CORSICA -- At 5-foot-3, Emily VanRoekel and Class B Corsica had a huge win over Class A Wagner Saturday.
The freshman recorded her first triple-double, along with seven steals, in the 47-44 victory, giving Corsica its sixth win of the season.
Comets' head coach Lorisa Broughton said in her 10-plus years of coaching, it was the first triple-double she's ever seen.
VanRoekel made her presence known in the game despite being a quiet person, according to Broughton. She had a team-high 13 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists, helping her team come back after it trailed 39-35 after three quarters.
"It wasn't very surprising to see this freshman do it," Broughton said. "She's very talented and athletic. She just knows basketball and has a great drive for the game."
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For her dominance in a victory against a team an entire class above her team, and recording a triple-double in the process, VanRoekel has been named The Daily Republic's Player of the Week, as voted on by the newspaper's sports staff.
VanRoekel said the win was a result of the team playing better together. She also said she hopes that in the next three and a half years she plays, she will have a better game.
"I think I can do better," she said. "But we were really excited to win that game."
The team's young star got to see some playing time last year as an eighth-grader, and this year she splits point guard duties with another teammate.
In the win over Wagner, Broughton said VanRoekel's best feature, her defense, was a big factor.
"That doesn't really show up in the stat line, but she got some big steals that led to some layups," Broughton said. "I don't think she's even come into her own. Once she gets some confidence in her, she's going to be a real good player."
Besides defense, Broughton said the point guard is great at rebounding, and it showed in the Wagner game. Listed as one of the three shortest players on her team, it's amazing for her to lead the team in rebounding. But to grab 17 as a 5-foot-3 freshman is especially remarkable.
Earlier in the week, VanRoekel helped her team to a win over another Class A school, Tiospa Zina, at the Redfield Classic. She recorded 12 points, seven steals and six rebounds in the game.
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Corsica is currently 6-2 on the season and hosts White Lake on Thursday.
Runner up: Kari Schmidt of Lyman helped her team to two wins last week. She scored 24 points and hauled in 15 rebounds Tuesday in a win over Gregory. On Thursday, she put up a game-high 34 points in a 71-53 win over Kadoka.
To nominate a player for The Daily Republic Player of the Week, send an e-mail to sports@mitchellrepublic.com with the player's credentials. Nominations must be in by 3 p.m. each Monday.
