Speaking of Sports

By John Fragodt, Sports Reporter

I’m sorry, but I just have to say it; this year’s Laker girls basketball team is just plain good.  Yes, the Minnewaska Laker girls basketball team is not only good this year, but should be great over the next few seasons at least.

I’ve seen a lot of great boys and girls basketball teams over the years, but this year’s Laker girls team is loaded with talent, experience, height, athleticism, skill and depth.  The team has five starters, but could just as well have eight as the top eight players are all interchangeable and would be starting on other teams if they weren’t playing for the Lakers.

The Lakers have gone with a starting lineup of juniors Addy Kath, Sydney Dahl and Megan Thorfinnson, along with sophomores Alia Randt and Lauryn Ankeny, but senior Avery Fier and sophomores Olivia Danielson and Jayda Kolstoe give the Lakers at least three more super players coming off the bench.

The Lakers were a very good team last year, but Addy Kath only played a little bit after earning honorable mention as a ninth-grader and Olivia Danielson did not play at all due to an injury.  In addition, Alia Randt and Lauryn Ankeny played only one half of varsity ball for most of last year, but are now starting and playing the whole game for the varsity.

Randt and Ankeny have been leading the Lakers’ full-court defensive pressure this year, causing numerous turnovers, while Kath and Dahl are relentless inside and on the boards, and Thorfinnson is a solid shooter, ballhandler and defender.

And, when you bring in Kolstoe, Danielson and Fier, the Lakers don’t miss a beat as Kolstoe is a very solid and aggressive inside player, Danielson is a great all-around player, and Fier is very consistent and an emotional leader who would be a starting guard on any other team besides the Lakers.

Yes, you could come up with a great team that would be competitive in the WCC from the Minnewaska sophomore class alone.  Add in some great juniors and the only senior out for basketball from MAHS and it becomes a super team.

Yes, Section 3AA is still loaded for the next two years.  After that, you never know where the Lakers will be put with this year’s group of sophomores playing as seniors.  Will they still stay in 3AA, move to 6AA, or go into another section or even move up a class?  Fairmont (3-0) and Windom Area (4-1) are the strongest teams in the south half of the section, while NLS (3-0), KMS (4-2) and the Lakers (4-2) are the top teams from the north half. 

Sure there will be obstacles to the team having success over the next few years, but here’s saying there’s going to be a lot of exciting basketball games to be played over the next two-plus seasons, including chances at sub-section and possibly even section titles.

Yes, they are that good!