Carrington duo tops list

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When it comes to Class B girls’ basketball, the proverbial 1-2 punch has rarely come any better than Carrington’s Sierra Rosenau and Emily Thompson.

The pair of senior Cardinals highlight this year’s Jamestown Sun All-Area Girls’ Basketball Team, and is joined on the 2011-12 first-team with Linton-Hazelton-Moffit-Braddock’s Kayln Schneider, Napoleon’s Sheridon Dewald and Dakota Prairie’s Brandy Messner.

Looking back at their prep careers, what else is there to say about Rosenau and Thompson?

“Over the last four years they gave us 90 wins, two state tournament trips and one state title,” Carrington coach Andy Braaten said, “and lots of good basketball.”

The duo shined while playing in front of a state-wide audience in 2010-11, earning co-MVP state tournament honors after leading Carrington to the championship in Bismarck.

Ranked No. 1 in the polls for a majority of this past season, Carrington narrowly missed a crack at a third consecutive Region 4 title, but came up just short and finished the tourney third with an overall record of 22-2.

The 6-foot-1 Thompson earned second-team all-state honors for a second straight year after averaging 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.3 assists per game. She missed five games this past season due to an ankle injury, but when she was healthy she was once again a force on both ends of the floor.

Rosenau, a 5-8 forward and the defending state javelin champion, was awarded the state Class B Senior Athlete of the Year Award, averaging 11.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.6 steals per night. Rosenau was the Cards’ most physical defender and had a knack for finding the ball, either by picking up a steal or pulling down a board. She was also outstanding at controlling the ball and dishing it out to teammates.

“A lot of basketball is that you need that leader out front handling the ball and getting it to people,” Braaten said of Rosenau. “You don’t need it, but it’s helpful to have that dominate force down low (Thompson) as a last form of defense, especially with her scoring and she is also a good passer.”

Both finished their careers scoring over 1,200 points. Thompson was a first-team selection last year, while Rosenau made the second-team list.

“I’ll remember their competitiveness and how well they worked together,” Braaten said. “They had really good vision, not only for each other, put for finding their teammates too.”

Senior forward Kayln Schneider nearly led the Linton-HMB Lady Lions to the pinnacle this past season, and it was her game-winning shot as time expired in the first round of the state Class B tournament that gave them that chance.

“That was definitely not what was drawn up, but the second option was for us to attack because we were in the bonus,” Linton-HMB coach Pat Gerving said, of the Lions’ last-possession drive that gave them a 46-45 victory over Minot Ryan. “McKenna (Flyberg) made a great pass and Kayln’s athleticism showed up. She made a great move on the defender and put the bucket in.”

Flyberg had driven the length of the court and found the 5-9 Schneider in the low post to score the game-winner. The Lions went on to defeat Beach 47-30 in the state semifinals, before falling to Grafton 76-54 in the title game.

But what a run it was for Schneider and the 20-7 Lions, who wrapped up back-to-back Region 3 titles after taking third at state one year ago.

During her senior season, Schneider averaged 17 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2 steals per game. She was a first-team all-state selection after being voted the Region 3 Senior Athlete of the Year, and she also finished her career scoring 1,018 points.

Schneider was a second-team selection last season.

“She came to practice with a great attitude, got the other kids to work and made the players around her better,” Gerving said. “She was just a great leader.”

If not for Schneider and the Lions, it most likely would have been 5-7 junior forward Sheridon Dewald and the Napoleon Imperials playing at state. But a 60-49 loss to the Lions in the Region 3 title tilt gave the Imperials a second-place finish in the region after playing to a record of 18-7.

The Imperials are 60-13 over the past three seasons, and the outstanding play of Dewald has been a large part of that success. Dewald averaged 16.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.3 assists per game and earned second-team all-state honors for a second straight year, even while playing with a torn ACL she suffered during volleyball season.

“Sheridon showed a lot of guts playing this year with a torn ACL. She had to sit out of two games because of it, and played only a quarter in two other games,” Napoleon coach Darcy Lehr said. “When healthy she still was at about 70 percent of her athletic ability. Despite this she still led the Imperials in scoring average and rebounding.”

Dewald is sitting with 1,590 career points with one more season left to play. Dewald was also a first-team all-area selection last year.

“She is a gamer, who played through a lot of frustration this year,” Lehr said.

Averaging over a double-double her senior season, and amassing 1,704 career points, has landed Dakota Prairie’s Brandy Messner on the all-area first team, after being a second-team selection last year.

Messner, a 5-10 forward, earned second-team all-state honors averaging 21 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.5 steals and 1.9 blocks for the Knights. Messner surpassed Kristi Gillette for the school’s record in career points, and her 836 career blocks places her second in the record books.

Jamestown Sun All-Area Second-Team

Shaye Ronningen, 5-10 sophomore forward, Midkota; Kendra Weigel, 5-5 junior guard, Napoleon; Karly Wald, 5-7 senior forward; Shayna Mertz, 5-8 sophomore forward, Ellendale; Emily Albrecht, 5-8 senior guard, Barnes County North; Kelly Carlson, 5-4 senior guard, Pingree-Buchanan-Kensal; Coley Warren, 5-6 junior guard, Oakes; Robin Weber, 5-8 senior forward, Linton-HMB; Becca Scherr, 5-5 senior guard, Carrington; Emily Berge, 5-8 junior forward, Midkota; Kalli Scherbenske, 5-4 sophomore guard, South Border.

Sun sports writer Michael Savaloja can be reached at (701) 952-8461 or by email at mikes@jamestownsun.com

Tags: class b, sports, basketball