As I have done in the past, I will again give my take on the top players in the Northern Plains League after having seen the teams play in 2016-17 and having extensive coverage of the league during the NPL Tournament. This year’s players were so balanced that it was probably the hardest it’s ever been for me to pick the Top 15. Disclaimers: these are just one man’s OPINION on this basketball season. My opinion is also not that of my employer.
Boys 1st Team
Davis Dubbert, 6’4″, Sr., G/F, St. John’s/Tipton Blujays
Dubbert was without question the easiest pick for the 1st team in 2016-17. The Blujays Senior averaged 22.1 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 3.3 apg and 1.5 spg. He helped lead St. John’s/Tipton to their fourth straight undefeated league championship at 12-0 and a 20-0 regular season. Dubbert also shot 56% from the floor (165-293), 43% from 3 (40-94) and 83% from the FT line (71-86). He registered 11 double-doubles his Senior season and finished with 26 career double-doubles. Dubbert finished his career with 1,579 points (17.0 ppg) & 485 rebounds (5.2 rpg). He also shot 55% from the field in his career, 43% from three-point land and 80% from the charity stripe. He was also part of a St. John’s/Tipton team that went 96-5 in his four years and won the 1A-DII State Championship in his Freshman campaign.
Anton Reeves, 5’9″, Jr., G, Pike Valley Panthers
After averaging just 8 ppg as a Sophomore, Reeves had a breakout year this season for the Panthers. The Junior put up 16.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.9 apg and 3.4 spg for the 16-7 Pike Valley squad. Reeves made a team high 55 3-pointers in 2016-17. He scored in double figures in 20 of the Panthers’ 22 games, including a career high 35 points in a 53-41 win over Lakeside on January 6. He also registered a triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in Pike Valley’s 78-47 win over Chase in the Consolation Semifinals of the NPL Tournament in Lincoln on January 20.
Cullen Grabast, 6’1″, Jr., G/F, Osborne Bulldogs
Grabast is on my first team for the second straight season. In 2015-16 he was a key part in the Bulldogs’ 2nd place finish at the 1A-DI State Tournament and in 16-17, he was a major factor in leading them to another State Tournament appearance. He averaged 14.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.0 spg and 2.2 apg this season for Osborne. He also shot 53% from the floor and 70% from the FT line this season. In the 1A-DI Sub-State Tournament in Osborne, Grabast averaged 25.5 in two games, including a season high 28 points against St. John’s/Tipton in the championship game on March 4, which helped Osborne end a 12-game losing streak to the Blujays with a 73-61 win.
RJ Haberer, 6’2″, Jr., F, Sylvan-Lucas Mustangs
Haberer was on my 2nd team as a sophomore. As a Junior in 16-17, he continued to be a consistent scorer for the Sylvan-Lucas Mustang team that finished 16-6 this season. Haberer led the Mustangs averaging 16.2 ppg and 6.5 rpg. He also shot 59% from the field and helped lead Sylvan-Lucas to a 2nd-place finish in the NPL Tournament in January.
Mason Eilert, 6’3″, Sr., F/C, St. John’s/Tipton Blujays
Along with Dubbert, Eilert was a key factor for the St. John’s/Tipton Blujays in their long run of success. This season, Mason averaged 9.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.1 apg and 1.1 bpg. Eilert shot 49% from the floor on the season. Eilert’s value to St. John’s/Tipton showed through the most when Davis Dubbert wasn’t on the floor. In two games at the Osborne Preseason Tournament in December, he scored 18 points in each game, including a 56-48 double overtime win over Osborne.
Boys 2nd Team
Casey Brown, 5’9″, Sr., G, Tescott (17 ppg)
Jayden Bess, 5’9″, Jr., G, Wilson (12.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 40% FG)
Tycen Higer, 5’10”, Jr., G, Rock Hills (11.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 42% FG, 40% (52-129) 3’s)
Dawson Johnson, 6’2″, Sr., F/G, Lakeside (11.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.2 apg)
Justin Burch, 6’0″, Sr., G, Osborne (10.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.7 spg, 39% FG)
Boys 3rd Team
Jake Spiegel, 6’2″, Jr., G, Rock Hills (11.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 42% FG, 37% 3’s)
Austin Stroede, 6’3″, Sr., F/C, Lakeside (11.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.4 apg, 51% FG, 71% FT)
Dylan Streit, 6’3″, Jr., F, Sylvan-Lucas (10.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.1 bpg, 50% FG)
Heath White, 6’2″, Jr., G/F, Pike Valley (11.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 26 3’s, 67% FT)
Aaron Henke, 5’11”, Sr., G, St. John’s/Tipton (6.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.5 spg)
Girls 1st Team
Brenna Eilert, 5’10”, Sr., G, St. John’s/Tipton Blujays
This is the 2nd straight year Eilert has made my first team. Despite playing in just over half of St. John’s/Tipton’s game this season due to injury, there’s no denying that Eilert was one of the best, if not the best player in the NPL this season. She averaged 17.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.9 apg and 1.4 spg as a Senior. She scored in double figures in every game she was fully healthy in and averaged 20.4 ppg in 9 games before her injury. In her career, Eilert scored 1,284 points (15.8 ppg) and grabbed 530 rebounds (6.5 rpg). Eilert was the leading scorer for the Lady Jays over the past three seasons, a span in which St. John’s/Tipton went 63-8 and won the 1A-DII State Championship in 2015.
Kassie Bretton, 5’10”, Sr., G, Thunder Ridge Longhorns
Bretton had a solid season in 2016-17 to finish her career as a Lady Longhorn. She put up a career best 19.1 ppg as a Senior and also averaged 6.7 rpg and 1.9 spg and led the team with 30 three-pointers made. She registered four double-doubles and scored in double figures in all but two games this year. Against Pike Valley on January 24 in a 62-24 win in Courtland, Bretton scored a career high 32 points. She followed that up with a 30-point effort in a 54-51 overtime loss to Southern Cloud in Kensington on January 27.
Elizabeth Walter, 5’7″, Sr., G, St. John’s-Tipton Blujays
Walter made my first team for the second year in a row. Like Brenna Eilert, Walter has been a huge part of the Lady Blujays’ success over the past three seasons. This year, when Eilert went down with injury, Walter was forced to become the focal point of the offense for St. John’s/Tipton in the 2nd half of the season. She definitely responded. On the year, Walter averaged 15.2 ppg, but after Eilert’s injury, her average shot up to 17.6 ppg. That total included a career high 26 points in the NPL Tournament Championship, which was a tough 50-48 overtime loss to Thunder Ridge. Walter also averaged 6.2 rpg from her guard spot and added a team high 3.5 apg and 2.6 spg. She also made a team high 40 three-pointers, shooting 36% from beyond the arc on the season. She did all of that while also being the best defender in the league, as she has been faced with the task of guarding the opposition’s best player over the past three seasons. Walter finished her career with an average of 11.1 ppg and she made 105 total three’s in her four years.
Rayna Schmidt, 5’5″, Sr., G, Southern Cloud Warriors
Schmidt was the leading scorer this season for a Southern Cloud team that went 19-4 and came just one win away from making the 1A-DII State Tournament. Rayna averaged 12.5 ppg, 3.6 spg, 3.2 apg and 2.5 rpg, leading the team in every major statistical category except rebounding. Her best game came on January 27, as Southern Cloud picked up their first ever win over Thunder Ridge, winning 54-51 in overtime in Kensington. Schmidt scored 31 points and went 9-12 from the FT line in the victory. Getting to the free throw line was one of Schmidt’s strongest suits. In 2016-17, she shot 81-114 (71%) from the stripe and in her career, she shot 585 free throws and made 367 for a 63% mark. Her average improved each season from 56% as a Freshman, to 59% as a Sophomore, to 66% as a Junior and up to the aforementioned 71% this season. Over her career, Schmidt averaged 12.1 ppg, as she played a significant role for the Lady Warriors all four years.
Kara Eilert, 5’11”, So., C, St. John’s/Tipton Blujays
It took a little while for Eilert to get going this season, but as the season went on, she quickly developed into a very dominant post player. As a Sophomore, Kara averaged 11.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg and 1.1 bpg. Like Walter, Eilert’s production drastically increased when her older sister Brenna exited the lineup with injury. In the final month of the season, she averaged over 15 ppg and in the last six regular season games, she put up 18 ppg. In a 50-36 win at Bennington on February 21, she scored a career high 25 points. She also had five double-doubles for the Lady Jays this season.
Girls 2nd Team
Rileigh Gardner,5’8″, Sr., F, Pike Valley (14.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.2 spg, 44% FG, 67% (98-147) FT)
Kaitlyn Morris, 5’6″, So., G, Southern Cloud (11.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.3 spg, 1.4 apg, 38% FG)
Bey Lee Brummet, 5’6″, Jr., G, Lakeside (10.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.9 spg)
Katelyn Zelenka, 5’6″, Jr., G, Wilson (11.1 ppg, 41% FG)
Jessica LaRocque, 5’8″, Sr., F, Lakeside (9.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.4 spg, 40% FG)
Girls 3rd Team
Riley Dietz, 5’7″, Jr., F, Wilson (10.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 39% FG)
Rachel Miller, 5’8″, Jr., F/G, Lakeside (8.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.4 spg, 1.9 apg, 41% FG)
Peyton Ostmeyer, 6’0″, Jr., C, Natoma (11.0 ppg, 9.7 rpg)
Avery Gates, 5’6″, Jr., G, St. John’s/Tipton (7.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.7 spg)
Lakyn Pettijohn, 5’6″, Sr., G, Thunder Ridge (7.6 ppg, 2.9 apg, 2.7 rpg, 1.7 spg)
Previous All-League Teams
2015-16
2014-15 (No team as I missed all of the regular season due to sickness)
2013-14
2012-13
2011-12
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