Midwest Kickoff Classic: Gamechangers of the Tournament

Brady Peterson April 12, 2022 @ 02:00 PM

I knew that Cooper was an excellent perimeter defender and passer. On Saturday, I got to see her play the best game I’ve seen her play. Cooper continued to play incredibly on the defensive end. However, the gamechanger in Cooper’s game is her shooting. In her two games on Saturday, it would’ve been hard for her to shoot better than she did. Cooper ended up shooting 8 for 11 from the 3-point line. The McDonell Central guard has a chance to rise in coaches’ recruiting boards this summer with performances like the ones she had on Saturday.

Madison Ehlenbach Madison Ehlenbach 5'9" | CG Columbus | 2024 State WI -Foundation Athletics 16U

The Columbus native took the floor after contributing to a cinderella run in the postseason, defeating Division 3 favorite Prairie du Chien in the regional title game. Although Ehlenbach came off the bench for the Cardinals, she played as big of a role as anyone. The guard knocked down shots all-day and kept me off balance as a viewer. I could never guess if she’d take a jumper or use her quick first step to get by her defender. Usually, it’s easy to tell what a kid is looking to do, and if I couldn’t guess, her defenders probably couldn’t either. After seeing her shoot before her game against Platteville back in November, I’ve kept track of her performances, and she’s miles better than she was in November. Ehlenbach is in for a good summer season and big-time junior season.

Lexi Hanna Lexi Hanna 5'9" | SG Maple Grove | 2025 State MN -Crossfire 9th Tusler

Sometimes when you look at a kid move on the floor, you can tell she’s on a different level. Hanna’s team played up at the Midwest Kickoff, but she looked like one of the better players on the floor when I saw her play her first game on Saturday. The guard is good at playing at different paces to get by defenders and understands how to get by defenders with finesse instead of raw power or speed. Her IQ to understand the use of change of pace to help her open up the floor will lead her to do great things throughout her high school career.

Grace Carlson Grace Carlson 5'7" | SF Amery | 2023 WI -Team Wisconsin 2023 Murray

The Amery native seemed to make momentum-changing shots whenever her team needed it most. Even though she only scored seven points in the first game, I saw her play on Sunday. Every basket seemed to end her opponent’s momentum or kickstart her team’s offense. It also helped that she seemed to create havoc on the defensive end. Her on-ball pressure was too much for some kids, and she must’ve been the source of at least five turnovers. Nobody will like being defended by Carlson at 9 a.m on a Sunday.

Ella Peters-Team Wisconsin 2023 Murray

There isn’t much that Peters isn’t capable of doing on the floor. As a tall wing, she can defend one through five, attack off the dribble, jump passing lanes, and create for others, among other things. I missed her best offensive game on Saturday, but what Peters does defensively is incredible. She’s a rangy, athletic perimeter player who seems like she contests every shot on her half of the floor. I got to see her play twice and concluded the sky is the limit for her going forward.