Daily Globe announces All-Area boys' basketball team

FIRST TEAM

Mike Vorwald

5-10 senior guard

Worthington Trojans

A two-to-one assists-to-turnovers ratio is considered good by most standards, but Mike Vorwald did even better than that in guiding the Worthington Trojans to a 20-6 record and a trip to the Section 2AAA championship game.

With a school-record 226 assists and a mere 56 turnovers in 25 games this year, Vorwald posted an eye-popping four-to-one ratio and once again led all Class AAA players in assists per game with nine.

“Mike is the best point guard that I have coached in 20 years as a head coach,” Worthington head coach Ron Vorwald said. “He has a great feel for the game and has the kind of instincts that you can’t coach. He’s a pass-first player who had a burning desire to get better.”

Vorwald, who also averaged 13 points per game, racked up a career-high 22 assists against New Ulm (third all-time in state history) and ranks second in Trojan history with 481 passes leading to baskets.

A three-year starter and a two-year All-Southwest Conference player, Vorwald finished his career with 806 points (ninth all-time at WHS) and led the Trojans to back-to-back league runner-up finishes the last two seasons.

Brian Tjepkes

6-3 senior guard

Adrian Dragons

When the game was on the line, Brian Tjepkes was a player the Adrian Dragons could count on.

Tjepkes, who fired in a long 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime in a thrilling Section 3A South semifinals game, helped lead the Dragons to a 20-5 record and a second-place finish in the Red Rock Conference.

“Brian can shoot the lights out and is the best pure shooter that I have been around,” Adrian head coach Cory VanBriesen said. “He also developed into the best point guard I’ve ever coached, as his passing skills and court awareness helped us become a better team.”

Shooting 43 percent (246-for-573, both school records) from 3-point range in his career, Tjepkes finished with 1,232 points, 307 rebounds, 300 assists and 162 steals. He knocked down eight 3-pointers and pumped in a program-best 40 points in a victory over Southwest Star Concept this season

Second in the Red Rock Conference in scoring and a two-time all-conference selection, Tjepkes averaged 21 points, 6.2 rebounds, five assists and 3.2 steals per game this season.

Halden Van Wyhe

6-0 senior guard

Hills-Beaver Creek

An explosive player who could score points in bunches, Halden Van Wyhe was a major reason why the Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots won 21 games and reached the Section 3A South championship game for the first time since 2005.

Van Wyhe, who poured in 21 second-half points in that game, scored 605 points this season, upping his career mark to 1,758 and setting the all-time scoring record at H-BC. His 22.1 points-per-game scoring average in league games led the Red Rock Conference.

“Halden was a very good player who was tough to defend with the kind of quickness he has,” H-BC head coach Steve Wiertzema said. “He can score driving to the basket with either hand and can also hit the perimeter shot. Plus, he is a great competitor who did what it took to win.”

Named to the all-conference team in all three of his years as a starter, Van Wyhe — who also played as a freshman — showed early in his varsity career that he could score. He shot 71 percent (423-for-596) from the free-throw line and 44 percent (587-for-1,329) from the field in his career and also had 229 steals.

Ben Scheevel

6-4 senior forward

Southwest Star Concept

As versatile as any player in the area, Ben Scheevel helped lead the Southwest Star Concept Quasars to three winning seasons in his four-year varsity career, including a 17-8 mark this season.

A three-year starter and a two-time All-Red Rock Conference performer, Scheevel set at least 10 school records (single-game, season or career) and led the Quasars in points, rebounds, steals and shot blocks this year (second in assists).

“Ben’s overall knowledge of the game and his versatility were big keys for us,” SSC head coach Tim Owen said. “He did a little bit of everything and had a big impact on several areas of the game because he understood how to play.”

Scheevel averaged 17.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, four steals and 3.1 assists per game this season and finished his career with 1,112 career points — third all-time in SSC history.

Among the school records Scheevel now holds include points in a game (37), rebounds in a game (24), steals in a game (10, twice) and steals in a season (104). He finished his career with 23 double-doubles, including 14 of them in 25 games this season.

Trevor Gruis

6-9 junior center

Ellsworth Panthers

Despite facing defenses that were designed to limit his effectiveness on a regular basis, Trevor Gruis had another big year in leading the Ellsworth Panthers back to the Class A state championship game for the fourth consecutive season.

Gruis averaged 16.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game (both team-bests) and also led the Panthers with 139 assists and 69 shot blocks.

“Trevor is such a smart and unselfish player who plays to win,” Ellsworth head coach Tyler Morris said. “He was often double-teamed, but he found guys for open baskets and also found a way to score a lot of points himself. The potential is there for him to get even better.”

Ellsworth, which finished with a 29-4 record and is now 119-13 during the last four seasons, had a balanced scoring attack this year with four players averaging in double figures.

But Gruis, who was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player by his teammates and was an All-Red Rock Conference performer for the second straight season, was the Panthers’ go-to player who had a major impact on the game from each end of the floor.

SECOND TEAM

Aduo Omot

6-2 senior post

Worthington

Highly-considered as perhaps the best defender in the area, who always guarded the opponent’s best player regardless of position, Aduo Omot was a two-time All-Southwest Conference performer who helped Worthington win 35 games the last two seasons.

Omot, who shot 55.1 percent (119-for-216) from inside the arc, averaged 11.1 points (289 total), 6.8 rebounds (178) and 2.6 assists (68) per game this season. He finished his three-year varsity career with 770 points (10th in school history) and 398 rebounds.

This is Omot’s second consecutive season on the Daily Globe’s all-area second team.

Tom Nolte

6-3 senior guard

Ellsworth

A tall guard with long arms who could hurt teams in every facet of the game, Tom Nolte was a key player on a Panthers’ team that rattled off 18 consecutive victories at one point this season.

Awarded the ‘Mr. Defense’ and ‘Mr. Hustle’ awards at Ellsworth by his teammates, Nolte was an All-Red Rock Conference player who rarely left the court and normally drew the toughest defensive assignment in each game.

Nolte averaged 13.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game and was second on the Panthers with 32 shot blocks.

Patrick Garvin

6-4 senior guard

Jackson County Central

With five triple-doubles in the last two seasons, Patrick Garvin was a multi-dimensional player who the Huskies relied heavily on to produce big numbers.

An All-Southwest Conference player, Garvin didn’t disappoint. He averaged 18.5 points (369 total), 7.8 rebounds (155) and 6.6 assists (132) per game in 20 games this year, finishing his career with 798 points, 420 rebounds and 357 assists.

Garvin had back-to-back 31-point games against Windom and Pipestone Area in early January.

Travis Meinders

5-11 junior guard

Worthington

Leading the Trojans in scoring in 13 of their 26 games this year, Travis Meinders developed into one of the area’s premier players — capable of putting the ball in the hoop in a variety of ways and locking down the player he was guarding.

Meinders led Worthington with 431 points (16.6 per game) this year, shooting 75-for-181 (41.4 percent) from 3-point range and 77-for-122 (63.1 percent) from inside the arc. He also averaged 4.8 rebounds (124 total) and 3.2 assists (82) per game.

An All-Southwest Conference honorable mention last year as a sophomore, Meinders was a first-team all-conference selection this season and scored 20-plus points in eight games.

Mason Comnick

6-0 junior guard

Westbrook-Walnut Grove

Capping the year with a sparkling 39-point game against Southwest Christian in the Section 3A South tournament, Mason Comnick became one of the elite guards in the Red Rock Conference this season.

Averaging 16.8 points, 4.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game, Comnick was an all-conference performer this year after being named an all-conference honorable mention last year.

Comnick led the league in assists and now has over 740 career points.

THIRD TEAM

Jace Jarmer

6-6 senior forward

Westbrook-Walnut Grove

One of four area players to be selected to the all-state honorable mention team by the Associated Press, Jace Jarmer helped the Chargers win their first 10 games this season and finish with a record of 18-7.

A two-time All-Red Rock Conference selection, Jarmer ended his career with 1,076 points, 765 rebounds and 178 shot blocks. He led the league in rebounds this year and pulled down 24 boards in a regular-season victory against Fulda.

Jarmer, who had 18 double-doubles, averaged 17.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, three assists, 2.6 shot blocks and 2.5 steals per game this season.

Adam Van Der Stoep

6-2 senior guard

Ellsworth

A deadly shooter from the perimeter and the Panthers’ emotional leader, Adam Van Der Stoep helped change the outcome of several games and had a big hand in Ellsworth’s third consecutive undefeated Red Rock Conference title this year.

Van Der Stoep, who was selected to the all-conference team, buried at least seven 3-pointers in four games this season and was 42 percent from behind the arc with 86 long-range splashes.

Also an 82.7-percent shooter from the free-throw line, Van Der Stoep averaged 11.5 points and 3.7 assists (second on the team) per game.

Danny Parsley

6-5 senior forward

Adrian

Helping Adrian improve from 12 wins two years ago to 20 victories this season, Danny Parsley had a solid three-year career and finished with 1,034 points, 357 rebounds, 216 assists and 120 steals.

A threat from both the inside and the outside, Parsley collected 381 points (15.2 per game), 125 rebounds (five) and 55 assists (2.2) in 25 games this year.

Parsley, who scored 26 points in his final varsity game, overcame a serious head injury suffered last summer and was named to the All-Red Rock Conference team for the second straight season.

Shelby Jones

6-2 senior forward

Pipestone Area

Capable of defending any player from a point guard to a post, Shelby Jones was the catalyst and the floor-leader for an Arrows’ team that knocked off both Worthington and Ellsworth — arguably the top two teams in the area — this season.

Jones was an all-Southwest Conference selection and had a trio of 20-plus point games this year. He averaged 12 points (276 total), 5.9 rebounds (136) and 2.9 assists (65) per game and was a 71.8-percent shooter from the free-throw line, making 61 of 85 shots.

Jake Holt

6-5 freshman forward

Windom

Perhaps the best player on one of the best teams in the area by the end of the season, Jake Holt didn’t play like a freshman in leading the Windom Eagles to a berth in the Section 3AA championship game.

Windom, which won eight of its last 11 games to finish with a 17-11 record, relied on several sophomores and freshmen — and Holt was right in the middle of that youth movement.

Holt, who also played last year as an eighth-grader, shot 67.8 percent (160-for-236) from the field and averaged 14.9 points (416 total) and 9.3 rebounds (259) in being selected to the all-Southwest Conference team.

HONORABLE MENTION

Travis Mattson, Windom

Jalen Voss, Worthington

Terence Reid, H-BC

Andrew Scholten, H-BC

Eric Stark, PA

Nate Reyne, Adrian

Jake Fredrickson, RRC

Dominic Dolan, T-M-B

William Cranston, SSC

Kirk McBreen, SSC

Devin Kuehne, Fulda

Alex Hein, Fulda

Zach Huisken, SWC

Derek Tinklenbrg, SWC

Tyler Van Schepen, SWC

Casey Schilling, Ellsworth

Kyle DeLong, MCC

Dillon Hansen, RL-B

Codi Gunnink, Edgerton

Jon LeBoutillier, W-WG

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