Perhaps it was only fitting that Emporia High’s Sadie Webb and Northern Heights’ Haydon Parks were named the MVPs of the Flint Hills Optimist All-Star Classic this past Saturday at White Auditorium.
Though Parks technically was the All-Star Classic’s co-MVP in the boys game along with Emporia’s Brandon Childs, the point still rang clear.
After all, in terms of basketball in Emporia and the surrounding area this past season, it was Webb and Parks who stood out above all the others, carrying their respective teams to victory after victory, all the while reaching new heights along the way.
For their efforts throughout the 2007-08 basketball season, Webb and Parks earned The Emporia Gazette’s girls and boys All-Area Most Valuable Player distinctions, respectively.
In the case of both players, their exploits on the basketball court not only resulted in a lot of points and, not coincidentally, a lot of wins, but each player willed their team to reach the State Tournament in their respective classes.
For Webb and the Emporia High girls, it was the first State appearance in five years. For Parks and the Northern Heights boys, it was the first State appearance — ever.
The 6-foot-6 Parks, a first-team All-Class 3A selection, averaged 19.7 points and 10 rebounds this season, helping Heights to its best season in school history. The Wildcats finished fourth at State with a 22-4 record overall.
He also averaged 2.1 blocks per game and came up with 1.9 steals per contest.
Parks still is undecided about where he will go to college, as he expects to choose between Bethany College, Johnson County Community College and Emporia State.
In Webb’s case, though she often was out-sized in the post as a 5-11 forward, that didn’t stop her from having a stellar senior season. As an first-team All-Centennial League and All-Class 5A State pick, she averaged 12.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game for the Lady Spartans, who finished 18-5 this season.
Webb is expected to choose between Bethel College and a college in Nebraska as to where she will continue her playing career.
Joining Webb on the All-Area first team is her teammate, senior Nichole Naab. A model of consistency over the past three seasons, Naab led EHS in scoring the previous two years by scoring a total of 255 points in both the 2005-06 and the 2006-07 seasons before she scored 256 points this past year for an 11.1-points-per-game average, second on the team to Webb.
Naab, a first-team All-Centennial League selection, led EHS in steals with 56. She has chosen to attend Johnson County Community College next year to continue her basketball career.
Another area school landed two players on the first-team All-Area girls squad, as Madison saw sophomores Morgan Stout and Shelby Buster each make the cut.
Buster and Stout, both first-team All-Lyon County League picks, formed a formidable duo for the Lady Bulldogs, as Buster scored at a 17-points-per-game clip while Stout chipped in 15 a contest.
Buster, who stands at 5-11 and is a relentless rebounder, averaged a double-double for the season by pulling down 10.3 boards per game, while she made her presence felt on the defensive end by averaging 2.5 blocks per game.
The 5-foot-10 Stout was the main cog in helping the Madison offense get rolling this season, averaging four assists and three steals per contest.
Perhaps the player that made the biggest splash on the area high school basketball scene was Olpe freshman Kathryn Flott.
In leading the Olpe girls in scoring with 15 points per game — she also pulled in nine rebounds per game — the 5-11 Flott earned second-team all Lyon County League honors and began to draw the inevitable comparisons to another Olpe standout basketball player: Michelle Stueve.
The freshman forward showed a deft shooting touch all season long with her ability to hit long-range jumpers from just inside the three-point arc, not to mention the fact that she went 5-for-7 from three-point range as well.
The All-Area Coach of the Year on the girls side was Olpe’s Jesse Nelson, who guided the Lady Eagles to an undefeated season entering the State Tournament, picking up his 900th career victory along the way.
As for the rest of the first-team All-Area boys squad, it was highlighted by the repeat selection of a pair of Emporia High guards — senior Caydrick Bloomquist and junior Taylor Euler.
Bloomquist, a first-team All-Centennial League pick and a second-team All-Class 5A selection, ended his stellar high school career as the school’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made, as he drained 222 in three years as a varsity player. He made 79 of 197 (40.1 percent) three-point shots this season, a single season school record.
His 20.4-points-per-game average led the way for the Spartans, who made a trip to the Class 5A State Tournament, where they finished fourth. Bloomquist also averaged three assists per game.
Bloomquist has yet to decide on a college.
Euler, a third-team All-Centennial League choice, averaged 14.7 points and four assists per contest this season while leading the team in minutes played (757).
He too was a threat from long range, as he hit 49 of 133 (37 percent) 3-pointers this season. Euler also earned honorable mention All-Class 5A honors.
The Lyon County League champion Olpe Eagles were represented on the first team by junior Cole Krueger, the lone returning starter for the Olpe boys this year.
As efficient as they come, the 6-foot Krueger averaged 19.4 points per game this season on 57-percent shooting from the field. He also pulled in 9.6 rebounds per contest and came away with 71 steals on the season.
The tallest player in the area was also one of the area’s best, as 6-foot-7 Marais des Cygnes Valley senior Dennis Becker landed on the first team after guiding the Trojans to a second-place finish in the Lyon County League.
With most of Marais des Cygnes Valley’s attack flowing through Becker down low in the post, he managed to average a double-double this season at 18 points and 12 rebounds per game. He also dished out two assists per game.
It is not anticipated that Becker will play basketball collegiately, as he is expected to attend Kansas State and major in agri-business.
The boys All-Area Coach of the Year is Olpe’s Chris Schmidt, as he led the Eagles to a 24-4 record and a return trip to the State Tournament after losing 10 players off last year’s team that placed third at State.
2007-08 All-Area Basketball Team
Girls
First Team
Name Grade School
Sadie Webb — MVP SR Emporia
Nichole Naab SR Emporia
Shelby Buster SO Madison
Morgan Stout SO Madison
Kathryn Flott FR Olpe
Coach of the Year: Jesse Nelson, Olpe
Second Team
Lindy Arndt SO Emporia
Krista Banzhaf SR Lyndon
Sarah Boline JR Northern Heights
Kylie Haag SR Olpe
Megan Woods SR Olpe
Third Team
Lexi Hileman JR Emporia
Amy Bolen SR Hartford
Stephanie Goetz SR Lyndon
Amy Lee JR Northern Heights
Megan Steward SR Waverly
Honorable Mention
Meghan Atchison JR Burlingame
Ashley Cahoone SO Chase County
Kylee Scott JR Chase County
Alli Armitage JR Emporia
Kellie Farr SO Hartford
Paige Hamman JR Hartford
Morgan Laflin SO Lebo
Shelby Robke SO Lebo
Morgan Tastove SO Lebo
Ashley Persinger SR Lyndon
Andrea Miller JR Northern Heights
Alex DeLong JR Northern Heights
Katie Moyer JR Olpe
Brenna Wilson JR Waverly
Boys
First Team
Name Grade School
Haydon Parks — MVP SR Northern Heights
Caydrick Bloomquist SR Emporia
Taylor Euler JR Emporia
Dennis Becker SR MdCV
Cole Krueger JR Olpe
Coach of the Year: Chris Schmidt, Olpe
Second Team
Chris Patterson SR Burlingame
Brian Palermo SR Chase County
Troy Pierce SR Emporia
Eric Porter SR Madison
Kaleb Schankie SR Madison
Third Team
Brandon Childs SR Emporia
Justin Farr SR Hartford
Blake Jones SR Lebo
Cameron Smith SR Lebo
Bradley Argabright SO Olpe
Honorable Mention
Grant Vogt SR Flinthills
Cody Barrett SR Hartford
Adam Ewy SO Hartford
Adam Laflin JR Lebo
Derek Banzhaf SO Lyndon
Chisom Spencer SR MdCV
Michael Glass SR Northern Heights
Levi Hizar SR Northern Heights
Pete Symmonds SR Northern Heights
Josh Klumpe JR Olpe
Matt Hevel SR Waverly