New Faces Dot Wildcats Roster This Year

Members of the 2016-17 Durant girl’s basketball team are front row, l-r: Aubrey Werthmann, Emily Seligman, Amanda Wiese, Autumn Wiese and McKenzie Moeller. Middle row: Kelly Alexander, Emilee Voss, Kaitlyn Wiese and Hannah Happ. Back row: Lauren Ralfs, manager Jayln Bullard, head coach Doug Frett, assistant coach Shelby Paustian and Brittany Kahl. Absent: Annie Taylor, manager Tori Dierikx. Photo by Ryan Stonebraker. 

By Ryan Stonebraker

Sports Editor, Tipton Conservative

DURANT — The Durant girl’s basketball team lost a lot of players from last year’s Regional Final team that lost on a last second shot by West Branch.  The Wildcats finished the season 18-6.  The two year run the Wildcats had with two Regional Final appearances and 34 combined wins were the best back-to-back seasons in a long time for the program.  

Durant graduated a big senior class of 9 players, including starters Janey Botkins (14.4 ppg 80 made 3’s), Shannon Telsrow (10.5 ppg, 64 steals, 63 assists), Brinn Grunder (6.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and Miranda Cox (5.1 ppg).  Botkins plays and starts for the Simpson women’s basketball team and Grunder is at Upper Iowa on a track scholarship.

This year’s team will be different.  The Wildcats will be a young team and returning to lead them is senior starter and All-RVC South Division player Aubrey Werthmann.  Werthmann averaged 10.1 points a game and was second on the team last year with 33 made three pointers.  She was second in rebounding (99), assists (59) and Steals (45).  Werthmann became a fine option on the wing last season when teams tried to hold Botkins’ scoring attempts down, especially from the perimeter.  Werthmann scored in double figures in 12 of the 24 Durant games last year and led the Wildcats in scoring in three games.  She had a season high of 17 points in wins over Calamus-Wheatland and NE Goose Lake and 16 points in two other games.

Seniors Autumn Wolf (3.8 ppg, 66 rebounds), Kate Alexander and Emilee Voss also return.  Also back is sophomore Hannah Happ.

“We will have a young team with inexperience at the varsity level,” said Durant girl’s basketball coach Doug Frett.  

“Other than Aubrey and Autumn, we don’t have a lot of scoring back and we will be looking for kids to step up,” he said.

Durant will get an infusion of talent from a junior varsity team that hovered around .500 last season.  Coming up from that team will be sophomores Hannah Happ a quick guard and Annie Taylor, along with juniors McKenzie Moeller, Kaitlyn Wiese, Lauren Ralfs, Brittany Kahl, Emily Seligman and Amanda Wiese.

“We lost a lot of players from last year with a big senior class.  We will be fine out there though, it may take some time.  We have to get confidence in our shots and it will take awhile to get comfortable on the court with a lot of new faces in bigger roles this year,” said Frett.

Durant will miss two possible contributors this year in sophomores Ruby Kappeler and Kamryn Meyer.  Kappeler a guard and Meyer a forward earned All-Conference honors this past softball season and in volleyball this past fall.  That experience would have help guide the young Wildcat team.

Durant will rely on the inside-out potential of Werthmann and Wolf to start the season until the young players get their feet wet.

“Their development will be key to not only this year, but next year too.  We could be one of the most experienced teams in the RVC going into next season,” said Frett.

“A big thing will be getting them on the floor, getting the experience and getting a lot of minutes.  It is all different speed at the varsity level as well as the physical play of the RVC.  They have worked hard and played well so far,” he said.

The Wildcats play the first of three non-conference games to start the season at Mount Pleasant.  The Wildcats travel to Bellevue Marquette before Christmas break and host Midland after Christmas break.  Durant plays 10 games before Christmas break, six of which are on the road.

Durant Wildcats

2015-16 Record: 18-6

2015-16 RVC Record: 13-5

2015-16 Postseason: 2/16 - Durant 54, North Cedar 40; 2/19 - Durant 66, Bellevue 49; 2/22 - West Branch 44, Durant 42

2015-16 All-Conference RVC Picks: Janey Botkins (14.4 ppg) Elite Team; Aubrey Werthmann, Shannon Telsrow - RVC South Divisional Team; Brinn Grunder - RVC Honorable Mention.

Returning Starters (1): Aubrey Werthmann (10.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 59 Assists, 45 Steals).

2016-17 Roster: Seniors — Emilee Voss, Aubrey Werthmann, Kelly Alexander, Autumn Wolf.  Juniors — Amanda Wiese, Emily Seligman, Brittany Kahl, Lauren Ralfs, Kaitlyn Wiese, McKenzie Moeller.  Sophomores — Hannah Happ, Annie Taylor.