Youngsters who could impact outcomes on Saturday

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're accustomed to the veterans leading their team to a state championship on the final day of the high school State Tournament. Inevitably, there are a few youngsters who come up with a big game on the big stage at just the right time. Here are four who might do that today.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CLASS A: GOODHUE vs MOUNTAIN IRON-BUHL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='866106' first='Lola' last='Christianson'] <strong>– 2027 guard, Goodhue</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a 63-53 win over Underwood on Friday, the Goodhue Wildcats advanced to the Class A final, where they face off against the reigning champs, Mountain Iron Buhl. While led by [player_tooltip player_id='302307' first='Elisabeth' last='Gadient'] and [player_tooltip player_id='550025' first='Kendyl' last='Lodermeier'], the Wildcats received a significant contribution of minutes from freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='866106' first='Lola' last='Christianson'] on Friday. Her 7 points came early in the contest, shifting the momentum in Goodhue's favor. Despite her 5'2 stature, Lola attacks the basket with no fear, and uses a crafty set of finishes to score. She also knocks down open threes and defends with aggression. The Wildcats will need a boost of scoring from the bench in order to take down the Rangers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CLASS 2A: PROVIDENCE ACADEMY vs ALBANY</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='872714' first='Beckett' last='Greenway'] <strong>– 2029 guard, Providence Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another pint-sized guard who may show up big in the championship game is Providence Academy 7th grader, [player_tooltip player_id='872714' first='Beckett' last='Greenway']. Over the course of the season, Beckett has proven her ability to hang in the Lions rotation, even against big name opponents like Hopkins and Maple Grove. One of our favorite aspects of Beckett's game is her on-ball defense. She has light feet and incredibly good lateral movement, and has defended some of the best guards in the state this season. For Providence, having a rotation player who can defend the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='594370' first='Tatum' last='Findley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='461382' first='Savanna' last='Pelzer'] of Albany with no fear will be huge, as they look to take home their third consecutive state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CLASS 3A: DELASALLE vs BENILDE-ST. MARGARET'S</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='478363' first='Maddy' last='Blaylark'] <strong>– 2026 guard, DeLaSalle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='478363' first='Maddy' last='Blaylark'] was huge for the Islanders on Thursday, as they took down the Alexandria Cardinals in the Class AAA semifinals. The two teams went back and forth all game long, until Blaylark scored some big baskets in the second half. The Cardinals weren't able to close the gap and the 10th grader finished with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting. In Saturday's 3A championship game, DeLaSalle will face off against reigning champs Benilde-St. Margaret's. In addition to scoring from [player_tooltip player_id='296527' first='Aneisha' last='Scott'] and [player_tooltip player_id='595567' first='Jordyn' last='Johnson'], the Islanders may need the help of the Prep Girls Hoops top 25 prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CLASS 4A: HOPKINS vs MINNETONKA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='377584' first='Ava' last='Cupito'] <strong>– 2027 guard, Hopkins</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hopkins freshman [player_tooltip player_id='377584' first='Ava' last='Cupito'] (pictured above) has cemented herself in the Royals rotation this season after transferring in from Minnehaha Academy. She is a confident shooter with great shot selection, as well as a scrappy defender. A spark plug off the bench, Ava has averaged 7.8 points and 2 steals per game this season, which has been huge for Hopkins. The Royals will face off against Minnetonka for the third time this winter in the championship game. The series is split 1-1, with Minnetonka taking home the 64-61 win on Feb. 23. Cupito's play will be a big piece of the puzzle, as Hopkins looks to take home their ninth state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OTHERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='665717' first='Mackenzie' last='Lodermeier'] – 2027 guard, Goodhue</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='560398' first='Aniyah' last='Thomas'] – 2026 guard, Mountain Iron-Buhl</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='659121' first='Anna' last='Neyens'] – 2027 guard, Mountain Iron-Buhl</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='498661' first='Pressley' last='Watkins'] – 2027 guard, Benilde-St. Margaret's</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='667778' first='Laila' last='Moses'] – 2027 forward, DeLaSalle</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='717663' first='Le'Sedra' last='Williams'] – 2026 forward, Hopkins</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PGH scout Ally McGinnis contributed to this article.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->