Win, rinse, repeat: It’s another clean sweep for the Fury
There were no glitzy championship rings distributed this time around, nor were the implications as historically significant, but it was impressive nonetheless Monday when the Minnesota Fury captured the top divisions in all four high school age groups at the…
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Continue ReadingThere were no glitzy championship rings distributed this time around, nor were the implications as historically significant, but it was impressive nonetheless Monday when the Minnesota Fury captured the top divisions in all four high school age groups at the Mill City Invitational. It was a virtual repeat of their sweep on Championship Sunday at the Minnesota AAU State Tournament in Shakopee when the Fury won the 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 state titles. They also won the 2024 title on Monday for good measure.
While their primary Minnesota opponents were on the road for the beginning of the July viewing period, the Fury took on some quality opponents from 14 different states. Most importantly, they did it in front of dozens of college coaches who packed the sidelines at Chanhassen, Chaska and Bloomington Jefferson high schools. Here’s a rundown.
Fury 2020 UAA is making the most of its final season.2020 Platinum Division
Fury 2020 UAA defeated Wisconsin Flight Elite 11 UAA 71-69 in a dramatic overtime contest. Natalie Mazurek of Eden Prairie scored 17 points to lead the Fury while Molly Mogensen of Farmington had 11 points, including two huge buckets in overtime. This 2020 Fury squad, which features the likes of Alyssa Ustby (Rochester Lourdes), Lauren Frost (Park Center) and Zareia Chevre (Tartan), has been impressive for years and they are making the most of their final summer together. Liza Karlen of Stillwater (Marquette) scored 15 points while Nneka Obiazor of Eden Prairie had 13 to lead Metro Stars 2020 Starks to a third-place finish in the division with an impressive 71-50 win over Arizona Select 17 UAA. Karlen had 50 points in 5 games as the Metro Stars went 3-2 on the weekend.
North Tartan Elite captured the 2020 Gold Division with a 55-40 win over the Wisconsin Blizzard. Annika Stewart of Wayzata led the way for North Tartan with 14 points while Lydia Haack of Elk River had 9. Read Chris Dalhed’s review of their performance, along with other top performers in the 2020 Gold Division. Level Up Express of Michigan defeated Southern Minnesota Fury 2020 by a score of 38-34 to capture third place. The Silver Division was won by Crossfire South over Suns Froehlich.
Fury 2021 UAA were the best of the incoming juniors.2021 Platinum Division
Fury 2021 UAA put on an impressive display of high-intensity team basketball Monday to crush Wisconsin Flight Elite 10th UAA by a score of 59-30. Center Sophie Hart of Farmington led all scorers with 14 while Gianna Kneepkens of Duluth Marshall had 13. Plenty of players drew curiosity from the college coaches this weekend but none more than Kneepkens, who is the #22 player in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2021 and the state’s top scorer last winter.
MN/WI Force scored an equally impressive 43-41 win over North Tartan Elite to take the 2021 Gold Division. Lilly Mackley of Hill-Murray was outstanding all weekend for the Force. The lanky 5’11 guard has gained about 10 points of muscle in the past couple of months and it shows. She is the #45 Player in the class. Emily McCurdy of St. Croix Falls, Wisc., scored 62 points in 6 games for the Force. North Tartan had lost a nail-biter to Fury 2021 Yellow earlier in the day but advanced to the finals on point differential. Johanna Langbehn (Elk River) and Jodi Anderson (Centennial) had 11 apiece to lead North Tartan. Anderson, the #32 player in the class, had 57 points in the tournament and plenty of D1 interest. The 2021 Silver Division was won by Crossfire Schuck.
2022 Platinum Division
If there is a more satisfying team to watch than Fury 2022 UAA we haven’t seen it. The college folks waited to the bitter end Monday afternoon to see the Fury win a thriller over Team Factory of Omaha, Neb. 58-52. It was a slug-fest that featured some outstanding displays of skill and physicality with a little ref vs visiting coach sideline drama as an added bonus. Nicole Bowlin of Holy Family, who drops dimes as well as anyone in the state, made a couple of big plays down the stretch, including a key pair of free throws and a steal-and-score with 49 seconds left that put the Fury ahead by 3. Mallory Heyer of Chaska iced it with an and-1 for the win. Lilli Meister of Rochester John Marshall led the Fury with 15 points while Callin Hake of Chanhassen had 9. In typical fashion for this group of 2022s, every player on the roster scored.
DTA Academy, which had narrowly lost to the Fury earlier, captured third place with a 62-32 drubbing of Nebraska Attack 9th UAA. Guard Myra Moorjani of Eden Prairie buried 4 triples on the way to 16 points for DTA. Maddie James of Princeton, a top 20 player in the Class of 2022, had 15 points including 3 threes.
South Dakota Network 15U won the Gold Division with a 47-35 win over Fury 2022 Yellow. Third place belonged to Minnesota Stars Bjorgaard, who slipped past LaCrosse Elevate by a score of 58-56. Ava Stier of Waconia led the way with 16 points while Shakopee teammates Page Broze and Kate Cordes combined for 23. The Silver Division was won by ND Pro who defeated 43 Hoops Antilla 42-34.
2023 Platinum Division
Fury 2023 UAA, who impressed us so much in the AAU State Championships, knocked off Let it Rain Black of Wisconsin by a score of 62-55 to take home top prize. It wasn’t the first meeting between the two elite squads and the history was evident. Ashley Schuelke of Chaska had an outstanding tournament for the Fury. She scored 76 points in 5 games, including 15 in the championship contest. Molly Lenz of Eden Prairie had 60 points on the weekend while Kennedy Sanders of Chaska had 58. The Fury’s top 2023s scored 77, 82, 90, 69 and 62 points in their five wins with a total margin of 162 points.
Metro Stars 2023 Wiese continued its run of success by defeating 43 Hoops Martin 43-28 to win the Gold Division. The Metro Stars were led by Priyanka Satish of Eden Prairie with 11 points while Lauren Knudson of Orono had 8. ND Pro defeated Minnesota Heat 8th West 60-33 to take third place while Minnesota Suns Valley collected a title in the Silver Division.
Top photo: Fury 2022 UAA captured the top freshmen division at Mill City. This may be the most talented AAU team in Minnesota.