Amaya Battle learned a long time ago that Mara Braun was at her best when the pressure was highest.
They played against each other for years, Braun at Wayzata, Battle at perennial power Hopkins.
You could see it.
"She was never afraid of us,'' Battle said. "She never backed down. Even when Paige [Bueckers] was there, she was never afraid. But I didn't know until I got here that she had it.''
It would be the clutch gene. Braun and Battle and Mallory Heyer and Katie Borowicz are all freshmen playing for the Gophers women's basketball team. The past two games coach Lindsay Whalen has started those four with sophomore center Rose Micheaux, making them one of the youngest starting fives in the country.
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