Midwest Kickoff, Part 2: 8th Grade
There were 3 8th grade divisions at the Midwest Kickoff, and part of our mission on Saturday was to see a lot of 8th graders. How did we do? Well, we saw the #1-rated Tayler Hill 8th Elite. We saw…
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Continue ReadingThere were 3 8th grade divisions at the Midwest Kickoff, and part of our mission on Saturday was to see a lot of 8th graders. How did we do? Well, we saw the #1-rated Tayler Hill 8th Elite. We saw #3 North Tartan 8th Coley. We saw #7 So Minn Fury 2021, though we were disappointed that Erin Lamb was not in he house, and the result was a loss to #14 Metro Stars 8th Berkvam 38-34. We saw #10 Rise 8 Purple lose to unranked Top Flight 2021 Metro.
So we saw 5 of our 15 rated teams and another that could end up in our rankings next time around, and the total margin in those 4 games was just 14 points. And, then, there were a few 8th graders playing up with older teams.
Tayler Hill 8th Elite 57 Crossfire 10th Smith 32
First of all, let’s get the score right. The tournament Web site says 40-32 but it was definitely 57-32. The Hill Elite had 40 points a halftime, after leading 6-0 and 25-9. Crossfire got within 33-21 late in the 1st half, but Hill scored the final 7 points of the half for a 40-21 lead. Most of the 2nd half was in running time, so Hill won that just 17-11. The game’s biggest lead came at 2:43 at 57-31.
The Hills dominated the offensive boards—mainly that means Kierra Wheeler (Cooper) and Dora Okpara (Irondale). Wheeler led all scorers, while Okpara scored just 4 points, but they had 8 offensive boards between them. The Hills ended up shooting 50 percent, many of them 2nd chance opportunities from close range. Wheeler ended up shooting 7-of-10. Andrea Tribble (Cooper) and Chyna Young shot 3-of-3.
Adaila Mackenzie (Park Center) didn’t dazzle statistically but she is the most athletic of the Hills—a long, lean wing who runs the floor, hits the boards, gets into passing lanes, all the things that athleticism gets you. She scored 6 points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Crossfire Smith is of course not an 8th grade team, but I’ll just mention here that guards Alexa Garcia (Andover), Kayla Jo (K.J.) Davis (Maranatha) and Amelia Singleton (Orono) are all quick and athletic. Garcia’s skills are the most advanced, but of course she is a sophomore. Davis is a freshman playing up a year, and Singleton is an 8th grader playing up 2 years.
North Tartan 8th Coley 51 Crossfire 9th Jorgenson 50
An older Crossfire team took a 2nd loss to a highly-rated 8th grade team but this one was vastly more competitive. Of course, NT8C is not as athletic as Hill 8 Elite. (The 2 did not play one another but NT8C lost to Fury 2021 Blue 61-56 while Taylor Hill Elite beat Fury 2021 Blue 47-27.) But, in any event, Coley led from 14-13 on, and by as many as 10 at 49-39 around 3 minutes. CF9J closed with a run, though they were never in danger of winning. An Alaina Brenning (Rogers) 3 at the buzzer got them within 51-50.
A 3 at the 1st half buzzer was seen by many spectators as the game-winner, though in a 1-pointer every basket is a winner. In this case Takara Mason (Tartan) hit a 30-footer to give NT a 27-20 halftime lead. Mason was a force on offense, getting to the rim, finishing some tough, contested layups. She also dished to her teammats, and hit the 3. She was the best player on the floor and perhaps the best of the 8th graders on the day.
Faith Alberts (Parkers Prairie) is a long, lean wing and a serious threat from long range. And Kendall Coley (St. Louis Park) got it going in the 2nd half after a tough 1st. She made 5-of-9 shots, mostly from mid-range, in he 2nd while adding 5 boards and 3 blocked shots.
Again, CF9J is not an 8th grade team, but let’s recognize its top player—Brenning (Rogers) was terrific in all phases of the game. She ran the offense, threw assist passes to her teammates and hit 5-of-12 shots including the 3-ball. Abby Barschdorf of Elk River reminded me of Kelsie Cox.
Jana Swanson of Cambridge-Isanti is a 6-0 post who is coming back from 2 ACLs. She did not go 100 percent but showed a solid all-around post game on both sides of he ball. Abigail Schulte and Allison Hinze of Maple Grove also played well.
Top Flight 2021 Metro 39 Rise 8th Purple 37
Metro Stars 8th Berkvam 38 So Minn Fury 2021 34
We saw a couple of games matching 8 grade teams, with lower-rated or unrated team winning both games. An Abigail Deming (Red Wing) block and a Morgan Krumwiede steal inside of one minute helped preserve Top Flight’s 2-point win. Deming also dominated the boards and showed a high basketball IQ in the lane. Krumwiede led all scorers. Lakesha Carter (Lake Crustal-Wellcome Memorial) was a consistent offensive threat for the Rise, scoring in 3s, 2s and 1s.
MS8B is mostly Northfield girls and Northfield post Adrienne Whitson was their top player. She absolutely dominated one period of the 1st half with 3-of-3 buckets, 4 boards and a steal. Plainview-EM’s Macy Holtz, a point guard, and Dover-Eyota’s Kylie Lacy, a post, were SMF’s top players.
Top 8th Graders
This is just among the girls we saw on Saturday, of course.
Center—Kierra Wheeler, Tayler Hill 8 Elite (Cooper). Very strong, dominated on the boards.
Power Forward—Kendall Coley, North Tartan 8 Coley (St. Louis Park). Long lean and athletic. Think Chase Coley with a much better perimeter game at this age.
Small Forward–Nora Francois, Tartan 8 Coley (DeLaSalle). Big and strong and athletic. Could probably play any position on offense.
Point Guard—
Combo Guard—Alexis Pratt, Fury 2021 Blue (North St. Paul). I wasn’t scheduled to watch Fury 2021 Blue but I happened upon one of their games and had to stay to watch #25. Who’s that girl? Alexis Pratt. Very impressive point guard, plays about as much like an 8th grader as you or me. One college coach was very impressed. Had a much better day today (Saturday) than Jade Hill.
2nd Team
Center—Abigail Deming, Top Flight 2021 Metro (Red Wing). Great post IQ. Always in the right place. Great hands.
Power Forward—Adalia Mackenzie, Tayler Hill 8 Elite (Park Center). Think Cayla McMorris.
Small Forward—Faith Alberts, North Tartan 8 Coley (Parkers Prairie). Long, lean, athletic, 3-point shooter. Think Rachel Ranke.
Point Guard–Jade Hill (Mpls. South) played with Tayler Hill 11 Elite but she’s in 8th grade.
Shooting Guard—Andrea Tribble, Tayler Hill 8 Elite (Cooper). Pretty polished player for her age.
3rd Team
Post—Adrienne Whitson, Metro Stars 8 Berkvam (Northfield). Smooth, natural, active, makes plays.
Power Forward—Morgan Krumwiede, Top Flight 2021 Metro (Burnsville). 5-9, strong, plays bigger.
Small Forward—Amelia Singleton, Crossfire 10 Smith (Orono). Playing up 2 years. A smooth, athletic, scorer.
Point Guard—Joelle Sheffield, Tartan 8 Coley (St. Louis Park). High basketball IQ, makes good decisions.
Shooting Guard—Lakesha Carter, Rise 8 Purple (Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial). Attacks on offense.