Dodson, North Country coaches talk All-Conference

Phillips County basketball was well represented in the 2021 3C District All-Conference lists.

The North Country Lady Mavericks, who finished third at the Girls State C Tournament a few weeks ago landed four of the team's starters on the district list; Jaycee Erickson, Teagan Erickson, Paige Wasson, and Kora LaBrie. Sixth-man Zandora Longtree was also named to the list. Three of the starters, J. Erickson, T. Erickson, and Wasson were named to the All-State list and earned a spot on the Defensive Team.

Dodson's Kataya KillEagle was also tabbed for the All-State list.

On the boys' side of the 3C All-Conference listing, Dodson and North Country both landed two athletes on the list.

For Dodson, Mikey Jaynes and Kadin Racine earned all Conference Honors. Jaynes was also named to the Defensive Team.

For North Country, Trey Johnson and Aiden Albus were named to the All-Conference team. Johnson also earned a spot on the Defensive Team.

The PCN caught up with the head coaches of all four teams to talk about each of their athletes that earn All-Conference honors.

DODSON COYOTES

Dodson Coach Ro Wiggins said that he knew what to expect from Jaynes, after talking to him before the regular season.

"I knew that he had a chip on his shoulder coming back his junior year," Coach Wiggins said. "I knew that he would be feisty and play with that fire that our team needed whether we were up or down."

Jaynes battled and defeated childhood cancer during his freshman year.

"I couldn't be more proud of him because it hasn't been an easy journey for him, personally, off of the court, so that kid is more than deserving and you never have to question his heart," Coach Wiggins said.

Kadin Racine was a captain and leader for the Coyotes this season. In naming Racine the team captain, Coach Wiggins saw potential in the senior that was recognized throughout the conference after a strong season.

"His senior year felt like his coming-out party," Coach Wiggins said. "He was more comfortable. He was in the best shape of his entire high school playing career."

Coach Wiggins said that if he needed an athlete to score, Racine would do so, and if he needed a defensive stop, Racine would make a play on defense.

"His emotions would always be intact," He said. "Whether win or lose, you could definitely tell that he cared about the game."

Coach Wiggins was excited to see the growth in both Jaynes and Racine this past season and he looks forward to seeing their growth on and off the court.

"I look forward to seeing Kadin do great things with his life and Mikey is already getting back to the vibe and putting in work for his senior season himself," Coach Wiggins said. "Congratulations to those boys. They really represented our program really well."

NORTH COUNTRY MAVERICKS

Mavericks Head Coach Barry Malone first talked about Aiden Albus, a senior, who did not start last season.

"Aiden was probably the most improved player from the year before," Coach Malone said. "He played mostly JV last year with very limited varsity playing time. He was one of our most consistent scorers."

The team's lone returning starter, senior Trey Johnson, has been a starter for most of his high school career. This season, Johnson was tasked with playing with athletes with little to no experience.

"Trey was our only returning starter from last year and was in the shadows of a team loaded heavily with seniors," Coach Malone said. "Many teams looked to shut him down in most of the games. His defensive presence underneath intimidated many offensive players."

DODSON LADY COYOTES

Coach Clayton KillEagle, spoke well of Kataya KillEagle, the team's lone selection.

"Kataya, our super sophomore, is a third-year starter for the Dodson Lady Coyote program. She began her varsity career as an 8th grader and showed signs of early success with basketball knocking down big-time shots and defensive plays. I took on the head coaching role her freshman year. She always had the drive to get better, with the ability to do so. She is now a second-time All-Conference selection and a first-time All-State selection. She continues to grind in the off-season and is now obsessed with the sport and improving. She is a true student of the game and I wish her well as she heads into the final two years of her high school basketball career."

LADY MAVERICKS

Despite being the largest group represented in all of 3C basketball, Coach Amber Erickson took the time to talk about each of her All-Conference athletes. Here are her notes in their entirety.

Jaycee Erickson: Jaycee had a great senior year helping to lead our team to a Conference Championship, District Championship, Eastern C Divisional Runner Up and a 3rd place finish at the State C Tournament. She has been a four-year starter for us at the point guard position and it has been so much fun to watch her develop her game and grow as a player and leader over the last four years. She brings a lot of intensity and toughness to both ends of the floor and we are definitely going to miss her next year. Jaycee finished her career as a 4x All-Conference, 4x defensive team, and 3x All-State player. She averaged 12.9 pts, 3.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.6 steals while shooting 75% from the free-throw line. I am excited for her to continue her basketball career at the college level, joining her cousin Kia Wasson at Montana Tech as a Lady Oredigger.

Zandora Longtree: Zandora finished out her basketball career with the Lady Mavericks earning a spot on the All-Conference list. She had a great season coming off the bench and being the spark that we needed every night. Z is a great three-point shooter and has always had a natural flow and understanding of the game. It was fun to see her play so poised this year and her growth as both a person and player over her last four years has been amazing!

Kora LaBrie: Kora came in as a second-year starter for us this season. She is a tenacious player who plays with a lot of hustle and heart. She is tough-minded and just gets after it on both ends of the floor every day. This is her first year on the All-Conference list and she is very deserving of this honor as she puts in a ton of time in the off-season working on her game. I thought Kora really stepped up and played strong in our post-season especially at the State Tournament averaging 6 pts and 2 rebounds in our four state games.

Paige Wasson: Paige made both All-Conference and All-State as a freshman last year so it's no surprise she not only landed herself on both those lists again this season but also on the all-defensive team as well for the District 3-C. Paige is a very explosive offensive player that can score from anywhere on the floor. She is a great shooter with a deadly pull-up jumper but can also get to the hole with her speed and athleticism. She is lengthy and causes a lot of problems for people defensively as well. Paige finished her sophomore year averaging 13.3 pts, 5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2 steals. She also led our team in field goal percentage, shooting 55.8% from the floor for the season.

Teagan Erickson: Teagan also made both All-Conference and All-State as a freshman last year and has continued to improve her game landing her also on the all-defensive team this season. She is a very versatile player who can shoot from the 3pt line, pull up for the jumper, get to the hole, or score with her back to the basket. Teagan is a very unselfish player and a great passer who is very effective at the hi-post, with her height she does a great job seeing the floor and finding the open player. Her biggest presence was probably on the defensive end this season, altering shots and protecting the paint, and really learned to attack the boards both offensively and defensively. She finished the season averaging 11.7 pts, 8.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.7 blocked shots.

It was another great season for us and this team was so fun to coach! They developed great team chemistry as the season progressed and it was so much fun to watch them celebrate each other's successes. I feel blessed to coach amazing players that are committed to this game and our program and even more important I get to coach kids that are great people. We will really miss Jaycee and Zandora next season but I know they will be very successful as they move onto their next stage of life and I want to thank them for leaving their mark on this program and wish them nothing but the best!