Digital Z Sports POY:
Rylee Rosenquist, Dakota Valley
Rylee had one of the most impressive seasons in any class, leading the state in points, rebounds, and assists during the state tournament. Rosenquist also averaged 21.9 ppg with 10.5 rpg, while dishing out 5.2 assists in the regular season.
She lead the Panthers to a 20-win season, a Region 4 championship and a state tournament appearance. Finishing her prep career, Rylee will now play at Dakota Wesleyan University. Congrats, Rylee!
Note:
Teams are listed in order of region and finish. The following team are included in the recap: Region 1- Sisseton, Groton Area, Redfield, Milbank, Clark-Willow Lake, Region 2- Flandreau, Deubrook Area, Great Plains Lutheran, Region 3- Sioux Falls Christian, Baltic, Region 4- Dakota Valley, Vermillion, Beresford, Region 5- Wagner, Region 6- Winner, Region 7- Red Cloud, Todd County, Region 8- St. Thomas More
Sisseton (18-5)
Sisseton came up just short of the state tournament, losing to Sioux Falls Christian, but the future is bright.
Sophomore Hannah Leverson lead the team in scoring (15.6) and assists (4.2) while freshman Krista Langager was #2 in scoring (11.9) while pulling down 9.2 rebounds per game. Fellow undergrad Emmalee Nielsen will also lead the backcourt with Leverson. Nielsen averaged 8.7 ppg, along with 6.3 rpg this season.
As for graduates, Hailey Nelson was the leading scorer among the Class of 2022, averaging 7.7 ppg.
PTS: Hannah Leverson 15.6 | REB: Krista Langager 9.2 | AST: Hannah Leverson 4.2
Groton Area (12-10)
Junior Gracie Traphagen had an excellent season, nearly averaging a double-double with 10.0 ppg and 8.8 rpg. Seniors Alyssa Locke (2.2 apg) and Alyssa Thaler (7.3 ppg) are both gone, which means players like sophomore Sydney Leicht (4.3 ppg) are going to need to play bigger roles into those guard positions.
PTS: Gracie Traphagen 10.0 | REB: Gracie Traphagen 8.8 | AST: Alyssa Locke 2.2
Redfield (9-12)
The Pheasants are another team looking to continue to build in the future, with just 1 senior on the roster this season. That senior, Chelsea Smith, provided solid production for Redfield, averaging 6.0 ppg along with 6.9 rpg.
Returning sophomore Katie Rozell (7.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and a rising senior class, lead by Camryn Rohlfs (6.0 ppg, 2.3 apg) and Gracie Fast (6.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg), are looking to make some noise in Region 1 next season.
PTS: Katie Rozell 7.8 | REB: Chelsea Smith 6.9 | AST: Teryn Jandel, Camryn Rohlfs 2.3
Milbank (9-12)
Maurina Street put up one of the best stat lines in the state this season, finishing with 17.4 ppg along with 9.7 rpg. She will return next season alongside freshman Isabella Anderson, who also averaged double-digit points (11.0), while leading the team in assists per game (2.6).
The Bulldogs return all but 1 player for next season, so be on the lookout for this group.
PTS: Maurina Street 17.4 | REB: Maurina Street 9.7 | AST: Isabella Anderson 2.6
Clark-Willow Lake (5-16)
On a roster that has 8 of the 13 girls in the freshman or sophomore classes, senior Maggie Hovde stood out with 9.7 pgg and 8.9 rpg. It’s always great when you can have a graduating student-athlete provide on-court mentorship, as the Cyclones are only going to get better in the future.
Freshman Shay Michalski lead all C-WL scores with 14.9 ppg, and sophomore Musonda Kabwe scored 7.7 per game along with a team-leading 3.3 apg. Teammate Kayla Jordan put up 8.3 ppg in her junior season, and will look to help lead the Cyclones next year.
PTS: Shay Michalski 14.9 | REB: Maggie Hovde 8.9 | AST: Musonda Kabwe 3.3
Flandreau (18-4)
Flandreau had quite the season. The Fliers finished second behind state runner-up Hamlin in Region 2, beat their opponents by an average score of 23 points, defeated the Chargers in the regular season, and only lost this year to ranked opponents.
Flandreau still has solid talent returning (only 2 upperclassmen on the roster), with sophomore Claire Sheppard leading the way this season at 15.9 ppg and 8.4 rpg. Classmate Lizzie Pavlis (11.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg) also had a solid season.
The Fliers will lose two of their top players to graduation in Maria Parsley (11.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Bella Pavlis (9.3 ppg, 3.2 apg), so there is going to be a couple new players in the lineup next season.
PTS: Claire Sheppard 15.9 | REB: Claire Sheppard 8.4 | AST: Bella Pavlis 3.2
Deubrook Area (16-6)
The Dolphins shared the shots this season, with no player averaging double-digit points. Emma Vandermeer lead with 8.5 ppg, but Carley Landmark was right behind her with 8.3 ppg, along with a team-leading 4.8 rpg.
Deubrook Area will lose those two to graduation, but return a solid junior class lead by Ellie Koenig (6.9 ppg), Skyla Petersen (5.7 ppg), and Miranda Moravetz (5.4 ppg).
PTS: Emma Vandermeer 8.5 | REB: Carley Landmark 4.8 | AST: Emma Vandermeer 2.6
Great Plains Lutheran (11-10)
Olivia Holmen completed a rare-feat, averaging double-digit rebounds at 10.7 per game. Fellow sophomore Halle Bauer also averaged 10.0 ppg.
Those two will look to continue to elevate the Panthers to new heights next season. However, assist leader Mali York (2.5 apg, 9.6 ppg), along with Bryn Holmen (6.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg), will be graduating.
PTS: Halle Bauer 10.0 | REB: Olivia Holmen 10.7 | AST: Mali York 2.5
Sioux Falls Christian (21-5)
The Chargers ended their season with a state tournament appearance and as one of the two teams with 20+ wins in Region 2. That’s a good note to go out on if your senior Kylah vanDonkergoed, who lead the team with 13.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, and 2.7 apg.
As for the future, Ellie Lems returns with 13.9 ppg, as well as Jaxsyn Swift (6.7 ppg, 2.7 apg). The Chargers will need some returners to step into bigger roles next season, but be on the lookout for another SFC state tournament run.
PTS: Kylah vanDonkersgoed, Ellie Lems 13.9 | REB: Kylah vanDonkersgoed 6.9 | AST: Kylah vanDokergoed, Jaxyson Swift 2.7
Baltic (5-16)
A trio of senior lead the Bulldogs this season. Berklee Erickson was the top scorer, leading with 13.7 ppg and Cami Artz scored 9.1 ppg along with a team-leading 8.5 apg. Finally, Sami Polzin scored 10.2 ppg while dishing out 2.7 apg. That’s a lot of production that Baltic will be losing to graduation.
Sophomore Baylee Breece is top scorer returning at 3.6 ppg, so expect almost an entirely new lineup next season.
PTS: Berklee Erickson 13.7 | REB: Cami Artz 8.5 | AST: Sami Polzin 2.7
Dakota Valley (20-6)
When you speak of Dakota Valley, Rylee Rosenquist is probably going to be in the same sentence. The POY in Class A had a remarkable season, scoring 21.9 ppg with 10.5 apg, while leading everyone at the state tournament in points, rebounds, and assists. And now that Rosenquist is graduating, the Panthers have a lot of good players who will look to step into bigger roles.
Sophomore Peyton Tritz averaged 11.0 ppg and classmate Grace Meyer averaged 9. Then in the junior class, Jorja Van Den Hul lead the way with 8.1 ppg. Dakota Valley is going to miss their top player this season, but there is a lot of talent that is also returning for the Panthers, and another run at the Region 4 crown should be expected.
PTS: Rylee Rosenquist 21.9 | REB: Rylee Rosenquist 10.5 | AST: Rylee Rosenquist 5.2
Vermillion (17-6)
The Tanagers have one of the youngest rosters in the state, which only shows that the Tanagers program is going to continue to get better in the coming years. Freshman Brooke Jensen (11.4 ppg) will lead the future along with classmate Kasey Hanson (11.0 ppg, 2.3 apg).
Junior Leah Herbster (6.1 ppg) also pulled in a team-high 5.8 rpg, and sophomore Brooklyn Voss (6.0 ppg) returns as well. That’s a lot of talent in Vermillion and this program will continue to rise.
PTS: Brooke Jensen 11.4 | REB: Leah Herbster 5.8 | AST: Kasey Hanson 2.3
Beresford (8-13)
Very rarely does a middle-schooler lead a team in scoring. Well, 8th grader Ella Merriman lead the Watchdogs with 10.7 ppg. Junior Adyson Hansen also had an excellent year, finishing with a 9.9/6.9/2.1 statline.
Beresford is returning a ton of talent, but gone is seniors Kara Niles (9.3 ppg) and Lacey Mockler (1.3 apg).
PTS: Ella Merriman 10.7 | REB: Adyson Hansen 6.9 | AST: Adyson Hansen 2.1
Wagner (22-3)
I think that Wagner snuck up on a lot of teams’ radars across the state early in the season, and personally, I think they were one of the most dangerous teams in Class A throughout the whole year. That’s an easy comment to make when they are the #1 seed in the state tournament, and beat teams by an average of 18 points, but I really feel like the Red Raiders didn’t get the hype they deserved.
Emma Yost had a great junior season, nearly averaging a double-double at 13.9 ppg and 9.7 rpg. The Red Raiders will also be returning double-digit scorers Shalayne Nagel (11.0 ppg, 3.6 apg) and Ashlyn Koupal (10.0 ppg).
Not to forget mention, but Macy Koupal averaged 7.4 ppg and 6.8 rpg, and she returns as well. In fact, all but 1 player returns from this seasons roster. Would it be crazy to say that the Red Raiders is one of the favorites for next season? Of course not and it would be great to see another battle between Wagner and St. Thomas More, this time, in the championship game.
PTS: Emma Yost 13.9 | REB: Emma Yost 9.7 | AST: Shalayne Nagel 3.6
Winner (14-9)
Kansas commit Bella Swedlund ended her prep career on a high note, averaging 22.2 ppg along with 7.9 rpg. Fellow senior Kelsey Sachtjen also had a great final season with 9.7 ppg and a team-leading 8.3 rpg, while Jenna Hammerbeck (2.7 apg), Ellie Brozik (5.4 ppg) and Emma Jorgensen round out a solid senior class.
With those 5 gone, Winner has a lot of production to replace, with Ava Craven being the top returning scorer at a rate of 3.7 points per game.
PTS: Bella Swedlund 22.2 | REB: Kelsey Sachtjen 8.3 | AST: Jenna Hammerbeck 2.7
Red Cloud (22-3)
22 wins and a state tournament appearance, Red Cloud had a season to remember. The Crusaders dominated the regular season, defeating their opponents by a state-leading 29 ppg. That scoring was lead by a pair of seniors, Stevi Fallis (16.2) and Allison Richards (14.2) who averaged over 30 points a game. To put that into perspective, the Crusaders opponents averaged 39 ppg.
This senior class will be missed, as Sharissa Haas (8.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Cheree Ferguson (6.7 ppg), Jordan Derby (5.5 ppg), and Raina Ghost Bear (4.4 ppg) were #3-7 in scoring for the Crusaders.
The Class of 2022 was one to remember for Red Cloud, now they feature a nearly-brand new lineup for next season.
PTS: Stevi Fallis 16.2 | REB: Sharissa Haas 5.3 | AST: Stevi Fallis 2.9
Todd County (11-8)
Bailey White Hat will be one of the top returning scorers in the state, as the rising junior averaged 18.5 ppg, along with a team-leading 8.8 rpg. And while she will lead the way, gone will be Alexis Walking Eagle, the next highest Falcons’ scorer at 11.0 ppg. Wiconi Uses Arrow (7.9 ppg) also ends her prep career, but look for freshman Julie Shaw (7.9 ppg) to step into a bigger role next season.
PTS: Bailey White Hat 18.5 | REB: Bailey White Hat 8.8 | AST: Kyleigh Patton 2.6
St. Thomas More (22-3)
The Cavaliers stout defense propelled them to a state championship, allowing 33.3 ppg at the state tournament. They will now look to take that momentum into next season, and they will bring back a ton of talent in 2023.
Reese Ross will be one of the top players in the state next season, as the junior averaged an impressive 18.8 ppg while pulling down nearly 10 rebounds a game. Jada Mollman (8.2 ppg) will return as well, and will look to take over a bigger role at the Forward position after the graduation of senior Mairin Duffy (9.8 ppg).
Like what was said early in the article, Wagner and St. Thomas More look to be two of the favorites for next season, and it would be another exciting battle in the state tournament next season.
PTS: Reese Ross 18.8 | REB: Reese Ross 9.8 | AST: Gabby Robbins 2.8
Thank you to the coaches who provided the stats for this recap. We appreciate you taking the time to do so.
