DULUTH — Duluth Marshall freshman Chloe Johnson tried to take the drama out of the Hilltoppers matchup against Ely early Tuesday.
Johnson hit a 3-pointer to get Marshall started, then found junior Anna Saari for another from long range. Then she hit a put-back two, and on the next trip down the floor, she was fouled on the way up and completed the three-point play.
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Johnson finished with 26 points in a 96-45 win over the Timberwolves, but the game was more about where the Hilltoppers are in their push to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2021.
It was an incredibly balanced attack for the Hilltoppers as they look to knock off reigning Section 7AA champion Crosby-Ironton and compete for a state title. The Rangers are currently undefeated and ranked second in Class AA behind the play of Minnesota Golden Gophers commit Tori Oehrlein.
Johnson is not only considered among the top prospects in Minnesota, she is among the best in the country. This season Marshall coach C.J. Osuchukwu added junior Cairin Berger, sophomore Candice Ndomb and 6 foot, 7 inch Lithuanian eighth-grader Gabija Krasauskaite to the lineup.
The Hilltoppers (9-6) have feasted on less-talented opponents this season — like Ely — but they’ve struggled against the higher-level competition Osuchukwu added to the schedule.
A blowout loss against Class AAAA No. 2 Hopkins Dec. 7 wasn’t unexpected , but the Hilltoppers also struggled in matchups in losses to Class AA No. 1 Providence Academy and No. 4 Minnehaha Academy.
Osuchukwu said the Hilltoppers “executed the game plan” against Providence Academy, but committed 24 turnovers in a 91-70 loss on Dec. 28. Saturday against Minnehaha Academy, they had another 15 miscues in an 88-69 loss.
“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot,” he said.
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While the Hilltoppers do have six losses, only one — a 66-59 loss to Rock Ridge Dec. 10 — came to a team that is not currently ranked in the top 10 statewide in its class, and the Wolverines were ranked too, until a recent four-game skid.
“The biggest thing is we want to be a state team,” Osuchukwu said. “That’s the reason why I made the way it is — to play a bunch of state teams so we understand what it looks like.”
Osuchukwu knows the Hilltoppers are a “work in progress,” especially with seven players new to the team, but much of it starts with Johnson.
The freshman phenom is averaging 28.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game — all team highs — but that’s part of why her teammates have so much faith in her.
“She always makes the right play,” Berger said. “She stands out because she can do anything when she has the ball. She always makes the right pass — she makes a pass you wouldn’t think would be a pass.”
One thing the Hilltoppers are lacking is senior leadership. The Hilltoppers have just one senior on the roster and none that start.
Berger has only been a part of the team for a few months and, while Johnson is a captain, freshmen aren’t typically the vocal leaders of basketball teams. Leadership is certainly something Johnson has worked on, but it also helps that she, Berger and a few other Hilltoppers have known and played together since they were in fifth grade. Well, Berger was in fifth grade; Johnson was a third-grader.
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“I think my teammates trust me and take my feedback really well, so it’s just a really easy team to lead,” Johnson said.
While Berger and Ndomb have been on the floor consistently for Marshall, Krasauskaite is still learning to play at the varsity level. She’s played sparingly against the Timberwolves, but there have been flashes of the potential a post player that tall can bring to the table. There was the nine- block night against Albany and a 10-rebound performance against Orono, a top 5 Class AAA team.
“Gabija is so smart,” Osuchukwu said. “She picks things up really fast. She understands were to be and she’s just a kid trying to figure it out.”
While Krasauskaite’s English skills are strong and there is little, if any, language barrier, there are still some things that come up. Basketball in Europe only has a double bonus, more like the NBA.
“When I first said one-and-one, Gabija is like ‘What is that?’” Osuchukwu said.
Even assistant coach Matt Berger has learned something from the eighth-grader. Monday in practice, the Hilltoppers were working on setting screens.
Berger raised his fist in a common sign to call for or let someone know they are setting a screen.
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“This is the universal sign for a screen,” Berger said.
Krasauskaite looked a little confused and told Berger that in Lithuania they pat the top of their head to call for a screen.
“Well I guess that’s the sign for a screen internationally,” Berger said to the group.
All in all, Marshall is still focused on improving and getting stronger to challenge Crosby-Ironton in the Section 7AA tournament and the Hilltoppers have two tests early next week.
Monday, they face Rochester Lourdes, the 2024 Section 1AA champion, and they will host 14-1 Proctor, the seventh-ranked team in Class AA, at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday.
“We’re treating every game as a playoff game, so there might not be a tomorrow,” Osuchukwu said. “We’re treating everything like it’s a section final game at UMD.”
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