Prep athletes of the week: Annandale gymnast Becca Green debuts on top

Annandale • gymnastics

Green, a senior, made her first high school gymnastics meet a rousing success Saturday, winning the vault, uneven bars and balance beam en route to the all-around championship at the Annandale Invitational. Her scores on the bars, 9.8, and the beam, 9.7, were school records, as was her all-around tally of 38.5. It was also the best reported all-around score in the state this season.

"I was nervous at first because I hadn't been through the whole process, but my first high school meet was really fun," Green said. "It was a whole new experience."

Before this season, Green was a club gymnast, training out of Classic Gymnastics in Chanhassen, where she had reached elite Level 10. But the long training hours and a desire for a more complete senior year in high school led her to leave the club and join the high school team.

Cambridge-Isanti • basketball

The senior guard's relentless long-range shooting not only helped the Bluejackets to an 85-70 victory over Chanhassen, it also resulted in school records for points in a single game, 50, and three-pointers made, 13.

PAXTON CREESE

The senior 126-pounder improved to 16-0 on the season with an impressive performance at Kenyon-Wanamingo's Mauseth Invitational. He won three matches by fall and earned a 13-4 major decision in the final.

Cretin-Derham Hall • hockey

The senior forward had two more multiple-goal games, giving him four in the Raiders' past five games. He had two goals and three assists in a 10-4 victory over Irondale, and a hat trick and an assist in an 11-2 romp over Roseville.

Spring Lake Park • hockey

The sophomore forward clearly has a thing for playing against Minnehaha Academy. He scored nine goals in leading the Panthers to back-to-back victories over the Redhawks, highlighted by a career-high six goals in a 10-6 victory Friday.

The explosive 5-10 forward had 37 points in a 71-50 victory over Andover and 29 in an 82-40 rout of Coon Rapids. McKenzie leads the metro in scoring, averaging 29.6 points per game.

Maple Grove • basketball

The senior guard, a North Dakota State signee, scored 15 points in a 53-19 shutdown of Armstrong. She followed that with a school-record 40 points while leading a late Crimson rally against Rogers that eventually resulted in an 87-84 overtime win.

JIM PAULSEN