Grand Island Central Catholic

6-1, Senior, P

Grand Island Central Catholic senior post Alicia Statler attracted plenty of attention from opposing teams throughout her career.

Despite defenses focusing on slowing her down, Statler averaged 18.04 points and 51 percent shooting from the floor as a senior.

And that earned her plenty of attention from college coaches.

"People would always call me about her," GICC coach Andy Anspauch said. "There were (NCAA) Div. I schools as far away as Iona, N.Y. There were some in Wisconsin. There were some RMAC schools, all the GPAC schools and some junior colleges in Kansas."

Statler handled the pressure that goes along with the recruiting pressure as calmly as she did the pressure put on her by defenses.

"Sometimes it gets in the way," she said of all the recruiting attention. "But it's all good."

Her final decision won't take her far from home. She'll go to Hastings College, an NAIA Div. II powerhouse which includes former All-Heartland Super Squad honorary captains Kay Broekemeier of Central City and Heather McKeon of Ravenna.

"I really liked the campus and coach (Tony) Hobson," Statler said.

Anspauch said: "She never made it about where she'll go to school. It was always about our team. She insulated the team from any distractions to her credit."

Megan Allison

Cross County

5-11, Senior, G/F

Megan Allison's 1,567 career points is 41st in Nebraska high school history.

That's just one of the impressive numbers put up by the Cross County standout during her impressive career.

She averaged 25.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game as a senior despite facing a box-and-one pretty much all year.

She scored 514 points this year, including 43 against McCool Junction.

And non of this surprises coach Frank Samuelson, who picked up his 400th win in his final season before retiring.

"You could see as a freshman how good she was going to be," he said. "You could just see it.

"She's one of the most coachable players I've ever coached and one of the most talented I've ever coached."

Still, Samuelson was surprised just a little by what Allison, a Concordia recruit, did this year while helping Cross County go 14-6.

"Her senior year, she was above and beyond expectations," he said. "She saw a box-and-one most every game and still she scored so much."

Samuelson said Allison's approach to the game helped her against the defenses trying to slow her up.

"What she does is she goes out and wants to win every game," he said. "Her objective is to win every game and have fun. She likes knowing she'll get everyone's best shot."

Tali Fredrickson

Grand Island Central Catholic

5-7, Senior, G

Tali Fredrickson has always stood out because of her athleticism.

She took full advantage of that during her final basketball season.

The Grand Island Central Catholic senior turned into the perfect outside complement to Alicia Statler's inside play.

Fredrickson averaged 14.0 points and a team-high 3.4 assists per game to get opposing defenses one more scoring threat to worry about.

"She's another kid who really improved between her junior year and senior year," GICC coach Andy Anspauch said. "She's always been a very athletic player. The thing she improved a lot was always shooting with confidence.

"She relished taking the outside shots. Even if she missed a few, she'd still shoot with confidence until she got rolling. If she hit, it'd be tough (for opponents) with Alicia inside."

Fredrickson's talents that made her the All-Heartland Super Squad volleyball honorary captain also paid off on the basketball court. Her quickness and leaping ability made her a tough match-up for opposing guards.

"Even as a 5-foot-7 player, she owned the inside game against any guard that covered her," Anspauch said. "I'd put Tali in the post against anybody and have confidence that she'd score.

"She is so competitive. She is one of those kids that can will herself to be successful."

Ashley Hall

St. Paul

5-11, Senior, C

St. Paul coach Todd Alberts doesn't hesitate to certify Ashley Hall as a "gym rat."

That dedication to basketball helped her develop into a player averaged 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds as a senior on a 17-4 Wildcat squad.

It helped her become a Doane College recruit.

And it may help the Wildcats even though her career is over.

"Ashley hit the weight room hard," Alberts said. "She got a lot stronger and a lot smarter.

"As a freshman, there wasn't much to her. Between her sophomore and junior year, she found herself in the weight room."

And plenty of time in the gym, too. Hall had a goal and she knew how to reach it.

"She spent a lot of time in the gym," Alberts said. "She knew as a sophomore that she wanted to play college basketball. she had the drive.

"She worked hard to get where she's at. She's self motivated. As a coach that makes my job easier."

Just because Hall reached her goal doesn't mean that her gym rat days are over.

And that's where she can continue to help St. Paul's girls basketball team.

"She hung around after track practice the other day and was helping the younger kids," Alberts said. "She's very good with the younger kids. She always gets along with them and is willing to help them out."

Kelli Hermsmeyer

North Loup-Scotia

5-11, Senior, C

The Class D-2 State Tournament proved how valuable Kelli Hermsmeyer was to North Loup-Scotia.

With the senior center in foul trouble early, the Wildcats never got going in their first round game against eventual state champion Ewing.

It was one of the few lowlights in a season full of highlights for Hermsmeyer, who averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game.

"She did a great job," Wildcat coach Joanne Wells said. "As long as she wasn't in foul trouble, we could play with anybody."

Hermsmeyer didn't find herself in foul trouble too often. That forced opponents to try to find a way to slow down a center that shot 56 percent from the floor and 60 percent on free throws.

But where Hermsmeyer improved the most this season won't show up on a stat sheet.

"She improved defensively especially," Wells said. "We worked a lot on that (as a team)."

Wells said Hermsmeyer set a strong example for the Wildcats, who finished 22-2.

"She knew how to keep the team going," Wells said. "She works hard every day in practice. She led by example, but she knew when she had to open her mouth and say something."

Hermsmeyer is looking to continue her basketball career. She is considering Midland Lutheran, Northeast Community College in Norfolk and Mid-Plains Community College in North Platte.

ALL-HEARTLAND SECOND TEAM

Name Yr. Ht. Pos. PPG RPG School

Justine Dethlefs Sr. 5-8 PG 10.3 3.8 St. Paul

Mackenzie Dick Sr. 5-5 PG 16.3 5.2 Heartland

Melissa Hansen Sr. 5-10 PG 8.7 6.0 NL-Scotia

Steph Muhlbach Sr. 5-8 PG 10.0 4.0 Ravenna

Stacia Robertson So. 6-1 C 12.4 7.7 Grand Island

ALL-HEARTLAND THIRD TEAM

Name Yr. Ht. Pos. PPG RPG School

Elizabeth Griess Jr. 5-11 P 17.1 13.7 Neb. Christian

Mallory Irvine Jr. 6-0 P 12.0 7.0 Ravenna

Lacey Johnson Sr. 5-9 P 17.5 8.4 Loup County

Kari Novacek Sr. 5-7 G/F 16.4 6.0 Cedar Rapids

Brittany Ogan Sr. 5-10 P 20.7 10.4 Arcadia

ALL-HEARTLAND FOURTH TEAM

Name Yr. Ht. Pos. PPG RPG School

Deidra Ground So. 5-10 F 12.1 10.6 Kenesaw

Laura McQuiston Jr. 5-9 F 10.7 7.6 Aurora

Stasia Ott Jr. 5-9 P 13.8 9.2 Giltner

Nikki Stevens So. 5-8 PG 15.0 7.0 Spalding/SA

Mackenzie Tomlin So. 5-5 PG 7.5 3.1 Grand Island

Honorable Mention

Boone Central: Stephanie Paulson, Jr.; Brittany Luettle, Jr. Broken Bow: Ashley Gurney, Sr.; Paige Hitchcock, Sr. Central City: Lexi Malm, So.; Nicole Schnitzler,Sr. Centura: Abby Suntych, Fr.; Megan Moss, So. Cross County: Courtney Dravitzki, Sr.; Megan Brooke, Sr. Doniphan-Trumbull: Jordan Mlinar, Sr.; Kayla Gruener, Jr. Elba: Diane Brumbaugh, Sr.; Tara Wilkinson, Jr. Fullerton: Taylor Hellbusch, Jr.; Brittany Ridder, So. Gibbon: Jessica Pearson, Fr.; Alison Krueger, Jr. Giltner: Gretchen Kreutz, Jr.; Lisa Lockmon, So. Grand Island: Ariel Krolikowski, Jr.; Alex Miller, Sr. Grand Island CC: Drew Kime, Jr.; Maureen Stump, Jr. Grand Island NW: Julie Stoltenberg, Sr.; Jenna Rouzee, Jr. Greeley-Wolbach: Sarah Williams, Jr.; Darian Erickson, Fr. Hampton: Krystal Nunnenkamp, Sr. Hastings: Andrew Lyle, Sr. Hastings St. Cecilia: Charise Farmer, Fr.; Morgan Dubas, Sr. Heartland: Lauren Klute, Sr. Heartland Lutheran: Claire Mackey, Jr. High Plains: Brooke Engel, Sr.; Becky Kobza, So. Kenesaw: Megan Adams, Jr. Loup City: Amelia Goc, Jr.; Shelby Hill, Jr. Loup County: Nikki Nilson, Jr. Nebraska Christian: Emily Murphy, Jr.; Chrissy Ritta, Sr. North Loup-Scotia: Dana Kluthe, Jr.; Krista Hermsmeyer, So. Ord: Kellie Peterson, Sr.; Riley Callan, Sr. Osceola: Jordan Kuhnel, Sr.; Morgan Walgren, Sr. Palmer: Courtney Wells, Sr.; Kayla Meyer, Sr. Ravenna: Emily Achtenberg, Jr. Shelton: Brittany Resh, Sr.; Alie Hempmleman, Sr. Spalding/Spalding Academy: Melissa Berger, So.; Katie Heimbuch, So. St. Paul: Brittany Grim, Sr.; Dream Sombke, Sr. Wood River: Markeya Dubbs, Sr.; Sarah Roth, Sr.