HIGHLIGHT ISSUE

Top 20 Rankings by Class Pages 2-3

Volume 22

Issue No. 10

February 12

Minnesota Basketball Highlights Gophers’ Banham gets nation’s attention, and Kobe’s, with record 60 points at Northwestern By Bruce Strand

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n Super Bowl Sunday, nobody was more super than Rachel Banham. Anyone watching the Gopher women play at Northwestern to while away the time before the kickoff was treated to one of the most amazing performances in college hoops history. The senior guard from Lakeville North scored 20 points in the first half, 22 in the second half, including an 11-1 run by herself to erase a 9-point Rachel Banham deficit, 10 more in the first overtime including a tying layup with :03 left, and eight in the second overtime, for a total of 60 points, carrying the resurgent Gophers to a 112-106 victory.

Banham tied the NCAA record for points in a game, in 1987 by Cindy Brown of Long Beach State in a game they won by 80 points over San Jose State, in contrast to Banham’s performance where her team needed every point. She beat her personal best of 39, then the Gopher record of 44 by Carol Ann Shudlick — who happened to be in attendance in Evanston, IL — and the Big Ten record of 49 by Penn State’s Kelly Mazzante and Illinois’ Kendra Gantt before tying the national mark. “I think it was in the fourth quarter and I bank shot a three. No one does that. How does that go in?” Banham reflected, on the Gophers web site. “It was the [most awkward] angle and somehow it went in. I was like, All right, I’m feeling good. If that’s going in, a lot of shots are going to start falling. After that everything felt really good. It felt like the rim was wide open, no matter what I threw up it Continued on Page 13

2015-2016

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL Boys’ Top 20 Team Rankings Girls’ Top 20 Team Rankings Highlights - Boys Highlights - Girls COLLEGE BASKETBALL MN Gopher men MN Gopher women MN college conferences PRO BASKETBALL MN Timberwolves MN Lynx Minnesotans in pro basketball CONTRIBUTORS Bruce Strand - lead writer Ron Haggstrom - boys’ editor Kevin Anderson - girls’ editor Terry Kunze - column Jeff McCarron - publisher, column

Pacesetter Winter Classic Youth Basketball Tournament - March 6 in St. Cloud All youth teams in grades 4-8 are invited to enter the Pacesetter Winter Classic Basketball Tournament on Saturday, March 6, at St. Cloud State’s Halenbeck Hall. Information and registration are available at www.pacesettersports.net.

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February 12

BOYS High School Team Rankings - Top 20 Class 4A

Class 2A

Class 3A

Class 1A

1. Apple Valley (22-1) 2. Osseo (23-0) 3. Hopkins (22-1) 4. Maple Grove (20-3) 5. Champlin Park (17-4) 6. Lakeville North (20-3) 7. Rochester John Marshall (19-3) 8. Shakopee (19-4) 9. Chaska (18-5) 10. Wayzata (17-6) 11. Minnetonka (14-8) 12. Eden Prairie (12-10) 13. Cretin-Derham Hall (17-5) 14. Woodbury (20-3) 15. Elk River (18-4) 16. Mounds View (19-4) 17. Edina (13-8) 18. Lakeville South (14-9) 19. Tartan (19-4) 20. Armstrong (13-10) 1. DeLaSalle (14-4) 2. Red Wing (21-1) 3. Marshall (21-3) 4. Delano (19-4) 5. Waconia (18-5) 6. Austin (17-5) 7. Orono (16-7) 8. Minneapolis Henry (18-6) 9. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (14-9) 10. Northfield (15-8) 11. Mahtomedi (17-6) 12. Mankato East (14-8) 13. Fergus Falls (19-3) 14. Alexandria (15-6) 15. Columbia Heights (13-7) 16. Detroit Lakes (17-5) 17. Rocori (14-8) 18. Chisago Lakes (17-6) 19. St. Anthony (17-6) 20. Waseca (16-6)

1. St. Croix Lutheran (21-2) 2. Caledonia (23-2) 3. Braham (22-1) 4. Lake City (20-3) 5. St. Charles (21-2) 6. Minnehaha Academy (18-5) 7. Esko (19-3) 8. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (19-3) 9. Maple River (21-3) 10. Melrose (20-2) 11. Albany (17-5) 12. Crosby-Ironton (18-4) 13. Annandale (18-3) 14. Tracy-Milroy-Balaton (20-3) 15. Eden Valley-Watkins (18-3) 16. St. Peter (18-4) 17. St. Paul Academy (15-7) 18. St. Cloud Cathedral (15-7) 19. Rochester Lourdes (17-7) 20. Perham (17-4) 1. Minneapolis North (20-5) 2. Spring Grove (23-1) 3. Central Minnesota Christian (21-2) 4. Hillcrest Lutheran (21-0) 5. Murray County Central (22-2) 6. Rushford-Peterson (17-7) 7. Browerville/Eagle Valley (20-2) 8. Battle Lake (18-5) 9. Minnesota Valley Lutheran (20-4) 10. Red Lake (18-4) 11. Cass Lake-Bena (19-3) 12. North Woods (20-2) 13. Nevis (18-5) 14. Pine River-Backus (17-5) 15. Cleveland (24-1) 16. Mountain Iron-Buhl (17-5) 17. St. Clair (17-6) 18. Heritage Christian (15-4) 19. Houston (19-4) 20. Waubun (18-4)

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February 12

Page 3

GIRLS High School Team Rankings - Top 20 Class 4A

Class 2A

Class 3A

Class 1A

1. Hopkins (19-2) 2. Shakopee (19-1) 3. Eastview (19-2) 4. St. Michael-Albertville (19-2) 5. Minnetonka (18-3) 6. Lakeville North (16-5) 7. Elk River (15-4) 8. Rochester Mayo (19-2) 9. White Bear Lake (15-6) 10. East Ridge (18-3) 11. Park Center (14-6) 12. Osseo (17-4) 13. Rosemount (12-8) 14. Lakeville South (12-6) 15. Rochester John Marshall (16-5) 16. Eagan (12-9) 17. Apple Valley (13-8) 18. Anoka (13-6) 19. Edina (11-9) 20. Wayzata (14-5) 1. Orono (18-2) 2. Kasson-Mantorville (21-2) 3. St. Paul Como Park (15-5) 4. Hutchinson (17-3) 5. Winona (16-4) 6. Byron (19-3) 7. Holy Angels (15-4) 8. Thief River Falls (17-2) 9. Marshall (16-6) 10. Bloomington Kennedy (11-9) 11. Waconia (15-6) 12. Alexandria (15-5) 13. Hermantown (18-5) 14. Grand Rapids (15-6) 15. Northfield (13-8) 16. Detroit Lakes (13-7) 17. DeLaSalle (13-8) 18. Willmar (15-5) 19. Becker (13-6) 20. Hill-Murray (9-13)

1. Plainview-Elgin-Millville (20-1) 2. Sauk Centre (19-1) 3. Albany (17-3) 4. Minnehaha Academy (19-2) 5. Annandale (20-1) 6. Pequot Lakes (18-2) 7. Watertown-Mayer (16-4) 8. Dover-Eyota (18-5) 9. Roseau (17-3) 10. Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (18-1) 11. New London-Spicer (16-5) 12. Pipestone Area (17-2) 13. Esko (16-3) 14. St. Croix Lutheran (15-4) 15. Norwood Young America (17-3) 16. Holy Family (12-8) 17. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (19-3) 18. Osakis (17-2) 19. St. Peter (16-4) 20. Hayfield (13-7) 1. Mountain Iron-Buhl (20-1) 2. Goodhue (20-3) 3. Maranatha (17-4) 4. Ada-Borup (18-2) 5. Lyle-Pacelli (19-3) 6. Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity (21-2) 7. Sleepy Eye (20-2) 8. Browerville/Eagle Valley (18-2) 9. Cromwell (19-2) 10. Wheaton-Herman-Norcross (19-2) 11. Win-E-Mac (21-2) 12. Sacred Heart (20-0) 13. Mankato Loyola (16-4) 14. Southwest Minnesota Christian (18-1) 15. Mayer Lutheran (16-5) 16. Kimball Area (18-2) 17. Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman (15-4) 18. Floodwood (17-4) 19. Bigfork (17-3) 20. Stephen Argyle (15-6)

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Minnesota Basketball News

February 12

Page 4

Roseau’s Borowicz sisters reach 2,000 and 1,000, four days apart; lead 17-3 team By Bruce Strand

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iley and Kacie Borowicz sisters of Roseau, who led their team to the state semifinals last year, each reached scoring career milestones in the past week, four days apart. Kiley, a 5-foot-8 junior forward, notched her 2,000th point while scoring 22 in an 89-84 loss to Mountain Iron-Buhl on Friday, Feb. 5. Kacey, a 5-foot-7 freshman guard, got her 1,000th point on Tuesday while scoring 18 in a 91-58 victory over Kittson County Central. Kiley is averaging 24.8 points, 8 rebounds, 5.2 steals and 4 assists, shooting 58 percent, for the Rams (17-3).

Roseau’s school record was the state record for several years, 3,300 points by Megan Taylor, who went on to star at Iowa State. The Rams also have Iva Braaten averaging 14.3 points with a deadly three-pointer that “goes through the net with a commanding swoosh,” the coach noted. Victoria Johnson, 6-foot-2 post who’s improving steadily. Seven players have scored in double figures. Ranked No, 8 in Class 2A, the Rams main section obstacle will probably be No. 10 Dilworth-GlyndonFelton. “We need to play better defense and trust our team basketball (to reach state),” Filpula-Didrikson said. “When we play team ball, we’re hard to beat. We can score but if we want to get back we need to play defense.”

“She’s a ball hawk with a knack for getting her hands on the ball,” said Kiley Borowicz coach Kelsey Filpula-Didrikson. “She’s incredibly strong - she’ll win an 50/50 rebound battle. She’s impressive around the rim getting to the basket and finishing.” Kacie is averaging 15.9 points, 5.4 assists and 3.3 steals, hitting 46 percent overall and 40 percent on 3-pointers. ‘Kacie usually plays the one spot, and quarterbacks our press in the front spot. She’s a great kid, incredibly hard working,” said the coach.

Phone: 612-267-6709

Kacie Borowicz

Their seventh-grade sister Katie is seeing some action as well, she added.

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February 12

Page 5

New t his year: 4th Gr ade!

February ClassiC

MarCh ClassiC

sat., February 6

sun., March 6

Girls & Boys Grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 St. Cloud State University Limit 16 Teams • Register by Jan. 29

Girls & Boys Grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 St. Cloud State University Limit 16 Teams • Register by Feb. 26

The 2016 Pacesetter Winter Classic basketball series will feature two tournaments at halenbeck hall on the campus of st. Cloud state university February 6 and March 6. These tournaments are open to all boys and girls teams in grades 4-5-6-7-8. all players must either be enrolled in the same school system or live or attend school in the same city, the same school district or the same tribal community. entry is limited. all teams will play 3-4 games. These are one day tournaments. Teams may register to play in one or both the February & March tournaments. Championship teams will receive a team plaque and top finishers will receive individual medals with neck ribbons.

Registration also available online at www.pacesetternet.com • Follow our Facebook page: Pacesetter Basketball

2016 Winter Classic Series Circle gender: Boys or Girls Circle grade: 4 5 6 7 8 Circle date(s): February 6 • March 6 School

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Make check payable to Pacesetter and send form to Pacesetter, Box 222, Paynesville, MN 56362 $150/team per tournament

Registration also available online at www.pacesetternet.com

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February 12

Page 6

Around the State By Bruce Strand

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n a football rivalry that’s carried over into basketball, Minneapolis North got a payback win over St. Paul Central 83-71 on Feb. 4. North (20-4), top-ranked in Class 1A, got 17 points each from Patrick Dembley and Tyler Johnson. They were among the leaders of the Polars’ state runner-up football team whose lone regular-season loss came against Central last fall, although North was later given a forfeit because Central was found to have used ineligible players. “It was a statement game, after they beat us in football,” Dembley told the Star-Tribune. For Central (15-4), Sam Gubbrud, who had three touchdowns in the football game, was a big thorn for North again with 25 points.

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pring Grove, ranked No. 2 in Class A, topped No. 6 Rushford-Peterson 54-39 on Feb. 4 in a potential Section 1A finals matchup. Brady Schuttemeier had 13 points and Alex Egelhardt 12 for Spring Grove, and Noah Carlson 14 for R-P. (Post-Bulletin)

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he Pillager boys were 11-0 in the Park Region Conference after beating Wadena-Deer Creek 6246 on Feb. 4 with Ridge Hunstad tossing in 15 points and Lee Quick 14. (Brainerd Dispatch)

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osh Rands shot 5-for-7 on 3-pointers in the first half on the way to 27 points as No. 6 ranked Waconia beat Minneapolis Patrick Henry 91-72 on Feb. 3. The Wildcats (16-5) placed third in Class 3A last year. They face a rough road back as their newly-aligned Section 6AAA includes No. 2 (and four-time defending champion) DeLaSalle, No. 5 Delano, No. 7 Orono, No. 8 Benilde-St. Margaret’s and No. 9 Patrick Henry.

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akley Baker, junior guard, poured in 43 points, including nine 3-pointers, for New RichlandHartland-Ellendale-Geneva but it wasn’t enough as the Panthers (15-8) lost a shootout with Nick Dufault and the Waseca Bluejays 76-70. Dufault had 35 points. (Owatonna People’s Press)

I

n a duel of ranked Class 2A teams, Pequot Lakes handed Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton its first loss 54-50 on Feb. 4 — one game after the Patriots suffered their own first loss to Detroit Lakes 63-60, and one game after DGF had scored a big over Thief River Falls, a ranked 3A team. Strong post play boosted No. 3 ranked Pequot Lakes (17-1) as Oliva Lane netted 15 points and Corina Ruud 14, and they combined for 15 rebounds. The Patriots prevailed despite Haley Wiebolt being limited to 10 points (she averages 24) and despite 27 turnovers. Natalie Steichen sank 17 points and Alyson Brenna 13 for No. 10 DGF (18-1).

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ayfield not only upset Class 1A’s top-ranked Goodhue but physically dominated the Wildcats 61-40 on Feb. 4. The bigger Vikings Vikings had a 4025 rebound edge and made 14 of 23 free shots while Goodhue was 5-for-10. “They used their size, they used their aggressiveness, and we did not match it,” Goodhue coach Josh Wieme told the Red Wing Republican Eagle. Savanna Cordle scored 18 points and Carrie Rutledge 16 for Hayfield (13-7), which lost to Goodhue by just 47-45 on Dec. 4. Sydney Lodermeier had 13 for Goodhue (17-3).

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aterville-Elysian-Morristown has a 15-game win streak after fending off Kenyon-Wanamingo 64-59 on Tuesday, powered by post players Tierney Winter with 21 points and Erika Olson with 15 points and nine rebounds. W-E-M (19-3) has not had many close wins. “It’s good for us to play a good team like this and battle until the end,” coach Gabe Hauer told the Faribault Daily News. K-W was led by junior Continued on Page 10

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February 12

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February 12

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Minnesota Basketball Highlights By Bruce Strand high school 1,000-pointers.

Mankato East half-court shot deals No. 1 Red Wing first loss

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half-court shot at the buzzer in overtime by Mankato East’s Sam Ahrens knocked Red Wing, newly-installed at No. 1 in Class 3A, from the unbeaten ranks on Tuesday. The Cougars (14-8) won the Big Nine duel 64-62 in Red Wing with Ahrens, Krisean Coffee and Ben Schwartz scoring 15 points each. Travis Toivonen and Ben Munson had 18 each for Red Wing (21-1). The Red Wing Republican Eagle described the late drama this way: “Down by a point, with 3 seconds on the clock, Sam Ahrens inbounded the ball to Damani Hayes. Hayes dribbled once, hit a streaking Ahrens, who also put the ball on the floor for a moment before heaving his prayer toward the jail-breaking eagle at Sonju Gymnasium. In the moment the ball arced to the basket, the Red Wing student section’s chant stopped. Then the buzzer sounded. Then Mankato East rushed the court, teammates consuming Ahrens …”

Melrose boys, surprise champ last year, ranked 10th but going strong

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he Melrose Dutchmen were a surprise state champion last year, seeded fourth in Class 2A but cruising with three double-digit wins to finish 26-5 with their school’s first state title since 1974. And the Dutchmen were mostly underclassmen, so they assumed the No. 1 ranking at the outset of this season. They are now ranked No. 10 with a 19-2 record, losing to No. 3 ranked Braham (21-1) 75-71 and to Minnewaska Area (15-5) 59-50. They’ve had several close wins recently, over Sauk Centre 38-33, Montevideo 60-56, Albany 62-58 and Osakis 55-52. They get another shot at Braham at St. Cloud State on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 8:15 p.m.

The Cougars, who lost to the Wingers 58-41 at home Dec. 31, shot 50 percent to win the rematch while the Wingers struggled at 38 percent.

Coach Ryan Dusha calls it “a wonderful season so far” while recognizing that it will be a challenge to get back to state, with Braham heading a list of strong section rivals. “It will take a great game by someone to beat them,” he said.

“They hit a ton of shots. They shot really well from 3,” Winger coach Doug Toivonen told the local paper.

He figures 19-2 is pretty good considering the strong schedule and the the team’s new notoriety.

Red Wing’s loss leaves only two boys unbeaten teams, Osseo (23-0) and Hillcrest Lutheran (21-0),

“The players have really embraced having a target on our backs all year,” Dusha told the MBBN. “We are very pleased with our record … and we have handled the ups and downs of the season well. We are a solid team, but we are not overly explosive so we have had to beat teams doing a lot of little things.”

Red Wing, in their first game becoming No. 1, beat Stewartville 64-42 on Feb. 4, with Travis Toivonen joining the 1,000 point club, notching 20 points and 11 rebounds. Both his parents, Doug and Lisa, were also

Continued on Page 11

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February 12

BOOK A CAMP AT YOUR SHOOL!

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February 12

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Around the State Continued from Page 6 guards Savannah Blees with 20 points and Mara Quam with 19.

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he Faribault girls knocked off No. 3 ranked Winona 62-55 on Tuesday, mainly by ramping up their shooting accuracy, hitting 53 percent on field goals and 28 of 33 free shots, on its senior night. Faribault (11-10) had lost 53-37 earlier to Big Nine rival Winona (16-5). Elana Palmer scored 19 points (9-for-12 at the line) and Grace Amacher 14 points (8-for-9). “We made our free throws tonight, we ran our offense, we played with energy,” coach Bill Bardal said. “The biggest win I’ve ever been a part of since I’ve been a part of this program.” Fatigue was a factor for Winona, making its second long trip in two nights, having played a makeup at Owatonna the night before, and playing its third game in four days, three of them losses. (Faribault Daily News)

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egan Hintz became Dover-Eyota’s career scoring leader while pumping in 26 points in a 7047 win over Chatfield at home Feb. 4. She pushed her total to 1,564 points, eclipsing the record of 1,562 held by Jodi Batzel since 2010. Coach Brian Harris describes the 6-foot-1 Hintz as a “true post player” who gets most of her points from close range. She averaged 19 points as a sophomore, 16 as a junior when Eagles won the state Class 2A title, and 19.6 so far this year for a 15-4 team. Also the goalie for D-E’s state tournament soccer team, she will play basketball at Minnesota-Moorhead next year. (Rochester Post-Bulletin)

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aura Bagwell-Katalinich poured in 43 points to lead Academy of Holy Angels over DeLaSalle 8074 on Feb. 5, shooting 14-for-27 on field goals and 15for-16 on free shots. She also had 20 rebounds, four steals and three blocks. It was a career high for the senior forward who is averaging 25 points and 12.7 rebounds for the No. 9 ranked Co-Stars (15-4) and has committed to University of Pennsylvania. Aiza Wilson

led DeLaSalle (13-8) with 19 points.

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arah Holtz learned last Friday that she would be the first Lyle-Pacelli player invited to the state coaches all-star game series, then notched 19 points and nine rebounds in the evening to lead her 19-3 team past Houston 51-27. (Austin Daily Herald)

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elsea Lund of Lac qui Parle Valley, who recently notched her 1,000th point, scored 30 points in a 67-55 win over Dawson-Bpyd on Feb. 4. (West Central Tribune)

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livia Korngable sank eight 3-point shots and totaled 27 points as Rochester Mayo (19-2) tripped Rochester John Marshall 56-46 on Tuesday. The Spartans snapped a nine-game win streak by RJM (16-5). (Rochester Post-Bulletin)

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ndrayah Adams of St. Paul Como Park scored 34 points and passed the 3,000-point marker in an 84-69 win over St. Paul Central on Tuesday. She’s the 15th player to score 3,000 points in the state. More on Adams next week.

News on a Big game by one of your players? A special event coming up or a milestone reached? Email [email protected]

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February 12

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Minnesota Basketball Highlights Continued from Page 8 Dusha said four players average in double figures (Tyller Braegelmann, Dillon Haider, Brady Birch and Drake Meyer) and several kids have stepped nicely into new roles.

Rochester JM’s Jaime Ruden is ASU recruit and city’s career scoring leader

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amie Ruden has emerged as the all time scoring leader in the city of Rochester, passing a host of luminaries from the city’s four schools. The 6-foot-1 senior forward for Rochester John Marshall is “is too young to have known or seen play most of the select company that she is part of — or now, on top of,” wrote Donny Henn in a Post-Bulletin feature last Friday. He noted that many local cagers have played at the highest college left and a few professionally. Ruden is averaging 20 points per game for RJM (14-4) and has pushed over 2,400 points. Her high game is 36. She’s also 15 rebounds from 1,000.

fer with 1,815 for Lourdes, graduating in 2014, followed by Michael Restovich, Mayo 1997, with 1,731 points before going into pro baseball. “I definitely think it’s an honor,” Ruden told the PostBulletin. “It’s definitely a reflection of how much I’ve been able to benefit from great coaching and great teammates.”

Hopkins, twice bumped from No. 1, does same to Shakopee 70-54 Hopkins, twice dislodged from the No. 1 slot this year, was the spoiler for new No. 1 Shakopee last week. Getting extra spark from an eighth-grader, the Royals (18-2) handed the Sabres (18-1) their first loss 70-54 on Feb. 4. Shakopee was 17-0, the lone unbeaten in Class 4A, and had just taken over the top spot in the MBBN rankings. Hopkins prevailed with stifling defense and balanced scoring. Nia Hollie netted 18 points, Ashley Bates 15, Paige Bueckers 12, DeeDee Winston 10 and Sierra Bagstad eight for Hopkins. Shakopee got 24 from Taylor Koenen.

“She is a post player who can shoot the three,” assessed coach Phil Schroeder. “Most of her points come from mid-range jump shots.”

Bueckers, the eighth-grader, is averaging 9.8 points off the bench, giving a big boost to a team that won its sixth state title last year and has 10 seniors and three D-I signees (Hollie, Bates and Evelyn Knox).

The Arizona State recruit eclipsed the city record of 2,165 held since 1991 by Stacy Sievers, who helped Lourdes win 56 straight games and two state titles. She also passed 2,000-pointers Kelly and Coco Miller, who won two state titles with Mayo (1995 and 1997) and reached the Final Four with Georgia.

She told the Minnesota Basketball Hub after the game: “My teammates and my coaches have pushed me to be the player I am and have confidence. Just because I’m an eighth-grader, (I can’t) be afraid to do what I have to do.”

Rochester’s boys scoring king is 6-foot-8 Jacob Schae-

Continued on Page 12

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Minnesota Basketball Highlights Continued from Page 11

Hopkins’ losses came against St. Michael-Albertville and Eastview, each time while ranked first. Shakopee bounced back to beat No, 6 Lakeville North 64-56 on Tuesday with Koenen scoring 22 and Mateya Hutton 20.

Both GFW scoring records broken, by Busse and Schuette

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oth career scoring records at Gibbon-FairfaxWinthrop were both broken by a pair of sweetshooting guards, Hailey Busse and senior Seth Schuette, in the past two weeks. Busse scored 36 points in an 81-80 overtime victory over Springfield on Feb. 1 and passed the GFW record

of 2,286 by Abby Busch, who graduated in 2009. The daughter of boys coach Rich Busse, she is averaging 25.3 points for the Thunderbirds (14-6) and will likely pass the Winthrop record of 2,446 by Nancy Trebbensee, who graduated in 1980. She averaged 18, 25.7 and 22.9 in grades 8-9-10, has made 283 three-point shots in her career and 50 this year, and is a deadly free throw shooter, 85 percent over the last three years with 612 in her career, according to coach Ryan Jacobson. Schuette, a senior guard, scored 19 points in a 64-60 loss to New Ulm Cathedral on Jan. 29 and passed the record of 1,769 held by Steve Gilles, a 1992 graduate. Schuette is averaging 26 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Thunderbirds (15-7) and had 1,828 points as of Feb. 6. “Tremendous athlete, developed into a nice passer, and holds 10 school records already,” coach Rich Busse told the MBBN.

Email Erik Olson at [email protected]

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February 12

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Gopher’s Rachel Banham Continued from Page 1 was going in.” About her 11 straight points late in the game, she told 1500 ESPN Radio, “I wanted to take over the game. We didn’t have a lot of time left.” She added that the team ran “a lot of isolation plays one high-post screens” to capitalize on her hot hand. Banham shot 19-for-32 on field goals, including 8-for15 on three’s, and 14-for-16 at the line. She is the leading scorer in the Big Ten with 28.3 in conference games, and third nationally with 25.8 overall.

happened to stay in a zone longer than most people are capable of doing.” Berkvam hearkened to the ACL injury Banham suffered early in the 2014-15 season that erased what would have been her senior year. She rehabbed and returned for her senior year rather than enter the WNBA draft. “I don’t think people realize how hard she has worked at her game and what is even more unbelievable is the major injury she is coming off,” said Berkvam, who now coaches boys in his hometown of Northfield.

Few Minnesota players have gotten so much attention nationally as Banham for this achievement. Blake Hoffarber’s memorable state tournament 3-point shot while sliding on his butt in 2005 that got an ESPY award comes to mind, along with Kevin Garnett’s MVP season of 2004.

The player Banham is most compared to is Lindsey Whalen, also a homegrown (Hutchinson) point guard for the Gophers, who has won three WNBA titles with the Lynx. Banham has surpassed Whalen as the Gophers all-time scoring leader with 2,773 points (ranking 24th nationally) but so far has zero NCAA appearances where Whalen had three, and one Final Four.

Banham hinted in interviews that she’d like to get a tweet from Kobe Bryant, who’s put up several 60-plus game, and the Laker legend obliged with this: “Congrats on the 60 @rachelbanham15 From what I’ve seen I don’t think it will be the last time you hit that mark”

Berkvam said, “Rachel and Lindsay are both unique players and I don’t think it is fair to say which one is better. I think everyone in Minnesota should be proud to have two great female role models that both chose to stay home and represent their state and university.”

That was probably Banham’s favorite tribute, but for the record she was also named Player of the Week by the United States Women’s Basketball Association, espnW, the Big Ten, and College Sports Madness. The MBBN contacted Andy Berkvam, her Lakeville North High School coach, for reaction. Berkvam had two Big Ten players, the other being Cassie Rochel of Wisconsin, on an unbeaten state champion team Banham’s junior year. “As far as the 60 points? I don’t think anyone including Rachel expected that,” Berkvam said. “Sometimes players get in a zone and these things happen. She just

Banham and the Gophers are in good position to contend for an NCAA slot after winning six of their last seven games, improving to 8-4 in the Big Ten and 16-7 overall. “The next step is to get my team to the NCAA tournament,” Banham told the Pioneer Press. “That’s my ultimate goal. That’s something I’ve been thinking about and been wanting to do. I’ve never been there and played myself. That’s honestly what’s on my mind.”

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