Wapsie Valley’s Briggs Boehme and Oelwein’s Conall Sauser were recently named to the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association All-Substate team for their respective substate brackets recently.
Boehme was one of eight selections and one of three juniors to the Class 1A Substate list. The junior point guard averaged 19.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He was 30th in Class 1A in points per game and 121st in assists per game.
He was 47 for 164 from 3-point range.
“I think the biggest thing that sticks out about Briggs was not only did he lead our team in scoring this year he also was our team leader in assists,” head coach Marty McKowen said.
Boehme was also named to the North Iowa Cedar League East first team; he ranked second in the division in points per game, fifth in assists and tied for third in steals.
“It feels great being named all-conference and all-substate,” Boehme said. “Those were some of my personal goals for the season, but the big goal was to make a deep postseason run. Big thanks to my teammates, none of this would he possible without the help of them. Proud of how the team battled against Marquette Catholic, the No. 1 team in the state, but just came up short. Looking forward to next year.”
Sauser was named to the Class 2A Substate 3 eight-player list; he is one of six seniors listed. The senior forward averaged 14.5 points per game, 8.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
He ranked 18th in Class 2A in rebounds per game and 79th in points per game.
Sauser was also named first team NICL East.
“Conall earned first team all conference three times and all-substate twice in his career,” head coach Michael Mohlis said. “Conall earning academic all-state is an amazing feat. These guys are hand selected by the Iowa Boys Coaches Association, 22 total players in the state were selected in all classes. Conall was able to be one of those top 22 who excelled on the court but more importantly in the classroom. Great honor and deserving honor for Conall.”
Sauser ranked fourth in the NICL East in rebounds per game, fifth in blocks and fifth in points.
“Being named all-substate is an incredible honor, and I’m truly grateful for the recognition,” Sauser said. “While the season didn’t go exactly as we had hoped, the team’s dedication, and effort made a huge impact on pushing me to get better, and I’ve learned a lot from our time together, even during the tough moments.”
Oelwein’s Brady Burkhart and Wapsie Valley’s Jayden Griese were named second-team all-NICL East.
“Brady earned second team all-conference for the second time,” Mohlis said. “I am very proud of these guys and their accomplishments on and off the court. Both led our team well through their great effort levels they always displayed.”
Burkhart averaged 9.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals. He ranked 12th in assists, 14th in points and 16th in rebounds per game.
“Our conference plays really good basketball, with two teams that went to state form our pod,” Burkhart said. “So, it’s pretty cool being named all-conference. Not the season we dreamed of, but it was fun to play one last season with my friends.”
Griese averaged 8 rebounds, 1.9 points and 1.1 blocks per game. He ranked second in blocks per game, sixth in rebounds and 17th in points.
“Jayden was our leader in rebounding this year and had the highest shooting percentage for us,” McKowen said. “Both young men were great to coach.”
Sumner-Fredericksburg saw three Cougars named all-conference. Tatum Nuss and Liam Steege were named first team and Gavin Trask was named second team.
Nuss averaged 15 points, 4.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds — ranked second in assists, fourth in scoring and tied for 17th in rebounds.
“Tatum Nuss is a great athlete with a strong competitive drive,” head coach Mike Quigley said. “His coachability sets him apart from his peers, he’s always willing to do whatever it takes to help the team succeed. Tatum’s presence on the court was invaluable.”
Liam Steege averaged 10.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals. He ranked 10th in scoring, seventh in steals and 20th in assists.
“I am grateful for the recognition of all the hard work and dedication that the team put in this year,” the sophomore said. “I wouldn’t have earned all-conference without the help of my teammates, coaches, and support system. It was a very fun and eventful season.”
Added Quigley: “Liam Steege became a more confident and effective player with-in our system. He has a lot of potential to continue developing, and I’m excited to see where his game goes from here.”
Trask averaged 9.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1 block per game. He ranked third in blocks, seventh in rebounds and 13th in points.
“I am very grateful for recognition that I received from others, but it couldn’t happen without the help from my teammates, coaches, and my family,” Trask said.
Said Quigley: “Gavin Trask put in the time to improve his footwork, positioning, and overall presence in the paint. Defensively, he anchored us inside, and offensively, he was the focal point of our post success.”
