Prep Girls’ Basketball- The Southeast Conference has officially put the basketball season behind for all of their teams after Keokuk fell in their regional semifinals and a year after Burlington ripped the title away from Keokuk, the Chiefs were able to snatch it back after sweeping the Grayhounds.
Player of the Year
It’s always a tough decision when you have two of the best players of their graduating class in the state of Iowa competing against one another for the honor. Keokuk’s Kendra Boatman took the award as a sophomore and Mylee Stiefel of Burlington earned it last year.
This year, the Chief was able to take it back along with the SEC title as the only senior on the Keokuk squad. Boatman led the conference in points per game with 26.3, assists per game with 4.9, and steals per game with 5.
Keokuk
The Chiefs finished the year with a 15-8 record overall and an 8-2 record for the SEC. Along with Boatman being a unanimous First Team selection for the fourth straight season, Elizabeth Mason was also a unanimous choice for the First Team.
Mason finished fourth in the SEC with 16.6 points per game, tied for fourth in assists per game with 2.7, and second in steals per game with 3.7. Her three-point percentage ranked as the third highest with a minimum of three attempts per game.
Junior, Nevaeh Logan, was placed on the Second Team as she led the SEC in rebounding and finished top three in blocks per game. Kalie Ames and Kylee Hoard were named All-SEC Honorable Mention.
Burlington
Mylee Stiefel earned another unanimous All-SEC First Team nomination after leading Burlington to a 12-9 record and a 7-3 record against the conference. Stiefel finished second in the SEC in scoring with 24.4 points per contest. She also led the led conference in blocks per game with 1.3 and finished top five in assists and steals per game.
Apart of the Grayhounds’ big three was Daphne Brown and Vanessa Woodsmall, as they each found a place on the Second Team. Brown averaged 18 points and nearly nine rebounds per game, while Woodsmall finished in the top ten for points per game.
Sela Rascon and Jimani Robinson were named Honorable Mentions.
Fort Madison
It looked like this was going to be Fort Madison’s first season winning the conference since going 9-1 for the 2020-21 season after beating Keokuk twice in the regular season; yet, getting swept by Washington proved to be their downfall as they claimed a 7-3 record against the SEC and 13-9 overall.
The senior heavy group put Dayonna Davis, unanimous, and Hadley Wolfe on the First Team list. Davis finished fifth in points per game (14.4), rebounds per game (6.9), and steals per game (2.9). Wolfe finished in the top five for assists per game and three pointers made per game.
Halle Menke earned a spot on the Second Team with 7.4 rebounds per game and swatted 1.2 shots per game, which ranked 2nd in the SEC. Charley Huebner and Reilynn Turnbull were named Honorable Mentions.
Washington
The Demons collected their first winning record since 2019 after going 6-4 in the SEC and 12-11 overall. The team was led by the lone First Team nod in senior Adalyn Long, as she finished with 13.7 points per game to go along with 2.7 assists and two steals per game.
In her return to the hardcourt, Leighton Messinger, a senior, made her way onto the Second Team along with Regan Miller. Messinger averaged six points and six rebounds per game, while Miller scored seven points per game.
Addison Miller and Oaklee Sobaski were named All-SEC Honorable Mentions.
Fairfield and Mt. Pleasant
The Trojans got the better of Mt. Pleasant in both of their conference showdowns, in large part because of the Panthers’ 33 missed free throws between the two contests. Still the two finished with four wins apiece and with two on the Honorable Mention list.
Fairfield placed two seniors on the list in Faith Jones and Elyse Setterstrom, as they finished as the team’s two leading scorers. Jones nabbed a steal per game, while Setterstrom grabbed 7.2 rebounds per contest.
Mt. Pleasant was led by Abby Carthey, as she was the conductor of the offense. Along with notching nearly two assists per game, she finished with 7.7 points per game. Joining her was Paityn Ensminger. The junior will look to take over the leadership role next season after putting up 6.7 points per game and consistently generating second chances for the Panthers with 2.7 offensive rebounds per contest.