Western Athletic Conference champions Dodge City and Hays get top recognition in the league’s All-Conference selections.
Boys champion Dodge City finished the season 7-1 in the league, with its only WAC loss coming to rival Garden City on Valentine’s Day. The Red Demons won Bracket A in the Hutchinson sub-state to qualify for the state tournament at Koch Arena in Wichita where they lost to eventual state runner-up Blue Valley Northwest.
Dodge was honored with Trey Hallman making the All-WAC First Team and being named Player of the Year. Jace Larson and Isaiah Bradshaw both made the Honorable Mention list. Red Demon coach Dennis Hamilton was named the conferences Coach of the Year.
Garden City also had a strong showing on the All-Conference boys team with Jake Curran earning First-Team honors while Austin Terpstra and Braden Taylor made the Honorable Mention list.
Liberal got a couple of nods with DeVondra Livingston making the First Team and Osvaldo Villareal earning Honorable Mention. Great Bend’s Jace Bowman made the First Team and Derek Bixeman from Hays will be the only returning First-Team All-Conference WAC player next winter, making the list this year as a junior.
On the girls side, Hays finished the year a perfect 8-0 in WAC games, 17-5 overall. The Lady Indians’ season came to an end with a loss to Newton in the Bracket B sub-state championship game in Newton.
Hays placed two players on the All-WAC First Team with Player of the Year Paige Lunsford and Katelyn Schumacher. Hanna Pfannenstiel played her way onto the Honorable Mention list for the Lady Indians. Kirk Maska was named Coach of the Year for his job with Hays this winter.
Garden City landed two players on the First Team with Kristen Heiman and Taryn Tempel, who is only a sophomore.
Dodge City put Brenna Briggs on the First Team and had a pair of Honorable Mention players with Kesha Buckner and Ashley Stephenson.
Liberal sophomore Jai Chapman made the Honorable Mention, as did Elizabeth Kutina from Great Bend.
Below is a complete list of WAC All-Conference boys and girls basketball teams:
WAC Boys All-Conference
First Team
Trey Hallman 12 Dodge City
Jake Curran 12 Garden City
Jace Bowman 12 Great Bend
DeVondra Livingston 12 Liberal
Derek Bixeman 11 Hays
Honorable Mention
Jace Larson 10 Dodge City
Osvaldo Villareal 12 Liberal
Austin Terpstra 11 Garden City
Isaiah Bradshaw 12 Dodge City
Braden Taylor 12 Garden City
Player of the Year
Trey Hallman 12 Dodge City
Coach of the Year
Dennis Hamilton Dodge City
WAC Girls All-Conference
First Team
Paige Lunsford 12 Hays
Brenna Briggs 12 Dodge City
Katelyn Schumacher 11 Hays
Kristen Heiman 12 Garden City
Taryn Tempel 10 Garden City
Honorable Mention
Kesha Buckner 12 Dodge City
Jai Chapman 10 Liberal
Ashley Stephenson 12 Dodge City
Elizabeth Kutina 12 Great Bend
Hanna Pfannenstiel 12 Hays
Player of the Year
Paige Lunsford 12 Hays
Coach of the Year
Kirk Maska Hays
Boys champion Dodge City finished the season 7-1 in the league, with its only WAC loss coming to rival Garden City on Valentine’s Day. The Red Demons won Bracket A in the Hutchinson sub-state to qualify for the state tournament at Koch Arena in Wichita where they lost to eventual state runner-up Blue Valley Northwest.
Dodge was honored with Trey Hallman making the All-WAC First Team and being named Player of the Year. Jace Larson and Isaiah Bradshaw both made the Honorable Mention list. Red Demon coach Dennis Hamilton was named the conferences Coach of the Year.
Garden City also had a strong showing on the All-Conference boys team with Jake Curran earning First-Team honors while Austin Terpstra and Braden Taylor made the Honorable Mention list.
Liberal got a couple of nods with DeVondra Livingston making the First Team and Osvaldo Villareal earning Honorable Mention. Great Bend’s Jace Bowman made the First Team and Derek Bixeman from Hays will be the only returning First-Team All-Conference WAC player next winter, making the list this year as a junior.
On the girls side, Hays finished the year a perfect 8-0 in WAC games, 17-5 overall. The Lady Indians’ season came to an end with a loss to Newton in the Bracket B sub-state championship game in Newton.
Hays placed two players on the All-WAC First Team with Player of the Year Paige Lunsford and Katelyn Schumacher. Hanna Pfannenstiel played her way onto the Honorable Mention list for the Lady Indians. Kirk Maska was named Coach of the Year for his job with Hays this winter.
Garden City landed two players on the First Team with Kristen Heiman and Taryn Tempel, who is only a sophomore.
Dodge City put Brenna Briggs on the First Team and had a pair of Honorable Mention players with Kesha Buckner and Ashley Stephenson.
Liberal sophomore Jai Chapman made the Honorable Mention, as did Elizabeth Kutina from Great Bend.
Below is a complete list of WAC All-Conference boys and girls basketball teams:
WAC Boys All-Conference
First Team
Trey Hallman 12 Dodge City
Jake Curran 12 Garden City
Jace Bowman 12 Great Bend
DeVondra Livingston 12 Liberal
Derek Bixeman 11 Hays
Honorable Mention
Jace Larson 10 Dodge City
Osvaldo Villareal 12 Liberal
Austin Terpstra 11 Garden City
Isaiah Bradshaw 12 Dodge City
Braden Taylor 12 Garden City
Player of the Year
Trey Hallman 12 Dodge City
Coach of the Year
Dennis Hamilton Dodge City
WAC Girls All-Conference
First Team
Paige Lunsford 12 Hays
Brenna Briggs 12 Dodge City
Katelyn Schumacher 11 Hays
Kristen Heiman 12 Garden City
Taryn Tempel 10 Garden City
Honorable Mention
Kesha Buckner 12 Dodge City
Jai Chapman 10 Liberal
Ashley Stephenson 12 Dodge City
Elizabeth Kutina 12 Great Bend
Hanna Pfannenstiel 12 Hays
Player of the Year
Paige Lunsford 12 Hays
Coach of the Year
Kirk Maska Hays
