Player Of The Week – Week 5 (Dec. 25th – Dec. 31st)

As we tip off the girls high school season throughout Nebraska, there are going to be a few new articles/evaluations that we publish every week during the season, that we have not done recently in the past. One of those articles being our MVP Of The Week and Players Of The Week.    The MVP Of The Week is an individual that displayed what it means to put on a major performance/s for their perspective squad throughout the week. Someone who came out firing on all cylinders and dominated in more ways than one on the hardwood while putting up an eye-opening stat line.   The Players Of The Week are other individuals that were in consideration for the MVP of the week but fell just short in the end when taking into consideration all outlying factors.    Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!   MVP Of The Week   [player_tooltip player_id='747368' first='Kylee' last='Paben']   <ul> <li>12/29/23 vs Elkhorn South - 25 Points (11-12), 5 Rebounds, 1 Steal, 1 Block, 1 TO</li> </ul>   It's hard to debate the best player of the week throughout the state when you have a performance like [player_tooltip player_id='747368' first='Kylee' last='Paben'] had against Elkhorn South on Friday evening. Paben, a 6'1 Center/Forward, is a dominating force inside the paint and that was on full display in this contest. From the field, Paben scored 25 points on 11-12 shooting, she brought in 5 rebounds, snagged 1 steal, and tallied 1 block. In the end, her Millard West team won the contest by 15+ points, never seeming out of sync. Something that is pretty impressive coming out of winter break. Looking forward, Paben is one of top ranking players in her 2026 Class in Nebraska. If she keeps up the handwork and doesn't let obstacles get in her way, she is going to be receiving a lot of college interest before this high school season comes to an end. Like they always say, "you can't teach size" and when you pair that with coordination/balance, it's eye-opening.   Players Of The Week   [player_tooltip player_id='300307' first='Chloe' last='Hanel']   <ul> <li>12/28/23 vs Fullerton - 27 Points (12-16), 3 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 6 Steals, 1 TO</li> </ul>   The next best performance of the week is brought to us by [player_tooltip player_id='300307' first='Chloe' last='Hanel']. Hanel had a contest to remember on Thursday night against Fullerton High School. Throughout the game, Hanel scored 27 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, facilitated 4 assists, and swiped away 4 steals. If you know anything about Hanel's game, you know that she does it all. That was demonstrated in this contest and is definitely reflected in the stat line. At this point, i'm expecting this production to continue throughout the rest of her season. She is good enough, she just needs to stay confident and keep it rollin!   [player_tooltip player_id='359841' first='Sara' last='Iburg']   <ul> <li>12/28/23 vs Kearney - 21 Points (7-9), 4 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 TO</li> </ul>   I've touched on [player_tooltip player_id='359841' first='Sara' last='Iburg']'s game a few times this season thus far but she just keeps on producing and her team keeps on winning. Iburg is a guard with balance, knowledge, and a good amount of skill. She is smooth in her movements and knows the best route of attack in most situations that unfold in front of her. This past week, Iburg recorded an impressive stat line in a convincing win over Kearney High School. Offensively, she ended up scoring 21 points on some very effective shooting. She also recorded 4 rebounds and 4 assists in her efforts. Defensively, I would say Iburg holds her own each night and she did the same in this one. She was cutting opponents off with her fast first step, she was creating havoc with her on-ball pressure in the full court, and she was bringing a lot of positive emotion to the floor. All in all, Iburg had a great week this holiday season and so far, she has put together a winter to remember.   [player_tooltip player_id='758857' first='Myla' last='Emery']   <ul> <li>12/29/23 vs Grand Island Central Catholic - 15 Points (5-12), 7 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 2 Steals, 1 TO</li> </ul>   Consistent production is something that has become a theme this winter across the handful of states that I cover. This production doesn't mean that a player only scores the basketball but that they do other small things to help their team/other teammates succeed as well. A player this past week that had a productive game in her teams single-digit loss was [player_tooltip player_id='758857' first='Myla' last='Emery']. Emery scored 15 points on 5-12 shooting, recorded 7 rebounds on the glass, along with some other positive stats. From afar, it seems like Emery is one of her teams main contributors and she gave it her all in this one. In the end, Emery and her Minden High School team may have fellen just short of winning the game but it wasn't due to a lack of effort. They will look to regroup and come back out victorious in their next contest to start 2024. Something that is definitely possible.   [player_tooltip player_id='201470' first='Peyton' last='Tritz']   <ul> <li>12/30/23 vs Bennington - 19 Points </li> </ul>   I sadly only have the scoring line for [player_tooltip player_id='201470' first='Peyton' last='Tritz'] in her teams win against Bennington High School from yesterday but that's okay. Tritz is a guard that has been known throughout the state from a handful of years now. The best way to describe her play-style is fast, quick-thinking, and balanced. Whenever the ball is put in her hands, she has the ability to get to any spot on the floor for an open look for herself or a teammate. The best ability of Tritz is her own ability and her willingness to play off of that. Sometimes when you have a dominate player on the offensive side, they don't want to pass. That's not the case with Tritz. She works to find her spots and does a good job of facilitating once the defense over commits. I recently had a chance to see her compete this way during her AAU season and I'm glad it's translating to the high school floor.

As we tip off the girls high school season throughout Nebraska, there are going to be a few new articles/evaluations that we publish every week during the season, that we have not done recently in the past. One of those articles being our MVP Of The Week and Players Of The Week.