A talented group of players are being honored today as members of the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association’s 2019-20 Class B All-State girls basketball team.
Six first-team selections spearhead a group of 19 honorees who should help the season be remembered for more than one in which the state tournament was disrupted because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Freshman Avery Broughton, who led Corsica-Stickney to a 24-0 record and berth in the semifinals of the state B tourney before it was suspended, is the Class B Player of the Year and leads a group of first-teamers that includes seniors Hilary Albrecht of Howard and Ady Dwight of Langford Area and juniors Caelyn Valandra-Prue of White River, Alayna Benike of Castlewood and Cameryn Logan of Ethan.
Broughton, a 5-foot-11 forward, averaged 20.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game for Corsica-Stickney.
Broughton surpassed the 1,000-point mark in her third year on the varsity and – with 1,200 career points – is only 79 points shy of the school’s scoring record. She moved up to the first team after earning second-team All-State honors as an eighth-grader.
“Avery has a love for the game that makes it easy to coach her,” said Avery’s mother and Corsica-Stickney head coach Lorisa Broughton. “She is a leader and motivator on the floor and demonstrates a high basketball IQ for her age.”
Albrecht, a 5-9 senior guard, closed out a five-year career as a starter by leading Howard to a 20-4 record and the school’s first state-tournament appearance in 25 years. It’s the third All-State honor for Albrecht – a second-team selection in 2018 and a third-team honoree last winter.
The Dordt College recruit produced 19.1 points and 11.4 rebounds this winter for the Tigers and finished her career as the school’s all-time leader in points (1,723) and steals (332).
“Hilary has been a key component of the turnaround of our program,” said Howard head coach Wade Erickson. “She is at her best off penetration, but can also shoot it from deep and is physical enough to play inside.”
Valandra-Prue is the lone repeat first-team selection from last year and the 5-9 guard-forward earned the honor again despite having her season cut short by a knee injury.
Her season numbers included 31 points, seven rebounds, four steals and four assists per game. She also broke the legendary SuAnne Big Crow’s scoring record in the Lakota Nation Invitational, producing 136 points including a 45-point outburst against Pine Ridge on the final day.
“Caelyn continues to work on her strength and getting back for next season,” said White River coach Kristi Barnhart. “She brings level of play to our team that makes everyone better.”
Dwight, a 6-0 center, recorded 24.3 points and 13.4 rebounds for a Langford Area team that had a solid 19-4 season end with a loss to Irene-Wakonda in the SoDak 16 state qualifier.
A five-year starter, Dwight finished her career with 1,790 points and 1,043 rebounds and shared co-most valuable player honors in the Lake Region Conference this year. Also a talented volleyball player, she will continue with that sport at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell.
“Ady is a tremendous all-around player,” said Langford Area coach Michael Alberts. “Ady was very hard to stop on the offensive end this year, really stepped up her defense and turned into a great leader on and off the court.”
Benike, a 5-foot-11 junior forward, displayed her ability to play both inside and outside for a Castlewood team that went 18-5 and reached the semifinals of the state tournament. She moved up the first team after earning second-team All-State honors as a sophomore.
A starter on Castlewood’s state championship team in 2018, she averaged 16.1 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and three steals per game this winter.
“Alayna is such a versatile player. She handles the ball, is a great passer and can shoot inside or out,” said Castlewood head coach Leslie Tvedt. “She does a great job of rebounding and pushing the ball up the court.”
Benike’s play helped Castlewood open the state tournament with a win over an Ethan team that is 22-2 so far this season and has been led by Logan.
The 5-foot-10 junior averaged 15 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game this winter. A three-year starter she has helped the Rusters to a combined 68-6 record and three state-tournament appearances.
“Cameryn has shown significant improvement each year she has been on the varsity and I believe she has the potential to become an even better player,” said Ethan coach Tom Young. “She is an outstanding young person on and off the floor and I have enjoyed being her coach.”
The second team includes junior Morgan Edelman, a second-team honoree in 2019 and junior Halle Heinz of Ipswich and senior Lavin Bendt of Kadoka Area, who were third-team selections a year ago. Other second-teamers are junior Kennedy Leiferman of Kimball-White Lake and sophomores Zoey Wohlleber of Waubay-Summit and Kaycee Groves of Faith.
Sisters Malloy O’Malley, a senior, and Nora O’Malley of Irene-Wakonda spearhead the third team that includes seniors Morgan Huber of Hanson and Brooke Niederbaumer of Faulkton Area, junior Rachel Fiedler of Herreid-Selby Area and sophomores Kennadi Buchholz of De Smet and Julia Weber of Bridgewater-Emery.
Class B All-State Girls Basketball Team
First Team
Avery Broughton, Corsica-Stickney, 5-11, fr., forward (20.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 3.1 apg)
Hilary Albrecht, Howard, 5-9, sr., guard (19.1 ppg, 11.4 rpg)
Caelyn Valandra-Prue, White River, 5-9, jr., guard-forward (31 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.6 apg, 4 spg)
Ady Dwight, Langford Area, 6-0, sr., center (24.3 ppg, 13.4 rpg)
Alayna Benike, Castlewood, 5-11, jr., forward (16.1 pgg, 8 rpg. 6 apg, 3 spg)
Cameryn Logan, Ethan, 5-10, jr., center (15 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.6 spg)
Second Team
Morgan Edelman, Menno, 5-7, jr., guard (23.1 ppg, 7 rpg, 4 apg. 4 spg)
Halle Heinz, Ipswich, 5-5, jr., guard (23.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3 apg)
Zoey Wohlleber, Waubay-Summit, 5-6, so., guard (25 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg, 3 spg)
Kennedy Leiferman, Kimball-White Lake, 5-11, jr., guard-forward (19.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 4.2 apg)
Lavin Bendt, Kadoka Area, 5-10, sr., forward-center (22.7 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 4 spg)
Kaycee Groves, Faith, 5-10, so., guard-forward (15.5 pgg, 7.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 3.3 spg)
Third Team
Julia Weber, Bridgewater-Emery, 5-7, so., guard (18.7 pgg, 4.2 rpg, 2.1 apg)
Morgan Huber, Hanson, 5-9, sr., guard (17.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 3 apg)
Rachel Fiedler, Herreid-Selby Area, 5-9, jr., guard (19.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.2 apg)
Brooke Niederbaumer, Faulkton Area, 5-11, sr., forward-center (12.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
Nora O’Malley, Irene-Wakonda, 5-8, so., guard-forward (18 ppg, 8 rpg, 3 apg)
Kennadi Buchholz, De Smet, 6-0, so., center (15.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg)
Malloy O’Malley, Irene-Wakonda, 5-6, sr., guard-forward (17 ppg., 6 rpg, 3 apg)
