That was decided by the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association at its annual meeting held at Northern Michigan University in Marquette on March 30.

Four of them made it on the Divisions 1-3 or Division 4 First Team, with the other six earning placement on a Second Team.

Five players from around the U.P. were voted onto each First Team and 10 more on both Second Teams, though in Division 4 there were 11 chosen as there was a tie for the final spot.

The area girls who had already earned Dream Team recognition from our area were Gretel Johnson of Negaunee and Jenessa Eagle and Mya Hemmer of Ishpeming.

Negaunee’s Clare O'Donnell looks to pass during a game played against Westwood at the Miners’ gym in Negaunee on Dec. 19. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

Here are details on the selections:

First Team

Marquette’s Avery Osborne was the lone area representative on the Divisions 1-3 First Team, while Munising’s Addie Bowerman, Baraga’s Kara Roberts and Newberry’s Gracie Johnson gained entry on the Division 4 First Team.

Osborne, a 5-foot-6 guard who is one of the rare freshman to earn this high of an honor, had already been voted to the First Team in the Great Northern Conference.

She averaged 17.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.9 steals per game, scoring at least eight points in all but one Sentinels game. And she scored 34 in MSHS’ MHSAA Division 1 district championship game, a 51-41 victory over Traverse City Central on March 6.

Coach Ben Smith’s Sentinels made it to the D-1 regional semifinals before bowing out to Midland on March 9.

“She took on a strong role on both ends of the floor,” Smith said in comments supporting her nomination. “She handles herself and competes like a much older player.

“She drew a lot of attention from tough defenders and learned to play through it and get teammates involved as the season went on. She has a great knack for getting to the rim and playing through contact.

“Defensively, she used her athleticism to get rebounds, contest plays and force turnovers.”

Bowerman is a 5-11 sophomore forward for the Mustangs, who finished at 17-6 and won a game in their Division 4 district before bowing out to state champion Ishpeming.

She was a unanimous selection to the First Team in the Skyline Central Conference, also earning a berth on its All-Defensive Team.

She averaged 23.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, already having amassed 1,073 points in just two varsity seasons.

“Addie followed up her fantastic freshman season with an even better sophomore year,” Munising head coach Matt Mattson said in his support of her nomination. “Despite seeing constant double and triple teams, she averaged 23.7 points per game.

“Addie is an (All-U.P.) Dream Team, all-state type player who is a great representation of a student-athlete.”

Roberts, a 5-4 senior, led Baraga to a 20-4 record and Division 4 district win before bowing out to next-door rival L’Anse.

She was named to the Elite Team in the Copper Mountain Conference, averaging 18.7 points per game as she finished with 1,455 points.

Roberts was also an All-U.P. First Team honoree last year.

Johnson, a 5-9 sophomore, led the young Newberry team to a 19-3 record, including three district wins in D-4 before the Indians bowed out to Indian River Inland Lakes in the regional championship game.

The Eastern U.P. Conference Player of the Year, she averaged 20.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 2.3 assists per game for a team that defeated traditional area power St. Ignace three times in three tries.

Second Team

The six members of All-U.P. Second Teams came from six schools, spreading the wealth quite wide.

In Divisions 1-3, there was Lexi Curran of Marquette, Clare O’Donnell of Negaunee and Makayla Delmont of Gwinn, while in Division 4, it was Kwynn Voskuhl of L’Anse, Mya Hendrickson of Baraga and Sydney Duflo of Newberry.

Curran, a 5-3 senior guard, averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 steals and two assists per game for the Sentinels.

She was chosen for the GNC Second Team and also made its All-Defensive Team.

“Lexi is a scrappy leader that got us moving in the right direction,” Marquette’s Smith said. “She would battle anyone on the defensive end and hit big shots in key moments.

“(She) made huge strides in three years as a varsity player.”

O’Donnell, a 5-11 senior forward, averaged 8.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.3 steals and had 18 blocked shots for the 23-2 Miners.

She was named to the West PAC Dream Team and Mid-Peninsula First Team, the top honor squads in each league.

“Clare was asked to transform her game this season,” Negaunee coach Mike O’Donnell said in his supporting comments. “She’s always been strictly a post player and this year we transitioned her to play more on the perimeter. She was also asked to guard more perimeter players.

“Her ball handling skills, shooting and passing came a long way. She ended with the highest 3-point percentage on the team and still was the team’s leading rebounder for a majority of the season.”

Delmont, a 6-foot junior forward, helped the Modeltowners attain one of its better seasons in recent times at 9-13, having won a Division 3 district game before bowing out to Menominee.

She averaged 12.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, three assists and 2.2 steals per game while shooting 41% from the field and 70% on free throws, big increases in both percentages from the previous season.

“She doubled her assists over last year after receiving All-U.P. honorable mention last year,” Gwinn head coach Adam Ely said in his supporting comments. “She is the unquestioned leader of our team and gets all the opposing defenses’ attention.

“She is a versatile, five-level scorer who can shoot the 3-pointer with range, shoot an elbow jumper, drive to the basket, score in the post and get to the free throw line.

“A skilled and willing passer as the defense is so focused on her, she made an incredible jump this season defensively, turning into a versatile defender who could guard all five positions and do so without fouling.”

Voskuhl, a 5-8 sophomore guard who can play all positions, helped the Purple Hornets compile a 20-4 record, including a perfect 9-0 in the Copper Country Division of the CMC.

She was named to the First Team in the CMC’s Copper Country Division.

L’Anse won a pair of D-4 district games to take that title and didn’t bow out until the regionals to E-TC.

She has also played club basketball for Great Northern Elite.

Hendrickson is a 5-9 sophomore for Baraga who averaged 15 points and a big 11.6 rebounds per game. She was voted to the CMC’s Elite Team.

And Duflo is a 5-9 sophomore for Newberry who averaged 10.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 2.7 assists per game while being named to the EUP First Team.

Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.