Six Lady Huskies bring home postseason honors

Postseason awards have been announced and six Lady Huskies made the list. 

Dalley Bassett, Adison Haslam, Naomi McNiven, Sarah McNiven, Paxton Philpott and Hailee Winterholler join Kenzy Day, Ayla Halpin and Ava Jory from Dubois and Johnna Clifford, Varissa Olsen and Brooklynn Paxton from Riverside in earning all-conference honors, with Paxton from Riverside and N. McNiven nominated as co-player of the year in the 1A Northwest Conference. Philpott, S. McNiven and N. McNiven also received all-state honors. “This is the first year our team has gotten three girls on the all-state team. I think this says a lot for the girls on our team and the direction our program is going,” said Coach Cheryl Haslam. 

It was Bassett’s third year in a row for all-conference honors. The senior scored 151 points this season and brought down 184 boards. “She is a player that you can rely on in any situation,” Haslam said. “She works hard all the time and pushes herself every game. She was one of our best rebounders this year and did a great job on the inside for us, but also played on the outside when we needed her to.” 

It was A. Haslam’s first year on the all-conference team. The junior scored 146 points and made 13 3-pointers this year. She had 47 assists and 89 rebounds. “She improved a lot this season. Adison works hard on defense and is one of our better outside shooters. She works well with the other girls on the team. She’s a quiet player, but does some great things on offense and defense. I think she will be a great leader and scorer for us next season.” 

This is Winterholler’s second year on all-conference. The senior scored 184 points and brought down 181 boards. “Hailee is a great player on the inside. She is very good at defending other team post players, and often keeps the ball out of other team’s post players hands. She was another one of our top rebounders. She always works hard and is a consistent player that you can rely on.” 

N. McNiven was nominated for the third year in a row for all-conference and is her first time earning all-state honors. The senior scored 263 points, grabbed 162 boards and led the team in assists with 91 and steals with 118. “Naomi was our leader on the court this season. Her stats may not show up as much as others, but she is a huge team player and made lots of opportunities open up on the court for other players. She is an excellent defensive player and shut down many teams’ top scorers. Naomi can drive the ball inside but also shoot outside. She’s a fantastic all-around player.” 

It was S. McNiven’s second year as all-conference and first time all-state. The junior scored 330 points and led in both offense and defensive rebounds with a total of 263 boards. She also led the team in blocks with 40. “Sarah did a lot for our team this year. She really improved in defense from the beginning of the season to the end. She was another one of our top scorers and top rebounders. Sarah is always happy and is constantly lifting up and cheering on her teammates. She had some crucial plays and points for us in our state tournament. I look forward to seeing what she will do for us next season.” 

Philpott was nominated for all-conference for the second year in a row and her first All-State honors. The senior led the team with 336 points, brought down 121 rebounds, had 88 assists and 110 steals. “Paxton was often our top scorer this season. She’s very quick on defense and was one of the team leads in steals. She came out of her shell a bit this year and spoke up quite a bit more as a leader on the court. She had a great state tournament for us and played well in each game,” said Coach Haslam.