Elma senior center Jalyn Sackrider has a new accolade she can add to her stellar prep career: Back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards.
Sackrider averaged 17.1 points-per-game to lead the Eagles to a share of the league title and No. 1 seed to earn her second consecutive 1A Evergreen League MVP award as league officials announced its all-league honors on Monday.
The 6-foot-3 Sackrider raised her game in her final season as an Eagle, scoring nearly four points more per game and leading an injury-riddled Elma team to a share of the league title with Montesano.
“Everyday she puts in the pre-practice workout and each game she is more critical on herself,” Elma head coach Lisa Johnson, who won the league’s Coach of the Year honor, said of her star center.
In their most important game since last season’s state run, Sackrider scored 27 points to lead Elma to a 60-51 victory over Montesano on Saturday. The win gave Elma a share of the league title and the No. 1 seed entering the District 4 playoffs this week.
Sackrider’s performance in that game was what typifies her MVP status, according to Johnson.
“She strives to be the best and that game against Monte pushed her to be her best,” she said.”
Sackrider was joined on the First Team by teammates Kali Rambo (12.3 ppg) and Quin Mikel (8.6 ppg). It was Mikel’s third straight First Team selection and the second in a row for Rambo.
Arch-rival Montesano was also well-represented on the First Team as the Bulldogs’ top two scorers —senior Zoe Hutchings (16.3 ppg) and freshman McKynnlie Dalan (13.5 ppg) —were named to the all-league’s first squad.
Monte’s Paige Lisherness, Elma’s Jillian Bieker and Hoquiam’s Maddie German were named to the all-league Second Team.
Honorable Mentions went to Elma’s Kayli Johnson and Monte’s Cassadie Golding.
Montesano guard Carter Olsen was named to the 1A Evergreen League All-League First Team after averaging nearly 10 points-per-game in his senior season. (Daily World file photo)
The 1A Evergreen League boys First Team featured four local athletes that had outstanding seasons to earn their first All-League, First Team nods in 2019-20.
Montesano seniors Trace Ridgway (11.3 ppg) and Carter Olsen (9.9 ppg) were both named to the First Team after leading the Bulldogs to a 15-5 overall record and perfect 8-0 record in league, guiding Monte to the league title in the process.
Sharpshooters Sawyer Witt of Elma (10.6 ppg) and Hoquiam’s Cameron Bumstead (13.8 ppg) were also named to the First Team on Monday, each have scored over 30 points in a game this season.
Monte’s Braden Dohrmann (6.1 ppg) and Wesley Bjornsgard (8.9 ppg) were named to the second team as was Elma’s Brady Johnston (11 ppg) and Houqiam’s Zach Elsos (7.3 ppg).
Monte’s Cole Daniels and Ben Wills; Elma’s Nick Church, Canon Seaberg and Cobey Moore; and Hoquiam’s Ben Estes and Cayden Kempf were named as All-League Honorable Mentions.
Forks’s Trey Baysinger and Tony Flores were named co-league MVPs while the co-Coach of the Year award went to Monte’s Doug Galloway for leading the Bulldogs to a league title and Elma’s Jeff Niemi, who guided the Eagles to a tie for second-place after a nine-win improvement over last season.
The complete boys and girls 1A Evergreen All-League Basketball Teams are as follows:
Hoquiam senior Cameron Bumstead was named to the 1A Evergreen All-League First Team after leading the Grizzlies with 13.8 points-per-game this season. (Daily World file photo) Elma’s Jalyn Sackrider (3) was named the 1A Evergreen League MVP for the second consecutive season the league announced on Monday. Sackrider is flanked by Montesano’s McKynnlie Dalan (34) and Zoe Hutchings, who were also named to the all-league team. (Daily World file photo)
Elma’s Jalyn Sackrider (3) was named the 1A Evergreen League MVP for the second consecutive season the league announced on Monday. Sackrider is flanked by Montesano’s McKynnlie Dalan (34) and Zoe Hutchings, who were also named to the all-league team. (Daily World file photo)
