St. Thomas More senior guard Dru Gylten experienced nothing but state titles in her high school basketball career at St. Thomas More.
Gylten was part of four straight Class A state title teams with the Cavaliers, despite tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in the semifinals of this year’s state tournament.
Regardless, the University of Utah-bound Gylten was not only an all-tournament performer, but was named to the Class A All-State girls’ basketball first team that was selected by the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association.
Gylten scored 29 points in the Cavaliers’ win over Madison in the tournament quarterfinals and had six early points against Webster Area before her knee injury. While she didn’t play the rest of the game, she got in the final eight seconds of the team’s 47-36 title-game win over Lennox and was able to hold the basketball as the final buzzer sounded.
Her work before her injury was more than enough to be considered one of the top players in the state.
“She was a big part of the success of this team,” STM coach Brandon Kandolin said. “Prior to this year, she gained a lot of experience playing on three previous state championship teams. I think she understood what needed to be done.”
Gylten, a 5-foot-11 point guard, averaged 13.3 points a game, along with 3.6 steals, 4.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
“I think her role this year was to hopefully score a little bit more, but she did that when she needed to,” Kandolin said. “She was still very much a team player, being able to create and distribute the ball, and on the other end defend just about anyone else out there.”
The rest of the first team saw some talented players who weren’t shy about putting the ball in the basket.
They include: Lexi Wadsworth of Hamilin, Haley Rithmiller of Webster-Area, Morgan Koepsell of McCook Central/Montrose, Madysen Vlastuin of Lennox and Jessi Giles of Madison.
Wadsworth, a 5-11 junior forward, led the way for the Chargers, averaging 20.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. She went over the 1,000-point mark of her career earlier this season against Milbank Area and has over 800 rebounds in her career.
“She led us in almost every statistical category, including assists, so it shows how complete her game is,” Hamlin coach Tim Koisti said. “She doesn’t take very many shots, and we don’t run a lot of actions just for her, so a lot of her points are scored just because she works hard and is always around the ball.
“I think Lexi’s biggest asset is her work ethic. She leaves everything she has on the floor and will always be the hardest working player on the floor. She is also a great teammate who shares the ball and always puts her team first. She makes everyone around her better.”
Rithmiller, a 5-10 senior forward, averaged a double-double and led all first-team performers in scoring at 21.5 points a game, while grabbing 10.6 rebounds per contest. She also averaged 7.5 steals and 3.1 assists per game.
“Haley's athleticism has been her driving force throughout her career,” Webster Area coach Jared Vergeldt said. “Sometimes players are quick, strong, big, fast or aggressive. Haley is all. It's not too often this type of athlete comes along. She finished her career with 1,832 points and 934 rebounds and she missed her freshman year with a knee injury. She had quite the career.”
Koepsell, a 6-2 junior center, was another double-double performer night-in and night-out. She averaged 21.5 points, shooting 62 percent from the field, and 11.1 rebounds a game. She also had 48 assists, 31 steals and 59 blocks.
“Morgan is very deserving of being selected to the first team All-State,” McCook Central/Montrose coach Doug Durfee said. “She has worked extremely hard and put in a lot of time to become the player that she is. Morgan is not only a great individual basketball player, but she is a great teammate and leader for our team.”
Vlastuin, the youngest player on the first team, is a 6-foot freshman who averaged 16.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. She also had 44 deflections, 25 steals, 17 blocks and 65 assists.
“Madysen is a talented athlete,” Lennox coach Dan DeVries said. “She is a strong player and fierce competitor. She is committed to continually improving her basketball skills and knowledge. She puts countless hours in the gym, working on her game almost every day. Madysen and her teammates will be fun to watch next year.”
Giles, a 5-10 junior guard, was a Dak XII All Conference performer for the Bulldogs this season at 17.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per outing.
"Jessi became a more consistent all-around player for our team this season,” Madison coach Macie Michelson said. “She has a good work ethic, and continues to get in the gym during the off-season to work on improving her game. I am looking forward to seeing what new things she brings to the team during her senior season."
Members of the 2017 All-State second team were: Haleigh Melstad, a 5-9 junior guard from Vermillion; Karlee McKinney, a 5-7 senior guard from Tea Area, Peyton Wingert, a 5-10 junior from Dakota Valley; Caelyn Valandra, a 5-7 eighth-grade guard/forward from Todd County; Jayda Knupppe, a 5-9 sophomore center from Dell Rapids and Emma Paul, a 5-8 sophomore guard/ forward from Dell Rapids.
2017 All-State third-team performers include: Kadye Fernholz, a 6-0 freshman forward from Miller; Carly Granum, a 5-6 junior guard from Sioux Valley; Caryssa Mielitz, a 6-2 senior center from Milbank Area; Janae Kolden, a 5-9 sophomore guard from Clark/Willow Lake; Tariq Brown Otter, a 5-2 senior guard from McLaughlin and Jayden Bies, a 5-10 junior guard/forward from St. Thomas More.
First team
Lexi Wadsworth, 5-11, Jr., forward, Hamlin, 20.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg., 2.7 apg.
Haley Rithmiller, 5-10, Sr., forward, Webster Area, 21.5 ppg., 10.6 rpg., 3.1 apg.
Morgan Koepsell, 6-2, Jr., center, McCook Central/Montrose, 21.1 ppg., 11.1 rpg., 2.4 apg.
Dru Gylten, 5-11, Sr., guard, St. Thomas More, 12.9 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 3.9 apg.
Madysen Vlastuin, 6-0, Fr., guard, Lennox, 16.4 ppg., 6.0 rpg., 2.7 apg.
Jessi Giles, 5-10, Jr., guard, Madison, 17.3 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 1.6 apg.
Second Team
Haleigh Melstad, 5-9, Jr., guard, Vermillion, 17.6 ppg., 5.6 rpg., 1.4 apg.
Karlee McKinney, 5-7, Sr., guard, Tea Area, 19.1 ppg., 1.7 rpg., 2.3 apg.
Peyton Wingert, 5-10, Jr., guard, Dakota Valley, 20.4 ppg., 3.8 rpg., 1.5 apg.
Caelyn Valandra, 5-7, 8th, guard/forward, Todd County, 23.3 ppg., 7.1 rpg., 2.0 apg.
Jayda Knuppe, 5-9, So., center, Dell Rapids, 14.4 ppg., 6.1 rpg, 1.1 apg.
Emma Paul, 5-8, So., guard/forward, Dell Rapids, 12.1 ppg., 5.7 rpg., 2.6 apg.
Third Team
Kadye Fernholz, 6-0, Fr., forward, Miller, 16.5 ppg., 12.8 rpg, 1.0 apg.
Carly Granum, 5-6, Jr., guard, Sioux Valley, 17.3 ppg., 1.7 rpg., 1.4 apg.
Caryssa Mielitz, 6-2, Sr., center, Milbank Area, 16.0 ppg., 10.0 rpg., 2.0 ppg.
Janae Kolden, 5-9, So., guard, Clark/Willow Lake, 18.5 ppg., 6.1 rpg., 1.4 apg.
Tariq Brown Otter, 5-2, Sr., guard, McLaughlin, 19.0 ppg., 3.0 rpg., 4.0 apg.
Jayden Bies, 5-10, Jr., guard/forward, St. Thomas More, 11.7 ppg., 2.1 rpg., 0.8 apg.
