There were supposed to be 30 elected to the teams — 15 each in Divisions 1-3 and Division 4 — though one tie at the end of the process put 31 on these squads.

And 10 of those 31 come from our area, which doesn’t include the five players named to the all-division Dream Team — Ethan Marta of Westwood, along with Tanner Theuerkauf of Menominee, Vic Giuliani of Forest Park, Liam Tourtillott of Dollar Bay and Gunner Bennin of Pickford.

Each division had five players overall elected to the First Team and 10 more on its Second Team, the extra 11th Second Teamer coming in Division 4 with a tie vote for 10th place.

This was all determined at the annual basketball meeting of the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association that was held at Northern Michigan University in Marquette on Monday.

Ishpeming’s John Wheeler lays up for two points during a game played against Manistique at the Hematites gym in Ishpeming on Jan. 2. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

First Team

Three First Teamers came from our area. In Divisions 1-3, they are Ford Richardson of Marquette, while from D-4, it’s Daniel Connor of Baraga and Sam Lee of L’Anse.

Each received a handful of votes for the Dream Team before being solid vote-getters for their respective First Teams.

Richardson, a 6-foot senior guard, led a rather balanced Sentinels squad in scoring at 15 points per game, one of three players averaging in double figures. He added in five rebounds and five assists each outing, too, in his second year as a starter and third year on varsity.

He was voted to the First Team in the Great Northern Conference, too.

Marquette head coach Rich Ledy reports he is headed off to Minnesota-Duluth to play football there, as he was also a standout on the gridiron in the fall.

“He is our best player,” Ledy said in comments supporting Richardson’s All-U.P. nomination. “(He is) a hard worker, great leader and catalyst for our offense.”

The Sentinels were named by acclimation — no vote was necessary — as the U.P. Team of the Year in Divisions 1-2.

MSHS finished at 18-8, beating five Lower Peninsula teams, including three in the MHSAA Division 1 tournament, where the Sentinels reached the regional finals before bowing out.

Connor, a 6-3 senior forward, has some massive stats for the 15-6 Vikings, averaging 23 points and 12 rebounds per game as he recorded 15 double-doubles.

He also contributed 1.5 blocked shots, one assist and one steal per game in being named to the Elite Team in the Copper Mountain Conference.

Lee, a 6-2 sophomore guard, led another 15-6 team from the southern end of Keweenaw Bay, the Purple Hornets, at 21.7 points and 6.3 rebounds a game, adding in 2.7 assists an outing as he made made 55% of his 2-point shots, 35% on 3s and 81% of his free throws.

Lee was also elected to the Elite Team of the Copper Mountain Conference.

Second Team

Interestingly, the seven Second Team honorees from our area came from seven schools, four in Divisions 1-3 and three more in Division 4.

In D 1-3 are John Wheeler of Ishpeming, Tristan Slater of Negaunee, Connor Fierstine of Marquette and Caden Balzarini of Westwood.

For D4, it’s Nolan Connaughton of Munising, Andrew Charlebois of Superior Central and Logan Thiele of Newberry.

Wheeler, a 6-5 senior center, led the Hematites averaging 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds a game, shooting 60.7% overall.

He stacked up some honors, winning West PAC Dream Team and Mid-Peninsula Conference Second Team while making the All-Defensive Team in each league.

Among his big games were 33 points and 12 rebounds vs. Gladstone, 13 points and 17 rebounds against Houghton, and 26 points and nine rebounds vs. Iron Mountain.

“John’s progression from his junior year to senior year was incredible,” Hematites head coach Paige Yoho said in comments supporting his nomination. “Statistically, it showed how much time he put in the off-season.

“He was a ‘Whatever you need me to do, coach’ type of leader for us and we relied heavily on utilizing him in all areas defensively and offensively. (He was) an animal on the boards and could score in multiple different ways.”

Ishpeming finished at 13-9 overall and 6-2 in the West PAC, winning a Division 3 district game before bowing out to state semifinalist Menominee in district semis.

Slater, a 6-foot senior guard-forward, put together 11.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game, shooting a team-best 47.1% from the floor.

He earned top honor squad awards in his leagues, Dream Team in the West PAC and First Team in the M-PC.

“He started 19 games (and) he was team captain and a great leader,” Miners head coach Bill Hill said.

NHS was 11-11 overall, but 7-1 in the West PAC, losing its only district game in overtime to Gladstone.

Fierstine, a 6-4 senior forward, joined Richardson in being named to the First Team in the GNC.

He averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game, making 81% on free throws.

In his second year starting and third year on varsity, Ledy reports he is most seriously considering attending and playing at Alma College or Calvin University in the Lower Peninsula.

“Connor is our top offensive big man,” the MSHS coach said in his supporting comments. “He led the team in offensive rebounds.”

Balzarini, a 6-2 senior forward, put up 10.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and two steals a game for the Patriots while shooting 55.5% overall from the field.

Named to the West PAC Dream Team and M-PC First Team, he had a 22-point, 8-rebound game vs. Ishpeming and in two games vs. Gladstone, had 16 points and 11 rebounds in one outing and 10 points and 14 rebounds in the other.

The Patriots put together a sterling 21-1 regular season, winning both the West PAC and M-PC with undefeated records before unexpectedly having their postseason cut short with a loss to Menominee in the Division 3 regional semifinals. The Maroons went on to the state semifinals at Michigan State University before themselves bowing out.

“Caden was the perfect sidekick for a superstar,” Westwood head coach Luke Gray said in his supporting comments, referring to Mr. U.P. Basketball Ethan Marta. “He would be a 20-point-per-game guy if he was the No. 1 option.

“One of the smartest, most opportunistic players we have had come through our program. He … stepped up in some of the biggest moments for us.

“(He was a) tremendous defensive player who had to run as center for us even though he is a natural wing.”

Gray gave Balzarini a lot of credit for the Pats allowing just 40 points per game while averaging 15 steals and forcing 23 turnovers per contest.

Connaughton, a 6-2 senior guard, averaged 16.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game for the Mustangs, who while a modest 6-14 overall, did win twice in their Division 4 district tournament before bowing out to North Dickinson.

He was named to the First Team in the Skyline Central Conference while also having won an Outstanding Student-Athlete Award from the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan.

“He was our primary ball handler, often carrying the bulk of the load against full-court pressure,” Munising head coach Terry Kienitz said in his supporting comments. “He was also our best defender and was often matched up against the other team’s leading scorer.

“Our team captain, he has a 4.0 (grade-point average).”

Charlebois, a junior, put up averages of 15.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and two steals per game while being named to the Skyline Central Defensive Team and its overall honorable mention.

Superior Central finished at 11-11 overall that included a 6-1 start.

Thiele, a 5-11 junior, put up numbers of 17.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.4 steals while making the First Team in the Eastern U.P. Conference.

Newberry was 10-8 overall and 6-6 in the EUP, using a 6-1 streak late in the season to finish above .500.

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