JAMESTOWN — After a very successful season for multiple Class B hoopers, four local players did enough to be named to the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters All-State teams.
The players to make the first team were Edgeley/Kulm-Montpelier’s Mataeya Mathern and LaMoure/Litchville-Marion’s Max Musland.
“It means a lot,” Musland said. “I worked really hard, work every day, hard work paid off. It feels good.”
The two players named to the All-State second team were Sargent County’s Karleigh Kadoun and Napoleon/Gackle-Streeter’s Teagan Erbele.
“It means so much it’s something that I’ve worked at my whole life basically since I was in first grade so going to all these tournaments since I was young has helped me a lot to get me to be the player I am now,” Kadoun said.
Musland said he was told about his selection by Loboes head coach Tyler Thielges when he was at baseball practice. He said he was excited when he found out he made the first team.
Kadoun said she found out about the accomplishment on Facebook. Kadoun said she was caught by surprise but excited by the news.
Mathern said she found out after checking her phone after track practice and seeing congratulatory texts from her friends and family.
Erbele said she found out from a text from Napoleon High School principal Chad Berger. Erbele said she was surprised because of her team’s performance this year.
“Initially I was surprised, being that our team only made it to the first round of regionals,” Erbele said. “I didn’t know if it was really a good possibility for me to make the team but it was really really awesome to find out that I did.”
All four players played postseason basketball, with the most successful of the teams being Mathern and the Rebels who made it to the state title game, which she said means more than the personal accolades.
“I feel very honored to have received this award,” Mathern said. “… It feels good and it’s a cool achievement but I guess all the success we’ve had as a team means overall more and all these accolades you get are cool but making it to the state championship game with my teammates means more than any award could ever mean.”
John M. Steiner / The Jamestown Sun
The only one of the group that is returning next year is Kadoun who is currently a sophomore.
“It definitely does (motivate her),” Kadoun said. “I still have a lot of work to do but seeing that I’m already on second team as a sophomore just gives me so much motivation to get on it the next two years and work even harder.”
This year, Kadoun averaged 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game.
John M. Steiner / The Jamestown Sun
During her senior year, Mathern averaged 17.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game with 118 total assists and 128 total steals.
Mathern said it was not her goal this year to be named to the All-State first team. istead, her goal was to win the state title.
After losing in the first round of the state tournament during her junior year, Mathern said she was determined to help the Rebels start the state tournament with a win this year, which the team did.
Despite being a second team selection last year, Mathern said she concentrated more on team success rather than making the first team this year.
Erbele hit the glass hard as she averaged 19 points with 15 rebounds, and moved into fourth on the all-time career rebounding charts with 1,451 rebounds.
“I just put hours and hours into the game ever since I was little,” Erbele said. “I just love playing and this upcoming summer I knew I was walking into my last season playing high school ball. So, I just tried to play this summer as much as I could. I did ball handling workouts, shooting workouts, all the different kinds of drills and I really just tried to get together with my team and with the underclassmen and play as much ball as we could.”
This season, Musland said he enjoyed playing at the Scheels Center in Fargo and playing in the state tournament. Musland said he is proud of his shooting and the improvements that he has made since his freshman year.
“Starting my freshman year I was just a shooter and then I’ve been a shooter all until last year and then I got asked to do a little more,” Musland said. “But I still think my best thing is shooting.”
Next year, Mathern will be attempting to replicate her success at the University of North Dakota.
“I hope to win a Summitt championship; that would be pretty cool,” Mathern said. “I have a lot of goals, but I want to go out and give it my best and see where that gets us.”
Mathern is not the only one playing college basketball next year. Musland is also deciding between the University of Jamestown and Concordia College (Minnesota).
Musland said he wants to work his way into the starting lineup and have a fun time while playing college basketball.
In order for her younger teammates to make it to one of the All-State teams, Mathern said they have to continue to work hard. Musland said he could see Brayan Karlgaard making it next year. Kadoun said she has high expectations for Mallory Bogart and Claire Wehseler moving forward.
John M. Steiner / The Jamestown Sun
