Yes, it was a weird tournament, what with COVID, the new seeding process and etc. etc. etc. But, hey, this is really weird. The tournament's leading scorer(s) are Madison Mathiowetz and Gianna Kneepkens, each of whom scored 67 points, Kneepkens in just one game, Mathiowetz in 2. Of all the players who played in 3 games, Maddyn Greenway scored 66 points, Kennedy Sanders 62, Paige Meyer and Jordyn Hilgemann 61. There are no words to describe how totally unlikely and inconceivable this is.
1st Team
Overall Tournament MVP--Gianna Kneepkens, Duluth Marshall, 5-11, senior, wing. OK, I know what you're thinkin.' She plays in Class AA. She didn't get out of the 1st round. But, hey, didja hear that she scored 67 points, a state record overall and for the state tournament. Carlie Wagner scored in the 50s a couple times and was a superstar. Of course, Carlie played her 1st round games here in the Twin Cities, and Gianna didn't get to do that. Wagner of course went on to score 20 ppg for the Minnesota Gophers. Kneepkens isn't going to do that either. She's going to score 20 ppg for Utah of the Pac 12. Sorry, I just can't get past that number--67. With that, by the way, Kneepkens also clinched the Miss Basketball award, as far as I'm concerned.
Julia Bengtson, Becker, 5-10, senior, point guard. Here again, you're probably thinking you want somebody from Class AAAA. But among all the outstanding point guards we saw in the state tournament--and on TV, most of them--Bengtson, to me, stood out. I mean, you can't go wrong with Paige Meyer or Kennedy Sanders or the oh-so-unconventional Helen Staley. But I want Bengtson on my team. Nobody makes the right decision with the ball as frequently as Bengtson. Nobody pushes the pace as hard without getting a little bit reckless. With the game on the line, I want to ball in Julia Bengtson's hands.
Paige Meyer, Albany, 5-6, senior, point guard. Like I said, you can't go too far wrong with Paige Meyer either. She outscored Bengtson in the tournament 61-48 and outrebounded her and had more assists. But that was against weaker competition and Bengtson had a half-dozen teammates to share the ball with. Meyer didn't have that kind of support. She had to do it herself and so she did. Bengtson really had to involve her teammates more because they had the skill and they deserved their shots, and Bengtson did that. Different situation. On the whole, I just think Bengtson makes a higher percentage of right choices. But, hey, Meyer is the #3 player in the whole tournament.
Helen Staley, Rosemount, 6-0, senior, athlete. OK, if it's Class AAAA you want, then Helen Staley is your all-star. She dominated Chaska. She outplayed Kennedy Sanders offensively and she stifled Mallory Heyer on the D. She's not a big scorer but in a pinch--17 points vs. Chaska. And, in the 2 TV games, 9 boards and 5 assists per game. Somebody described Chaska's Kaylee Van Eps as a Swiss Army knife and, well, sure. But what in the world does that make Helen Staley?
Mallory Heyer, Chaska, 5-11, junior, power forward. OK, Helen Staley outplayed her in the final. Heyer did the same to metro player of the year Maya Nnaji in the semi, outscoring Nnaji 24-9 and outrebounding her 13-6. Without that performance, Hopkins gets to 80 straight wins and a state title.
2nd Team
Kennedy Sanders, Chaska, 5-8, sophomore, point guard. I thought Sanders was the best point guard in the tournament after her 21 point game vs. Hopkins. Nobody stands up to Hopkins' defensive pressure like Sanders did. But, then, she had zero assists against Rosemount's amazing D and dropped down to here. Still, like I said of Heyer, without Sanders, Chaska doesn't beat Hopkins and therefore they don't beat Rosemount.
Kaylee Van Eps, Chaska, 5-11, senior, wing. OK, here's your Swiss army knife. Scored 33 points with 12 assists in the 2 TV games. Oh, and scored the bucket that won the title for the Hawks.
Madison Mathiowetz, Sleepy Eye St. Mary's, 5-10, junior, combo guard. Yes, it was a weird tournament, what with COVID, the new seeding process and etc. etc. etc. But, hey, this is really weird. The tournament's leading scorer(s) are Mathiowetz and Kneepkens, each of whom scored 67 points, Kneepkens in just one game, Mathiowetz in 2. Of all the players who played in 3 games, Maddyn Greenway scored 66 points, Kennedy Sanders 62, Paige Meyer and Jordyn Hilgemann 61. There are no words to describe how totally unlikely and inconceivable this is.
Jordyn Hilgemann, Marshall, 6-0, senior, wing. Did I mention that she scored 61 points in 3 games and had 13 steals in 2 TV games.
Grace Counts, Providence, 6-0, sophomore, center/forward. OK, the 10th spot coulda gone to anyone of a half dozen players but we've got plenty of guards. You might want to say that Maddyn Greenway was the Lions' best player but, like I say, we've got plenty of guards. Let's not forget that a lot of games are won and lost on the inside where Counts was really terrific. 49 points, 38 boards, 13 assists and 12 blocks. I just couldn't pass on all of that.
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