Vasecka, Grant earn all-state honors
The all-state first team, second team, third team and honorable mention for Class A girls’ basketball chosen by the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association, was recently announced.
The first team included Tea Area’s Katie Vasecka,
Vasecka is the Class A girls basketball player of the year. A 6-foot-1 senior guard, Vasecka is making her fourth all-state selection and her third first-team appearance. Vasecka averaged 22.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game for the Class A runner-ups. As a junior for Tea Area, Vasecka averaged 19.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 blocks per game. She helped the Titans to the SoDak 16 in Class A and earned first-team all-state and all-conference accolades
Vasecka recorded 19.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per contest in her sophomore season and was a first-team all-state and all-conference selection.
In her freshman season, Vasecka put up 19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.7 blocks. She was named to the all-conference first team and was a second-team all-state pick.
Vasecka played her eighth grade season at New Prague High School in Minnesota, where she was honorable mention all-conference with 7.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
Vasecka holds a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the excellence honor roll. She is the daughter of Stacey and Chris and plans to major in exercise science.
A future SDSU Jackrabbit, Vasecka scored 1,886 career points.
Named to the second team was Tea Area’s Mara Grant. Grant, a 5’11” senior forward averaged 15.1 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game. She has committed to play at Dordt University next fall. This is Grant’s second straight second-team appearance. Grant averaged 18 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in 2022-23.
Grant is the daughter of Nick and Heidi Grant of Tea, South Dakota. She plans to study nursing at Dordt.
Here are the complete South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association Class A all-state teams:
First Team—Katie Vasecka, Tea Area, 6-1, sr., G (22.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 3.8 apg); Ashlyn Koupal, Wagner, 6-3, so., G-F (21.3 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 3.9 apg, 96 blocks); Emilee Fox, Mount Vernon/Plankinton , 5-8, sr., G (21.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.8 apg); Krista Langager, Sisseton, 6-2, jr., C (20.5 ppg, 9 rpg); Claire Sheppard, Flandreau, 6-2, sr., G (14 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.2 apg); Addison Neuendorf, Hamlin, 5-6, so., G (20.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.9 apg)
Second Team—Ashlan Carlow-Blount, Mahpíya Lúta, 6-0, so., G (17.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.7 apg, 102 steals); Caylin Kelly, Florence-Henry, 5-11, sr., F-G (15 ppg, 8.2 rpg); Lily Klein, Flandreau, 5-11, sr., G (14.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg); Macy Koupal, Wagner, 5-9, sr., G-F (17.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4.5 apg); Mataya Ward, Belle Fourche, 6-0, sr., G-F (20 ppg, 5.5 rpg); Mara Grant, Tea Area, 5-11, sr., F (15.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg)
Third Team—Taylor Reuvers, Vermillion, 5-3, 8th, G (11 ppg, 4 rpg, 5 apg); Brooke Jensen, Vermillion, 6-1, jr., G (12 ppg, 6 rpg); Reagan Rus, Mount Vernon-Plankinton, 5-9, jr., G (16.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg); Carli Kuyper, Lennox, 6-3, sr. F (14 ppg, 7.5 rpg); Alyssa Moschell, Hanson, 5-9, sr., G-F (14.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg); Maggie Taylor, Hill City, 6-2, sr., C (16.9 ppg, 12.6 rpg)
Honorable Mention—Avery Reitz, SF Christian, 5-9, jr. G (11.6 ppg, 5 rpg); Ella Otten, Dakota Valley, 5-7, 8th, G (17.2 ppg); Ava Hanson, Aberdeen Roncalli, 5-10, jr., F (13.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg); Katie Rozell, Redfield, 5-11, sr., F-G (17.6, 6.1 rpg); Hannah Leverson, Sisseton (5-5, sr., G (11.3 ppg, 5 apg); Jodene Big Crow-Hunter, Mahpíya Lúta, 5-6, jr., G (16.9 ppg); Shania Ferguson, Lakota Tech, 5-4, so., G (20 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 84 steals)