Eagles primed for a run through top 10 gauntlet

Almost 11 months have passed since the Eden Prairie girls basketball team took heavily favored Minnetonka to the brink of elimination in the Section 2AAAA championship game.

Despite an imbalance of size and experience, Ellen Wiese’s squad found itself with an opportunity to tie or win the game in the final seconds before a controversial traveling call on the Eagles gave possession to Minnetonka, along with the section title.

The Skippers went on to win the state championship the following week, while Eden Prairie was left wondering what might have been.

“We’ll be back,” Wiese vowed after the contest. “Better than ever.”

She was correct.

With six games remaining in the current regular season, Eden Prairie is ranked third in Class 4A with a 17-3 record and high expectations as the team prepares for the section playoffs in three weeks. 

“We have really lofty goals, so we’re not getting too high or too low, and just trying to prepare for the postseason at this point,” Wiese said. “I basically have the same team back. And so they’re very aware and they’re just very focused.”

Wiese’s starting lineup features five seniors, all of whom started last season. The group has grown and matured since last March, possessing an on-court presence that conveys unmistakable confidence as well as exceptional ability.

“They have it in all facets of the game,” Wiese said after Eden Prairie’s 70-47 win at Edina on Friday. “They make the right plays. They study the scouting reports; they watch film. They do everything they need to do before they step on the floor. And that makes them very good when they do step on the floor.”

A big reason for Eden Prairie’s success can be traced to three-year starter Tori Schlagel. The senior guard became the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,466 points after a 28-point performance against Rosemount on Dec. 28.

“It was just incredible to even have the opportunity to get that far, because I feel not many people can do that,” Schlagel said. “So it was awesome to beat the record and I’m so grateful for my teammates for helping me get there, and everything that Coach Ellen has done, too.”

Seniors Cam Dennin, Rae Ehrman, Ella Hardwick and Vanessa Jordan round out the starting five for Eden Prairie, each committed to the Eagles’ hallmarks of sound defense and what Wiese refers to as an “assisted basketball” approach.

“We don’t clear out and let one person star. We move the ball well,” she explains. “I think we’re always very conscious of making the extra pass and that’s the most satisfying way to win.”

Wiese’s philosophy emphasizes involvement from every player, creating opportunities for everyone on the roster to be part of the success. 

“You want to win with as many of the kids playing and contributing and feeling valued as you can,” she said.

The three blemishes on the Eagles’ record came from the state’s top teams, including a loss to No. 1 Maple Grove in the first game of the season, as well as defeats to No. 2 Hopkins and No. 7 St. Michael-Albertville, both in January.

“After our losses, we learned a lot,” Schlagel said. “And we’ve changed things in practice, and ever since, we’ve been going good and growing as a team.”

Playing in the most competitive conference in the state provides an almost-weekly test. Eden Prairie will face Lake Conference foes Hopkins and No. 5 Wayzata this week, followed by St. Michael-Albertville and No. 8 Minnetonka the following week.

“We do have a stretch. We have a tough two weeks, that’s for sure,” Wiese said, laughing at the understatement and pointing out that lofty conference competition helps prepare for a section field that is as challenging as any, with teams like Minnetonka and No. 6 Prior Lake.

“We know what we’ve got to do,” she said. “We have to run the gauntlet of the Lake Conference and then the gauntlet of our section. And so all it does is make us better, stronger and everything else.”

It all starts Tuesday night at Hopkins with the opening tip set for 7 p.m. 

“I think we all feel a bit of pressure.” Wiese said. “But we all are very, very clear on what the expectations are and what we expect of ourselves, more than anything.”