <p><strong>Power Forward—</strong>Olivia Tjernagel, Mayer Lutheran, 6-1, sophomore. An obvious volleyball player with a nice vertical which allows her to get off her shot and score in traffic.</p> <p><strong>Small Forward</strong>—Olivia Christianson, Lyle Pacelli, 5-10, sophomore. Plays like a veteran, always around the ball, especially on the boards. Solid defender.</p> <p><strong>Point Guard—</strong>Ashley Hanauska, Rogers, 5-6, junior. Not big, but very athletic, strong for her size, aggressive (which is something Rogers really needs), throws a nice crisp pass. Needs work on her decision making and her shot.</p> <p><strong>Shooting Guard—</strong>Andrea Tribble, Cooper, 5-5, freshman. Plays like a vet, scored 5 points in limited minutes.</p>