SUZANNE GILREATH, Fridley • basketball
It's a familiar story that never gets old.
The junior guard, a basketball junkie, spends hours in the gym, often by herself, working on her game. She's honing her shot, taking thousands of three-pointers, hearing the advice of her father and coaches in her head as she launches the next.
The work paid dividends in the form of back-to-back 30-point efforts in leading the Tigers to a pair of season-opening victories. She scored 34 in a 65-39 rout of Breck, then tied her career high with 39 points in a 74-73 overtime thriller over Big Lake.
"I'm always in the gym," said Gilreath, whose older brother is Seattle Seahawks wide receiver David Gilreath, an Armstrong and University of Wisconsin product. "I was always working, asking a lot of questions, watching. It's helped with my confidence."
Gilreath hit seven threes in the victory over Big Lake, in which the Tigers survived despite squandering a 14-point first-half lead. Gilreath said she thought her personal confidence in that game carried over to the team.
"I'm a leader on my team, so I try to work on helping my team become better," she said. "I think we're a better team with me scoring and helping all around."
ISABEL BIANCHI, Holy Angels • hockey
The junior forward is tied for fifth in the state in goals (13) after scoring seven times in two games. She scored a career-high five goals in a 6-4 victory over Cambridge-Isanti and added two more in a 4-4 tie with New Prague.
MICHAEL GRAHAM, Eden Prairie • hockey
The junior forward and future Minnesota Duluth Bulldog scored four times — two of them on the power play — and had an assist in an 8-3 rout of Maple Grove and assisted on both goals as the Eagles scratched out a 2-1 victory over Prior Lake.
STEFFON MITCHELL, Shakopee • basketball
The 6-7 junior forward had back- to-back double-doubles to lead the Sabers to season-opening victories over Woodbury (92-56) and East Ridge (67-59). In total, he scored 62 points, grabbed 21 rebounds and made 21 of 34 shots from the field.
ANNA SCHMITT, Waconia • basketball
The senior guard became the leading scorer in Waconia girls' basketball history with 33 points in an 80-76 victory over St. Paul Central on Friday. She added 23 more in Saturday's 75-69 victory over DeLaSalle, giving her 1,263 career points.