North Central Conference: Top-5 Overall Players

It was all Clear Lake this past winter in the North Central Conference, as the Lions dominated their way to the league title. While Clear Lake was the frontrunner, several teams with high-level talent did give them a push many nights over the past few months. Led by [player_tooltip player_id="134353" first="Sara" last="Faber"], though, the Lions were able to fend off all but one challenge. Here’s a look at the Top-5 players from the 2019-20 season in the NCC, led by Clear Lake’s Faber: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134353" first="Sara" last="Faber"], Clear Lake (2020)</strong> Over the course of the past four years, [player_tooltip player_id="134353" first="Sara" last="Faber"] has cemented herself as an elite player not only in the North Central Conference, but around the state. Faber led the league in scoring this past winter, recording 449 total points for an average of 17 points a night. She did so on 51 percent shooting from the field, adding 27 made 3-pointers. And to her credit, she was a distributor of the basketball, registering an NCC-leading 96 assists. Faber also finished with 90 steals and even averaged 4.6 rebounds a game. <em>Analysis</em>: A huge hole will need to be filled by the graduation of Faber, as she leaves the Clear Lake program as an all-time great. She finished as the school’s career scoring leader, surpassing Megan Keefe. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134352" first="Taylor" last="McKinney"], Webster City (2020)</strong> Much like Faber, Webster City’s [player_tooltip player_id="134352" first="Taylor" last="McKinney"] was a four-year standout for the Lynx, becoming the program’s 5-on-5 scoring leader. She finished this past season with an NCC-leading 17.6 points per game, totaling 369 points in all. McKinney was effective from all spots on the court, shooting 46 percent from the field, 39 percent from the 3-point line and almost 80 percent at the charity stripe. She knocked down 52 triples in all, which ranked second. <em>Analysis</em>: For the past four years, opposing NCC teams have focused on stopping McKinney to defeat Webster City. And most nights, they were unable to even with constant double and even triple team efforts. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="67492" first="Abbey" last="Holmes"], Algona (2020)</strong> Showing just how strong the NCC was this year in terms of seniors, [player_tooltip player_id="67492" first="Abbey" last="Holmes"] finished third in the conference in scoring, and third among her classmates. The Algona Bulldog and future Northern State University player knocked down an NCC-leading 60 three-pointers this past winter. She averaged 15 points a night, scoring 353 total points on 42 percent shooting from the floor. <em>Analysis</em>: From her freshman season to senior year, Holmes was a leader on the court for the Bulldogs. She controlled the tempo of the offense and was constantly the player looked upon for a big shot in crunch time. <strong>Jenny Wibholm, Iowa Falls-Alden (2021)</strong> With Faber, McKinney and Holmes among a cast of seniors set to graduate, Iowa Falls-Alden’s Jenny Wibholm will be competing with a handful of others for the honor of top player next winter. Wibholm averaged just under 13 points per game this year as a junior, shooting 46 percent from the field. She also knocked down 23 triples and almost nine rebounds a night, which ranked third overalll. <em>Analysis</em>: After making big strides from her sophomore season to junior, Wibholm will be looked upon to continue improving. She should start garnering more college interest if she continues averaging nearly a double-double per game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="131258" first="Raven" last="Kinnetz"], Clarion-Goldfield/Dows (2021)</strong> Competing alongside Wibholm for the honors of league MVP next winter will likely be [player_tooltip player_id="131258" first="Raven" last="Kinnetz"] from Clarion-Goldfield/Dows. Kinnetz, also a strong contender on the Cowgirl cross country team, posted just under 16 points and five rebounds per night this past year. She was a threat from the outside, knocking down 29 triples, and also efficient at the free throw stripe, shooting 83 percent. <em>Analysis</em>: Expect a big senior year from Kinnetz, as she led a resurgent Clarion-Goldfield/Dows team this past winter and will be one of several returning players for the team next year.