Kaczmarek named top girls basketball player in M&O

Gillett Secondary School’s Carleigh Kaczmarek capped her senior season by being named the Most Outstanding Player in the Marinette & Oconto Conference.

Kaczmarek was one of four seniors to make the all-conference first team.

The one non-senior to make the first team was Lena sophomore Eva Brooks.

Suring senior Christine Sleeter landed on the second team, while senior teammate Mackenzie Bailey made the honorable mention list. Gillett sophomore Cilena Guns and Lena senior Natalie McNurlen were also honorable mentions this winter.

Kaczmarek averaged about 15 points a game for Gillett. She was an efficient shooter, finishing around 45% overall and above 30% from behind the 3-point line.

Despite being a guard, Kaczmarek still averaged about five rebounds a game. She led the team with roughly three assists and four steals per contest.

“Being named top player my senior year was very special to me,” said Kaczmarek. “Last year when the all-conference awards came out my former coach (Justin Daul) came to me and said, ‘you know what you got to do.’ It was another goal I set in my mind besides making the WBCA All-Star Game.

“It’s so amazing that I know the countless hours and shots I put up in the gym when no one else sees or does has paid off. I have been in the gym year round for the past three years. From before school to late nights with my dad in the gym, it’s so rewarding for it to finally show and pay off.”

Guns was second on the team in scoring with over 13 points a game, shooting above 45%.

She led the team with nearly seven boards a game while also averaging over an assist and steal per contest.

“Receiving honorable my freshman and sophomore seasons, I have big shoes to fill for next season,” said Guns. “We will be a young team and will definitely have to put the work in. I plan to really push myself in the offseason to overall better my game and focus on being a good teammate and positive leader going into next season.”

Brooks was Lena’s top scorer in M&O play, averaging 14.4 points a contest. She converted nearly 48% of her shot attempts.

Brooks grabbed 11.2 rebounds a game to average a double-double. The sophomore also averaged 3.1 blocks, 2.1 steals and 2.1 assists.

“I will use the motivation from this into my upcoming seasons by being a stronger leader for my teammates and encourage them to want to get better throughout the season,” said Brooks of the conference honor. “I think this will motivate me to reach my goals throughout my basketball career and to push myself through the season to be the best teammate, leader, and athlete I can be.”

McNurlen was enjoying a strong senior season for the Wildcats before she tore her ACL and meniscus in a game on Jan. 13.

Despite playing only nine games, she still had the respect from the conference’s opposing coaches.

“It is very special to me to even be recognized after only getting to play half a season,” said McNurlen. “All the work from freshman year I put in to help build our program went a long way finishing as a top three team this year. Sitting on the bench the second half of the season is obviously not where I thought this season was going to take me, but I am super proud of my team for what they accomplished without me.”

In her nine M&O contests, McNurlen averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.3 steals.

Sleeter averaged 16.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, 1.9 steals and 1.3 assists on her way to a second team spot.

“Being named second team is a very nice accomplishment for my senior year,” said Sleeter. “I feel like this shows all my hard work that I have done since my freshman year. I’m proud to be on the second team. I definitely couldn’t have done it without my coaches.”

Bailey averaged 9.4 points a game and was another leader for the Eagles. She was also one of the top defenders in the conference, often getting the assignment of the opponent’s top player.

“It’s an honor to be named an honorable mention all-conference player,” said Bailey. “This year was probably my best year as a player. I’ve grown so much throughout the last four years.

“The end of the season didn’t go as we would have liked it. I would like to thank our coach Mr. (Mitch) Woulf for pushing us so hard for the last four years. He put his heart and soul into our team and allowed me to grow as a player. Without our coaches, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this my senior year.”

Coleman won the M&O with a 16-0 record. Lena was third at 12-4, while Gillett and Suring tied for fourth at 9-7.

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