Early Season Team Preview: Monticello Magic
Today we take a look at Monticello, a team I will watch on Thursday in their second game of the season against Rocori at home. I chatted with Jared Hines about key contributors, games to watch, and much more for…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingToday we take a look at Monticello, a team I will watch on Thursday in their second game of the season against Rocori at home. I chatted with Jared Hines about key contributors, games to watch, and much more for the Monticello Magic.
Players to Watch for the Magic
Anna Olson (2020, Vermont Commit, 25th in our 2020 class)
-Anna plays the 4 or 5 roles for the Magic and has done it with great success. She brings back the top scorer for the Magic and averaged a double-double last season. She also is a massive threat on the boards, which should benefit the Magic this season.
Lauran Zwack (2020, Point Guard, UW-La Crosse Commit for Track)
-Zwack has been a starter for this Magic squad for the past two seasons. Her explosive quickness on defense will be something to watch this year. Has a great bond with Anna Olson on an off the court, as they have had great court awareness on knowing where they are on the floor. You won’t find a hard worker on the court than Lauran Zwack.
Alayna Manning (2020, Small Forward)
-Manning was a key senior for the Magic as she started last season as well. The nice threat Alayna brings is her post presence but also has a good looking outside shot to offer a nice combo to this Magic offense.
Lily Manning (2023, Guard)
-Lily doesn’t play as big as her older sister, Alayna but has quick shot-creating skills to make defenders miss. She also has the outstanding speed to go along is a superb shooter. May start her time on JV, but could be on Varsity “sooner than later”.
Key Games Fans Should Watch
Both games against Becker will be big ones. For those who haven’t seen the new realignment of the Mississippi 8 Conference, both St. Michael-Albertville (1st last season) and Buffalo (2nd last season)have moved to the Lake Conference which opens up a door for Monticello. Another set of games to watch all within one stretch, January 21st-31st when the Magic will play: Becker (state runner up last season), Big Lake, North Branch and Princeton in 10 days. These games will decide the conference is just a short period in the Mississippi 8.
Teams Goals for the Magic
The biggest goal the Magic have is improving in the Mississippi 8 standings. They held a 13-13 record last year, and a 6-20 record the year before so improvement each year is key. With the number of seniors in Anna Olson, Lauran Zwack, Cat Terres, Alayna Manning, and Ally Frickel this team should control their destiny and get some sectional wins this season after not much sectional success since the 2013-2014 season.
Improvements from This Year vs. Last Year
The seniors I listed in the previous section have led this team for the past two seasons, giving Monticello even more strength as those five players enter their senior year and get more playing time and more minutes under their belt. With that being said, I think this team has the ability to with 17 to 20 games this season.
Extra Fun Facts
Anna Olson currently is 5th all-time on the Monticello Magic scoring list at 1273. The gap between 5th and 2nd is a very small 92 points that I feel she will get very soon this season. She will only be behind Grace Sawatzke who had 2014 career points for the Magic and played college basketball for the Fighting Hawks of North Dakota.