We drove 5.5 hours in a snowstorm Tuesday night for Game 2 of our Strictly x Strib Varsity Tour. Some might say we are borderline crazy, but in the end, this trip was well worth it.

We drove from Minneapolis to Duluth Marshall high school to watch one of the nation’s top basketball prospects, Chloe Johnson. ESPN has Johnson ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the country for the class of 2028.

Not only did Johnson finish with a game-high 25 points on Tuesday night against Rock Ridge, but she also had a terrific ankle-breaking move that got the home crowd on its feet. I’ve watched countless high school basketball games in recent years, and that was one of the best highlights I’ve seen.

Duluth Marshall won 80-72 over Rock Ridge to improve to 2-1 on the season. Johnson was the player who impressed the most, and senior teammate Cairin Berger was great as well, scoring 21 points. For Rock Ridge, senior Lexi Lamppa had a great outing. She finished with 22 points and showed off a midrange jumper that could not be stopped at times.

We’re glad we dashed through the snow to Duluth. We hope to see you at Game 3 of the Tour on Dec. 22 for another girls game, Crosby-Ironton at Rosemount.

— Nolan

Strictly x Strib Varsity

The story and video here are part of a new partnership between Strictly Bball and the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Strib Varsity brand. Learn more about this partnership here.