First Team

Hali Hendrickson

Albert Lea

Freshman, 5-11 Forward

Hendrickson was the only freshman to crack the 2004-05 All-Area team, and she did it with some of the best all-around numbers. Leading the Tigers with an average of 10.3 points and seven rebounds per game, Hendrickson was the lone Albert Lea player to earn All-Big Nine honors. She was also second on the team with 55 assists and third on the team with 41 takeaways. For coach Karol Hansen’s much-improved Tigers, Hendrickson was the go-to girl. &uot;She does a lot of really good things on the basketball court,&uot; said Hansen. &uot;It’s who you want to give the ball to score. She’ll only get better with more maturity on the court.&uot;

Niki Hendrickson

Albert Lea

Sophomore, 5-10 Forward

Hali’s sister, Niki was also a threat for the 10-17 Tigers and averaged 10.1 points per game. She was second on the team in rebounding, and made 11 threes and shot 67.7 percent from the charity stripe. She finished 10th in the Big Nine in scoring. Coach Karol Hansen has also seen strides her game during the course of the year. &uot;Niki was a little unsure last year,&uot; said Hansen. &uot;This year she was more comfortable and was a more complete player. She really added to her defensive game, and she will only get better in the next two years.&uot; Hendrickson had enough support from the Big Nine coaches to garner an honorable-mention Big Nine selection.

Alison Anderson

NRHEG

Junior, 5-7 Guard

Anderson followed a spectacular 2003-04 season with another memorable campaign, as she was again selected as the Tribune’s Player of the Year while capturing honorable mention all-state honors for the second year in a row. The junior was the leader of the Panthers, who finished their season 19-9 and one win away from the state tournament.

Emily Hagen

NRHEG

Senior, 5-10 Forward

Hagen was a utility player for the Panthers this season, playing everywhere that coach Mindy Sparby asked her to play. &uot;She is the type of player who can step back and hit the three, but she can also go inside,&uot; said Sparby. Hagen also improved her defense during the past year. &uot;Emily did a great job on the top of our zone. When you can put a 5-10 girl on the top of a zone defense, you will create problems. She is exactly what you want from a senior captain,&uot; added Sparby. From beyond the arc, Hagen made 14 of 38 attempts. Overall, she shot 34.7 percent from the field and tallied 338 points for an average of 12.1 per game. The senior was also a force on the glass, grabbing an average of 5.9 rebounds per game.

Traci Nelson

NRHEG

Junior, 5-8 Guard

A player that head coach Mindy Sparby counted on to play several roles, Nelson gave an extremely solid effort in every position she was placed. &uot; She is a very versatile player,&uot; said Sparby. &uot;She is an intense competitor. She worked hard every day to make herself a better player.&uot; That hard work paid off in her numbers, as she connected on 98 of 200 two-point field goals and averaged 11.5 points per game. For the season, Nelson shot 64.5 percent from the field. The junior also worked hard on the glass, averaging 6.6 boards per game with 67 steals.

Second Team

Liz Thompson

Albert Lea

Sophomore, 5-10 Center

Another All-Big Nine honorable mention selection, Thompson did many things that didn’t show in the statistics. &uot;She always did a great job on defense,&uot; commented coach Karol Hansen. &uot;She always had the toughest job on the defensive end. The girls she was defending were bigger and taller players.&uot; To go with her solid defensive play, Thompson had the best shooting percentage for the Tigers at 42.4 percent (59/139). Hansen also stated that many of her shots were from outside the paint, making her shot percentage even more commendable. Her field goal percentage was among the top 10 in the

Big Nine. The sophomore finished with 193 points, (7.7 per game) and shot 70.3 percent from the line, fifth best in the conference.

Jenny Krueger

Alden-Conger

Senior, 6-3 Post

Krueger has been a fixture in the Alden-Conger lineup the last three years, seeing significant varsity time since her 10th-grade year. &uot;It’s been great to have her be on varsity since she was a sophomore,&uot; said coach Mark Henrich. The six-footer averaged 9.3 points per game and shot 46.7 percent from the field, totaling 224 points. Krueger also pulled down 8.2 rebounds per game. Quite possibly her most telling statistic was the 57 blocked shots she recorded in the 2004-05 season.

Emily Appel

Alden-Conger

Junior, 6-2 Post

Appel was the second main target for the Knights, who finished with a 10-14 overall record. The junior was the second leading scorer and the third leading rebounder in her first full year of varsity basketball. &uot;She had a good year for her first varsity season, and I’m really looking forward to a great year out of her next year,&uot; commented coach Mark Henrich. &uot;She helped solidify the middle of our defense and made key plays at key times.&uot; Appel had a solid field goal percentage, making 84 of 182 shots for the season, and finished with a 73.5-percent showing at the free-throw line. The junior averaged 8.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, blocked 28 shots and committed only 26 turnovers in 24 games.

Megan Pederson

Lake Mills

Sophomore, 6-0 Forward

As a sophomore, Pederson led the Bulldogs with 9.8 rebounds per game to compliment her 9.2 scoring average. Coach Mark VanGorkom was very impressed with her play throughout the season. &uot;Megan is the most pure shooter on the team, and being six foot she has a height advantage. She also crashes those boards hard,&uot; said VanGorkom. Her hard-working attitude showed in the statistics as she tallied 60 more boards than the second-leading Bulldog rebounder.

Kirsten Thisius

United South Central

Junior, 5-6 Guard

Thisius was the top player for the 9-16 Rebels, leading the team in several categories. She averaged 8.7 points per contest while shooting 34.9 percent from the field (75-for-215) and 68.3 percent on free throws (43-for-63). She made 35.7 percent of her three-point baskets (25-for-70) and totaled 38 assists, 27 steals and 63 rebounds. She played in 97 quarters for the Rebels, who had only one other player with more than 90.

Honorable Mention

– Albert Lea &045; Cara Thorn, soph., 5-4 guard;

– Alden-Conger &045; Vanessa Politz,

jr., 5-9 forward; Kendra Mathiason, sr., 5-7 guard;

– Glenville-Emmons &045; Chelsey Ziebell, jr., 5-7 guard; Ashley Lau, soph., 5-7 forward;

– Lake Mills &045; Melissa Brackey, jr., 5-6 guard;

– Northwood-Kensett &045; Angie Sime, soph., 5-8 forward;

– NRHEG &045; Jasmine Brouwers, soph., 5-5 guard;

– United South Central &045; Maggie Giese, sr., 6-2 center; Kallie Rollenhagen, jr., 5-9 forward.

Player of the Year

– 2005 &045; Alison Anderson, NRHEG

– 2004 &045; Alison Anderson, NRHEG

– 2003 &045; Andrea Eilertson, USC

– 2002 &045; Kjerstin Back, Lake Mills

– 2001 &045; Amber Sickels, Albert Lea

– 2000 &045; Heather Wayne, NRHEG

– 1999 &045; Amanda Moxon, NRHEG

– 1998 &045; Amanda Moxon, NRHEG

– 1997 &045; Laura Jacobs, USC

– 1996 &045; Laurie Peterson, USC

– 1995 &045; Laurie Peterson, USC

– 1994 &045; Anne Chicos, NRHEG

– 1993 &045; Julie Zebro, USC

– 1992 &045; Angi Nowak, USC

Coach of the Year

– 2005 &045; Mindy Sparby, NRHEG

– 2004 &045; Mindy Sparby, NRHEG

– 2003 &045; Dale Koestler, USC

– 2002 &045; Dale Koestler, USC

– 2001 &045; Lane Pearson, Glenville-Emmons

– 2000 &045; None chosen

– 1999 &045; John Schultz, NRHEG

– 1998 &045; John Schultz, NRHEG

– 1997 &045; Mark Anderson, Alden-Conger

– 1996 &045; John Schultz, NRHEG

– 1995 &045; Dale Koestler, USC

– 1994 &045; John Schultz, NRHEG

– 1993 &045; John Schultz, NRHEG

– 1992 &045; Dale Koestler, USC