My Class 3A All-First Round State Tournament Team

Eight teams converged at Hutchinson Sports Arena Thursday to battle for spots in the Class 6A state tournament semi-finals. Many players had stand-out performances so to shine some light on them I present my 3A All-Day First Round State Tournament Team.   [player_tooltip player_id='862402' first='Reagan' last='Ayers'], 5'4", PG, Cheney, 2024 - Ayers and back court mate [player_tooltip player_id='621238' first='Raegan' last='Black'] worked very well together despite a 22 point loss to Hesston. They led play so well that when Hesston standout [player_tooltip player_id='398376' first='Kendal' last='Brueggen'] would be on the bench for a rest the Cardinals would repeatedly cut into the Swather lead. Ayers showed solid handles, speed and control with the ball, and good instincts. Shooting nearly 50% from the floor she finished with 10 points including a made three and 3/4 from the lines. Ayers also collected a pair of steals.   [player_tooltip player_id='862408' first='Rylee' last='Brooks'], 5'7", PG, Girard, 2024 - Taking a page from a Colby team that had Goodland beat late in the season Brooks used her speed, quickness, handles and creating abilities off the bounce to have the two-time defending champs reeling by mid-third quarter. And then she picked up her third foul. Without Brooks to deal with Goodland was able to dig themselves out a hole to avoid the upset and move on to a semi-final match-up with Hesston. Very swift with the ball, athletic and with scoring ability off the bounce Goodland could not match what especially was a difference maker was her leadership. She kept her team focused and made plays on both ends of the floor. And while she had 5 turnovers she also had 5 assists, 4 steals and 4 rebounds to go with 7 points the low scoring contest.   [player_tooltip player_id='398376' first='Kendal' last='Brueggen'], 5'10", SF, Hesston, 2025 - Brueggen made a great case for being the best player at the tournament. Opening the game with a steal for a hoop and another off a drive she set the tone for what to come from her. She scored well at all three levels, including a deep three ball; athleticism and creativity around the rim; and consistency in scoring the mid-range jumper. While she only collected a single assist in a variety of situations she found the right pass to make. Brueggen was just really, really tough. She finished with 31 points on 13/20 shooting (4/7 from three), 7 rebounds, and a couple assists with only 3 turnovers.   [player_tooltip player_id='616756' first='Sienna' last='DeFrain'], 5'9", SF/PF, Haven, 2025 - DeFrain and the Wildcats came into the game with Silver Lake with the game plan I thought they needed to execute to have a shot. Unfortunately, poor shooting (2/13) and turnovers (12 to Silver Lakes 0) doomed them. She still led all scorers with 20 points on 7/14 shooting and 6/6 from the line. A strong, fast, athletic scorer with a great frame and hops with timing she and Brawner combined were actually a mismatch for the Eagles that the Wildcats did not get a chance to exploit. With the loss of [player_tooltip player_id='231277' first='Sadie' last='Estill'] to graduation, if the Wildcats get strong point guard play and develop a consistent perimeter shooter or two...they will be back here next year.   [player_tooltip player_id='416009' first='Kailyn' last='Hanni'], 5'7", PG, Silver Lake, 2026 - Hanni and the Eagles came uncorked from the tip and Hanni was the ringleader of the explosion. Up 19 at the end of one quarter over Haven Hanni picked up 5 assists, 4 steals and had the offense humming. In just over three quarters of total playing time she would finish with 8 assists and 5 steals to go with 12 points on 6/8 shooting. Arguably the best point guard in the classification she showed her handles, decision making, quickness, speed and headiness to lead the Eagles in completely disrupting a spot-on Wildcat game play that they could not execute due to turnovers and missed shots.   [player_tooltip player_id='613290' first='McKinley' last='Kruger'], 5'6", SG, Silver Lake, 2024 - Kruger was a major part of the Eagle first quarter explosion that put Haven behind a very large, 19 point 8-ball at the end of the first quarter. Running the floor well on offense especially Kruger knew her experienced teammates knew where she would be spotting up and just stroked away. Hitting 3/6 from three point land in the first quarter she would finish with 18 points on 6/18 shooting from there.   [player_tooltip player_id='302143' first='Jaxi' last='Mitchek'], 5'9", CG, Goodland, 2024 - Of all things Mitchek brought to the table the tight win over Girard was her experience, leadership and competitiveness. At a point in the third quarter where the Cowgirls were reeling dealing with the problems Trojan [player_tooltip player_id='862408' first='Rylee' last='Brooks'] was causing she brought the team back when a golden opportunity presented itself - Brooks picking up her third foul and had to go to the bench in the third quarter. Goodland had climbed out of the hole and made it a ball game by the time Brooks returned. Playing the entire game before fouling out late she registered 8 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocked shots offset by only 2 turnovers. She showed an ability to defend with quickness on the wing, the strength to compete inside on both ends, toughness to step in to draw a charge, and to create off the bounce in the mid-range. Her leadership and poise was above all the most important.   [player_tooltip player_id='398379' first='Amelia' last='Ramsey'], 6'0", PG, Hayden, 2025 - Ramsey was a consistent presence around the basket. And while she nailed a top of the key three she made a living catching and finishing, getting put-backs and otherwise making plays. She led all scorers with 20 points on 7/10 shooting and pulled in 14 rebounds. She also had 5 blocked shots. She used her frame and headiness to be in the right place at the right time.   Anna Schenk, 5'7", PF, Heritage Christian Academy, 2024 - The Chargers found themselves in a whole bunch of trouble when leading scorer and 'do everything' [player_tooltip player_id='532207' first='Caelyn' last='Ferguson'], who was struggling to get anything going against the smothering Hayden defense, picked up her third foul mid-way through the second quarter. Averaging more than 20 points during the regular season, at that point Ferguson had only registered a single bucket. Down by 25 at the end of third quarter the Chargers finally found something in the last minute. And Schenk was the catalyst. Hard working around the basket she showed toughness, hops, and good use of her lower body to help the team generate opportunities. Her work on the glass and defensively caused the Wildcat defense to weaken and scramble. Ferguson went to work beating [player_tooltip player_id='300795' first='Lauren' last='Sandstrom'] off the dribble with consistently from the wing. It also enabled shooter [player_tooltip player_id='932989' first='Mia' last='Vinson'] to heat up, going 4/4 from three point land. Schenk finished with 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals but her impact was game changing despite the 15 point loss.   Honorable mention: [player_tooltip player_id='621238' first='Raegan' last='Black'], Cheney; [player_tooltip player_id='872356' first='Abby' last='Proctor'], Hesston; [player_tooltip player_id='932989' first='Mia' last='Vinson'], Heritage Christian Academy; [player_tooltip player_id='616750' first='Norma' last='Greco'], Hayden; [player_tooltip player_id='398380' first='Brylee' last='Meier'], Hayden; [player_tooltip player_id='453757' first='Makenzie' last='McDaniel'], Silver Lake; [player_tooltip player_id='231277' first='Sadie' last='Estill'], Haven; Marie Martin; Goodland, Erika Boatman, Girard

Eight teams converged at Hutchinson Sports Arena Thursday to battle for spots in the Class 6A state tournament semi-finals. Many players had stand-out performances so to shine some light on them I present my 3A All-Day First Round State Tournament Team.