Prep athletes of the week: Henry star gets job done with determination

There was a moment in Minneapolis Henry's 55-41 victory over Minneapolis Edison last Tuesday when Henry coach Matt Lang and assistant coach Ron Williams glanced at each other and shook their heads in amazement at the game that Lipscomb, a 5-9 senior forward, was having.

"She just glided to her right, across the court, and scored off the backboard," Lang said. "We just said 'Wow.' "

Lipscomb finished the game with 30 points and 33 rebounds, one shy of the state single-game record. This came on the heels of a 22-point, 15-rebound effort in a 43-38 victory over Spectrum/PACT. Friday, Henry fell to Minneapolis Southwest 71-33, but Lipscomb held her own, scoring 13 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.

All this from a player with only two years of organized basketball experience.

"She's only 5-9, but she plays like a giant among the little people," Lang said. "It's just sheer determination on her part. She does not want to give up the ball."

Lang said Lipscomb's value is greater than just what shows up on the stat sheet.

"It's her tenacity," he said. "She dives for balls, sacrifices herself. She's saved a lot of possessions for us."

The 6-4 senior forward scored 33 points and grabbed nine rebounds at the Eagles beat St. Paul Humboldt 58-53 and had 19 points and 10 rebounds in a 74-60 victory over Legacy Christian.

The 6-foot senior forward had three consecutive double-doubles, leading to victories in all three games. She had 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 62-49 win over Blaine, 11 and 10 in a 52-34 victory over Duluth Denfeld and 22 and 14 in a 64-62 win over Superior (Wis.).

LINDSEY MALECHA

The 5-10 senior guard had 31 points and 10 rebounds in a 69-62 victory over White Bear Lake and had 22 points and 11 rebounds in a 62-32 rout of Totino-Grace. She shot 65 percent from the field (13-for-20) and made 18 of 22 free-throw attempts.

Simley won the Coon Rapids Hyland Duals, beating Columbia Heights, Centennial and Coon Rapids. Ryan, a senior, pinned all three of his opponents in the first period, two of them at heavyweight and another at 220 pounds.

JIM PAULSEN