WISCONSIN DELLS — Eight area graduates officially ended their high school basketball careers at the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association all-star games June 14-15 at JustAGame Fieldhouse.
The games feature some of the best players from around the state for all five divisions, with each participant raising money for the MACC Fund — Midwest Athletes against Childhood Cancer.
Girls Division 2
South 88, North 69
Monroe’s Sydney Hilliard scored 17 points to help lead the South to victory. Hilliard, who will play for Wisconsin in the fall, was 6 of 8 from the field, 1 of 2 from behind the arc and 4 for 6 from the free throw line. She grabbed five rebounds, dished out two assists and stole three balls.
Emily Benzschawel had seven points, four rebounds and two assists for the South team as well, which was led in scoring by Whitefish Bay’s Ellie Clements. Benzschawel will play at Lindenwood University in the fall.
The South team led 21-19 after the first quarter and 42-35 at halftime. A 23-12 fourth quarter sealed the rout.
Hilliard and Benzschawel finished their career as Cheesemakers in the WIAA Division 2 state championship game in March. Both played scored over 1,200 points, while Hilliard, the school’s all-time leader in scoring, was 9 points shy of 2,000 in her career.
Girls Division 4
North 72, South 66
Belleville’s Rachael Heittola recorded the final double-double of her prep career. The former Wildcat led the South squad with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Heittola will play basketball at Bemidji State in the fall.
Heittola was a first-team All-Capitol South selection as a forward this past year and led the league in rebounding at over 14 per game. She also averaged 17.4 points per game in her senior season. In her career she scored more than 1,100 points and grabbed 875 rebounds.
The South squad, which also featured Mineral Point’s McKenna Reichling and Cuba City’s Elizabeth Misky, led 40-35 at halftime and 51-49 after the third quarter. The South was coached by Marshall’s Alex Koeller, who will be a part of Edgewood College’s women’s basketball coaching staff this upcoming season.
Girls Division 5
South 74, North 62
Argyle’s Jena Saalsaa had nine points on 2 of 9 shooting with a 3-pointer for the South. Saalsaa also added six rebounds.
Saalsaa, a four-year starter with 1,544 career points for the Orioles, was a three-time first-team all-conference pick in the Six Rivers East. She will attend UW-Milwaukee in the fall.
Boys Division 4
White 82, Red 66
Darlington’s Stryker Fitzsimons team up with New Glarus guard Jaden Kreklow for the White All-Stars. Fitzsimons was 7 for 14 from the field with a game-high 15 points. He added six rebounds, a block and an assist.
Kreklow scored 11 points on 4 of 9 shooting with two blocks and two rebounds.
Fennimore’s Reid Larson had seven points and Colfax’s George Scharlau added 12 for the White squad.
Chombi Lambert had 15 to lead the Red All-Stars.
The White team led 20-11 after the first quarter and 38-29 at halftime. A 22-10 run in the third quarter put the game away. The Red team shot just 32.1% in the game, while the White squad was at 42.3%. The White team shot just 4 for 28 (14.3%) from 3, but were 29 for 50 (58%) from 2.
The White team was coached by Darlington’s Brad Solberg and Tom Uppena, and Royall’s Scott Uppena.
Boys Division 5
Red 87, White 81
Pecatonica’s Colton Schraepfer and Jaden Hendrickson played together one final time and helped lead the Red team to victory.
Both Vikings scored four points and grabbed a rebound in a combined 36 minutes on the court. Barneveld’s Malcom Reed had eight rebounds, three points and five assists.
The Red team trailed 24-22 after the first quarter but led 42-39 at halftime and held a nine-point lead headed into the fourth.
Reed will attend Bryant and Stratton College in the fall, while Schraepfer will attend UW-La Crosse and Hendrickson UW-Whitewater. All three are on the roster for the June 28 Six Rivers East-West basketball all-star game, taking place in Belmont at 8 p.m.
