Festus leads JCAA Large-School basketball all-conference teams

Logo courtesy of conference schools.

(Jefferson County) This year’s high school basketball season has come to a close, and coaches from the Jefferson County Activities Association are honoring the top players by naming all-conference in the Large-School Division.

On the boys’ side, the conference-champion Festus Tigers took home the biggest honors.

All 5 Festus starters earned all-conference honors, with senior guard Cole Rickermann being named the JCAA Large-School Division’s most valuable player.

Rickermann set career highs in overall field goal percentage and 3-point shooting, averaging a team-high 15 points per game while helping Festus go 21-6 and reach a district championship game for the first time in 9 years.

Tigers head coach Jason Therrell was named the league’s Coach of the Year, while junior point guard Arhmad Branch joined Rickermann on the all-conference first team.

Also making first-team was sharpshooting Windsor Owls junior guard Max Hartmann, who averaged almost 13 points a game this season.

The Hillsboro Hawks‘ dynamic duo of senior Kyle Phipps and junior Noah Holland combined for almost 38 points per game and were both named first-team all-conference.

The second team featured Perryville Pirates senior Jackie Truong; Festus senior Eric Ruess; Hillsboro junior Kieren Jones; and Windsor sophomores A.J. Patrick and Brenton Shirk.

Honorable mentions went to DeSoto Dragons sophomore Cole McClinton; Perryville junior Andrew Terbrak; Windsor junior Nolan Hirth; Hillsboro sophomore Luka Pool; and Festus seniors Connor Westhoff and Collin Weinhaus.

In the girls’ Large-School Division, the conference MVP is shared by a pair of juniors in Josie Allen of Festus and Kyla Schnurbusch of Perryville.

Both players proved their all-around talents this season.

Allen averaged almost 16 points, 3 assists and 3 steals per contest, while Schnurbusch finished with an average of 14 points, 5 assists and 4 steals.

Pirates sophomore Brooklyn Moll joined Schnurbusch as first-team all-conference, and head coach Angela Fulton was named the league’s Coach of the Year.

Senior Kinsey Benack made it 2 Tigers on the first team, and Hillsboro sophomore Kaylee Hilton rounded out the top five.

Second-team all-conference included 3 Owls in Windsor junior Reagan Daly and seniors Riley Siegel and Peyton Montgomery.

Also on the second team is Perryville senior Ciara Ehlers; Festus senior Emily Holt; and DeSoto senior Trista Grobe.

Honorable mentions have been given to Hillsboro sophomore Bailey Scallet; Festus junior Mya Courtois; DeSoto junior Jami Smith; and Perryville junior Rachel Riney.