Hillsboro-Central Valley: Season Recap

The Class A Girls Basketball season is in the books. To help wrap up the year, Prep Girls Hoops Dakotas will be publishing a series of Season Reviews.   In this piece, we are highlighting the Burros from Hillsboro-Central Valley!   Head Coach: Duane Connell   Class: A   Region: 2   Record: 10-12   See below for stats and a Q&A session with Coach Connell.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/image_a74bb1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1216405" style="width:323px;height:auto" /></figure>   HCV Burros   Team Stats   PPG: 46.1 FG%: 33 2FG%: 37 3FGM: 81 3FG%: 23 FTM: 193 FT%: 59 APG: 12.2 BPG: 4.5 RPG: 33 SPG: 10.4   Player Stats   Mckenzie Ptacek (2027) - 3.4 ppg, 32 FG%, 2.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 14 FGM   Hadley Abentroth (2027) - 2.1 ppg, 32 FG%, 1.5 rpg, .5 apg, 1 3FGM   Addison Saure (2026) - 2.8 ppg, 20 FG%, 1.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 4 3FGM   Paige Cotton (2026) - 5.6 ppg, 29 FG%,5.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 14 3FGM   [player_tooltip player_id='1052083' first='Megan' last='Ensign'] (2025) - 5.6 ppg, 25 FG%, 3.5 rpg, .6 apg, 27 3FGM   Kennedy Olsen (2025) - 5.5 ppg, 35 FG%, 1.9 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2 3FGM   Brynley Lessard (2027) - 4.1 ppg, 29 FG%, 3.2 rpg, .5 apg, 8 3FGM   [player_tooltip player_id='1118581' first='KC' last='Hong'] (2026) - 6.3 ppg, 40 FG%, 3.9 rpg, .7 apg, 10 3FGM   [player_tooltip player_id='886223' first='Paityn' last='Olson'] (2027) - 10.7 ppg, 43 FG%, 10.2 rpg, 2 apg   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/QA.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1057756" style="width:241px;height:auto" /></figure>   With Coach Connell   PGHD: How would you sum up the season for your squad?   "Better than last year. We continue to improve and have made great strides in only 2 seasons. We put in a lot of work over the summer and it showed. At times we were up and down, but for the most part the girls competed and worked hard. We had 10 wins, it's been a very long time since that has happened."   PGHD: Do you have any fun memories you want to share with us from the season?   "The season can be long, so you have to do things to make sure the season doesn't become a grind. We attended an NDSU women's game and went bowling. We did this as a basketball program 7-12. The varsity girls had shirts made with my face on them that they wore during our last practice. It was pretty funny and they got quite the kick out of it. They are a fun group."   PGHD: How did your team overcome adversity?   "It comes down to self-evaluating yourself as players and coaches. When you have tough times, you have to come together and figure out what's happening. Find the good things and expand as well as find the bad things and work on eliminating them. 3 teams we played twice. We went from getting blown out to being in the game at the end. The only team we didn't do that for was Thompson and they ended our season."   PGHD: What are a few things your team improved on throughout the season?   "Defense improved quite a bit. Shooting was better this year. Just overall team chemistry was better as the season went along. We'll continue to improve on all those categories again for next season."   PGHD: Who are some role players that stood out to you?   "[player_tooltip player_id='1118581' first='KC' last='Hong'], Addison Saure, Brynley Lessard, and Hadley Abentroth. These girls all came off the bench and gave our team energy all season. It wasn't easy for them. Anyone of them could've started, and we wouldn't have missed a step. They came in and played different positions every game. They did things that a lot of players couldn't do."   PGHD: Can you talk about your seniors?   "Our seniors were our 2 starters all season. Their leadership will be missed on and off the floor. They worked hard all season to get better and help our team win. They are a part of this new culture we have started and we will never forget that. They are a part of this family for the rest of their lives."   PGHD: Who are some up-and-comers to look out for in the future?   "We have a good group of 8th graders (9th grade next year) that have some talent, work extremely hard, and have great attitudes. I'm looking forward to coaching them and continuing to build and strengthen this program."   PGHD: Who was your best defensive player?   "[player_tooltip player_id='1052085' first='Kennedy' last='Olsen'] and Addison Saure. These two had to face guard a lot throughout the year. They had to defend the other team's best guard and for the most part did a very good job doing it."   PGHD: Who was your interior player?   "[player_tooltip player_id='886223' first='Paityn' last='Olson'] and Paige Cotton were our most consistent all season. They worked very well together on offense and defense. They did a great job giving our team a balance of an inside and outside game. Games where we struggled, they struggled, and it showed. We'll be looking for more consistency next year."   PGHD: Any last comments/thoughts on the season?   "We put in a lot of work in the offseason to improve and get to 10 wins. But our ultimate goal is to get to the State Tournament. So we need to put in even more work to give ourselves that opportunity. I feel we have the right players and coaching staff to make that happen. But players have to be willing to put in that work. It takes a lot of commitment and dedication to do it. I feel we have the players for that."   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/image_b67bff.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1216406" /></figure>

The Class A Girls Basketball season is in the books. To help wrap up the year, Prep Girls Hoops Dakotas will be publishing a series of Season Reviews.