TSA announces All-Thumb girls' team

We agreed this information couldn't be published until today, so I think it is safe to put it on the web at this point for any of you night owls, as it is now March 19th the official release date.

Player of the Year-Marissa DeMott, Sandusky
Team of the Year - Marlette
Coach of the Year - Fred Mroczek - Marlette (All-State Special Mention Class C).

FIRST TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Name: Marissa DeMott
School: Sandusky
Height: 5’8”
Class: Sophomore
Honors: 1st Team All-GTE, Honorable Mention All-State Class C
Stats: Averaged 16.5 ppg, 4.7 rebounds, four steals, four assists and 1.2 blocks. Set state record with 91.5 percent from the line (118-for-129). Made 43.4 percent from three-point territory (46-for-106).

Name: Kelsey Hall
School: Marlette
Height: 6’1”
Class: Senior
Position: Forward/Center
Honors: 1st Team All-GTE, 1st Team All-State Class C
Stats: Averaged 13.5 ppg, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 assists. Only the fourth player in Marlette history to score over 1,000 points for her career.

Name: Jenna Lange
School: Marlette
Height: 6’0”
Class: Senior
Position: Guard/Forward
Honors: 1st Team All-GTE
Stats: Averaged 10.8 ppg, six rebounds, 4.4 assists and one block.

Name: Alicia Leipprandt
School: Ubly
Height: 5’9”
Class: Junior
Position: Guard
Honors: 1st Team All-GTE, 1st Team All-County, All-County Player of the Year, Honorable Mention All-State Class C
Stats: Averaged 15.5 ppg, 6.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.5 steals.

Name: Kayla Doshier
School: Millington
Honors: 1st Team TVE
Stats: Averaged 15.6 ppg, 4.9 rebounds, 4.3 steals and 4.1 assists.

Name: Kristen Greene
School: Brown City
Height: 5’7”
Class: Sophomore
Position: Guard
Honors: 1st Team All-GTE, Honorable Mention All-State Class C
Stats: Averaged 15.9 ppg, 8.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.5 assists.

SECOND TEAM
Name: Emily Kolacz
School: Kingston
Height: 5’10”
Class: Senior
Position: Center
Honors: 1st Team All-NCTL South, Honorable Mention All-State Class D
Stats: Averaged 11.4 ppg, 9.9 rebounds, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and one assist.

Name: Shannon Weber
School: Ubly
Height: 5’11”
Class: Senior
Position: Center
Honors: 1st Team All-GTE, 1st Team All-County
Stats: Averaged 14.7 ppg, 8.9 rebounds and 2.5 steals. Ubly’s All-Time leading rebounder with over 700 for her career.

Name: Cassy VanConant
School: Sandusky
Height: 6’2”
Class: Senior
Position: Center
Honors: 1st Team All-GTE, 2006-2007 1st Team All-State
Stats: Averaged 11.8 ppg, five rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and one assist.

Name: Kaycee Damm
School: EPBP
Height: 5’9”
Class: Senior
Honors: 1st Team All-GTW, 1st Team All-County
Stats: Averaged 9.4 ppg, five assists and 4.6 rebounds.

Name: Whitney Fox
School: Kingston
Height: 5’7”
Class: Freshman
Position: Guard
Honors: 1st Team All-NCTL South
Stats: Averaged 12.4 ppg, 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 steals, 1.2 assists and one block.

Name: Dani Gremel
School: USA
Height: 5’11”
Class: Junior
Position: Guard
Honors: 1st Team All-GTW, 1st Team All-County
Stats: Averaged 13.5 ppg, 7.4 rebounds, four steals and 3.2 assists.

HONORABLE MENTION
Name: Gwen Pionk
School: Ubly
Height: 5’5”
Class: Senior
Position: Guard
Honors: 2nd Team All-GTE, 2nd Team All-County
Stats: Averaged 10.3 ppg in 16 games, 3.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and nearly three three-pointers per game.

Name: Kayla Verbeek
School: Vassar
Height: 5’11”
Class: Sophomore
Position: Center
Honors: 2nd Team All-TVE
Stats: Averaged 7.6 ppg and 9.9 rebounds.

Name: Erin Lamb
School: Cros-Lex

Name: Amber Gotham
School: Reese
Class: Sophomore
Honors: 1st Team All-GTW
Stats: Averaged 9.9 ppg, 4.2 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals.

Name: Jenna Lynch
School: Reese
Class: Senior
Honors: 1st Team All-GTW
Stats: Averaged 13.1 ppg, 3.2 steals, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

Name: Kayla Gust
School: Port Hope
Height: 5’8”
Class: Freshman
Position: Guard
Honors: 1st Team All-NCTL North
Stats: Averaged 11 ppg, four rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.3 assists.

Name: Meaghan Fortsch
School: Caseville
Height: 5’5”
Class: Junior
Position: Guard
Honors: 1st Team All-NCTL North, 1st Team All-County
Stats: Averaged 15.5 ppg, led her team in assists and scored a season-high 25 vs. North Huron in the season opener.

Name: Becky Albrecht
School: Caro
Honors: 2nd Team All-TVE

Name: Michelle Burgess
School: Brown City
Height: 5’6”
Class: Junior
Position: Guard
Honors: 2nd Team All-GTE
Stats: Averaged 8.6 ppg, four rebounds, 3.76 assists and 2.4 steals.

Name: Stephanie Maxwell
School: EPBP
Height: 5’8”
Class: Junior
Position: Guard/Forward
Honors: 1st Team All-GTW, 2nd Team All-County
Stats: Averaged around nine ppg and beat Ubly with a jumper at the buzzer during their second regular season match-up. That play was honored as “Play of the Year” in the All-County end of the season awards.

Name: Chelsea Dubey
School: EPBP
Height: 5’10”
Class: Junior
Position: Guard/Forward
Honors: 1st Team All-GTW, 2nd Team All-County
Stats: Averaged nearly 10 ppg and had a season high 19 points vs. Reese and 17 points vs. Harbor Beach.

Name: Jillian Williamson
School: USA
Height: 5’11”
Class: Junior
Position: Forward
Honors: 2nd Team All-GTW, 2nd Team All-County
Stats: Averaged 10.8 ppg, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals.

Name: Kayla O’Connor
School: Peck
Height: 5’7”
Class: Senior
Position: Center
Honors: 2nd Team All-NCTL South
Stats: Averaged 7.2 ppg, 9.8 rebounds and 2.7 steals.

Name: Amanda Faist
School: Owen-Gage
Height: 5’11”
Class: Junior
Position: Forward
Honors: 1st Team All-NCTL North, Honorable Mention All-County
Stats: Averaged 11.2 ppg, 7.6 rebounds and 3.6 steals.

Name: Bri Woycehoski
School: Harbor Beach
Class: Sophomore
Honors: 2nd Team All-GTE, Honorable Mention All-County

USA 50, CASS CITY 47

Holland’s first career three-pointer beats Cass City at the buzzer of district finale
BY CHRIS OGRYSKI
Editor
SEBEWAING- USA’s Tim Holland has never been known as a three-point shooter. That part of his repertoire has stayed well-hidden during his two years playing in the post for the Patriots.
In fact, despite shooting them in practice and every day at lunch, Holland had taken just one three-pointer in his varsity career (he missed) prior to the last play of the USA-Cass City district final last Friday night. With the game tied at 47 apiece with 0.9 seconds left, the Patriots inbounded the ball from the sideline and hit Holland, who caught it, turned around and drilled the 25 footer to give USA their fourth straight district crown.
“It was a hope and a prayer and the prayer was answered,” Patriot coach Mark Gainforth said.
“My mindset was, we’ll isolate Tim down on the block, hopefully they go one-on-one down there so we might get a foul (and get to the line),” he added. “Apparently Tim couldn’t get position, so we threw it out to the perimeter to him and he turned and shot it.”
It was the second time Holland beat the Red Hawks with a last second shot this season. On Feb. 4, he scored the game-winning basket with 4.4 seconds left to beat Cass City 57-56.
“It nice being able to do it twice, but it is even better doing it and winning a district championship,” Holland said of his pair of game-winners. “I’m so glad we’re going to be able to go to Regionals again, but it would be even better if we can go farther.”
But early in the second half, it didn’t look like USA would make it out of districts as the Red Hawks used a 21-11 run to tie the game at 41 early in the fourth.
“(Coming out of the half) we were happy. We were up 10 (30-20) and we were at home, but the wheels fell off,” Gainforth explained. “Offensively, we got stagnant and their kids stepped up and made shots.”
He added, “(Brent) Doerr (nine points, seven in the second half) made some shots that he hadn’t made against us… (Chris) Summersett (16 points) was just a tough guard for us all night. He was the hardest guy to stop.”
While Cass City’s offense was firing on all cylinders, Lance VanHoost was the only player to getting on offense, as he six of his 13 points in the third.
“We just couldn’t really get anyone going and I credit their defense. We stopped moving, we settled for jump shots and didn’t get any second shots,” Gainforth said. “They got three pretty big kids in the middle…and they make you earn their points.”
As things got tight late in the game, Gainforth decided the best course of action for a struggling offense was to run some clock. “That is why we pulled it out with two or three minutes to go. We wanted to spread them out a bit and see if we could get in the lane,” he said.
“Brandon got some good shots in there, but they just didn’t go down,” he added.
One of those near misses came on the second from the last possession for the Patriots, as after running down the clock to about 12 seconds left, Bitzer drive to the basket and pulled up for a jump shot, which didn’t fall. Both teams battled for the ball and with 3.1 seconds left, Cass City got the ball back on a held ball.
But the Red Hawks long pass was picked off at mid-court by Holland, who was fouled, giving USA their final opportunity, which turned into the game-winner. “I was really prepared for overtime and praying that things would start going our way,” Gainforth said. “I couldn’t tell you what would have happened in overtime.”
With the win the Patriots advanced to the regionals on Bad Axe this past Monday, where they faced Flint Beecher. A victory in the regional semis would give USA a shot at the Brown City/Saginaw Nouvel winner tonight.
As for preparing for Beecher over the weekend, Gainforth explained, “I really enjoy Regionals, because you go in there pretty fresh. We know something about them, maybe they know something about us. But there are no triangle-and-twos and no diamond-and-ones, you really just go and play.”
He added, “You have to adjust to the quickness right away and you can’t be timid. You have to play aggressively and do the things that got you to this point.”