CALEDONIA — It was a pretty simple play, but it showcased several things that Caledonia High School senior Aubrie Klug does well.
It was an inbounds pass run a couple of times during Monday night’s 63-46 nonconference victory over visiting Holmen, but it required several skills for Klug to showcase.
The throw was lobbed from under the basket to the center of the lane, and the 5-foo-t-11 guard had to go up, catch the ball and land with her back to the basket. Next came the simultaneous pivot and ability to square up to the hoop for a solid attempt.
As she faded away just a touch, the open space was utilized, her shot was true, and the Warriors had two points.
As Caledonia coach Scott Sorenson says, Klug is nearly unstoppable if she has space, and this was an example of her maximizing what she was allowed. Athleticism, shooting touch and an awareness of her surroundings were required to succeed there, and she had no problem with any of it.
The Upper Iowa University commit makes more exciting plays — her range and 3-point accuracy is ridiculous — and might look more impressive in other situations, but this play stood out even during a 34-point performance against the Vikings.
Caledonia might be showing more balance than some anticipated after the graduation loss of Josie Foster — a freshman in the playing rotation at Upper Iowa — with senior Nicole Banse, senior Kensey King and junior Jessica Stendel, but Klug dictates the majority of what the Warriors are able to accomplish.
“Her mental toughness has been impressive,” Sorenson said after the victory over Holmen. “She’s fighting through a lot of double teams, and she’s a high school kid, so when she misses shots, she feels like she is letting us down as a team, but her mental toughness is helping her through that.
“Her skills are there.”
Klug averaged 20.8 points per game in helping Caledonia qualify for last year’s MSHSL Class AA state tournament. She scored 60 points in three state games as the Warriors won a consolation championship.
Klug, who broke the team’s previous career scoring record of 1,760 points, is averaging 26.9 points per game as a senior and has made at least seven 3-pointers in a game five times with a season-high nine during a 39-point performance in an 81-54 victory over P-E-M.
She scored 25 points in the first half of the win over the Vikings and scored from the perimeter and the lane as Holmen rotated defenders on her to no avail.
Opponents have had a tough time trying to figure out how to handle Klug all season. Only five have been able to hold her to less than 20 points, and only Aquinas (11) — 20-2 and ranked fourth in Division 3 this week for the Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski Sports media poll — has kept than number below 16.
That trend probably won’t change when the Warriors host Fillmore Central on Thursday to close out the regular season. Klug scored 28 the first time Caledonia played the Falcons, and motivation will be high in the effort to close out the Three Rivers-East season with an unbeaten record.
The performance will be a final tune-up for the postseason, which begins Feb. 19. Sorenson said he could see his team (19-6 overall, 7-0 conference) receiving a No. 4 seed and first-round home game before the tournament shifts to Rochester for the next round.
“I think we’re at a good point in our season where we’re starting to get a really good connection together,” said Klug, who was also an All-State libero for the volleyball team in the fall. “But we’re still working our hardest at getting better every day.”
