This story is sponsored by Forward Bank
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
Stevens Point senior Leah Earnest repeated as Player of the Year and was one of four unanimous first-team selections to the 2019-20 All-Wisconsin Valley Conference Girls Basketball Team, which was voted on by the seven conference coaches following the regular season.
Earnest, a Valparaiso University recruit, led the WVC in scoring at 30.3 points per game and rebounding at 14.8 per game during conference play. She also shot 53 percent from the field, which was second in the conference, tied for fifth with 21 3-pointers, was fourth in assists with 35 and eighth in free throw shooting at 72.1 percent.
Marshfield senior Kaydee Johnson also was a unanimous first-team pick. Johnson, an honorable mention pick last year, topped the Valley in assists with 65, was second in 3-point percentage at 50 percent (20 of 40), finished fourth in rebounding at 7.4 per game, and 11th in scoring at 12 points per contest.
Other unanimous first-team picks were senior Anna Cunningham of Wausau West and junior Courtney Krueger of Merrill. Kiley Deaton, a junior from Wausau West, was the other first-team pick.
Krueger was second in the conference in scoring at 18.8 points per game, third in 3-point percentage at 39 percent (23 of 59) and fifth in free throw percentage at 76.1 percent.
Cunningham and Deaton tied for fourth ins coring at 15.6 points per game. Cunningham led the conference in free throw shooting at 59.4 percent and fifth in rebounding (6.5 rpg), while Deaton was third in assists (37) and 10th in rebounding (5.6 rpg).
Marshfield junior Maddie Michaelis was named to the second team. She finished in a three-way tie for the conference lead in 3-pointers made with 35 and tied for seventh in scoring at 13.8 points per game.
Wisconsin Rapids sophomore Megan Clary and junior Vanessa Vechinski, Stevens Point sophomore Zoe Fink, and D.C. Everest junior Hanna Stuedemann were also named to the second team.
Marshfield seniors Desirae Weisenberger and Paige Preston were both honorable mention picks.
Weisenberger averaged 8.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, and Preston finished fifth in the conference in field goal percentage at 47.9 percent and 11th in rebounding at 4.8 per game.
Marshfield coach Taylor Varsho, a former two-time WVC Player of the Year (2010-11 and 2011-12), was named Coach of the Year after leading the Tigers to the conference championship in her second year as head coach.
2019-20 All-Wisconsin Valley Conference Girls Basketball Team
(*denotes unanimous selection)
First team: *Leah Earnest, sr., Stevens Point; *Courtney Krueger, jr., Merrill; *Kaydee Johnson, sr., Marshfield; *Anna Cunningham, sr., Wausau West; Kiley Deaton, jr., Wausau West.
Second team: Maddie Michaelis, jr., Marshfield; Megan Clary, so., Wisconsin Rapids; Zoe Fink, so., Stevens Point; Vanessa Vechinski, jr., Wisconsin Rapids; Hanna Stuedemann, jr., D.C. Everest.
Honorable mention: Kiara Hammond, so., D.C. Everest; Desirae Weisenberger, sr., Marshfield; Paige Preston, sr., Marshfield; Ashley Prebeg, sr., Merrill; Emma Jossie, fr., Stevens Point; Tahlia Moe, fr., Stevens Point; Abby Thompson, jr., Wausau East; Elizabeth Boulanger, sr., Wausau East; Grace Michalske, jr., Wausau West; Maddie Hauer, jr., Wausau West; Alli Martin, jr., Wisconsin Rapids; Chelsea King, so., Wisconsin Rapids.
Player of the Year: Leah Earnest, Stevens Point.
Coach of the Year: Taylor Varsho, Marshfield.