The 2023-2024 basketball season was a banner year for girls in the Iola area, with the smaller schools in the Three Rivers League, particularly, fielding several standouts earning honors.
Three players from the league champion Crest High Lady Lancers, three from Class 1A-I Substate finalist Marmaton Valley and one from upstart Yates Center helped fill the list.
Few players shined as brightly as Marmaton Valley senior Janae Granere, the only unanimous first-team selection this season.
Granere, who has racked up postseason accolades in volleyball, basketball and track and field throughout her high school career, ended with a flourish.
She averaged 17.3 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 steals and two assists for the 15-6 Wildcats, who advanced to the Substate championship game.
This marked the fourth consecutive year Granere earned all-league recognition.
Also making it 4-for-4 in terms of TRL honors was Crest senior Kayla Hermreck. She was joined on the first-team all-league listings with sophomore teammate Aylee Beckmon.
Hermreck and Beckmon headlined a historic year for the Lady Lancers, who went undefeated through league play at 11-0 to capture the school’s first TRL title since 2001 and secured Crest’s first winning season since 2004.
Hermreck averaged 7.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.5 steals and one assist per game. Beckmon led Crest in scoring at 8.5 points per game, and averaged 3 steals and 1.5 assists.
MARMATON Valley seniors Maria Forero and Payton Scharff earned second-team all-league recognition.
Forero, a foreign exchange student from Spain, averaged 8.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists and a whopping 3.6 steals per contest.
Scharff ripped the nets for an average of 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 2 steals.
EARNING all-league honorable mention were the sophomore sensations from Crest, Kinley Edgerton, and Yates Center, Kinley Morrison.
Edgerton averaged 6.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2 steals, 1.5 blocks and more than 1 assist per game.
Morrison led a contingent of youngsters on the Wildcat squad, which experienced growing pains early in the year, but continued to show why the future is bright in Yates Center.
