BRANDON — Alyvia Padgett is leaving her mark on Brandon Valley basketball.

The 5-foot-7 senior guard has been a constant on the Lynx basketball program for the past four seasons, helping BV to a 72-14 record since arriving on the scene as a freshman.

But her impact this season has been felt the most, leading the No. 1 ranked Lynx to a 17-0 start, averaging 26.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 2.9 assists per game.

“I feel like this season has gone pretty good so far,” Padgett said. “This team has been so good this season, working together and we’ve just become so strong. We’re just like one big family.”

And it didn’t take long for the Lynx to make a statement in Class AA girls basketball, knocking off two-time defending state champion O’Gorman, 63-54, on the road to open the season.

The Knights had entered the 2025-26 season on a 50-game winning streak, with its last loss coming in the opening round of the 2023 state tournament. Padgett was the difference maker in the win, dropping 40 points with zero turnovers to take down O’Gorman.

“It meant a lot because we’ve lost to them so many times so it was fuel for us,” Padgett said of O’Gorman. “We really wanted to get that win. Scoring 40 points is good, but I had to do that for my team to win and I’ll continue to do what I need to do for my team to win.”

Brandon Valley's Alyvia Padgett goes up for a layup during a game at the Class AA state tournament last season.

The four-year starter and returning Class AA girls basketball player of the year has always played a big role in the Lynx success, earning first-team all-state selections each of the past two seasons while also being selected to the all-tournament teams as well.

But Padgett says where she’s grown the most has been in her leadership role and being more vocal on the team.

“Definitely being a more vocal leader, that’s something that I’ve always struggled with because I’m very quiet,” Padgett said of what she’s improved on the most. “I feel like I’ve come a long way in just being an all-around teammate.”

Brandon Valley head coach Mike Zerr says Padgett’s evolved an aspect of her game with each year of her high school career and it’s a direct result of the consistency she’s continued to bring everyday.

“It’s kind of an all-around thing, but each year has had a progression within that and I think the same could be said from an intangible standpoint too,” Zerr said of Padgett. “The work has always been there, the consistency has always been there with how much she loves working on the game and truly loves basketball. When I think of Alyvia, it’s a competitor who loves the work.”

Zerr added the seven other seniors on the squad, including Ava Kellenberger, Jalisa Parker, Emma Langerock, Reese Condon, Vivian Thompson, Gracie Salter and Anika Pedersen, have also had an impact on Padgett and the team’s success and the culture they’ve helped create in the program.

“Their group as a whole, they’ve set a standard of how to treat each other and how we practice and how we go about our business,” Zerr said. “They don’t get too stressed about what’s down the road or what’s coming. They’re very present in how they approach each day and the time they get to spend together too.

“She’ll go down as one of the best players to ever play here, but you can’t mention her without the group and she wouldn’t mention herself without the group that she’s been around.”

Padgett scored her 1,000th career point earlier this season and recently became Brandon Valley’s all-time leading scorer with 1,427 career points, surpassing former Lynx and current South Dakota State women’s basketball player Hilary Behrens (1,382). She now sits 13th in all-time career scoring in Class AA girls basketball history.

Brandon Valley's Alyvia Padgett dribbles the basketball during a game at the Class AA state tournament last season.

She’ll continue her basketball career next year at Division II Minnesota State University, Mankato after committing to the Mavericks early in her junior year, crediting the coaching staff and proximity to home as the main factors to her decision.

“The coaches were the main part of why I chose them,” Padgett said. “They’re really interested in what I’m doing all the time and making sure I’m OK. And it was one of my options that was closer to home, I didn’t want to go far so that stood out to me and I just love how the team plays together. I had a visit there and was like ‘Yeah, this is where I want to go’. It felt like home to me.”

But there’s still one accolade Padgett is looking to secure before her high school career is over, a state basketball championship. With back-to-back losses in the title game looming overhead, the Lynx have no shortage of motivation heading into the postseason.

“They’re very together in their mission and what they want to accomplish and ultimately it comes down to the little things,” Zerr said. “Going 1-0 everyday, doing it together, and if you take care of the little things the big things tend to take care of themselves.”

“I think we just need to keep playing together and to never let adversity get in the way of anything,” Padgett said. “We are good at doing that so I feel like we have a good chance to keep pushing.”