Coaches vote Wasilla junior among state’s best

WASILLA — Kelsey Cottle has come a long way since the seventh grade.

Cottle, Wasilla’s 6-foot-5 standout, was actually cut from her seventh-grade basketball team. But now as a junior in high school, Cottle is considered one of the top five players in the state. The Wasilla junior has earned first-team honors on the Alaska Newspapers Inc./Alaska Coaches All-State Basketball Team.

“She’s made improvements every single year,” said Wasilla head coach Jeannie Hebert-Truax, who ironically was the person who cut Cottle from the seventh-grade basketball squad. “She’s committed to getting better, getting stronger.”

As a junior, Cottle averaged 12 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game for a Wasilla squad that won a Northern Lights Conference title last week in Soldotna. Hebert-Truax said Cottle, who was named second-team all-state last year, not only made improvements during the offseason, but the regular season as well.

“She’s made improvements from the first game this year to where she is now,” Hebert-Truax said.

Cottle has had her monster scoring efforts. She scored 30 during a double-overtime win over Ketchikan early in the season and capped the regular season with big games, including 27 points during a win over Palmer and 24 in a victory over Kenai. But in addition to those scoring numbers, Cottle puts pressure on the opposition with her 6-5 frame.

Hebert-Truax said she feels Cottle’s confidence has improved, just as the other players have become more confident about Cottle.

“She realizes the team is going to go dependent on how she goes,” Hebert-Truax said.

Cottle is joined by Dimond’s Keiahnna Engel, Juneau-Douglas’ Brittany Fenumiai, Ketchikan’s Crystal Blair and West Anchorage’s Adrina LaVern-Tosi on the first team. Engel was named the 4A player of the year.

Cottle was one of two Warriors and four Valley players to be recognized by the Alaska coaches, who voted in the poll that was tabulated by Alaska Newspapers. Fellow Wasilla junior Celeste Colegrove was named an honorable mention.

Colony junior Kaitlyn Klapperich was named second-team all-state, while Colony sophomore Alyssa Hutchins was an honorable mention.

Juneau’s Taylor Larson, West’s Tessla Rennie, Ketchikan’s Alexis Edwardson and Soldotna’s Karen Senette were also named to the second-team. Senette earned NLC Player of the Year honors last week.

Alaska Newspapers Inc./Alaska Coaches Class 4A Girls All-State Basketball Team

Player of the Year — Keiahnna Engel, Dimond

Coach of the Year — Tim Helvey, West

FIRST TEAM

Keiahnna Engel, Dimond; Brittany Fenumiai, Juneau-Douglas; Crystal Blair, Ketchikan; Adrina LaVern-Tosi, West; Kelsey Cottle, Wasilla.

SECOND TEAM

Taylor Larson, Juneau-Douglas; Tessla Rennie, West; Alexis Edwardson, Ketchikan; Kaitlyn Klapperich, Colony; Karen Senette, Soldotna.

THIRD TEAM

Emily Watzke, Chugiak; Karli Brakes, Juneau-Douglas; Annette Highley, Juneau-Douglas; Lexi Sayer, Chugiak; Alex Brewster, South.

HONORABLE MENTION

Symphony Bagsby, Dimond; Celeste Colegrove, Wasilla; Joanna Garcia, Kodiak; Alyssa Hutchins, Colony; Hannah Mattson, West Valley; Ashleigh Owens, East; Kathleen Reno, Ketchikan; Rachel Schoenborn, East.