Fall Exclusive finale: NCAA Division All-Star team
The kids were competitive, the games were compelling and now it has concluded: the first Fall Exclusive powered by Prep Girls Hoops and Jr All-Star is in the books. As we used to say back in the 1970s, ’That was cool!’ For the youngest of the youngsters it came down to a dramatic last-second bucket as Oregon scored a one-point victory over South Carolina in the championship game of the NCAA Division to run the tables with a record of 8-0.
That winning bucket at Bloomington Kennedy was scored by Bella Hanna, one of the Hanna triplets from Maple Grove whose outstanding play was one of the great storylines at the Fall Exclusive. After Mahtomedi 6th grader Mya Wilson had scored on a baseline drive to put South Carolina ahead with just seconds to play, the Ducks roared up the court and cashed in at the other end on Bella’s aggressive drive to the hoop. It was a perfect conclusion to a great event for the 6th, 7th and 8th grade division.
While Bella’s bucket was the game winner, Wilson’s play was one of the night’s most pleasant surprises, enough to earn her a nod as the evening’s top performer. The 5’7 wing from the class of 2027 is gifted, smooth and athletic. She’s also oozing with potential. The Mahtomedi prospect is really long and really lean right now – think Sophi Hall Sophi Hall 6'1" | CG Holy Family | 2023 State MN of Holy Family or Caledonia’s Ava Privet Ava Privet 5'10" | CG Caledonia | 2023 State MN as a good comparison – and has yet to sprout up or fill out. Mya has feet that are enormous yet light and she can get up in the air with ease and grace and plenty of bounce. It’s an exciting package to be sure.
One of the things I always try to discern upon the discovery of a bright young prospect like Mya is just how much height there is in the family. I’m no expert in genetics but I do know that it’s more common than not for tall parents to produce tall kids and in this case we struck pay dirt: Mya’s mom is 6’1 and dad is 6’5, and they were both college athletes. I have the feeling we will be writing a lot about this young player in the years to come.
NCAA DIVISION ALL-STAR TEAM
Wilson’s performance over the past month at the Fall Exclusive has earned her a selection to our NCAA Division All-Star team. She is the only 6th grader to earn a spot, but she isn’t the youngest player to be chosen. That would be Chloe Johnson of Duluth Marshall, a crafty 5’2 point guard who earned her way into the Fall Exclusive early because she is that good. Johnson is in the class of 2028! Yes, I said 2028. She was right at home every Friday night, directing the South Carolina offense with poise and precision. She is most definitely a player to pay attention to.
Two 7th graders also made the squad – the great Tori Oehrlein Tori Oehrlein 5'10" | CG Crosby-Ironton | 2026 State MN of Crosby-Ironton, who made the first team, along with New Ulm guard Brooklyn Lewis, who earned a spot on the third team – while the other 16 players are all 2025s. Thanks to the inclusion of the NCAA Division in the Fall Exclusive, we will definitely have a leg up next summer when we do our first evaluation and ranking of the class of 2025.
It didn’t take long to learn that Jordan Ode Jordan Ode 5'11" | CG Maple Grove | 2025 State MN and Lexie Hanna of Maple Grove, Liana Buckhalton Liana Buckhalton 6'0" | CG Stillwater | 2025 State MN of Woodbury and Ella Kuhlman Ella Kuhlman 5'8" | PG North Branch | 2025 State MN of North Branch are all strong candidates for the north end of the 2025 rankings. Their play over the past month earned each of them a spot on the first All-Star team. Here is the entire list of players who made it into the spotlight.
FIRST TEAM
Liana Buckhalton Liana Buckhalton 6'0" | CG Stillwater | 2025 State MN – 5’10, Woodbury (2025)
Lexie Hanna – 5’8, Maple Grove (2025)
Ella Kuhlman Ella Kuhlman 5'8" | PG North Branch | 2025 State MN – 5’7, North Branch (2025)
Jordan Ode Jordan Ode 5'11" | CG Maple Grove | 2025 State MN – 5’10, Maple Grove (2025)
Tori Oehrlein Tori Oehrlein 5'10" | CG Crosby-Ironton | 2026 State MN – 5’9, Crosby-Ironton (2026)
SECOND TEAM
Rae Ehrman – 5’9, Eden Prairie (2025)
Addie Hanna – 5’4, Maple Grove (2025)
Bella Hanna – 5’8, Maple Grove (2025)
Sophie Hawkinson Sophie Hawkinson 5'8" | CG Wayzata | 2025 State MN – 5’6, Wayzata (2025)
Myah Maull Myah Maull 5'7" | CG Eastview | 2025 State MN – 5’8, Apple Valley (2025)
THIRD TEAM
Zahara Bishop Zahara Bishop 5'10" | CG Benilde-St. Margaret's | 2025 State MN – 5’8, Richfield (2025)
Chloe Johnson – 5’2, Duluth Marshall (2028)
Brooklyn Lewis – 5’2, New Ulm (2026)
Annika Southworth Annika Southworth 5'8" | PG St. Peter | 2025 State MN – 5’4, St. Peter (2025)
Mya Wilson – 5’7, Mahtomedi (2027)
HONORABLE MENTION
Alyssa Baranick – 5’1, Maple Grove (2025)
Chloe Feldman – 5’2, Wayzata (2025)
Ella Goodnature – 5’4, Wayzata (2025)
Kaiah Karssen – 5’6, Wayzata (2025)
Kendra Overskei – 5’10, Maple Grove (2025)
Top photo: Oregon won the championship of the NCAA Division with a record of 8-0