Ratings: Knights grab top girls ranking

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By RON POWELL / Lincoln Journal Star

Class A

(Last year's record in parenthesis, final ranking is noted)

  1. Lincoln Southeast (26-1)  1

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  2. Millard North (21-5)  3

  3. Omaha Marian (16-9)  5

  4. Millard West (24-2)  2

  5. Bellevue East (21-7)  4

  6. Bellevue West (13-10)  9

  7. Lincoln East (17-7)  6

  8. Millard South (14-7)  10

  9. Omaha Westside (17-9)  8

10. North Platte (14-8)  -

Contenders: Kearney, Lincoln Southwest, Grand Island, Omaha Benson, Papillion-La Vista, Omaha Burke.

The case for No. 1: Defending state champion Southeast might be one of the most experienced teams ever in the history of Class A. Five seniors have been starters at some point in each of the past four seasons, and junior Haley Lake is a three-year starter. The Super-State backcourt of KK Houser and Marissa Kastanek rates right up there as one of the best tandems in state history.

Familiar faces: Three rated teams — Millard North, Bellevue West and North Platte — have five starters returning. Omaha Marian and Millard South each return four starters.

Mustang front line: Among Millard North’s five returning starters are 6-foot-7 senior Melissa MacFarlane and 6-foot senior Kiley Herold. When Millard North plays Omaha Marian on Dec. 18, MacFarlane will be looking her counterpart — 6-6 junior Vicky McIntyre — eye-to-eye.

Out-of-state tournaments: Both Bellevue East and Bellevue West play out-of-state tournaments Dec. 11-13. Bellevue East will be in Tulsa, Okla., for the Holiday Hoopla, while Bellevue West will head to Overland Park, Kan., for the All Saints Classic. Another out-of-state tournament to watch is the Tournament of Champions Jan. 30-31 at Iowa power Sioux City North. No. 1 Southeast, No. 5 Bellevue East and Class B No. 1 South Sioux City complete the four-team field.

Class B

  1. South Sioux City (24-1)  1

  2. Seward (20-2)   5

  3. Lincoln Pius X (18-4)  3

  4. Omaha Skutt (11-10)  -

  5. Alliance (25-1)   2

  6. Crete (18-4)   7

  7. Omaha Roncalli (16-6)  -

  8. Gretna (16-7)   8

  9. Holdrege (21-3)   6

10. Beatrice (12-10)   10

Contenders: Sidney, Waverly, York, Columbus, Omaha Mercy, Hastings, Plattsmouth.

The case for No. 1: It’s easy to justify a No. 1 ranking for South Sioux City — the defending state champion Cardinals have won 11 titles since 1995. South Sioux City has a solid cast around 6-1 McKayla Knudson. Tristen Sharp, a 6-2 sophomore, and 6-foot senior Emily Schroeder give South Sioux City a formidable front line. Guards Kodi Fischer and Sarah Carothers will keep things up-tempo for coach Kelly Flynn, whose team is playing in a national tournament in Naples, Fla., in late December.

Seward challenge: The Bluejays have the firepower up front to match South Sioux City with 6-4 junior Alyssa Kamphaus and 6-2 sophomore Emily Cady, an inside-outside threat who is already getting intense NCAA Division I college recruiting attention. Junior guards Natasha Mueller and Laural Wagner make sure teams don’t sag defensively inside with their accurate perimeter shooting.

Skutt returns intact: The SkyHawks return all five starters and 10 letterwinners from last year, including three-point sharpshooter Jordan Hoelting (11 points per game, 51 three-pointers last season). They also add Omaha North transfer Kylee Polsley, a 6-2 junior who averaged 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds last year.

New cast around Hooper: Alliance has just one starter, senior guard Lindsey Briggs, back around 6-3 Super-State junior Jordan Hooper. The Bulldogs, 2007 state champions and 2008 state runners-up, are 48-2 with Hooper in the lineup. Hooper is not only getting tons of  college basketball offers, she also has a Nebraska volleyball scholarship on the table.

Class C-1

  1. Bishop Neumann (22-3)   2

  2. Twin River (16-4)   10

  3. Bennington (18-5)   -

  4. Norfolk Catholic (24-1)  1

  5. Ashland-Greenwood (17-6)  -

  6. Columbus Scotus (12-7)  -

  7. Wahoo (13-8)   -

  8. Kearney Catholic (17-7)  9

  9. Crofton (24-2)   3

10. Johnson County Central (18-6)  -

Contenders: St. Paul, Minden, Syracuse, Fairbury, Lincoln Christian, North Bend Central, Chadron, Kimball, Milford, Tekamah-Herman, Grand Island Central Catholic.

The case for No. 1: Two all-state guards — 5-8 senior Sara Reeves (13.4 points per game) and 5-9 junior McKenzie Fujan (12.3 points per game) — create immediate matchup problems for Bishop Neumann opponents. Emily Kmiecik, a 5-11 senior, is also a returning starter. Six-foot sophomore Alyssa Stanek has the potential to be one of the better post players in Class C-1.

Zaruba back for Norfolk Catholic: The defending state champion Knights have just one returning starter and graduated 2008 prep athlete of the year Nicole Brungardt. But speedy all-state point guard Jessica Zaruba is a good place to start. Twin River and Bennington both return five starters. Bennington builds around 6-3 senior Kelsey Hansen, who averaged 13.2 points and 11 rebounds per game.

Tall and talented: Chadron 6-4 senior Kelsie Lliteras (13.7 ppg, 8.9 rpg) earned a scholarship to North Carolina State after a strong performance this summer with her club team. A volleyball standout, Super-Stater Jamie Straube of Johnson County Central averaged 12.7 points and 13.2 rebounds a year ago in hoops.

Class C-2

  1. Cambridge (23-2)   4

  2. Perkins County (24-0)  1

  3. Ravenna (19-6)   5

  4. Sutton (23-2)   2

  5. East Butler (21-3)   7

  6. Tri County (14-6)   -

  7. West Point CC (22-4)  3

  8. Aquinas (11-8)   -

  9. Superior (10-8)   -

10. Blue Hill (18-4)   9

Contenders: Concordia, Freeman, Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer, Johnson-Brock, Kenesaw, Wakefield, West Holt.

The case for No. 1: All-stater Traci Keyser provides the cornerstone. The 5-11 senior averaged 21.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game a year ago. Two other returning starters — senior guard Bailey Soucie and junior guard Frankie Petersen — give first-year coach Josh Graves’ Trojans a well-rounded attack. With three other letterwinners 5-10 or taller, Cambridge’s overall height and athleticism will be tough to contend with.

Perkins County looks to defend: Defending state champion Perkins County welcomes back its top player from last year’s undefeated team, all-state senior guard Sara Wilson, who averaged just more than 16 points per game. Height will be a problem for the Plainsmen, however, as Wilson is the tallest of the returning players at 5-9.

Southern Nebraska Conference strength: Three conference teams are in the top nine, with defending state runner-up Sutton (led by sophomore all-stater Jamie Van Kirk) at No. 4, Tri County at No. 6 and Superior at No. 9. While Sutton returns just two starters, Tri County and Superior return their starting lineups intact.

Class D-1

  1. Bancroft-Rosalie (27-0)  1

  2. Elkhorn Valley (20-5)  8/C-2

  3. Humphrey (21-4)   3

  4. Humphrey St. Francis (15-6)  5

  5. Silver Lake (18-3)   9

  6. Giltner (18-5)   8/D-2

  7. Deshler (14-7)   -

  8. Mead (14-9)   -

  9. Meridian (18-6)   7

10. Sandhills/Thedford (new coop)  -

Contenders: Dorchester, Eustis-Farnam, Exeter-Milligan, West Boyd, Cross County, Bertrand.

The case for No. 1: The defending state champion Panthers have three starters back — senior all-state guard Shelby Beaudette, 6-foot all-state senior Paige Goeken and 6-foot junior Kalene Anderson. The trio combined to average almost 40 points per game last year. First-year coach Rod Peters’ team add Sioux City (Iowa) West transfer Laura Staten in January, a 5-9 junior who averaged 11 points and 10 rebounds last season.

Elkhorn Valley, Giltner new to D-1: Elkhorn Valley, which finished No. 8 in Class C-2 last year, returns three starters and seven letterwinners from last year’s state tournament team. Second-team all-stater Katie Rich (18.4 ppg), a 5-10 senior, leads the way. Giltner, last month’s D-1 state volleyball champion, also ventures up from D-2 in basketball after finishing eighth in last year’s final rankings. With five starters back, the Hornets should also contend in hoops.

Productive cooperative: Sandhills/Thedford finished third in the state volleyball tournament, and the first-year cooperative should do well in basketball also with eight players coming in with starting experience. Thedford was 16-7 a year ago.

Class D-2

  1. Ewing (23-3)   1

  2. Pleasanton (24-2)   3

  3. Chambers (23-4)   4

  4. Falls City Sacred Heart (25-2)  2

  5. Mullen (21-1)   6

  6. Coleridge (20-4)   7

  7. Pope John (25-3)   2/d-1

  8. Lawrence-Nelson (15-9)  6/D-1

  9. Newcastle (15-6)   -

10. Paxton (13-7)   -

Contenders: Sioux County, Hay Springs, Wausa, Maywood, Clay Center, Lindsay Holy Family, Loup County, Spalding/Spalding Academy.

The case for No. 1: The 1-2 all-state punch of 5-11 Abbey Schueth and 6-3 Hayley Thramer (Nebraska volleyball recruit) has led the Tigers to the last two D-2 basketball titles and a volleyball crown last month. The supporting cast is strong as well, with four returning starters and eight letterwinners back. Senior Tiffany Thramer is also a threat offensively, giving Ewing three double-figure scorers.

Tall teams: Ewing isn’t the only elite D-2 team with height. Pleasanton features 6-4 junior Laurel Zwiener, a nice complement to the inside-outside threat of 5-8 all-stater Ashley Axmann. While Falls City Sacred Heart doesn’t have a 6-4 player, it does have four players 5-11 or taller, as well as a potential candidate for postseason honors in 5-10 junior Tori Olberding.

Chambers goes the other way: The Coyotes get it done without a player taller than 5-8. Chambers did not have a senior on its state tournament team last year, so experience makes up somewhat for a lack of height. The Coyotes’ attack is also extremely balanced with six players averaging between 6.3 and 9.8 points per game last season.