March 10, 2021 – Washington Co., WI – The 2020-21 varsity basketball WIAA All-Conference selections are being announced. Short of being on a team that wins a state title, all-conference honors are the greatest acknowledgement of individual play in a respective sport.
With eight schools spread across four separate conferences there is no shortage of competition for such prestigious honors, especially in basketball.
The East Central Conference
Boys:
- Garrett Murphy, freshman – 2nd Team: Finished second on the team in scoring with 11.3 points per game and 259 total points this season. Led the team in three-pointers with 55 and 44% shooting from three-point range. Murphy also chipped in 25 steals, 7 blocks, and 23 assists. A great all-around player whose contributions definitely surpassed what one excepts from a freshman playing with the varsity squad.
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Photo courtesy of Lisa Leffel - Jack Leffel, junior – Honorable Mention: Finished fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 5.0 points per game. Finished fourth on the team in rebounds with 63 total rebounds. He led the team in steals with 28 and finished second in assists with 32.
- Austin Wagner, junior – 1st Team: Led the team in scoring with 15.6 points (fourth in the East Central Conference) and 359 total points this season. Wagner also had a commanding lead on the rebounds for the Chargers this season, with 6.6 rebounds per game and 151 total rebounds (including 138 defensive rebounds). He also led the team in assists with 44.
Girls:
- Haley Ott, senior – 2nd Team: Ott was second on the team in points per game (10.7) and total points (224) this season. She had the highest individual scoring performance this season with 25 points and made the most field-goals for the team with 82. Ott had the most rebounds per game 6.3 and had the second most total rebounds with 132. Ott also chipped in 31 assists and steals this season. She and her fellow all-conference honorees have been seen as the heart and soul of the Kettle Moraine Lutheran girls’ basketball program, so it will not be easy to replace them very quickly. She will be attending Wisconsin Lutheran College for either psychology or marketing.
- Emma Thistle, senior – 1st Team: Thistle was the team’s leading scorer with 12.7 points per game and 304 total points this season. She also led the team with 73 free-throws made and 89 assists. Thistle was easily one of the conference’s top point guards and her career season this year was definitely validation of that. She will be attending Carthage College for either accounting or actuarial science.
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Photos courtesy Lori Knoll - Elle Truckenbrod, senior – Honorable Mention: Truckenbrod finished third on the team in scoring with 8.6 points per game and 189 total points this season. Her true notoriety came in the form of being an absolute sniper from three-point range, making 53 three-pointers with a 38.7% accuracy.
- Without Thistle and Truckenbrod KML will have rebuild their three-point shooting offense from scratch, as 90 of the team’s 156 three-pointers made this season came as a result those two players. Truckenbrod will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Parkside for Marketing.
Midwest Classic Conference
Boys:
- Mason Martinez, junior – 1st Team: Led the team in points per game and overall points (14.0 and 294 respectively); Martinez also had an 84.8% success rate from the free-throw line and 100 assists on the year, proving to not only be an incredible scorer, but unselfish and capable of delivering in the clutch when his team needed big moments this season. Head coach John Winter said that “Mason is a very savvy guard that finds open teammates to make them better, but knows when to attack and get a key bucket when the team needs to score.”
- Tyler McKnight, junior – 2nd Team: Second on the team in points per game (13.5) and total points (284) this season; led the team in three-point shots made with 45, providing that now vital long-range offense that seems to be necessary to win at every level of basketball; he also had the best field goal percentage amongst his fellow honorees with a 51.6%FG.
- Elijah Flowers, junior – Honorable Mention: Finished with 10.7 points per game and 204 points total for the season; was the team’s top rebounder with 103 total and averaging 5.4 per game. He was also a distributor for the offense with 66 total assists. Coach Winter said Flowers “is our vocal leader on the court as he served as team captain. When we needed a stop, Elijah would defend the opposing team’s best player and when we needed someone to make a play, Elijah would create for his teammates to get an open shot.”
Girls: Junior Emmah Bagin, – Second-Team:
At 5’ 3” she undertook the starting point guard position for the Timberwolves, shifting from her natural position as a guard/wing. Bagin adapted with little struggle as she led the Midwest Classic Conference with 67 points in conference play and 172 total points scored this season. Head coach Rachel Mindham spoke highly of Emmah, saying she “has an athletic passion that shows through in her basketball gameplay. She is a great team leader and helped lead the T-Wolves this season under my first year as the LW Women’s basketball head coach.”