Trojets hoard 5 all-conference spots, 2 on top team

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First Team

PlayerSchoolGr.

*Kalli RichardsonNE HamiltonJr.

*Lindsey BrunsCALSr.

*Tara GrayGMGJr.

*Allison RottinghausDon BoscoSr.

*Laura HempenClarksvilleSr.

*Megan GilbertTripoliSo.

Carly ChristiansenCALSr.

Olivia FisherJanesvilleJr.

Koreen WillemsNE HamiltonSr.

Natalie FiganbaumTripoliJr.

*Denotes unanimous selection

Second Team

PlayerSchoolGr.

April KimballDunkertonSr.

Katie WedekingClarksvilleSr.

Holly HeidenNE HamiltonSr.

Katie JohnsonCALSr.

Kailey KladivoNorth TamaSo.

Jamie HlasGMGJr.

Rachel VaughnNE HamiltonJr.

Erica OllendieckTripoliJr.

Kalie KirchhoffTripoliSr.

Jen OrtnerDon BoscoSr.

Honorable Mention

PlayerSchoolGr.

Ashley DuncanDunkertonSr.

Kristine KienzleGMGJr.

Shelby SchaeferCALSr.

Leah RottinghausDon BoscoJr.

Shelby MurleyJanesvilleJr.

Summer AndersonNE HamiltonSr.

Marissa ShinstineTripoliSr.

Megan BackerClarksvilleFr.

Gabby FaccianiWaterloo ChristianSr.

Morgan HalupnickNorth TamaSr.

BLAIRSBURG - It pays to be a starter.

All five girls that took the floor to open games for the Northeast Hamilton girls' basketball team were recently put in the spotlight by the Iowa Star Conference, as they all earned all-conference recognition of some kind.

The Trojets put together a memorable run through the 2009-10 season, finishing with an overall record of 20-3. They lost just twice in league play and shared the championship with Tripoli.

Junior point guard Kalli Richardson was a unanimous selection to the first team, and she was joined in the elite group by teammate and senior center Koreen Willems. Forwards Holly Heiden, a senior, and Rachel Vaughn, a junior, were members of the second team, and senior guard Summer Anderson earned honorable mention recognition.

Six of the 10 girls on the top squad were named on every ballot. Senior Lindsay Bruns of CAL, junior Tara Gray of GMG, senior Allison Rottinghaus of Don Bosco, senior Laura Hempen of Clarksville and sophomore Megan Gilbert of Tripoli joined Richardson as unanimous selections.

The remainder of the first team included senior Carly Christianson of CAL, junior Olivia Fisher of Janesville and junior Natalie Figanbaum of Tripoli.

Gray and Richardson were the only two conference players to garner all-state status from the Iowa Newspaper Association. Gray was a Class 1A second-team selection, while Richardson was a third-team choice.

Richardson led Northeast Hamilton in scoring at 16.3 points per game. She connected on 39.2 percent of her shots and also collected 81 assists and 68 steals, both team highs.

Willems, a four-year starter in the paint for the Trojets, was the first option when Northeast Hamilton looked for production underneath the basket. She averaged 12.6 points a night and a team-high 7.3 rebounds. Defensively, Willems was instrumental in the success of the Trojets' half-court trapping set where she collected a majority of her 41 steals.

Heiden did a little bit of everything for Northeast Hamilton throughout its 20-win season. She was third in scoring at 9.1 points a contest and third in rebounding at 5.9.

Vaughn was arguably the biggest surprise during the winter, as she was thrust into the starting lineup for the first time and thrived. She averaged 5.6 points and 6.5 boards.

Anderson checked in averaging 4.7 points each time she stepped onto the floor.