Who were the top Thanksgiving performers?

There's no time like opening weekend to make a great impression heading into the new basketball season. There were plenty of players who did just that at the two primary events of the weekend – the Twin Cities Thanksgiving Tip Off at St. Thomas Academy and the Pat Paterson Invitational at Hamline University's historic Hutton Arena. Our colleague Tony Ragulen will have much of the coverage from Hamline. Here are 5 players who earned ‘top performer' status at the Tip Off.   [player_tooltip player_id='344333' first='Cail' last='Jahnke'] – 2026 guard, St. Michael-Albertville   As one of the top-ranked prospects in the 2026 class, it's no surprise that Jahkne had a stellar start to the 2023-24 season. With matchups against East Ridge and Davenport North out of Iowa, Cail finished the contests with 18 and 16 points respectively. That's a big jump from the 6.8 points per game she averaged in her freshman season which speaks to the bigger role she'll have this year. One of the most crucial aspects of Jahnke's performances over the weekend was on the other end of the floor, though. In the matchup against East Ridge, Cail spent most of her time on the defensive end guarding 2026 Top 10 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='351665' first='Vienna' last='Murray']. And while it wasn't a particularly high scoring contest for the Raptors, Jahnke did a commendable job neutralizing her opponent. Knowing how skilled of a player the Raptors guard is, we were certainly impressed.   [player_tooltip player_id='453781' first='Ella' last='Frazier'] – 2025 guard, Mahtomedi   While the weekend may not have gone as well as first-year head coach Mark Gustafson was hoping for, there were still highlight performances for the Zephyrs. The Tip Off featured an 18-point performance for junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='296747' first='Anna' last='Greene'], and 9th graders [player_tooltip player_id='764183' first='Berkley' last='Blaisdell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='659117' first='Delaney' last='Dumermuth'] made an impact on varsity. Our favorite of the weekend for Mahtomedi was Frazier, an athletic junior guard. Ella has done a ton of work to raise her game in the last year, earning her a well-deserved 33-spot leap to #71 in the Prep Girls Hoops prospect rankings earlier this year. Now entering the latter half of her high school career, the work she has done is really paying off. Throughout the weekend, Frazier played with her trademark energy and fire, and was consistently the best defender on the floor. Now with the ability to control her speed more effectively, and an increased sense of leadership, Ella is poised for a strong junior year.   [player_tooltip player_id='302296' first='Jessika' last='Lofstrom'] – 2024 forward, Grand Rapids (Jamestown)   It was a high-scoring weekend for a couple of seniors on the Grand Rapids squad. Forward [player_tooltip player_id='302302' first='Braya' last='LaPlant'] kicked things into high gear late in the matchup with Minneapolis Roosevelt, which was playing toe-to-toe up until about the 4-minute mark in the 2nd half. LaPlant finished with 21 points in the contest to help propel the team to a 60-49 win. But it was Lofstrom, the senior forward committed to the University of Jamestown, who really soared for the Thunderhawks at the Thanksgiving Tip Off. Lofstrom showcased her ability to score at all three levels and earned numerous trips to the free throw line in both games. Jessika finished the weekend with 28 points against Visitation and 25 versus Roosevelt. Thanks to the stand-out seniors, Grand Rapids finished the tournament 2-0 and will go on to face Hibbing, Pequot Lakes, and Albany this week.   [player_tooltip player_id='215968' first='Kendall' last='Barnes'] – 2024 guard, Roseville   Barnes is a dynamic point guard and vocal leader, and was a huge difference-maker on the floor last year for Roseville. So far this season, we're pleased to say, none of that has changed. The weekend included convincing wins against Mahtomedi and Mountain Iron-Buhl, and Barnes was a key contributor in each of those. While scoring 8 and 13 points in the two contests, it was Kendall's contributions elsewhere on the floor that made her one of the weekend's top performers. In Saturday's game against MIB, she played a key role in holding North Carolina commit [player_tooltip player_id='178277' first='Jordan' last='Zubich'] to just nine points and only one field goal. Considering Zubich averaged over 26 points per game in her junior season, that's pretty outstanding. Of course it didn't hurt that freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='657023' first='Analaya' last='Salanoa'] made 10 three-point baskets! As we enter the senior season for the class of 2024, Barnes is one of only two members of the Top 25 who has yet to make a college commitment – [player_tooltip player_id='215944' first='Ava' last='Cossette'] of Maple Grove is the other – and we're looking forward to seeing where she ends up.   [player_tooltip player_id='502602' first='Morgan' last='Staloch'] – 2026 forward, Jordan   The Jordan Jaguars had two exciting matchups at the Tip Off against Mahtomedi and Aquinas of La Crosse, Wisc. We were only able to catch Friday's meeting with the Blugolds, and it was fun. Leading the way for the Jaguars was Staloch (pictured above). The sophomore forward, ranked #8 in the Class of 2026, showcased her defensive skill and scoring prowess all game long, but it was her second-half heroics that really caught our attention. Jordan led 23-22 at the break, and the rest of the contest was just as close. With around 3 minutes left in the second half and Jordan down by three, 2026 guard [player_tooltip player_id='815110' first='Olivia' last='Fynboh'] earned two consecutive trips to the free throw line, where she hit 3-of-4 to tie the game. It was Samantha Davis (a 2026 Top 15 prospect in Wisconsin) who led the way for the Blugolds with 24 points, but it was Staloch who came to the rescue and went on a personal 7-0 run to win the game. She finished with 19 points.   PGH scout Ally McGinnis contributed to this article.

There's no time like opening weekend to make a great impression heading into the new basketball season. There were plenty of players who did just that at the two primary events of the weekend – the Twin Cities Thanksgiving Tip Off at St. Thomas Academy and the Pat Paterson Invitational at Hamline University's historic Hutton Arena. Our colleague Tony Ragulen will have much of the coverage from Hamline. Here are 5 players who earned ‘top performer' status at the Tip Off.