Terrific twosomes we liked at the Lake Slam

We went into the Lake Slam AAU event in Bloomington last weekend looking for individual prospects with the potential to make it to the next level. As so often happens, though, we ended up seeing a number of teammates who worked exceptionally well together to help their squads be successful. As a result we have three pairs of players for your consideration: A classic point guard/post combination; a well-connected pair of high school and AAU teammates who play like sisters; and another pair of guards who also operate like twin sisters because that is, in fact, what they are. Here are the three terrific twosomes we liked at the Lake Slam.   [player_tooltip player_id='662003' first='Ava' last='Doherty'] & [player_tooltip player_id='662002' first='Sara' last='Stern'] – Crossfire Stern 2027   Stern is a 6-foot forward from Maple Grove and the younger sister of 2024 Top 10 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='215956' first='Claire' last='Stern'], who has committed to North Dakota State. Sara is long and lean and mobile, with a solid understanding of the game and the ability to deliver on both ends of the floor on a consistent basis. Sara isn't the most loquacious kid around but on the court she talks plenty and to great advantage. She can get to the rim and score, finishes well and consistently at the basket, and she can step outside to make shots from mid-range and beyond the arc. Stern does so many of the basic things really well – boxing out, making good cuts and delivering all the hustle you'd like among them.   Ava is a 5'7 guard from Wayzata with light feet, excellent mobility, and a terrific overall skillset. She handles the ball well, makes good passes, and has nice court vision. She demonstrated a wide array of offensive abilities over the weekend, including a nice mid-range jump shot and excellent knock-down distance out to the corner. Her shooting mechanics are good. She got the ball up quickly with a soft release and a nice arc and there was no hesitation involved. The lefty was able to beat defenders one-on-one and finish at the rim, too. Ava scored 39 points in the tournament including 8 triples. Like Stern, Doherty was making big hustle plays throughout and operated with a healthy degree of aggressiveness and no discernable fear. Each of the prospects is intriguing in their own right. Together they are even better.   Here are two more twosomes who caught our attention:   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/05/Krutzig_Damon-crop-3837x2520-1684877209.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-662040" width="400" height="263" /></figure>   Natalie Krutzig & [player_tooltip player_id='937656' first='Kendal' last='Damon'] – MN P.R.E.P. 2026 Phelps   The similarities between these two Forest Lake teammates is palpable. Both freshmen are well put together physically with size and strength that belies their age. Both have pretty well-developed skills. And when we watched on Saturday both of them played really, really hard from start to finish. Natalie and Kendal form the backbone of the squad led by veteran AAU coach Brittanie Phelps, who is a high school assistant at Coon Rapids. They barely left the floor and were relied upon as primary ball-handlers, rebounders, and playmakers. Basically, they set the tone for a team that plays with good energy, is super vocal and positive on the bench, and is not afraid to make it a physical contest if necessary. Damon made the All-Star Team at the recent USJN Windy City event in Chicago, which speaks to her impact and potential. It's hard to say what the top end is for this twosome right now but we certainly liked what we saw in this initial viewing.   [player_tooltip player_id='1078537' first='Aubrey' last='Christianson'] & [player_tooltip player_id='866106' first='Lola' last='Christianson'] – Southern Minnesota Fury 2027   It seems like we've been inundated in recent years by twin sisters making an impact in girls basketball. From the Kottkes of Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart to the Wiltrouts of Cambridge-Isanti and the Dudychas of Austin, we've seen a few… not to mention the Hanna triplets from Maple Grove. Now we introduce you to the latest DNA duo – the Christiansons from Goodhue. Although they are fairly small yet, with slight frames, these sisters are impact players because of their light feet, natural athleticism, high skill level, superior length and competitive bent. They can handle it, shoot it and score it. Lola reminds me a lot of recent Stewartville graduate [player_tooltip player_id='148327' first='Haylie' last='Strum']. The righty is probably the more-skilled of the twins. She's smooth with a real flow to her game and ease of movement. She's deadly on run, pretty creative with the basketball and is an excellent shooter. The lefty Aubrey might be a tad quicker and she uses that asset to great effect defensively with nice anticipation, a good understanding of angles, and a pesky nature that gets under the skin of opponents. It's hard to say if these three-sport sisters (basketball, volleyball, softball) are quite ready for prime time varsity just yet but they are putting in the work and the results are starting to show.

We went into the Lake Slam AAU event in Bloomington last weekend looking for individual prospects with the potential to make it to the next level. As so often happens, though, we ended up seeing a number of teammates who worked exceptionally well together to help their squads be successful. As a result we have three pairs of players for your consideration: A classic point guard/post combination; a well-connected pair of high school and AAU teammates who play like sisters; and another pair of guards who also operate like twin sisters because that is, in fact, what they are. Here are the three terrific twosomes we liked at the Lake Slam.