Mt. Pleasant, IA- The Southeast Conference (SEC) has met and discussed the All-Conference teams for the past girls’ basketball season and after a competitive conference showdown throughout the season there is a new SEC Player of the Year.

SEC Player of the Year

It was a battle between Keokuk’s Kendra Boatman, last year’s winner, and Burlington’s Mylee Stiefel on who would take home the award and team success certainly helped as Stiefel was crowned this year’s Player of the Year—more on her in the Burlington section.

Burlington

It’s hard to believe that the Grayhounds ended their 40-game losing streak a mere three years ago and now sit atop the SEC with a 9-1 record in conference play and a 16-6 mark for the season. What pushed this squad over the edge was two hard fought victories over Keokuk, their first time getting swept by an SEC foe since the 2020-2021 season.

The maestro of the team along with SEC Player of the Year was unanimous SEC 1^st Team selection Mylee Stiefel. The junior scored a combined 46 points and dished out 10 assists in their two wins over the Chiefs. Beyond the single game heroics, she was unstoppable for the entire season.

She averaged 18.5 points and 4.3 assists per game (ranked 2^nd in the conference), had the fourth highest field goal percentage, and had the top percentages from three-point land and at the free throw line. Additionally, she tabbed her 1,000^th point of her career this season.

Selected onto the All-SEC 2^nd Team were junior Daphne Brown and sophomore Kylee Hill. Brown continued her production from a year prior, collecting the second most points on the team at 10.2 along with grabbing a team leading 2.7 steals per game.

Hill, who occasionally had to split time between the hardcourt and the pool, continued her domination on the boards, ranking 3^rd in the SEC with 8.1 rebounds per game, as she nabbed double-doubles in each of their wins over Keokuk.

Seniors Sophie Brown and Keirah Wiseman were named All-SEC Honorable Mentions.

Keokuk

For the first time in three years, the Chiefs are not the ones holding on to the title of conference champions. Yet, their 8-2 conference record and 18-5 season record has extended their overall season winning streak and made their SEC record the past four years 37-3.

Still, the team was expected to do more with a roster that returned nearly their entire starting lineup. But a loss in the semifinals to Clear Creek Amana, the team that knocked them out at the regional championship, ended the year with a bitter taste.

Nevertheless, the Chiefs still played their game in their eight conference wins this season with each victory bringing about at least a 12-point difference.

Earning a spot on the SEC 1^st Team, a unanimous selection, was junior Kendra Boatman. Another phenomenal season for the point guard as she also tabbed her 1,000^th career point (sitting at 1,174) in a season where she nearly finished with 500 total points.

Her 20.5 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.3 steals per game all led the conference as she also knocked down 32% of her shot from downtown. Next year’s matchup between Stiefel and Boatman will no doubt be another thriller.

The other All-SEC 1^st Team honoree for the Chiefs was senior Camryn Atterberg. The anchor of the defense, she was opportunistic on the boards and in the passing lanes, ranking 1^st in the SEC with 8.7 rebounds per game and 2^nd in steals per game at 4.0. She was also the conference’s best shot blocker with 1.4 blocks per game.

Along with her defense, you could also count on her scoring 9.4 points per game.

Seniors Irelynn Seay and Ada Wood earned All-SEC 2^nd Team spots. The two played their roles exceptionally as they both averaged 8 points per game, while Wood generated 2.8 steals per game and knocked down 51% of her shots and Seay nabbed 5.8 rebounds per game.

Senior Allison Ames and sophomore Nevaeh Logan were named All-SEC Honorable Mentions.

Fort Madison

The only team to knock off Burlington and they were six total points from a possible sweep of Burlington; nonetheless, the Bloodhounds turned in another successful season with a 13-7 record and a 7-3 record in SEC play, marking their fifth consecutive winning season.

This will be a team to watch next year with their entire starting lineup returning. This was a defense that turned in their program’s best numbers, allowing only 36.2 points per game and grabbing 13.3 steals per game.

Helping bring home numbers like that was their junior duo and 1^st Team selections Dayonna Davis, unanimous, and Hadley Wolfe. The two were nearly inseparable on the court and the stat sheet.

Davis led the team with 12.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, marks that ranked 4^th and 2^nd in the conference respectively. Wolfe scored 11.6 points and nabbed 3.3 steals per game, ranking her 5^th and 3^rd in the conference respectively. Davis helped out on defense as well with 3.1 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.

Wolfe also ranked in the top five for field goal percentage, while Davis ranked top five in free throw percentage. The Bloodhounds held eight of their opponents under 30 points this season, if they can improve their offense this team will be scary next season.

Halle Menke was the lone All-SEC 2^nd Team Selection for Fort Madison. The junior was a force in the lane with 1.1 blocks per game and 6.6 rebounds, but she was also an underrated distributor with 2.2 assists per game, which ranked 2^nd on the team.

Charley Huebner and Reilynn Turnbull, both sophomores, earned All-SEC Honorable Mentions.

Washington

The Demons finished the year with a 6-16 record and a 4-6 conference record, but Washington nearly shocked Keokuk early in the season and Fort Madison out of winter break. This was a team that just lacked a consistent offense as their defense usually held opponents to 43 points per night.

In a unanimous choice, Adalyn Long, a junior, was named All-SEC 1^st Team. Long was the main source of offense with 12.9 points per game, the 3^rd best in the SEC, and 3 assists per game. Long also led the team with 1.9 steals per game and a 62.1% from the free throw line.

Seniors Kendall and Lauren Hinrichsen earned All-SEC Honorable Mentions.

Mount Pleasant

Injuries depleted this team as the Panthers only got five games with their roster at full health. Understandably, Mount Pleasant finished the season with a 3-19 record and a 1-9 record in conference with the sole win coming in Fairfield in a 50-30 blowout.

Due to the lack of consistent health, no one grabbed a spot on the 1^st or 2^nd Teams.

Senior Alexa Fuller and junior Kynlee White did nab a spot on the All-SEC Honorable Mentions list. Fuller suffered a leg injury near the end of the season right when she was starting to hit her stride on the court, it appeared her season was over. Yet, the senior entered her final game of the year and ended up leading the Panthers in points.

Fuller finished the season averaging 6.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game on 40.2% from the field.

White was the main reason the Panthers nabbed their first win of the season against Burlington Notre Dame as she scored a team-high 18 points in the second half to steal a 45-40 win away from the Nikes. White continued her defensive ways, snatching 1.6 steals per night as she also put in 6 points per game.

Fairfield

The Trojans won only one game this season in 22 attempts, but that one win was an emotional one as they avoided back-to-back winless conference campaigns in a 40-35 slugfest against Mount Pleasant.

The guiding light of the team was All-SEC 2^nd Teamer junior Faith Jones. The guard averaged a team-high 8.1 points per game, nabbed 1.9 steals, dished out 1.3 assists, and grabbed 3.5 rebounds per game in a true all-around effort.

Senior Grace Lyon and junior Maddy Martin were named to the All-Conference Honorable Mention list.

Academic All-Conference

Player Team

Daphne Brown Burlington

Sophie Brown Burlington

Ruth Conteh Burlington

Mylee Stiefel Burlington

Keirah Wiseman Burlington

Sarra Yahyaoui Burlington

Maddy Martin Fairfield

Lauren Martin Fairfield

Faith Jones Fairfield

Haleigh Strickland Fairfield

Elyse Settersrom Fairfield

Emma Septer Fairfield

Grace Lyon Fairfield

Jakayla Nelson Fort Madison

Dayonna Davis Fort Madison

Katelyn Sissel Fort Madison

Hadley Wolfe Fort Madison

Maleena Bentley Fort Madison

Ellie Huebner Fort Madison

Halle Menke Fort Madison

Savannah Sissel Fort Madison

Megan Curtiss Fort Madison

Allison Ames Keokuk

Camryn Atterberg Keokuk

Kendra Boatman Keokuk

Irelynn Seay Keokuk

Addison Clark Mount Pleasant

Kaylen Hunold Mount Pleasant

Myah Starr Mount Pleasant

Charice Auwerda Mount Pleasant

Adalyn Long Washington

Addison Miller Washington

Oaklee Sobaski Washington

Kendall Hinrichsen Washington

Lauren Hinrichsen Washington

Rachel Sands Washington