The area had a total of six of 10 first-team spots in Class 1A Division I, while the region also had the player of the year and coach of the year on the girls’ side. Nine players were honored in the class between the boys’ and girls’ teams.

There was one honoree on the boys’ side in Class 4A, while there were two honorees, each on the second team, in girls’ Class 1A Division II.

In girls’ Class 1A Division I, Prairie’s Madison Shears earned the player of the year honor. The 5-foot-4 junior guard did it all for the Pirates. She averaged 16.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 3.0 assists per game in helping Prairie to a 17-4 overall record and a runner-up finish in the state tournament behind Lapwai. In the Feb. 22 final against the Wildcats at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, Shears had a team-high 13 points on 4-for-10 shooting from the field, adding a pair of rebounds.

“Madison is a great floor leader and our leader at the point position,” Prairie coach Lori Mader told the Statesman. “She made key shots that showed the type of leader she is.”

Lapwai interim coach Ada Marks was named the classification’s coach of the year. She led the team to a 25-1 record and the Wildcats’ state record 10th championship after turmoil before the start of the season led to her elevation.

Eric Spencer was set to lead the team this season, but just days before the campaign was to begin, Spencer submitted his resignation to the Lapwai School District amid controversy.

Family was a big theme of the season for the Wildcats. In some form or fashion, all of the Lapwai players are related to one another. That was something Marks noted after the Wildcats won the title.

“It was just their grit,” Marks told the Tribune after the championship game. “I talked about it all season, and even in this big of a tournament, they never gave up. They never hung their heads and never (let adversity) change how they played the game.”

The Wildcats’ KC Lussoro and Grace Sobotta also made the first team in Class 1A Division I.

Lussoro, a senior, averaged 13 points per game and was a stalwart on defense, where Marks typically asked the wing to guard the opposition’s best player.

Sobotta, a 5-8 sophomore guard, is a two-time selection. She averaged 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Sobotta had 14 points and eight rebounds in the title game against Prairie.

Sobotta’s sister, Glory, was a second-team honoree. The 5-7 junior guard averaged 9.4 points, 1.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game for the Wildcats. She led Lapwai with 17 points and added five rebounds in the championship.

Also making the Class 1A Division I girls’ second team was Genesee junior guard Bailey Leseman. She averaged 12.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.6 steals in helped the Bulldogs finish 18-11 overall and a spot in the third-place game.

The Salmon River duo of Lotus Harper and Emily Diaz earned spots on the girls’ Class 1A Division II second team. Harper, a 5-6 junior point guard, averaged 12.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists while Diaz, a 5-8 senior center, averaged 13.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game for the Savages (17-6). Diaz had 14 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Harper tallied 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in Salmon River’s third-place game against Tri-Valley.

Although neither team won the title, Potlatch and Lawpai dominated the spots on the boys’ Class 1A Division I teams, taking four of the 10 spots overall.

The Loggers had two spots on the first team, led by senior Brayden Hadaller. A two-time, first-team All-Idaho standout, Hadaller, at 6-3, avereaged 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game to lead Potlatch (21-4) to a spot in the third-place game.

Senior Connor Akins also landed on the first team. The 6-2 senior forward averaged 14.4 points for the Loggers and shot 50 percent from the field on the season. As a third-year starter, he typically was tasked by coach Ryan Ball to guard the opponents’ top scoring threat.

Potlatch had two epic battles with The Ambrose School, the eventual state champion. The Loggers beat the Archers 57-44 in a neutral-site game Feb. 8 in which Akins finished with a game-high 21 points. However, Ambrose got revenge in the state tournament, beating Potlatch 39-37 in overtime of a March 6 state semifinal game. Hadaller finished with 13 points and Akins added 11 in that one.

Lapwai’s Titus Yearout also earned a spot on the first team. The 6-2 sophomore guard led the entire state in scoring at 29.5 points per game. The Whitepine League Division I player of the year had the ability to single-handedly take charge of games with his ability to score from anywhere on the court.

Wildcats sophomore AJ Ellenwood was named to the second team. The 6-4 center averaged eight points, 11 rebounds and two blocks per game to help Lapwai to a 22-4 mark.

In the third-place game March 7, Hadaller had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Akins chipped in 12 points but the Wildcats beat the Loggers 62-49. Yearout finished with 16 points and six assists, and Ellenwood tallied six points in the win. 

In Class 4A, Moscow’s Benny Kitchel earned a second-team nod. The 6-4 junior wing averaged 12.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists to lead the Bears (17-10) to the state title game.

In a 59-43 loss to Preston in that state final March 7, Kitchel finished with a team-high 12 points.

Walden may be reached at (208) 848-2258, dwalden@lmtribune.com, or on Twitter at @waldo9939.