Wolverine’s Werner Tabbed M&O Player of the Year

After an undefeated M&O Conference season, it should be no surprise that the Crivitz Wolverines boys’ basketball team had four players earn all-conference honors this season.

Tegan Werner, a Wolverine junior, was named the conference’s most outstanding player and was a first-team selection.

A supremely well-rounded player, Werner was second in the conference with 17.5 points per game this season and was second in assists at four per game. He had a 2-1 turnover ratio and averaged 4.3 rebounds per game from the point guard position.

In addition, he showed off his range all season, shooting 43 percent from the 3-point line.

“The thing I appreciate most about Tegan is that he has no weaknesses,” Crivitz coach Jeff Baumann said. “He can handle the ball, he is an excellent defender, he has made himself into an excellent shooter, and he is a leader on the floor. I rely on him in all aspects of the game.”

After his junior season, Werner has 1,058 career points, having hit the 1,000 mark in the final conference game. It remains to be seen how high that total will soar in his senior season.

“I am very excited to see what next year brings for Tegan,” Baumann said. “Knowing how hard he works, the sky is the limit for him.”

Another player that made the first team and scored his 1,000th point this season is Sean Christiansen, the conference’s third-leading scorer at 16.8 points per game.

Christiansen finished his career with 1,128 points and led the conference in rebounds per game this season with 8.1 per contest, up from 6.2 per game last season.

“Sean has always been an excellent offensive player for us, but I really appreciate how hard he worked as a rebounder this year,” Baumann said. “Sean has been one of the most coachable players I have had the privilege of working with. He is a great teammate and he is very humble, but when he was on the floor, he played with intensity.”

Baumann also mentioned Christiansen’s active hands on defense, having led the Wolverines in steals two years in a row.

“I will miss Sean a great deal. He will be a very difficult player to replace,” Baumann said.

Jackson Flowers, a junior, and senior Brady Tadisch were honorable mentions.

Flowers averaged 9.9 points per game and tied for third in the conference with 6.8 rebounds per game. He finished fourth in the conference in blocks with 29.

“Jackson improved his game in every facet this year,” Baumann said. “He took on a much larger role in the offense with injuries to a couple seniors at the beginning of the season, and he played with much more confidence than he did as a sophomore.”

He’s another player that has big things in store next season.

“Jackson has as much natural ability as any player on my team,” Baumann said. “He just has to learn to play with more intensity at all times. When he does play with intensity, he is a difficult player to stop. If Jackson puts in the work this summer, I expect huge things from him as a senior.”

Known for his strong post play, Tadisch averaged 9.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest as a senior.

“Brady was an unbelievably strong player in the post,” Baumann said. “He dominated the paint in many games through sheer strength. He didn’t have much in the way of finesse, but he was effective with his power moves.”

That post presence, along with his personality, will be missed next season.

“Brady was a terrific player to coach this year,” Baumann said. “He was always smiling and it was great to see him having so much fun. I will really miss him next year and all of the things he brought to our team.”

The rest of the M&O first team was Coleman senior Evan Hockers, Oneida Nation junior Ethan Danforth, and Niagara sophomore Tommy Martin.

The Niagara underclassman averaged 14.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and four assists per game this season. He led the Badgers in every stat but assists.

“He is a great young man with a bright future,” Niagara coach Terry Youren said. “His hard work and dedication on the basketball court will definitely help him with his future endeavors in life.”

Niagara senior Nick Krueger was an M&O honorable mention. He scored 9.2 points per game across the entire season.
Hockers averaged 10.9 points per game across the regular season and led the Cougars with 6.8 rebounds per game.

“Evan Hockers demonstrated his guard skills this year while operating in the post. He could step out and make a three, drive, or find a cutter with the right pass at the right time,” Coleman coach Jeff Bronson said. “I am sure he would have liked to have a few more shots go in on some nights, but he was a large, large part of the conference success that we had.”

Hockers was one of four Cougars to make at least honorable mention on the boys’ side.

Senior Joe Olsen was a second-teamer and was honored as the conference’s top defensive player. Defensively, he had 45 steals and eight blocks in 25 games. His steals total was the Cougars’ best.

"I think this year showed his continued growth and development as a player. Joe ended up being our point guard though I am sure that he would have preferred to spend more time in the post,” Bronson said. “Strong, physical player who accepted the challenge to run a team that replaced five seniors from a conference co-champ the previous year.”

Junior Logan Kurth and sophomore Tyler Rennie were honorable mentions after scoring 10.8 and 8.5 points per game in the regular season, respectively.

“We had four guys that relied upon to score for us on a nightly basis, so it was nice to see Evan, Joe, and then Logan and Tyler rewarded for the year that they had,” Bronson said.

It will be Kurth and Rennie leading the charge next season as the Cougars look to reclaim a spot at or near the top of the conference.

“We once again lose five seniors, Evan and Joe and then Mitchell VanDeWalle, Trent Mongin, and Hunter Shevy, so we will look heavily upon Logan and Tyler to gel the next group,” Bronson said.

The rest of the second team included two Gillett players in sophomore Jesse DeBauch and senior Austin VandeCorput, a duo that led the Tigers to a third-place finish in the M&O at 11-5.

Coach Russ Young felt his players deserved spots on the first team.

“I am disappointed that Jesse and Austin were not considered top five by conference coaches,” Young said. Jesse was top three in scoring and assists in conference-only games. Austin was top five in points and rebounds in conference-only games. Defensively both were outstanding.”

Including non-conference games, DeBauch averaged 15.8 points per game and VandeCorput scored 14 per night. They averaged 5.1 and 5.7 rebounds per game, respectively.

“Jesse is one of the most complete players I have coached,” Young said. “He and Austin were able to play anything from point to post.”

Also on the second team were Suring senior Ethan Lally and Wausaukee senior Layne Rowley.

Lally averaged 12.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 2.2 assists per game.

“Ethan was a great senior and leader for our program,” Suring coach Joe Lojpersberger said. “He loves the game of basketball and it shows in his work ethic and positive attitude. He showed up to work every day and led with a fiery determination to get better everyday.”

Rowley led Wausaukee in scoring with 15.5 points per game and rebounding with eight per night.

“Layne was a force to be reckoned with in the paint. He was the focal point of our offense and had to work hard every game to get good shots as he was often the recipient of double teams,” Wausaukee coach Jon Betts said. “He is not as big as some other post players we played against, but he was able to use leverage and footwork to hold his own.”

Wausaukee junior Connor Schroeder was an honorable mention, along with Lena senior Reed Hosking, Saint Thomas Aquinas Academy senior Ethan Braley, STAA freshman Caleb Duvall, and Oneida Nation junior Marqus Thayer.