The seeds are now set after the MN State AAU Qualifier wrapped up on Sunday at Kennedy. Each of the big three club families each could claim two triumphs during the day. The independents also picked up a win with Tayler Hill Elite picking up the sixth grade title. You had to be there bright and early for the best games of the day. The event did not go up the food chain, but started with the eighth followed by the ninth grade, then shifted down to fifth and sixth grades. Both the early riser games were proverbial nail biters with the 2021 division decided in overtime.
So will all seven of these teams be smiling in two weeks? chances are 57% (or four) will be. There will be a few new faces in the title games as well. Teams will retool and adjust.
Here is the breakdown of family performance
| CLUB | 1ST | 2ND | TOTALS |
| North Tartan | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| MN Fury | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| MN Stars | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Tayler Hill | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Survivors | 0 | 1 | 1 |
down below the coverage today is the race for high school 2019—based on players in title games.
2025: MN Stars Borowicz 45, North Tartan Monahan 37
When a fifth grade team cashes in six 3s and shoots 54% from behind the arc they will be tough to beat. MSB did just that. Both Kendall McGee and Alaiyah Crump nailed three 3s. Only two other teams made more. Both the Fury 2023 and North Tartan 2019 teams cashed in eight. But MSB out shot them all in terms of percentage.
2024: Taylor Hill 11U 52, North Tartan Tinjum 24
Speed and quickness ruled this contest. TH forced 25 turnovers in a game that went running time. Those turnovers led to lay ups. The TH defensive effort held NTT to only 11 percent shooting. By half TH had enough to win the contest (34-13).
2023: MN Fury 2023 Blue 58, MN Survivors 40
The 7th grade Fury team was the only centurian team in the 14 minute divisions (5-8). The team reached that coveted mark by shooting over 50 from the floor and 33 percent from three point range. The Fury bench was even better with a 118 pp100. The Fury won the battle of the boards and frustrated the Survivors with 25 turnovers.
2022: MN Fury 2022 Blue 56, North Tartan Contreras 53
MF22B held on to stop NTC in the opening game of the day. Fury led 19-8 early in the first half and still had a five point advantage at half. NTC stormed out of the gates at half time with a 9-2 start in the first two minutes to take a 31-29 lead. Lilly Meister scored the go ahead basket for the Fury (51-49) and then added another insurance basket (53-49). Two baskets by Mya Williams cut the deficit to 54-53 with 39 seconds left. Once again Meister delivered insurance points with a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left. NTC was led in scoring by Tessa Johnson with 20 points. Her sister Rae (St. Michael-Albertville) is at Iowa State.
2021: MN Stars Hersch 62, MN Fury Gauntlet 56 OT
This topped the eighth grade game as the game of the day. Just like the previous game the victor saw a half time lead vanish. MSH led 31-24 at the break. The Fury pulled ahead at 38-36 after a pair of free throws by Rachel Leerar with 9:50 to go in regulation. On the next MSH possession Katie Borowicz drained a 3. The lead would exchange hands four times until Faith Alberts 3 from the right side tied it at 46 for MSH. There was still four minutes left in regulation. Adalia McKenzie, who topped all scorers on the day with 27 points (she almost outscored two teams) gave MSH a 54-48 lead with 1:38 left. You might think this was in the bank at this point. The Fury’s Destinee Bursch nailed a three with shifted the momentum back (54-51). MSH had three point blank lay up chances misfire. In the meantime Bursch scored on a drive to make it a 54-53 contest with under a minute. Bursch grabbed that third MSH miss. Leerar then was fouled and made one free throw with 26.5 ticks left. MSH had three chances on their last possession in regulation that were for naught. Katie Borowicz opened scoring in the overtime with a shot from the right baseline. Leerar converted both free throws for a 56 all game. Borowicz then drained a 3 from the left wing with 47 seconds left which proved to be the game winner. The Fury missed a three on their last possession. Paige Kindseth was fouled and she made the first free throw with 4.3 seconds left. McKenzie capped off the overtime with a put back at the buzzer.
2020: North Tartan Starks 60, MN Stars Antl 28
Most fans were expecting to see MN Fury 2020 Gauntlet, a familiar rival to NT Starks. They were upset in the semis (the cheering in that game was clearly heard throughout) by MN Stars Antl. Much of the energy in the win was left on the court. NTS rolled up a 33-12 lead at half, five more points than they needed to win.
2019: North Tartan Coury 61, MN Fury 2019 Gauntlet 49
There is something about playing the Fury that brings out the best in Macy Guebert. She was sizzling behind the arc going 5/6 and scoring 19 points in the traditional rivalry game. That is one more than in last year’s state title game at Jefferson vs the same Fury team (where she was 6/7 behind the arc). Future Gopher Sara Scalia provided 15. NTC led 36-27 at the break. The Fury cut the margin to 46-42 after a lay up by Emma Carpenter (Guebert’s teammate during the winter at Eastview). Guebert responded with one of her dagger 3s. On the next NTC possession it was Scalia with the dagger 3 and the Fury threat faded.
| GRADE/ CLASS | TEAM | POINTS | PP100 | LEADING SCORER |
| 5/2025 | MN Stars Borowicz | 45 | 64.2 | Aaliyah Crump 15 |
| 5/2025 | North Tartan Monahan | 37 | 58.2 | Three with 8 |
| 6/2024 | Tayler Hill 11U | 52 | 80.0 | Angel Hill 12 |
| 6/2024 | North Tartan Tinjum | 24 | 34.4 | Karley Franks 8 |
| 7/2023 | MN Fury 2023 Blue | 58 | 101.8 | Kennedy Herndon 17 |
| 7/2023 | MN Survivors | 40 | 69.0 | Taylor Woodson 11 |
| 8/2022 | MN Fury 2022 Blue | 56 | 77.8 | Callin Hake 14 |
| 8/2022 | North Tartan Contreras | 53 | 71.6 | Tessa Johnson 20 |
| 9/2021 | MN Stars Hersch | 62 | 80.4 | Adalia McKenzie 27 |
| 9/2021 | MN Fury 2021 Gauntlet | 56 | 73.7 | Kaylee Van Eps 10 |
| 10/2020 | North Tartan Starks | 60 | 105.6 | Lauren Jensen 15 |
| 10/2020 | MN Stars Antl | 28 | 51.9 | Two with 6 |
| 11/2019 | North Tartan Coury | 61 | 101.7 | Macy Guebert 19 |
| 11/2019 | MN Fury 2019 Gauntlet | 49 | 78.7 | Taylor McAulay 16 |
TRENCH PLAYER
2025: Kendall McGee, MN Stars Borowicz—-9 points, 8 distributions and 11 d stops, pretty close to a kjasr triple double.
2024: Angel Hill, Tayler Hill 11U
2023: Kennedy Herndon, MN Fury 2023 Blue
2022: Lilly Meister, MN Fury 2022 Blue (Rochester JM)
2021: Katie Borowicz, MN Stars Hersch (Roseau) 14/37; Key 3 in OT, plus you can tell how much a coach trusts a player by minutes on the floor. She rarely came off the floor.
2020: Lauren Jensen, North Tartan Starks (Lakeville North)
2019: Macy Guebert, North Tartan Coury (Eastview) pp100 of 211.1
PLAYER OF THE DAY: KATIE BOROWICZ
PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT: ADALIA MCKENZIE
TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT: NORTH TARTAN STARKS
What does this mean for the high school season in 2018-19. Here is a tracking of players from schools that came across my courts in the three top grades (2019, 2020, 2021). Only schools with more than one sighting get listed.
| SCHOOL | # IN TITLE GAMES (2019,2020, 2021) |
| Prior Lake | 3 |
| Stillwater | 3 |
| Wayzata | 3 |
| Armstrong | 2 |
| Chaska | 2 |
| Eden Prairie | 2 |
| Eastview | 2 |
| Farmington | 2 |
| Hopkins | 2 |
| Minnehaha | 2 |
| Park Center | 2 |
| Roseville | 2 |