Prep athletes of the week: Sharp-shooting J'vonne Hadley of Mahtomedi finds practice pays big dividends

All those hours in the gym and in the driveway, practicing his shot, have paid off this season for the 6-6 junior guard.

He made 16 of his 19 shots, including five three-pointers, en route to a 37-point performance in a 57-51 victory over Tartan. Two nights later, he scored 34 points, again hitting five threes, as the Zephyrs routed Stillwater 92-69. In the two games, Hadley shot 69.2 percent from the floor and added 21 rebounds.

"I've been working hard in the offseason so I knew my shooting would be better," Hadley said.

Summer training meant putting up 500 shots per day. It helped him regain the touch he had been looking for since breaking his wrist when he was 12 years old.

"It really started to come around near the end of the AAU season last summer," he said. "I've got my strength back and my shot back."

Hadley's scoring helped Mahtomedi get back on the winning track following a three-game losing streak.

"We needed to get out chemistry back and it looks like it's back up," he said. "Now, I'm going to try to make sure we keep our foot on the gas."

The sophomore won the 5K classic-style portion of the prestigious Mesabi East Invitational on Saturday in a time of 18 minutes, 17.1 seconds. She and teammate Molly Moening, who won the 5K freestyle leg, led the Scots to the championship with 525 points.

Champlin Park • hockey

In his past three outings, the senior goaltender stopped 100 of 101 shots he has faced. He made 56 saves to help the Rebels to a 3-1 upset victory over Duluth East on Dec. 28. He followed that with back-to-back shutouts of Irondale (4-0) and Coon Rapids (7-0) last week.

The junior forward ran her streak of games in which she scored at least one goal to eight with a pair of two-goal outings. She scored twice in a 3-2 victory over rival Breck, and had two goals and two assists in a 7-4 victory over St. Paul United.

Cretin-Derham Hall • basketball

Edina • swimming

In a dual meet Friday vs. Anoka, the senior set a team record in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 49.93 seconds. On Saturday, the University of Texas signee was a four-event winner at the Maroon and Gold Invite, winning the 50 and 100 freestyles and swimming on the 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams.

Simley • wrestling

The sophomore won the 132-pound bracket at the Cheesehead Invitational in Kauk­auna, Wis. He won two matches by pin and two by technical fall. He defeated a previously unbeaten opponent in the semifinals and won 6-1 in the finals.

JIM PAULSEN