By Jennifer Eisenbart
Sports Editor
For two area seniors, the 2011-12 girls basketball season was remarkably similar.
Both players led their teams – both in play and in demeanor. Both approached or broke scoring marks.
And the two also happened to tie for 2012 All-Area Player of the Year honors.
Catholic Central High School’s Allie Hocking and Waterford Union High School’s Stephanie Rank share the honors this year. The Lady ’Toppers won their second consecutive regional title before falling to eventual state champion Heritage Christian in the playoffs, while the Wolverines were within a game of the Southern Lakes Conference crown.
While the two did lead their respective teams this season, the two took slightly different roads.
Hocking came into the season within range of two major career milestones – 1,000 career points and the school record of 1,174, held by Jodi Robers Steyer.
Hocking passed both marks, and put up a mark she hopes will stand for a long time.
“My name will be up there for a while,” said Hocking, pointing out that it took 20 years for someone to break the old record. “It brought girls basketball, the name, back into the community.”
She averaged 16.7 points per game for the Lady ’Toppers, and scored more than 20 points several times her senior season.
But while Hocking was setting individual marks, she wasn’t looking for the glory.
“I didn’t think about it at all,” she said. “I didn’t want to think about it. I was more focused on the winning aspect.”
CCHS finished with a 12-13 record, with three of those losses coming to Heritage Christian – those losses being Hocking’s only real regret on the season.
“We also know we could’ve beaten them,” Hocking said.
As for Rank, a persistent problem with tendonitis in her knee limited her during her sophomore and junior seasons. Surgery was supposed to solve the problem, but halfway through the season, Rank’s knee began acting up again.
“Anytime like I do jumping or I land wrong, it triggers the tendonitis,” said Rank, who sat out a non-conference win over Greendale in an attempt to rest the knee.
As a result, perhaps, she narrowly missed setting Waterford’s all-time scoring record, by three points. It is still held by Beth Greil with 1,151 points.
Rank still averaged 18.6 points per game, and earned high praise from first-year head coach Dena Bretchl.
“The most wonderful part of her success may have been watching her mature into a great leader and role model,” said Bretchl, who took last year off but previously had been an assistant coach under Mark Peperkorn.
“She has been asked to do so much for each team she has played for, and I believe each year she did just that, and more.”
Capsules on the other All-Area selections follow below.
First Team
Alyssa Acker, Union Grove Union High School: One of the six seniors on the Union Grove team, Acker stepped up into a starting role this season following the graduation of five key seniors – four of which were starters.
Acker finished second on the team in total points with 226, just behind Jo Wilks – another first-team selection. She scored 11 points in the Broncos’ season-ending loss to New Berlin West, and also 2.4 steals per game.
Coach Rob Domagalski was unavailable for comment on his first-team selections.
Megan Jensen, Waterford Union High School: After struggling through the early part of the season with a back problem, Jensen came back as the Wolverines’ point guard.
She averaged 8.6 points per game as a primary outside threat for the Wolverines, but also averaged 2 assists and two steals per game.
“Megan is a very impressive point guard, as she is quick, good in both directions and can shoot the ball,” said Brechtl. “She worked very hard this summer to step up her game and was asked to do a lot this season to help our team finish with a winning record.”
Jo Wilks, Union Grove Union High School: After taking last season off to focus on volleyball (Wilks is a D1 recruit to Furman University in the sport), Wilks decided to play her senior season in basketball.
She averaged a team-best 10.3 points per game, as well as 4.2 rebounds per game. She also had 2.3 assists per game and 1.3 steals per game.
Wilks could be counted on to score in double digits for the Broncos, providing a much-needed scoring presence following the graduation of last year’s seniors.
Domagalski could not be reached for comment.
Second team
Jaycie Chart, Waterford Union High School: Often referred to as the team’s “Energizer Bunny” by brechtl, Chart averaged more rebounds (6.8 per game) than points (4.8).
“She just kept going and going and going, for 31 to 32 minutes each night,” Brechtl said. “Jaycie was often asked to guard the other team’s best post player, and at 5-8, that was not always an easy assignment, but each and every game, she proved that she players much bigger than 5-8.”
Sophie Foote, Catholic Central High School: Just a sophomore, Foote proved a reliable second scoring option for the Lady ’Toppers this season, averaging 9.8 points per game.
Later in the season, Golon began taking the ball hard to the basket, getting herself to the free-throw line and earning praise from first-year head coach Jeff Behrens.
“I’m real proud of how well we progressed during the season,” Behrens said following the season-ending loss to Heritage Christian.
Emily Golon, Burlington High School: Golon was one of the few bright spots for the Demons this season, as BHS went 2-21.
Golon averaged 11.7 points per game in spite of facing consistent double and triple teams.
“(She) attacks the hoop well, and gets herself to the line,” said coach Gordon Nikolic. “(She) continues to work, improving herself as a complete player. We are excited about Emily and her impact for our future.”
Alyssa Helwig, Waterford Union High School: In spite of missing two games late in the season due to an ankle sprain and playing just limited minutes in a 48-46 loss to Cudahy in the regional semifinals, Helwig proved vital for the Wolverines, averaging 6.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, two steals and two assists per game.
“Alyssa is one of the stronger guards in the area and physically was one of my strongest players,” said Brechtl. “We are excited that she is only a junior and will be back for one more year of WUHS basketball.”
Kristina Kamer, Waterford Union High School: While Kamer averaged just under four points per game for the Wolverines, she worked herself into a starting spot halfway through the season with improving offense and by being one of Waterford’s top defenders.
“Tina is the ideal team player and for that reason saw the floor so well,” Brechtl said. “If she wasn’t making a great defensive play, she was on the offensive end feeding Rank with a beautiful pass.”
Megan Lee, Union Grove Union High School: One of six seniors this year for the Broncos, Lee was a four-year varsity player and starter.
She averaged 6.2 points per game for Union Grove, but 6.3 rebounds per game, posting a single-game school record of 26 against Racine Park – a game where she also had a season-high 15 points.
She also averaged 2.1 assists per game and 2.6 steals per game for the Broncos.
“She has meant a lot to our program,” said Domagalski.
Honorable mention
Kelsi Cesarz, Burlington High School; Kelsey Robers, Catholic Central High School; Erin Bittmann, Catholic Central High School; Ashley Miller, Union Grove Union High School; Madison Blair, Waterford Union High School.
Editor’s note: There are six players on the second team this year due to a miscue in the selection of that team and honorable mention picks. Rather than demote a player, a player was added to the second team to address the issue.
-
-
-
-
-