Among many other innovations, the MSHSL is not naming all-tournament teams at the 2021 basketball tournaments. I'm sure there are many of "us" bloggers who will fill that gap and I'm certainly going to be among them. The MSHSL has typically picked 10 all-stars and so I'll stay with that, but I'm going to list them as 1st and 2nd team, and I'm going to tell you who the MVP of each tournament is. So here we go.
Class A
1st Team
Tournament MVP--Madison Mathiowetz, Sleepy Eye St. Mary's, 5-10, junior, combo guard. 67 points in 2 games plus 22 rebounds and 8 assists. Obviously she can score, but nobody in the Class A tournament has the overall skills and the court presence of the Sleepy Eye junior. Her 44 points in the 1st round are the 2nd highest total for the entire tournament and her 23 in the semis is the 3rd highest in Class A.
Abby Hennen, Minneota, 5-9, senior, combo guard. She was the best player on the best team, who did a little bit of everything. Not just the 52 points in 3 games, but 12 assists in the 2 TV games, even 4 blocked shots. Whatever the Vikings needed.
Natalee Rolbiecki, Minneota, 5-10, junior, post. Rolbiecki is just a great athlete--all-state in volleyball, too. Very mobile for her size. She started in the post. I mean, Minneota didn't have anybody else that played inside, but she plays like a stretch-4. She scored 49 points in 3 games with 12 boards and 5 steals in the 2 TV games.
Allison Knight, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, 6-0, senior, center. More of a true back-to-the basket post than Rolbiecki and more of a shot blocker. She scored 37 points in 3 games with 20 rebounds and 8 blocks in the 2 TV games.
Abby Rost, Minneota, 5-8, senior, combo guard. Rost scored 9 points in the 1st round, then 11 with 7 boards in the semi. But while her stats were just a little better in the final--12 points, 9 boards--she was much more active and more integral to the Vikings game as Hennen struggled through parts of the game. She was also the 2nd ball-handler that Minneota sometimes desperately needed.
2nd Team
Abby Berge, BBE, 5-10, sophomore, combo guard. Scored 27 in the 1st round, then just 10 on TV, but added 20 rebounds in those 2 games.
Morgan Chmielewski, Mayer Lutheran, 5-10, senior, wing. Did a little bit of everything in the 1st round loss to Sleepy Eye St. Mary's with 12 points, 6 boards, t5assists and 3 steals.
Lexi Bright, West Central, 5-7, junior, shooting guard. Scored her season's average, 22 points, in the 1st round loss to BBE.
Jordan Zubich, Mountain Iron-Buhl, 5-11, junior, shooting guard. Scored just 19 points but was MIB's best player in their 1-point loss to the eventual champions from Minneota.
Josie Knutson, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, 5-3, senior, point guard. Scored in double figures in all 3 games, and provided some much needed glue.
Class AA
1st Team
Tournament MVP--Gianna Kneepkens, Duluth Marshall, 5-11, senior, wing. Set an all-time state record, tournament or not, with 67 points vs. Providence in the 1st round. What a terrible shame not to see such a performance if only on TV. And, it was no fluke. She led the state with 43 ppg and is Utah-bound.
Paige Meyer, Albany, senior, point guard. In any ordinary year, Meyer would be the MVP. She was the best player and the leader of the best team, scoring 61 points in 3 games plus 20 boards, 16 assists and 8 steals in the 2 TV games. Reckless at times. South Dakota State will deal with that.
Grace Counts, Providence, 6-0, sophomore, center. The bigger and younger of the Counts girls. Maybe the better, at least for these last 3 games. Scored 49 points, with 38 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks. In an ordinary year, and if Providence had won the final, she could be the MVP.
Maddyn Greenway, Providence, 5-7, 7th grade, point guard. Might be the biggest impact 7th grader I have ever seen. Don't know what her upside is because I don't know how big she'll get, but her dad is a retired Vikings linebacker, so she might get bigger. I'm thinking Rachel Banham for upside. For the moment, she scored 66 points with 16 assists. Her floor game and decision making and sharing the ball needs work but, hey, she's in 7th grade.
Maria Counts, Providence, 5-11, junior, power forward. Scored 38 points with 29 boards and 10 assists, and blocked 7 shots in the final alone.
2nd Team
Abbie Christen, Albany, 5-7, senior, shooting guard. Scored 26 points for the champions.
Miah Monahan, Glencoe-Silver Lake, 5-9, senior, point guard. Scored 40 points in 2 games with 10 boards, 7 assists and 3 steals in the semis.
Mackenzie Rich, New London-Spicer, 5-7, senior, point guard. Scored 42 points in 2 games, and added 5 assists in the semi-final loss to Providence.
Erin Knisely, New London-Spicer, 6-2, senior, center. Had a nice game vs. Providence with 15 points and 17 boards.
Emma Hanson, New London-Spicer, 5-8, senior, small forward. Scored 26 in the 1st round, just 5 in the semis.
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