AAU recap: Best of the Battle for Mom, part 1
“If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it still make a sound?” That’s an age old question that is magically appealing for geeks who are into metaphysics, but it may have a…
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Continue Reading“If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it still make a sound?” That’s an age old question that is magically appealing for geeks who are into metaphysics, but it may have a basketball equivalent. “If a 6’2 forward from the Iron Range only plays basketball in her own backyard, would we even know her name is Lexiss Trygg Lexiss Trygg 6'2" | PF Virginia | 2021 State MN ?” Intellectual gymnastics aside, we found out for sure on Saturday morning in Bloomington that Ms. Trygg does exist and that she is, in fact, capable of making plenty of noise. Trygg made her first AAU appearance of the season with Starks Elite out of Duluth at the Minnesota Heat’s Battle for Mom. She leads our recap of the state’s third weekend of the AAU season.
From the North Country they came
Lexiss isn’t an unknown commodity. She has been putting up numbers in Virginia, Minn., for some time now – she averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds per game last winter – and has developed a reputation Up North as an excellent rebounder with sufficient length, a good motor and some pretty good touch for a girl of that size. She joined the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2021 rankings not long ago in recognition of her long-term potential. What we saw on the weekend, though, was so much more than we were expecting.
Lexiss scored 18 points in a one-bucket triumph win over the Wisconsin Playmakers in the first game we watched and finished second in team production for the weekend behind Northwestern Wisconsin product Tieryn Plasch. Trygg has length and strength, a nice feel for the game and very good instincts. She is more mobile than expected and runs the floor well. I loved her calm demeanor and ability to shake off a bad call or two (or three or four or… it was that kind of weekend). She was focused and really difficult for defenders to handle with down low. Lexiss appears to be the quintessential late bloomer, a prospect with a big body and a bigger upside.
Trygg wasn’t the only Starks player who impressed. The aforementioned Plasch, who had 39 points in three games, did it all for the squad in navy, red and white, who were playing their first tournament of the summer. Starks also had strong performances from defensive whiz Merlea Mrozik of Duluth Marshall and her Hilltoppers teammate Dasia Starks Dasia Starks 5'9" | CG Duluth Marshall | 2022 State MN , long-bomber Hannah Hannuksela Hannah Hannuksela 5'8" | CG Mesabi East | 2021 State MN of Mesabi East, and guards Rachel Hagen Rachel Hagen 5'10" | SF Duluth East | 2023 State MN and Ashlynne Guenther Ashlynne Guenther 5'11" | SF Duluth East | 2023 State MN of Duluth East. The Starks crew will be back this weekend for more and we’ll be watching.
The Ava vs Angel Show
Saturday marked the first time we have been able to see Tayler Hill Elite 2024 which is led by none other than Angel Hill Angel Hill 5'8" | PG Minnehaha Academy | 2024 State MN , the talented incoming freshman who is the latest in a long line of exciting basketball greats from the Hill family of Minneapolis. Angel appears to have grown both up and out and seems to have gained a lot of strength in recent months. Although there are a number of interesting pieces around her, Angel is the primary engine that drives the Hill machine and she did not disappoint. She led the 2023 division (THE was playing one year up) with 61 points in three games, 30 more than her nearest competitor.
What we also came to see in this matchup was young Ava Privet Ava Privet 5'10" | CG Caledonia | 2023 State MN of Caledonia, a lanky 2023 guard with serious bounce, big-time handles and a whole lot of mouth-watering potential. We had watched her last month in Ames and were thoroughly impressed. “Wouldn’t it be intriguing,” we asked, “to see what young Ava can do against a top-flight prospect like Hill?” Angel dangled and Ava danced and it was really good stuff.
Privet opened the scoring for her Wisconsin Playmakers squad with a two-point field goal, a lengthy three and another three not long after that. She was the Playmakers’ alpha dog from start to finish and she more than held her own against Angel. A clean block stands out in particular. The Hills quickly recognized what a threat Ava could be and proceeded to double-team her at every opportunity. The approach worked – sort of – but the Hills had difficulty reigning in the multitude of long-distance experts in blue. Wisconsin controlled the game throughout the second half and were able to hold on for a 53-48 victory. Angel is, without a doubt, one of the premier players in the 2024 class. Ava is, without a doubt, one of the state’s most exciting young prospects.
A tale of two Natalies
One is tall, the other short. One is long, the other is not. Both are talented, gritty and determined. Each is named Natalie, and on Saturday afternoon Natalie Bremer Natalie Bremer 5'11" | CG Lake City | 2022 State MN of Lake City and Natalie Mikrot Natalie Mikrot 5'6" | CG Moose Lake-WR | 2022 State MN of Moose Lake went to battle in what was essentially an intra-squad game between two teams from the Wisconsin Playmakers whose rosters also include top Minnesota talent.
Bremer is an athletic guard/wing who is a top-35 prospect in the class of 2022. She’s smooth on offense, tenacious on defense, and she knows how to employ her extraordinary wingspan to maximum advantage. Bremer, whose has really stepped up her defensive presence of late, is drawing both D1 and D2 interest. Mikrot is strong and stocky. She’s also very, very slippery, and has the ability to sneak past defenders, squeeze into seemingly impenetrable spaces, and slip her way to the basket. Whether by power or finesse, this Natalie can get the job done.
The two went at it with gusto for an hour as the Bremers prevailed over the Mikrots in a hard-fought battle. After the game, as she headed for the exits, Mikrot paused briefly by the gaggle of supporters who were congratulating Bremer on the win. “Good game!” Mikrot said in the standard salutation of respect we often see after the final whistle in girls basketball. “You guys played great.” That they did.
Bremer’s numbers for the weekend were very impressive. On Saturday she scored 31 points in two games while collecting 11 rebounds and a bushel of steals. Bremer followed that up on Sunday by scoring 27 points against the much-ballyhooed Maren Westin Maren Westin 5'8" | CG Becker | 2023 State MN and Comets 2023 Elite.
We’ll have more on the Minnesota Heat’s Battle for Mom tomorrow in part 2.