For the Tribune

The following girls have been selected for the all-area girls’ basketball teams for 2001-02:&t;!—-&t;.

Saturday, March 16, 2002

For the Tribune

First team

Danielle Jacobs

Albert Lea

Sr., 5-10, Forward

The Tigers’ all-conference selection led Albert Lea with an average of nine points and six rebounds per game and was second on the team with three assists and two steals per game.

&uot;Danielle was probably our most consistent player,&uot; said Tigers coach Karol Hansen. &uot;You’re looking at a pretty good all-around basketball player who is very unselfish. She truly understands the importance of teamwork to being successful on the court. If there was one person on our team who exemplified team basketball, Dani did that the best. She was more driven to team success than her individual performance.&uot;

Nicole Krueger

Alden-Conger

Jr., 5-10, Center

Krueger drew the attention of opposing coaches as one of the most powerful front-court players in the area, leading the 7-18 Knights with 8.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game while shooting 40.9 percent from the floor and 49.1 percent at the line. She also led the team in steals with 62, assists with 45 and blocked shots with 39. Krueger had nine double-doubles and, according to Knights coach Mark Henrich, was close to a triple-double more than once. &uot;Other coaches say she’s a very hard player to move, because she’s so strong,&uot; said Henrich. &uot;As a post player, she’s very unselfish, and she’s also a very good defensive player. Nicole has a lot of potential. She has all the tools.&uot;

Kjerstin Back

Lake Mills

Sr., 5-6, Guard

A four-year varsity starter, four-time first team All-Area selection and three time first team All-North Iowa Conference player, Back earned the Tribune’s 2002 Player of the Year award by posting the best overall numbers in the area for the 12-10 Bulldogs. She averaged 11.7 points and 3.9 rebounds with 58 assists and 44 steals – all team bests. She shot 39 percent from the field – 31 percent while making 18 three-pointers – and was 74-for-109 at the free-throw line for 68 percent. &uot;Kjerstin didn’t have the year that I was expecting a four-year starter to have, but she did lead our team in several stats,&uot; said Bulldogs coach Steve Pederson. &uot;She’s an excellent all-around athlete.&uot; Back finished with 1,081 career points.

Erin Anderson

NRHEG

Soph., 5-7, Guard

Anderson earns All-Area in a third sport after leading the basketball Panthers to a record of 10-13. She was tops on the team with an average of 10.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, shooting 34.1 percent from the field – including 33.3 percent on three-pointers – and 45.5 percent on free throws, with totals of 57 steals, 34 assists and six blocked shots; she also drew two charging calls. &uot;She’s an excellent athlete. She’s a great all-around player for us, led us in points and rebounds at guard and forward. She can play anywhere for us. She’s very versatile.&uot;

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Andrea Eilertson

United South Central

Jr., 5-10, Forward

A first team All-Area selection a year ago, Eilertson was one of the keys to the Rebels’ improvement from 1-13 to 5-7 in the South Central Conference. But her season could have been even better. She was slowed by ankle injuries that kept her out of some games and left her less than 100 percent in several others. She still led the Rebels in scoring at 9.5 points per game, shooting 49 percent on field goals and 66 percent on free throws. &uot;Andrea is very competitive,&uot; said USC coach Dale Koestler. &uot;She plays hard, she practices hard, and she works at her game in the offseason. Her competitive spirit, her heart, is huge. She’s always going to give 100 percent, and you can count on that; for a high school coach, that’s huge.&uot;

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Second team

Aubree Page

Albert Lea

Sr., 5-11, Center/Forward

Page received honorable mention All-Big Nine after averaging 8.5 points and four rebounds. &uot;Aubree is an all-around great athlete, very powerful and very quick,&uot; said Tigers coach Karol Hansen. &uot;The thing that stands out in my mind as her coach is I had an opportunity to work with a great athlete. Aubree also understood the importance of teamwork and she worked very hard in practice. I look forward to seeing Aubree play over at Riverland and continue her basketball career.&uot;

Alisa Rayman

Glenville-Emmons

Jr., 5-8, Forward/Guard

Rayman made 30 three-point baskets, setting the Wolverines’ single-season and career record for threes as the Wolverines finished 8-14. She led the team in scoring with 8.3 points per game, averaging 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 steals and three assists. Rayman shot 32 percent from the floor and 48 percent at the line. &uot;She learned this year that if the baskets were not falling for her, she can help out in other ways,&uot; said Wolverines coach Lisa Ziebell. &uot;A couple games she was held scoreless, but she’d come up with 10 rebounds, eight steals, six assists. She was still a key to the offense, able to score from inside or out, and she’s also a very good defender.&uot;

Katie Pederson

Lake Mills

Sr., 6-0, Center

Pederson joined teammate Kjerstin Back on the All-North Iowa Conference second team after averaging 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds with a school-record 48 blocked shots and 22 steals. Pederson led the area with 52-percent field goal shooting, making 74 of 142 attempts. She finished as the Bulldogs’ all-time leader with 70 blocked shots. &uot;Katie didn’t play a lot of basketball as a freshman, and she really improved her aggressiveness this last year,&uot; said Pederson’s uncle and coach, Steve Pederson.

Hailee Rustad

Northwood-Kensett

Sr., 5-8, Forward

Rustad earned second team All-North Iowa Conference honors while averaging 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, shooting 65 percent from the free-throw line. &uot;She’s just an excellent all-around player,&uot; said Vikings coach Dan Reeder &uot;She’s a good ball-handler who can go both ways with either hand. She drove to the basket as well as any player I’ve ever had. She can also shoot with either hand and is very good at the free-throw line.&uot;

Hilary Wacholz

United South Central

Jr., 5-3, Guard

Wacholz had solid overall numbers and a number of huge baskets for the Rebels, including a game-winning field goal with three seconds remaining against Kasson-Mantorville and two free throws with no time on the clock to beat Waseca. She averaged 8.1 points, three steals, two assists and two rebounds, shooting 36 percent from the floor and 53 percent at the line. &uot;Hilary improved a lot from last year to this year and really became the floor leader we were looking for,&uot; said Rebels coach Dale Koestler. &uot;She was very crucial to our success this year.&uot;

Honorable mention

– Albert Lea – Beth Kolling, sr., 5-8, guard; Jenny Vanderploeg, sr., 5-7, guard/forward;

– Alden-Conger – Tasha Lackey, jr., 5-9, forward/center;

– Glenville-Emmons – Jenna Brackey, soph., 5-4, guard; Katie Brackey, soph., 5-4, guard;

– Lake Mills – Jessica Grotewold, sr., 5-8, post/forward; Jill Helgeson, sr., 5-11, forward;

– Northwood-Kensett – Kerby Christianson, sr., 5-6, guard;

– NRHEG – Rachel Andree, sr., 5-7, guard; Camille Kyte, soph., 5-10, center;

– United South Central – Nichole Fulton, sr., 5-10, center.

Player of the Year

– 2002 – Kjerstin Back, Lake Mills

– 2001 – Amber Sickels, Albert Lea

– 2000 – Heather Wayne, NRHEG

– 1999 – Amanda Moxon, NRHEG

– 1998 – Amanda Moxon, NRHEG

– 1997 – Laura Jacobs, USC

– 1996 – Laurie Peterson, USC

– 1995 – Laurie Peterson, USC

– 1994 – Anne Chicos, NRHEG

– 1993 – Julie Zebro, USC

– 1992 – Angi Nowak, USC

Coach of the Year

– 2002 – Dale Koestler, USC

– 2001 – Lane Pearson, Glenville-Emmons

– 2000 – None chosen

– 1999 – John Schultz, NRHEG

– 1998 – John Schultz, NRHEG

– 1997 – Mark Anderson, Alden-Conger

– 1996 – John Schultz, NRHEG

– 1994 – John Schultz, NRHEG

– 1993 – John Schultz, NRHEG

– 1992 – Dale Koestler, USC