French named IAABO Player of the Year

After being selected to the second team for the all-Gatweway Athletic Conference North girls basketball team in 2009, junior Blake French not only made the leap to the first team this season, she was named the Player of the Year by the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials.

The St. Charles West guard led the GAC North in scoring (15.8 points per game), assists (2.85) and steals (3.52). Washington won the GAC North with a record of 7-1. St. Charles and St. Charles West finished tied for second at 5-2. Washington (15-9) and St. Charles (14-13) were the only two teams in the conference to finish the season with winning records.

One of French’s biggest fans is West coach Ellen Parker.

“Last year Blake played in Bri’s (Baldwin) shadow, but this year she took charge of games, and that was evident from the beginning of the season,” Parker said.

In the districts against Visitation, French led the Warriors with 19 points and 11 rebounds. The Warriors lost that game, but her performance sets the table for what should be a great 2010-11 season.

Here is a breakdown of this year’s all-GAC North girls basketball first team.

Blake French, junior, St. Charles West

French has accomplished a lot in her two years as a starter. Parker said she is humble and the ultimate teammate. She settled into her role as the point guard and was able to get to the free-throw line 35 more times this season and she made 73 percent of her foul shots.

“After two years playing at West, she’s already among our all-time leaders in five of nine categories,” Parker said. “She’s very coachable, she plays hard and knows bumps and bruises are part of the game. It took her two weeks for all of hers to go away.”

Melissa Beste, senior, Washington

Beste averaged 9.8 points and 2.65 steals per game. When teammate Kayla Bierbaum suffered a season-ending injury before Christmas, Beste, a guard, lost her running mate of several years and had to take more responsibility as a scorer and rebounder.

Not only did Beste have to play without Bierbaum, but coach Greg Traffas missed all of January and February after being hospitalized. Traffas was named the GAC North Coach of the Year, but he said that his assistants Rick Kuddes and Martina Roth would be accepting the award with him.

“The whole season was a testament to our girls,” Traffas said. “I had a stint in the hosipital and wasn’t able to return and with Kayla getting hurt; I’m so proud of the way they came together as a group. They did what they had to do to win the conference. It was a matter of a bunch of young women growing up.

“I think we all knew what (Beste) was capable of and it was a matter of her taking a lot onto her shoulders. She’s always been our best defender but she had to take on a lot of other responsibilities.”

Megan Hawkins, junior, Fort Zumwalt East

Wins (4) are still hard to come by for the young and building Lions, but Hawkins’ play was good enough for her to become the school’s first girls basketball player to reach the first team. Hawkins finished third in the conference with 14.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Against conference champion Washington, Hawkins had 12 points, 10 rebounds and four steals.

Lions coach Crystal Emmons returned to the bench after giving birth to a boy on Jan. 14. She got back in time to watch Hawkins blossom into a top-notch player.

“Megan works hard in the offseason and is trying out for a select team,” Emmons said. “That’s what’s going to determine how great she is next season. Megan’s really an all around player. Not only can she score but she is great on defense and can handle the ball in the post. She has every aspect of the game down and she has a great attitude.”

Alex Rohlfing, sophomore, Duchesne

The only underclassman on the first team, Rohlfing, a guard, led the GAC North with 37 3-point baskets, and led the Pioneers with 12.3 points per game. The Pioneers lose just one player from their roster next season and Rohlfing, Melissa Eisenbath and Abby Schroeder provide a nice nucleus that will help them challenge in the conference.

“She’s a consistent shooter,” Duchesne coach Pat Steagall said of Rohlfing. “We need somebody next year to take the burden off her because she will be a primary ballhandler. A year of experience will help. She’s working on a short-range jumper. She didn’t drive a lot to the basket, she’s more of a spot-up shooter. She can score 20 points a game. Against West, she had 24 points, Washington hit 4 or 5 threes. She got open, we’d get her the ball and it would be nothing but net.”

Chelsey Freymuth, senior, Timberland

Freymuth was second in the GAC North with 15.2 points per game. She made 73.7 percent of her free throws. The 6-foot power forward will play basketball at Maryville University next year. She was on the varsity for three years and a starter for the last two. Weight and endurance training helped Freymuth become one of the fastest players on the Wolves.

“She was our go-to player,” said Timberland coach Ed Liliensiek. “When she was on, she was pretty unstoppable. She could hit 15-foot jumpers and score inside and it made it hard on the defense. She improved on her dribbling in the open court and that helped us break presses. We passed it to her on the press she’d take off and dribble.”