Four Eagles named all-Badger
All-Badger Small Conference
Girls Basketball First Team
Name School Yr.
Caitlyn Frank Baraboo 12
Anna Miller Edgewood 9
Erin Schauer Edgewood 11
Teagan Mallegni McFarland 12
Ava Dean McFarland 12
Brynn Kirch McFarland 12
Hailey Testolin McFarland 12
Sydney Cherney Reedsburg 12
Erelyn Apel Sauk Prairie 12
Ella Hamacher Stoughton 11
CO-PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Teagan Mallegni, McFarland & Sydney Cherney, Reedsburg
COACH OF THE YEAR: Sara Mallegni, McFarland
Honorable Mention
Edgewood: Taya Fernandez, Beanie Thompson, Maren Schmotzer, Zhana Gnewich
McFarland: Elise Freeman
Mount Horeb: Morgan Monroe, Rowan Johnson
Portage: Hannah Kallungi
Reedsburg: Addison Meister
Sauk Prairie: Mallory Hartwig, Alexis Atkinson, Ava Brings
Stoughton: Elizabeth Stokes, Gretchen TangemanSauk Prairie’s girls basketball team had a solid year, winning 13 games and finishing fifth in the ultra-competitive Badger Small Conference.
The Eagles were then justly rewarded, as four players received all-conference honors.
Senior guard Erelyn Apel was named first-team all-conference. Sophomore post Mallory Hartwig, senior guard Alexis Atkinson and junior forward Ava Brings were all named honorable-mention all-conference.
Apel led the Eagles with 11.9 points per game and was second with 5.0 rebounds. She was also first on the team in steals (4.0), fourth in assists (1.7) and made 34.3% of her three-pointers.
“Erelyn was our captain this year and truly led by example,” Sauk Prairie coach Jacob Breunig said. “She led us in scoring and was near the top in rebounding. Defensively, Erelyn flew around the court and got 81 deflections and 85 steals on the season.
“I could not be more proud of Erelyn and her growth as a basketball player over the past four seasons. She has truly turned herself into a basketball player with her hard work and time dedicated to improving. She was always staying late to shoot and it showed.
“The biggest impact Erelyn will leave on this program is showing her teammates how to work hard and challenge themselves to grow as players.”
Hartwig was third on the team in scoring (8.2) and rebounding (4.6). She also tied for the team lead in assists (2.1) and led the Eagles in steals (2.3).
“Mallory stepped up huge this season for us,” Breunig said. “Coming into the season we did not know exactly what her role was going to be, but she showed very early on how important she was for our team and its success.
“She handled the ball for us a lot this season, was an incredible defender, and rebounded hard. Mallory is by far one of the most athletic kids I have ever coached and her ceiling as a basketball player is incredibly high. Her versatility allowed us to use her in a variety of ways. I am excited to see her continue to grow.”
Brings led the Eagles in rebounding (6.7) and was fourth in scor-ing (7.6). Brings also had a team-best 13 blocked shots and was fourth on the Eagles in steals (1.6).
“Ava was a big threat for us in the post this season,” Breunig said. “Her growth as a player over the past couple years has been great and we look for her to continue to step up in the future.
“We saw her get more aggressive as the season went on. We hope to see her confidence continue as she goes into next season and her play at the level we as coaches know she is capable of doing. We look for her to be a more consistent scorer going forward.”
Atkinson was second on the team in scoring (8.5) and fifth in rebounding (2.8). She also tied for the team lead in assists (2.1) and was fifth in steals (1.2).
“I could not be more proud of Alexis and the role she took on this past season,” Breunig said. “She became our primary ball handler and led the team in assists. Defensively she was put on the best player from the other team each game and it was a role she not only wanted, but excelled in.
“Her willingness to be a great on ball defender shows her understanding of its importance in the game. It has been so fun to watch her grow as a player, as well as a person the last four years and I could not be any happier for her than I am. She is very worthy of being an all-conference selection.”
