Its no urban myth: These small town girls get the job done

Holly Wiste is somewhat unassuming. At about 5-3 and of relatively slight build, Wiste looks a lot like the small-town kid that bags your groceries at the local supermarket. Behind the everyday exterior, however, lurks a grittier, edgier version of the guard from Mankato West that was on display Friday night at the North Tartan Summer Jam. Wiste and her Southern Minnesota Fury 2020 Blue teammates took on the Lady Bucks of Milwaukee at Bloomington Kennedy High School in a classic matchup of big city speed versus small-town will. Wiste, who hasn’t quite cracked the Northstar Girls Hoops Top 100 for the class of 2020, came out of nowhere this winter to claim a spot in the starting lineup for the Scarlets. She is a versatile guard who can move the ball, put up some points and grab a rebound or two. On this night, with the Lady Bucks hounding her relentlessly from start to finish, Wiste demonstrated incredible grace under pressure as well as some solid ballhandling skills. She weathered the trap-and-press onslaught well, remaining calm and composed. Her Fury teammates did the same and were rewarded with a 51-38 victory. This Southern Minnesota team is stocked with players much like Wiste. They aren’t flashy but they are really, really effective. Most already have extensive varsity experience and it shows. Point guard Tori Gateno of Rochester John Marshal (#114), who is listed at a rather optimistic 5-4 by the Fury, doesn’t look to score often but she does a nice job of pushing the pace. Brooke Sinning, a 5-7 guard, averaged 10 points per game for Pine Island and is ranked #83. Sinning sees the court well, gets the ball to open teammates, and can also take it to the rim and finish. Olivia Christianson (#79) is an athletic 5-9 guard from Lyle-Austin Pacelli who attacks the rim and finishes through contact. She is also a disruptive defender. Then there’s guard Colie Justice of Austin. Currently ranked 64th in the class of 2020, Justice averaged 10 ppg and led a resurgent Packer squad. She is a certifed gym rat who has a tremendous feel for the game. Kylie Nelson is a 5-6 shooting guard from Red Wing who has slipped into the Top 100 thanks to an outstanding summer with the Fury. Nelson can definitely shoot the 3 and it this particular skill that is drawing attention. Lest you think this Fury squad is nothing but guards, we offer you Ali Hunstad of Zumbrota Mazeppa. The 5-10 center averaged 15 points and 9 rebounds this winter and is ranked #44. Hunstad also recorded a 32-point game, so it’s safe to assume this is one small town girl who hasn’t made her last trip to the big city. Cross-Border Battle of the Bigs There are not many high school opponents who can hang with Liza Karlen of St. Paul Central. Currently ranked third in Northstar’s class of 2020, Karlen has a big motor, a big body, and big-time potential. Although she is listed at 6-foot-1, it’s probably time to get out that tape measure again. Karlen is huge, and very strong, and most high school players are overmatched against her. Playing up a year in AAU with North Tartan 10th EYBL, however, opponents sometimes do make life difficult and Friday looked to be one of those nights. At least for a while. The opponent in this case was 6-2 center Sharon Goodman of Cresco, Iowa and the Iowa Cadets. Goodman is built along the same specifications as Karlen, and no doubt has her way with most opponents on the Iowa high school circuit. She’s strong and skilled and quite versatile. Karlen and Goodman went at each other hard Friday night and it was a classic battle of the bigs. The problem for the Cadets is that Karlen doesn’t fly solo. At North Tartan, she has some help from 6-foot-2-inch power forward Mykel Parham of Apple Valley, who is among the very best in the class of 2019. Parham is one of Minnesota's most aggressive rebounders. She has strong hands and arms and is relentless in her pursuit of a board. As the game wore on, Tartan’s Twin Towers were just two much for Goodman and company and the home side pulled away to a 68-39 win. Don’t be surprised if all three players make a lot of noise at the collegiate level. A ‘Welcome Home’ Party The girls from Appleton, Wisc., and Midwest Force Select 16U thought they were coming to the Twin Cities Friday night for a basketball game. They had no idea it was actually a ‘Welcome Home’ party in honor of a special guest: North Tartan 9’s Paige Bueckers. Fresh off her gold medal victory with Team USA in Argentina, Bueckers was back home Friday night being her usual dazzling self. Like many of North Tartan’s opponents, the Force were not quite ready for this party and it got ugly early. About midway through the first half, the mom sitting next to me turned to her husband and said, "Who the #/*@&( is that girl?” I’d love to tell you how many points Bueckers had but, unfortunately, individual statistics at this tournament are available only on a “need-to-know” basis. At some point, it must have been decided that you and I are not among those who need to know. Of course, point totals are not the be-all and end-all of a basketball game – far from it – but they do tell a bit of a story and add some nice flavor to the recipe. After all, sports fans are in love with statistics and numbers make for much more interesting discussion over morning coffee. What we do know is that Ms. Bueckers and her talented teammates put the ball in the hoop a sufficient number of times to win the game by a score of 64-23. That number has apparently been declassified. If you’d like to get a look the Paige Bueckers Show live and in person, you may do so Saturday at 1:25 p.m. on Kennedy’s court 3 where they will face Minnesota Rise 10 Purple. What’s for breakfast, Mom? Bueckers wasn’t the only gold medalist in the house on Friday night. Caitlin Clark of Des Moines, Iowa was rumored to be here with All-Iowa Attack, but no sightings could be confirmed. I did bump into a third member of Team USA U16, however – 14 year-old Azzi Fudd of Virginia. The 8th grade phenom and her Fairfax Stars 15U Nike squad recorded a 55-30 win over HoopStars 2018/19 Red. If you are looking to start the day off right Saturday with a healthy, nutritious breakfast, allow me to suggest a helping of the Fairfax Stars as they face one of Minnesota’s best – Crossfire Theissen 2019. Game time is 9:05 a.m. on court 5.