Class 3A – Region 1: 2022’s who can Breakout

As we look for other ways to cover prospects we thought it would be beneficial to cover players in a way that allows us to cover those we don’t write much about. We will be using the region’s from last season as they were constructed. Obviously, these regions will change into next season but for these stories it was the easiest way to divide players and teams as equally as possible. We will be writing a series of three stories for each region in the state and the categories are as follows: 2023’s to put on Your Radar, 2022’s who can Breakout, and 2021’s Who Should be Valued by Colleges. We will continue to go through each region and aim to hit as many players as we can that we haven’t talked about previously. Here are five 2022’s who could be primed for big seasons. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="129047" first="Alexis" last="Pingel"] - Cherokee</strong> After making it to a regional championship last season, Cherokee will hope that experience pays off in a state tournament run for the returning nucleus coming back. That group includes sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="129047" first="Alexis" last="Pingel"] who started all 23 games. She finished with 331 total points, which ranked second on the Braves. Pingel shot over 45 percent from the field with a team-high 45 made three-pointers. She also contributed 61 rebounds, 57 assists and 47 steals. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63568" first="Brooklyn" last="Meyer"] - West Lyon</strong> Class of 2022’s [player_tooltip player_id="63568" first="Brooklyn" last="Meyer"] from West Lyon was a key piece to a 16-win program that reached the regional semifinals before a loss to eventual state champion Sioux City Heelan. As a sophomore Meyer led the team at 16.6 points per game and almost 12 rebounds, shooting 54 percent from the field and 35 percent from the three-point line. Three of those dozen boards a night came on the offensive glass. Meyer, who recorded 331 total points and 237 rebounds, also blocked an incredible 107 shots on the year with 45 assists, 14 made three-pointers and 13 steals. She recently received an offer from Wisconsin, and you can bet more will be coming in for this talented player. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="163357" first="Riley" last="Schiernbeck"] - OABCIG</strong> After flirting with averaging a double-double last year, OABCIG’s [player_tooltip player_id="163357" first="Riley" last="Schiernbeck"] could reach those numbers this coming season. Schiernbeck posted 10.5 points and a team-high seven boards a game as a sophomore, shooting 44 percent from the field. In all, the Falcon recorded 199 points, 131 rebounds, a team-leading 42 blocks, 14 assists and 11 steals on the season. <strong>Maliah Kleinhesselink - Sheldon</strong> There is no better tool than game action, and Sheldon’s Class of 2022’s Maliah Kleinhesselink gained plenty of that this past season. Kleinhesselink posted 180 points with 133 rebounds for the Orabs, shooting 31 percent from the field, 71 percent from the free throw line and knocking down 12 three-pointers. She also contributed 29 steals and 27 assists on the year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="163348" first="Mallory" last="Gramstad"] - West Lyon</strong> Brooklym Meyer is not the only integral part of the West Lyon rotation returning, as classmate [player_tooltip player_id="163348" first="Mallory" last="Gramstad"] looks to build off her season. Gramstad came off the bench to produce 171 points with a team-best 27 made triples. She also added 83 rebounds, 32 assists and 28 steals, shooting 35 percent from deep.