Minnetonka’s Courtney Fredrickson described teammate Lizzie Odegard in the kindest of terms.

“I like to call her a bull, because she boards,” Fredrickson said.

Odegard did more than rebound Tuesday in the Skippers’ matchup with Chanhassen.

The junior forward bulled her way to 11 points and nine rebounds as Minnetonka rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to defeat the Storm 63-55 at Chanhassen High School.

Odegard powered the No. 2-4 Skippers past the No. 4-4A Storm in the second half, scoring 10 points and giving Minnetonka a dominant post presence against a Chanhassen team that does not have a player taller than 6 feet.  

“Her not being in there in the first half, we’re flat and dead,” Skippers coach Leah Dasovish said. “And she comes in, in the second, she brings energy, she scores a little bit.”

This was Odegard’s third game with 10 or more points this season. She scored a season-high 17 against Farmington on Dec. 4 and is Minnetonka’s second-leading scorer at 10.8 points per game.

Odegard gives the Skippers some new-found athleticism in the post, Dasovish said.

“The ability to rebound, to score in the inside and the outside…all of those things we didn’t have last year,” Dasovich said. 

Odegard transferred to Minnetonka after her freshman season at Cretin-Derham Hall, where she finished as the Raiders’ fifth-leading scorer (5.2 ppg). She played with the Skippers’ junior varsity team last year, in accordance with Minnesota State High School transfer rules.

Familiarity made the switch easy. Dasovich coached Odegard’s Amateur Athletic Union team, which included Fredrickson and several of her Minnetonka teammates.

“This team welcomed me with open arms, and I just love the coaching staff,” Odegard said.

Fredrickson said Odegard needs to continue rebounding and scoring in the paint for the Skippers to have success. 

“We’ve been working on passing into the post and getting it in to her more,” Fredrickson said. “She will be very important, when she continues boarding, continue finishing.

“And being a bull,” Fredrickson added.

Junior guard Courtney Fredrickson finished with 15 points and four rebounds to lead Minnetonka over Chanhassen 63-55 in a nonconference matchup Tuesday night at Chanhassen High School. 

Junior forward Lizzie Odegard had 11 points and nine rebounds and junior guard Hannah Hedstrom scored 14 points for the Skippers, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A by the Minnesota Basketball News. 

Minnetonka overcame a 28-23 halftime deficit thanks to its defense. The Skippers pulled away in the second half by shutting down Storm senior guard Martha Kuderer, who scored 15 points in the first half but only six in the second.

The Skippers were also more aggressive on offensive after halftime, working the ball inside and getting to the free-throw line.

The victory helped Minnetonka (6-1) bounce back from its first defeat of the year. The Skippers lost at Champlin Park 57-56 in overtime on Dec. 12. 

Kuderer finished with a game-high 21 points and senior guard Danielle Gitzen added 15 for the No. 4-4A Storm, which recorded its second consecutive loss. Chanhassen (4-2) fell to Shakopee 56-38 on Dec. 11.

Both teams play road games on Friday, with Minnetonka facing Eden Prairie and Chanhassen taking on Roseville.

Spotlight Game Coverage