The Week That Was #5: Dague’s return = record results
There were times when we wondered if Ellie Dague Ellie Dague 5'10" | CG Henning | 2021 State MN might never score another point. In the throws of an injury stretch that lasted the better part of two years and…
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Continue ReadingThere were times when we wondered if Ellie Dague Ellie Dague 5'10" | CG Henning | 2021 State MN might never score another point. In the throws of an injury stretch that lasted the better part of two years and appeared to be derailing a very promising basketball career, getting healthy was the only real goal. Fortunately Dague did come back and scored a bunch more points. On Thursday, the Henning High School senior had 32 in a win over Wadena, including the 2,000th of her career. Ellie’s accomplishment tops our list of milestones in our recap of the Week That Was #5 in Minnesota basketball.
After eventually receiving an accurate diagnosis of what was wrong with her knee, Ellie had surgery in 2019 and returned to high school basketball that fall. Last year she led the Hornets to a record of 29-2 and a trip to the state tournament. Along the way Ellie broke the Henning all-time career scoring record of 1,304 and has now scored another 700+ points. These are remarkable numbers for a player who missed more than 30 games in her career and still has another dozen to go.
This year Henning sits atop the Park Region Conference with an overall record of 9-1. Ellie is averaging over 22 points per game while shooting better than 50% and also averaging nearly 8 rebounds. She will begin her college career this fall at North Dakota State University.
Among the others who marked milestones in week #5 were:
- Senior Macy Holtz Macy Holtz 5'7" | PG P-E-M | 2021 State MN of Plainview-Elgin-Millville (MSU-Moorhead) became her school’s all-time leading scorer on Thursday with her 1,730th point in a win over Rushford-Peterson.
- Senior Grace Bany Grace Bany 6'2" | C Lake City | 2021 State MN of Lake City reached 1,000 career points on Thursday in a win over Kenyon.
- Senior Morgan Kelly Morgan Kelly 5'11" | PF St. Peter | 2021 State MN of St. Peter (Gustavus) topped 1,000 on Thursday at Minnehaha Academy.
- Senior Lucia Hauge Lucia Hauge 6'0" | PF St. Croix Lutheran | 2021 State MN of St. Croix Lutheran notched her 1,000th on Tuesday at Holy Angels.
- Junior Desiree Ware Desiree Ware 5'8" | CG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN of Minnetonka (Alabama-Birmingham) scored her 1,000th point on Saturday vs Buffalo. In the same game Skippers senior Sophie Haydon Sophie Haydon 6'2" | PF Minnetonka | 2021 State MN (George Washington) had her 500th career rebound.
- Junior Malia Nelson Malia Nelson 5'9" | CG Dover-Eyota | 2022 State MN of Dover-Eyota scored her 1,000th point.
- Junior Maddie James Maddie James 6'0" | SG Princeton | 2022 State MN reached the 1,000-point mark, as well.
- Coach John Noga of Parkers Prairie became the 10th coach in Minnesota girls basketball history to win 600 games when the Panthers topped rival Brandon-Evansville. Noga has been coaching for 35 years.
What we watched
- Monday – Maranatha Christian at Concordia Academy
- Tuesday – St. Croix Lutheran at Holy Angels
- Thursday – St. Peter at Minnehaha Academy
- Friday – Minnetonka at Chaska, Wayzata at Hopkins, Northfield at Rochester Century, Chanhassen at Robbinsdale Cooper (online)
Week #5 was an odd one in terms of scheduling with just one game on Wednesday (not that unusual) and only seven on Saturday (very unusual). Without a doubt the highlight of the week was the heavyweight battle on Friday night between Chaska and Minnetonka. The two teams have been among the top handful of squads in the state so far this winter and boast approximately eight Division 1 prospects between them: Kaylee Van Eps Kaylee Van Eps 5'11" | SF Chaska | 2021 State MN (Lehigh), Mallory Heyer Mallory Heyer 6'1" | PF Chaska | 2022 State #36 Nation MN (Minnesota) and Kennedy Sanders Kennedy Sanders 5'8" | CG Chaska | 2023 State MN (2023 #4) of Chaska along with Sophie Haydon Sophie Haydon 6'2" | PF Minnetonka | 2021 State MN (George Washington), Desiree Ware Desiree Ware 5'8" | CG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN (Alabama-Birmingham), Kiani Lockett Kiani Lockett 5'9" | PG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN (2022 #8), Emma Dasovich Emma Dasovich 6'1" | PF Valley Vista | 2024 MN (2024 #3) and Tori McKinney Tori McKinney 6'1" | CG Minnetonka | 2024 State MN (2024 #20). The interest in this game was high and my phone was buzzing throughout with texts from college coaches who were watching across the country.
Minnetonka got the early jump and led by as much as 10 in the opening period before it turned into a half of runs. Down three at the break, Chaska tied it on the first possession of the second half and it was a back-and-forth affair all the way to the end. The game was tied entering the final minute of regulation play and finished that way at 58 apiece to set the stage for overtime. Heyer scored the first bucket of the extra session and gave the Hawks the lead for good with 1:29 remaining. Van Eps cashed in on a pair of free throws with just 0.9 seconds left on the clock to close the deal. Final score: Chaska 71 Minnetonka 66.
Player of the Week
If you saw our feature story this week on Gianna Kneepkens Gianna Kneepkens 5'11" | CG Duluth Marshall | 2021 State #86 Nation MN of Duluth Marshall then it won’t surprise you that Kneepkens is our Player of the Week. The senior, who is committed to the University of Utah, scored 54 points Monday in a win over Hermantown to reach 3,000 points in her remarkable career. If you are looking for more details you can read Friday’s feature story.
Honorable mention goes to Mallory Heyer Mallory Heyer 6'1" | PF Chaska | 2022 State #36 Nation MN of Chaska, who scored 22 points Friday in the Hawks’ win over Minnetonka. In a close-fought battle Heyer’s play down low was the difference as she was basically unstoppable within six or eight feet of the basket.
Kudos, as well, to Ivane Tensaie Ivane Tensaie 5'7" | CG Concordia | 2021 State MN of Concordia Academy. The senior point guard, who has committed to the North Dakota State College of Science, scored 24 points in the second half on Monday to lead her team to a big comeback win over Maranatha. Tensaie opened the second half with a quick triple, followed by a step-back jumper and another three to spark the Beacons to a 57-point second half. Ivane followed that performance with a 34-point game Thursday against Blake.
Top 2024 prospects Rhyan Holmgren Rhyan Holmgren 5'9" | SG St. Peter | 2024 State MN (left) and Anisa Longs Anisa Longs 5'8" | PG Mpls South | 2024 State MN (right).
Newcomer of the Week
Maliyah White – 8th grade guard, Maranatha
This week was our initial viewing of Maliyah and did she ever make a solid first impression. The stocky, athletic guard from Maranatha Christian Academy came out bombing in the first half at Concordia Academy, nailing four triples and scoring 19 points to spark her team to a big lead. White has nice handles, can beat you one-on-one or with the step-back jumper, and seems to have a pretty good feel for the game. She is definitely making her mark early at the varsity level and currently leads the Mustangs at 19 points per game along with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. We’d expect her to make a case this spring for a spot in the first ranking of the class of 2025.
Honorable mention goes to 2024 guard Kiera O’Rourke Kiera O’Rourke 6'0" | CG Holy Angels | 2024 State MN of Holy Angels. We saw her in varsity action for the first time on Tuesday against St. Croix Lutheran and Kiera did not disappoint. O’Rourke was terrific at both ends of the floor, looking like a poised veteran playing a key role. On the offensive end, she scored three baskets in quick succession to break the game open midway through the second half as Holy Angels went on to win. O’Rourke has light feet, long arms, a solid understanding of the game and a large dose of the ‘it’ factor that all great players have. She made the top 50 in our first ranking of the class of 2024 and she’s in good position to move up.
The final two mentions go to a pair of talented guards who definitely are not unknowns but they are freshmen. It was a great match-up on Thursday as 2024 #14 Rhyan Holmgren Rhyan Holmgren 5'9" | SG St. Peter | 2024 State MN of St. Peter went head-to-head with #9 Anisa Longs Anisa Longs 5'8" | PG Mpls South | 2024 State MN of Minnehaha Academy. The two did battle at both ends of the floor as Longs scored 15 points and Holmgren had 14. The Redhawks prevailed over the Saints by a score of 58-42.
Notable performances
Kadence Hesse Kadence Hesse 5'10" | PG Sleepy Eye | 2024 State MN of Sleepy Eye missed the first part of the high school season with a knee injury but she has made her mark since returning. The top-25 prospect in the class of 2024 scored 25 points in her second full game back, going 5-for-5 beyond the arc to lead the Indians to a win over Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop. Kadence followed that up on Friday night with 24 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in a win over Minnesota Valley Lutheran.
A couple of little sisters upstaged their big sisters this week as the 8th grade upstarts bested a couple of decorated seniors, even if it was only for one night. 8th grader Angelica Boyle scored 24 points Thursday for St. Agnes besting her sister Brigid Boyle Brigid Boyle 6'0" | SF St. Agnes | 2021 State MN (Wayne State) who had 15. (Brigid had 27 earlier in the week against St. Paul Academy.) In the same game freshman Malani Sandifer had 14. She is the younger sister of Adaya Sandifer Adaya Sandifer 5'8" | PG St. Agnes | 2018 State MN , a 2018 grad of St. Agnes who rewrote the record books for the Aggies. Meanwhile over at Glencoe-Silver Lake, 8th grader Mylea Monahan had 28 points in a win over Dassel-Cokato Thursday, besting her sister Miah Monahan Miah Monahan 5'8" | CG Glencoe-Silver Lake | 2021 State MN (Eastern Illinois), who had 17. Miah had 31 points earlier in the week in a win over Annandale and is averaging 26 ppg.
Freshman Hannah Compton of Legacy Christian Academy in Andover had a triple-double on Tuesday night in a 64-41 win over PACT. Compton, who plays for Minnesota Suns 2023 Bluestar, had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Lions who have won five games in a row.
Ronnie Porter Ronnie Porter 5'2" | CG Como Park | 2022 State MN , the 20th-ranked prospect in the class of 2022, continued her hot streak as Como Park hammered their crosstown rivals from St. Paul Central by a score of 90-51. Porter scored 30 points in the win. Since Como resumed play, Porter’s points totals have been 25, 26, 29, 30 and 34.
Laura Hauge Laura Hauge 5'9" | SG St. Croix Lutheran | 2024 State MN of St. Croix Lutheran put on another long-bomb show Thursday in a win over Columbia Heights. Hauge went 7-for-13 from beyond the arc as part of a 31-point performance. On the season Laura is shooting 44.3% from three and is averaging nearly 5 triples per game. That’s remarkable given that most of Hauge’s attempts are from NBA range and beyond. She is the #4-rated prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2024.
Other big numbers this week included:
- 32 points, 16 rebounds and 4 steals for 7th grader Tori Oehrlein Tori Oehrlein 5'10" | CG Crosby-Ironton | 2026 State MN in an 87-74 win over Moose Lake-Willow River. Junior Natalie Mikrot Natalie Mikrot 5'6" | CG Moose Lake-WR | 2022 State MN of MLWR had 41.
- 32 points for junior Hope Dudycha Hope Dudycha 5'6" | CG Austin | 2022 State MN of Austin in a 59-45 win over Owatonna.
- 32 points for junior Callin Hake Callin Hake 5'8" | PG Chanhassen | 2022 State #64 Nation MN of Chanhassen as the Storm knocked off Robbinsdale Cooper. Hake scored 30 against Bloomington Jefferson earlier in the week.
- 30 points for senior Mia Huberty Mia Huberty 5'9" | CG Big Lake | 2021 State MN of Big Lake (Upper Iowa) in a 54-47 win over Chisago Lakes.
- 29 points for junior Sydney Runsewe Sydney Runsewe 5'8" | CG DeLaSalle | 2022 State MN of DeLaSalle in a win over St. Anthony Village.
- 29 points for senior Logan Anderson Logan Anderson 5'8" | SF Forest Lake | 2021 State MN of Forest Lake against East Ridge.
- 29 points for sophomore Virginia Johnson Virginia Johnson 5'10" | SF Mpls Southwest | 2023 State MN of Minneapolis Southwest in a win over Patrick Henry.
- 29 points for junior Hannah Wedeking of New Prague against Orono. She also had a 29-point game against Mound Westonka.
- 29 points for junior Olivia Johanns of Visitation in a 62-55 win over Fridley. Olivia is averaging 18 points and 13 rebounds per game for the Blazers.
- 26 for freshman Sophia Zay Sophia Zay 5'8" | CG Holy Family | 2024 MN of Holy Family in the Fire’s 77-60 defeat of Delano.
Coming up
These are some of the best match-ups to watch in week #6.
- Monday – St. Peter at Kasson-Mantorville
- Tuesday – Jordan at Hutchinson
- Wednesday – Maple Grove at Elk River
- Thursday – Hopkins at Minnetonka
- Friday – Holy Angels at DeLaSalle
- Saturday – Hawley at Pelican Rapids
Top photo: Senior Ellie Dague Ellie Dague 5'10" | CG Henning | 2021 State MN of Henning (NDSU) poses with her dad (and assistant coach) Chris Dague (left) and head coach Mike Hepola (right).