The All-Deck Team: Class 5A State Tournament All-Stars

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eight teams descended on the William L. White Auditorium for the Kansas Class 5A State Girls Basketball Tournament on March 7.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Andover, Seaman, Maize South, and Emporia all advanced to the semifinal round, which will be played on Friday, March 8.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blue Valley Southwest, De Soto, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Bishop Carroll all saw their dreams of state championship drift away.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After watching four games and eight teams I felt it only fitting to create an All-Deck team with 10 consisting of 10 prospects I would love to see take the floor together as one unit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Good luck to all of the teams still playing on Friday and Saturday. I can't speak about the other state tournaments, but the Class 4A and 5A tournaments were loaded with talent and featured entertaining games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='349460' first='Skylar' last='Seals']</strong>, 5'6”, SG, Maize South, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seals was my favorite player in this tournament. She scored a game-high 24 points for Maize South in the Mavericks win over St. Thomas Aquinas. She came off the bench for Maize South, but she is starting on my team. Seals is a firecracker who plays with a ton of energy. I have already begun to recommend her to college coaches in Kansas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='231259' first='Brooke' last='Walker']</strong>, 5'8”, CG, Andover ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Walker is just a stud player who has a hard edge to her game. She finished with 16 points and chipped in six steals, five assists, and five rebounds in the Trojans' first-round win. She is an all-state basketball player who is ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2024 and has signed to play with the Utah Utes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='231285' first='Addie' last='Kirmer']</strong>,&nbsp; 5'7”, PG, Emporia, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Having Kirmer as a third guard in this backcourt is just a scary proposition. In Emporia's win, she scored a game-high 16 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field and 7-for-10 from the stripe. She is a grinder who will rebound and make solid passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='349798' first='Anna' last='Becker']</strong>, 5'11”, G/F, Seaman, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Becker has been one of my favorite athletes from the Class of 2025 all season long. The Seaman junior finished with 15 points and four rebounds in the Vikings' win over De Soto. She is long, knows how to create space, and fights to create shots. She shares the ball well and would be the captain of this All-Star team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='349458' first='Aliyah' last='Green']</strong>, 6'0”, PF, Andover, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I saw Andover play three times this season and Green improved throughout each one. She will be the main scoring option in the paint on this All-Deck squad. Green is physical, fast, and mean She recorded eight points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor in Andover's win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='265128' first='Ashley' last='Singhateh']</strong>, 5'8”, PG, Maize South, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Singhateh is dangerous with the ball in her hands and she does a nice job of distributing the ball and keeping teammates involved in the offense. She is a speedster and will be an awesome “sixth man” on this unit and the idea of her and Walker in the lineup at the same time gives me goosebumps. She finished the game with 19 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='649149' first='Alex' last='Crouse']</strong>,&nbsp; 5'7”, CG, St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Thomas Aquinas' Crouse is a young prospect who would be a great compliment to Seals and vice versa. She scored 18 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and shot an impressive 5-for-7 from 3-point range. In a tight game in which my team needs a 3-pointer, she will be in the lineup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='743327' first='Violet' last='Conley']</strong>, 5'11”, PF, De Soto, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conley was the hardest-working forward in the four games on Friday.  She scored 18 points and grabbed 11 boards to record a double-double. I would also want her on the court late in close games based on her 10-for-12 shooting from the free-throw line against Seaman.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='722996' first='Maddie' last='Gragg']</strong>, 5'11”, SG, Seaman, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seaman's Gragg wants the ball in her hands in key situations and is willing to grind for points and rebounds.  She has a sweet jump shot and is physical when she drives. She finished with 14 points and eight rebounds in Seaman's victory.  This was the toughest spot on the team to fill, as I also gave strong consideration to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='347854' first='Tatum' last='Grimes']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='265120' first='Ava' last='Howie']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='265118' first='Jamya' last='McPherson']</strong>, 5'6”, SF, St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McPherson is a gifted talent who can play the shooting guard or small forward. She surprised me with her shooting and stepped up for the Saints in high-pressure situations against Maize South. She makes crisp passes and is an unselfish player which ultimately earned her the last spot on this team. McPherson scored 14 points and registered three assists and five rebounds against Maize South.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Honorable Mention:<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='453763' first='Teegan' last='Baker']</strong>, Emporia, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='791747' first='Bella' last='Bouddhara']</strong>, Andover, <strong>Ashley Chaput, </strong>Blue Valley Southwest<strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='649149' first='Alex' last='Crouse']</strong>, St. Thomas Aquinas, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='669096' first='Lexsey' last='DeWitt']</strong>, Emporia, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='766538' first='Ava' last='Esser'], </strong>Seaman<strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='872362' first='Megan' last='Simon']</strong>, Bishop Carroll, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='688271' first='Katie' last='Evans']</strong>, Andover, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='539007' first='Makenzie' last='Farmer']</strong>, De Soto, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='347854' first='Tatum' last='Grimes'], </strong>St. Thomas Aquinas<strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='616752' first='Leah' last='Henke']</strong>, Bishop Carroll, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='265120' first='Ava' last='Howie']</strong>, Maize South<strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='544984' first='Avery' last='McCorry']</strong>, Bishop Carroll, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='453759' first='Ryan' last='Peak']</strong>, Emporia, <strong>Alan Shetlar, </strong>Andover, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='744082' first='Kelsey' last='Schenck']</strong>, St. Thomas Aquinas, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='872362' first='Megan' last='Simon']</strong>, Bishop Carroll, <strong>Aliyah Singhateh</strong>, Maize South, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='872368' first='Jaida' last='Stallbaumer']</strong>, Seaman, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='231289' first='Taylin' last='Stallbaumer'], </strong>Seaman,<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='932968' first='Brooke' last='Steven'], </strong>Bishop Caroll, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='668859' first='Addison' last='Tower']</strong>, De Soto,<strong> Lilly Unruh</strong>, Blue Valley Southwest, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='836271' first='Teegan' last='Vietti'], </strong>Blue Valley Southwest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->