Get to know these All-State Returners (1A-1 and 1A-2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm back from my vacation and I'm ready to get back to work, same as these hoopers, who are expected to build on a great 2025-26 campaign this coming fall. All of these players earned all-state selections this past season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These hoopers from the 1A-1 and 1A-2 conferences should be on your radar for next season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>1A-1</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1209083"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69df07f3c4db2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Alpena is moving down from the 2A classification to 1A, and they're taking their star guard with them. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wray just capped off a successful junior season with the Lady Leopards, eclipsing over 1,000 career points. She is a great scorer who can get buckets in a number of ways. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>She has excellent range from beyond the arc, able to hit deep shots off the catch with ease. However, her first instinct is to attack the basket, which makes sense seeing as how easy she makes her drives look. Wray has no trouble taking her defender off the dribble and getting inside, scoring with pure will. She also has a great runner and can hit that shot from the edges of the painted area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1209083' first='Emily' last='Wray'] is an excellent scorer who continues to get better and better every season. She will be a name to watch this summer with her AAU squad, the [program_tooltip program_id='1119478' first='Takeover' last='Academy'], and you should definitely keep up with her once her senior season rolls around. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1091188"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69df07f3c4e1d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1091188' first='Delaney' last='Reddell'] started her sophomore season off with a hot start, and that continued throughout the rest of the year, ending with an all-state nod. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Through the first 15 games of the season, Reddell averaged 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. During that stretch, she had a 28-point outburst against Wonderview, which was her career-high at the time. Like I mentioned though, her play got better by the time conference play rolled around.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reddell, who is a dynamic scorer in virtually every area of her game (perimeter/mid-range scoring, interior finishing, and facilitating), posted a new career-high with 33 points against Lead Hill in February, which went with her 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 8 steals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jasper has a long history of producing guards who are college-ready. [player_tooltip player_id='1091188' first='Delaney' last='Reddell'] joins that elite group of Lady Pirates, and she will soon be rising in the rankings as she is looking more and more like a superstar. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1438287"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69df07f3c4e66"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I mentioned earlier, Jasper knows how to produce some guards, and they did it again with rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1438287' first='Kinley' last='Stephens']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Earning an all-state selection as a freshman is not easy by any means. During the 2025/26 season, Stephens averaged around 10 points and 3 steals a game, while shooting about 35% from the 3-point line, 80% and the charity stripe, and 60% inside the arc. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stephens can score the ball effectively, especially from the outside. Her quick release and ability to hit deep shots off the catch and the dribble is invaluable to this dynamic scoring offense of Jasper's. The young guard's defense is also incredible, as she forces multiple turnovers and deflections every night, creating havoc for the other team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1438287' first='Kinley' last='Stephens'] is also starting to look like another star Jasper guard, who may very well lead them to a title in the near future. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Leelou Kilbourn","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'6u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"12124","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Kingston","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69df07f3c4f05"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Leelou Kilbourn broke out onto the scene for the first time as a junior, and now there are big expectations for her as she looks to be even better in 2026/27.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kilbourn is an excellent scorer, and she put Kingston on her back several times throughout the year. In a game against Lead Hill in December, Kilbourn put up 22 points. This was well over her season averages, as she logged 10.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3 steals a game as a junior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kilbourn can get some buckets inside and out. In the painted area, she uses her size and athleticism to finish over her defenders, and on the perimeter, she has a nice shooting stroke. Her defense is also outstanding, as she is a great rebounder for her stature and a lockdown perimeter defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leelou Kilbourn is looking like a game-changing two-way star for the Lady Yellowjackets, so 2026/27 should be a big year for her and her squad. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>1A-2</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1807486"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69df07f3c4f4f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1807486' first='Jaelyn' last='Whiteaker'] had a great sophomore season, taking a massive step up from her freshman season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whiteaker averaged 15.4 points and 2.1 steals per game this past season, and she had some top-notch performances throughout the year, including against a good Rural Special team, where she had 22 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Calico Rock's star has great two-way abilities, being a great scorer from beyond the arc and against tough defense in the paint, and being a turnover-causing machine on the other end of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1807486' first='Jaelyn' last='Whiteaker'] is definitely a name to watch coming out of the 1A-2, which had some shakeups with conference realignment, so make sure to keep up with her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1090361"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69df07f3c4f94"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1090361' first='Maggie' last='Tyrone'] is a well-known bucket-getter for Norfork, having already eclipsed 1,500 points in her career. I can't imagine Tyrone not hitting 2,000 points this coming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tyrone is truly an elite scorer, especially after averaging 23 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals per game this past year. Her scoring was on display in a January conference game where she poured 41 points onto her poor opponent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tyrone can launch it from beyond the arc and she appears to be unstoppable when she has a lane to the basket. However, her defense cannot be overlooked. The guard was having her way on that end of floor this year, especially against Rector, where she came away with 8 steals. She plays with active hands and has no fear when diving after loose balls.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1090361' first='Maggie' last='Tyrone'] is becoming a superstar, and I would think that she will rise in the rankings soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->