MITCHELL — Area standouts from Corsica-Stickney and Ethan — including one for the fifth time — highlight the 2023 Class B girls basketball all-state first team, which was announced Thursday and was selected by the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association.
For the fifth time in her high school career, Corsica-Stickney’s Avery Broughton has earned all-state distinctions, including four times now on the first team. She is joined by Ethan’s Ava Lingemann, who is a first-time all-state player and also on the first team. Additional members of the first team include Viborg-Hurley senior forwards Coral Mason and Denae Mach, Wolsey-Wessington senior center Mallory Miller and Jones County senior forward Mallory Valburg.
Broughton ends her career as a five-time all-state selection, including four times on the first team. She missed only three games at the start of the season, rebounding from an offseason knee injury and finished with 16.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.5 blocks per game for the Jaguars, helping her team reach the SoDak 16. Her season featured nine double-doubles, including a triple-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks against Winner on Jan. 12. A University of South Dakota signee, Broughton finishes her career with 2,229 points, 1,186 rebounds, 401 assists, 272 steals and 262 blocked shots.
Lingemann, a 5-foot-6 junior guard, led all scorers among the all-state selections with 20.6 points and 6.2 assists per game, converting nearly 45% of her 3-pointers for the season. She also surpassed more than 1,000 points for her career, as Ethan finished 21-4 on the season and with a fourth-place finish at the Class B tournament.
The two-time state champions Viborg-Hurley are represented by Mason and Mach. Coral Mason, a 5-foot-10 senior forward, logged 18.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game to earn first-team all-state honors for a second consecutive season. Mach, a 5-foot-9 forward, scored 16.5 points per game and grabbed nearly five rebounds per contest as the Cougars finished the season at 23-3.
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Miller, the 6-foot-4 standout for Wolsey-Wessington, finished with 18.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest, helping the Warbirds to the No. 1-overall seed in the Class B postseason and a third-place finish at the state tournament in nearby Huron. Miller, who was a second-team all-state selection in 2022 at Aberdeen Christian, has pledged to play college basketball at Arizona State.
Valburg, who was the Class B Spirit of Su winner, averaged 18.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game for the Coyotes, who finished sixth at the state tournament. She is signed to play volleyball at Dakota Wesleyan University.
The all-state second team is highlighted by the Howard duo of senior forward Kate Connor and junior guard/forward Abby Aslesen, who propelled the Tigers to the state tournament and a 20-6 record. Connor averaged 15 points and seven rebounds, while Aslesen had 16.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest. The remainder of the second team included Castlewood senior guard Maddie Horn, Wolsey-Wessington senior guard Leah Williams, Jones County senior guard Jadyn Jensen and Sully Buttes senior center Lydia Hill.
The third team of all-state honorees is led by area guard play, with Lyman junior Skyler Volmer, Avon junior Courtney Sees and Gregory senior Jessy Jo VanDerWerff. Volmer posted 18.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, while Sees had 18.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest. VanDerWerff, who is a third-team pick for the second year in a row, had 15.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game for the Gorillas. The remainder of the third team included Dell Rapids St. Mary senior guard Ella Griffin, Sully Buttes junior guard Stevie Wittler and Castlewood senior guard Mackenzie Everson.
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