WELLS &045; This past season, every opponent of the United South Central girls’ basketball team knew Andrea Eilertson was the player they had to contain.

Most times, they couldn’t.

Despite facing defenses geared to stop her – most of the time with two players guarding her – Eilertson had a stellar season while leading the Rebels to a record of 20-6 overall and 9-4 in the Gopher Conference. The 5-foot-10 senior post player averaged 15.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, shooting 52 percent on field goals and 73 percent at the free-throw line, with 32 steals and 25 assists.

Eilertson’s efforts make her the Tribune’s Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year for 2002-03.

“She was our go-to player this year, and every team we played knew that,” said USC coach Dale Koestler. “Everyone we played knew how good she was.”

The season capped an outstanding varsity basketball career for Eilertson, who earned all-conference honors for a third consecutive year, the first two in the South Central Conference. She shot 49 percent from the field for her career, 314-for-640, and finished No. 3 on the Rebels’ all-time list for scoring and rebounding.

And she did it while battling some injuries.

“As a junior, she missed over a month of the season with a high ankle sprain,” said Koestler. “Then, right after she got back, she had a high ankle sprain on the other one. It was right in the middle of the season. If she had a year like she did as a senior, she would have been a 1,000-point scorer.”

This past season was not injury-free either. Eilertson sustained a broken nose that kept her out of two games.

When Koestler thinks of Eilertson’s career, however, it’s not injuries that come to mind. It’s talent and desire.

“She’s always been able to score,” said Koestler. “From junior high school on up, she’s always been a scorer and a strong rebounder.”

&uot;She’s always tough to face,&uot; said NRHEG coach Mindy Sparby. &uot;She’s a solid force inside, someone you always have to pay attention to or she’s going to kill you.&uot;

And, according to Koestler, she’s always worked at getting better.

“The most important thing about Andrea is she hasn’t stopped improving,” said Koestler. “Even this year, she kept working on moves. She has a very quick first step, she’s very difficult to guard one-on-one. I think that’s the biggest thing, she keeps trying to get better, she’s not happy with the status quo.”

Eilertson is considering Hamline University, among other colleges, to continue her education and basketball career.

“I think the MIAC would be a good fit for her,” said Koestler. “I think, if she wanted to, she could probably play Division II, but that’s a huge time commitment.&uot;