By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
Head coach Onika Peterson began the girls' basketball portion of the Winter Sports Banquet Tuesday night by thanking both office staffs, the bus drivers, custodians, Dan Stork, Joni Churchill and the cheerleaders, Mr. Schaefer and the band, student managers Meela Budach, Kyera Eustice, Kayden Warke, Hadley Roeker, Addison Sandry, and Peyton Frye, as well as the team’s bookkeeper, Mrs. Eder and Stork; all of the teams coaches at various levels, Dave Sandry, Jenny Wyrum, Heather Christensen, Cassie Schlaak, Betsy Schoenrock and Kayley Camerer.
“Thank you for all of your time and dedication you’ve given to our program,” Peterson said.
2023-24 Season
Coach Peterson gave a recap of the 2022-23 season:
For the third year in a row, the NRHEG girls' basketball team was defeated in the subsection championship game, this time by eventual section champions Waterville-Elysian-Morristown
The girls finished the year with a record of 20-8 losses, 11-5 in conference play, 7-3 within their division and 13-5 in their section.
“To finish this year 20-8 at MSU in the sub-section championship I think we surprised a couple of teams,” Peterson said. “We had a great season. Every single one of these girls were needed throughout the season whether they were the person who made the extra pass, rebounded, dove after loose balls, or battled in practice; it all added up for our team to be successful.”
The girls started the season with a 9-1 record going into their holiday tournament, which they also won.
Throughout the season the girls continued to improve and went into the playoffs 17-7 as the number two seed.
In the first two rounds of playoff play the girls beat Waseca at home 55-39 and St. Clair, at Mankato East 62-38. They ultimately lost to WEM, a team they beat twice during the regular season, 55-43. They simply fell in a hole that game, and despite getting the score to within six, couldn’t pull off the comeback.
“Throughout the whole season we talked about how tough our top teams were and how during the playoffs it could be anyone’s night,” Peterson said. “WEM ended up pulling off three upsets to get to the state tournament.
“I can’t say enough great things about this team, the effort, grit, and heart that they showcased all season long,” Peterson continued. “Through a broken tooth, sprained ankle, bruised knees they came back every day ready to battle. I am so proud of this group.”
Many players were recognized for their academic achievements, including: Ezra Boerner, Izley Boerner, Clara Buendorf, Savannah Farr, Faith Nielsen, Preslie Nielsen, Hope Nielsen, Kylie Olson, Chloe Riewer, Hallie Schultz, Addy Stadheim, Chloe Stork, Camryn VanMaldeghem, and Quinn VanMaldeghem. Recognized with the Gopher Conference Academic awards were also both Boerners, Buendorf, Preslie Nielsen, Olson, Riewer, Schultz, Stadheim, and Stork. Hallie Schultz was recognized with a MGBCA Academic All State Award for being a senior with a GPA of 3.75 or better.
Finally, the team bid farewell to its four seniors: Schultz, Faith, Preslie, and Hope Nielsen. “Thank you girls for a terrific couple of years,” Schultz said. “You will all be missed. Good luck with all your future plans. I know you are going to succeed at whatever you choose to do.”
Schultz took time to thank the players’ parents for all of the support they show to their own children and to the NRHEG basketball program. “I was blessed to have a great group of kids and that has everything to do with having solid and supportive parents.”
Awards
The following awards were announced, followed by comments from coach Peterson.
Team Awards: Captains— Hallie Schultz, Faith Nielsen, and Preslie Nielsen
“Thank you for all your leadership, and work ethic that you gave to the program this season.”
Most Improved: Kylie Olson
“Kylie started the season playing the year with two halves on JV. She finished the year playing some big minutes for us on Varsity. She continued to improve all season long, having big games against Norwood Young America, St. James, Maple River, and St. Clair. We are excited to see what she will accomplish over her high school career.”
Spark Plug: Hallie Schultz
"We acknowledged an athlete every week throughout the season for someone who continued to give 100% effort in practices and in games, pushing their teammates to get better every single day, and do the little things well. Our 2024 Spark Plug goes to Hallie Schultz.”
Rebound Award: Quinn VanMaldeghem
“The rebound award is strictly stat based. We as a team think rebounding is key in our offense to give us second chance shot opportunities, as well as defense hopefully holding the other team to one and done on offense. As a team we had 580 offensive rebounds, 731 defensive rebounds for a total of 1,311 rebounds. The other teams we played combined for a total of 319 offensive rebounds, 630 defensive rebounds for 949. We outrebounded our opponents by 362. We had three athletes finish with over 200 rebounds apiece. That says a ton about our team. Rebounding does not take skill but it takes a lot of fight, heart, and grit! And our team had a lot of that.”
MVP Offense: Camryn VanMaldeghem
“Camryn played a big role in our team’s success. She was a great mismatch for most teams. By being an extremely quick and feisty guard who can attack the basket at will and can post up, it was hard for other teams to guard. Camryn left it all on the floor this year finishing this season with 488 points, 235 rebounds, 74 assists, 94 steals, and 16 blocks.”
MVP Defense: Quinn VanMaldeghem
“Quinn was an integral part of what made our team successful not only on offense but also on defense. She was tasked with guarding the other team's best player, crash the boards, she at times had to break a press, and made big passes finding her open teammates. She helped our offensive smoothly. This season she had 204 points, 243 rebounds, 78 assists, 82 steals, and 4 blocks.”
All Conference: Camryn and Quinn VanMaldeghem
“The Gopher Conference had some very tough athletes to decide among. We were lucky to receive two all conference selections and two honorable mentions voted on by the coaches in the conference.”
Honorable Mentions: Faith Nielsen, Hallie Schultz
Faith finishes her career ninth in school history with 1,233 points, 433 rebounds, 136 assists, 157 steals, and 21 blocks.
Schultz finishes her career with 571 points, 706 rebounds (ninth in school history), 182 assists, 142 steals, and 22 blocks.
Sportsmanship Award: Hope Nielsen
“Hope came every day with a positive attitude and a smirk on her face. She not only was excited about her own success and accomplishments but she celebrated her teammates successes all season long. I’m so glad that Hope came back out for basketball. She definitely made my day better and made our team stronger.”
Peterson concluded by thanking the girls, again, for a tremendous year.