Two Tigers earn girls basketball all-conference honors

By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

Marshfield senior forward Ema Fehrenbach was named Wisconsin Valley Conference Girls Basketball Player of the Year and was one of two Tigers to earn all-WVC honors.

Fehrenbach, a senior, tied for the WVC lead in rebounding at 6.9 per game and finished third in scoring at 16.9 points per game to earn unanimous first-team all-conference honors after helping the Tigers to a 9-3 record in the conference, which was a tie for second place with Wausau West.

A first-team pick last year as well, Fehrenbach also was eighth in assists (2.7 per game), fourth in field goal percentage (49.6 percent), and made more free throws (63) than any other player in the conference this season. She also was an honorable mention Division 1 all-state selection by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association.

Fellow senior Maddie Nikolai earned second-team all-WVC accolades for Marshfield.

Nikolai, an honorable mention choice as a junior last year, averaged 9.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game in conference play for the Tigers.

“Ema Fehrenbach and Maddie Nikolai are such deserving all-conference selections,” Marshfield coach Heidi Michaelis said. “Both seniors worked extremely hard to be the best they could be, day in and day out.

“Ema will leave Marshfield High School as one of the best athletes to play for me, scored a ton a points (1,085) over the course of four years, and had a lot of success as a Marshfield Tiger both individually and team-wise. Maddie made herself into the player she was for us the past two years. The improvement she displayed from year one to her senior year was incredible.”

D.C. Everest junior Taylor Petit and Wausau West sophomore Maddie Schires were also unanimous first-team selections. D.C. Everest junior Natalie Mohring and Wausau West senior Caitlin Deaton rounded out the first team picks.

Schires led the conference in scoring at 19.8 points per game. She also topped the Valley in 3-point percentage (49.3 percent) and 3-pointers made (35).

Petit was second in the WVC scoring 17.3 points per game.

(Hub City Times Sports Reporter Paul Lecker is also the publisher of MarshfieldAreaSports.com.)

2016-2017 All-Wisconsin Valley Conference Girls Basketball Team

First team: *Taylor Petit, jr., D.C. Everest; *Ema Fehrenbach, sr., Marshfield; *Maddie Schires, so., Wausau West; Natalie Mohring, jr., D.C. Everest; Caitlin Deaton, sr., Wausau West. (* denotes unanimous selection)

Second team: Ashley Hodell, sr., D.C. Everest; Maddie Nikolai, sr., Marshfield; Patience Pyan, jr., Merrill; Leah Earnest, fr., Stevens Point; Maycie Wiernik, sr., Wisconsin Rapids.

Honorable mention: Lexie Higgins, jr., D.C. Everest; Maddix Bonnell, jr., Merrill; Rachel Sullivan, jr., Stevens Point; Madisyn Rogan, so., Stevens Point; Jordan Murphy, jr., Wausau East; Kadie Deaton, so., Wausau West; Chani Pulchinski, sr., Wisconsin Rapids.

Player of the Year: Ema Fehrenbach, Marshfield.