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It’s unanimous: McKinney one of best players in NCC

Lynx career scoring leader now a two-time first-team selection; Hoversten on third team

Taylor McKinney surveys the floor during a game against Clarion-Goldfield-Dows in January. She became the Webster City career scoring leader that night. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

WEBSTER CITY — Taylor McKinney continued her assault on the Webster City girls’ basketball record book this winter and the numbers she put up left a lasting impression on the coaches in the North Central Conference.

For the second straight season, the Lynx junior guard was named to the all-NCC first team, it was announced Sunday night. McKinney was one of five first-team members to be a unanimous choice.

“It means everything,” McKinney, who was a second-team selection as a freshman, said of the latest honor. “At the top is where everyone wants to be. I want to be with all of the best players in the conference.”

Algona’s Aliyah Buscher and Abbey Holmes, Iowa Falls-Alden’s Grace Renaud and Clear Lake’s Sara Faber were also unanimous selections. Iowa Falls-Alden’s Katie Meyer occupied the sixth and final slot on the first team.

It was a junior-dominated list of all-conference honorees. Four of the six first-team members are juniors. One junior and three sophomores earned second-team nods, while five more juniors, including WCHS forward Grace Hoversten, collected third-team accolades.

WCHS junior Grace Hoversten (34) has been named to the all-NCC third team by the league’s coaches. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

McKinney sprinkled her name in the WCHS single-game, single-season and career record books this season while averaging 16.3 points per game, third-best in the league behind Faber (18.2) and Holmes (17.0).

McKinney became the Lynx all-time leading 5-player scorer in late January when she passed Kayleigh Epps. She will enter her senior campaign next winter with 971 points, just 29 shy of becoming the first 1,000-point scorer in program history. She also continued to add to her career 3-point field goals made mark; it currently sits at 136.

McKinney also moved past Epps and into the No. 1 slot in career field goals with 341.

McKinney broke her own single-game scoring record with 40 points against Humboldt in January and set the single-game 3-pointers record with 11 against Pocahontas Area in late November.

As for single-season records, McKinney currently owns two. She drained 52 3s this season, which topped her own mark of 50 from a season ago, and she shot 86 percent at the free throw line this season to eclipse another mark.

McKinney also led WCHS in steals (59) and was second in assists (39) this winter.

Hoversten ranked second on the team in scoring at 6.8 points per game while shooting 34 percent from the floor. She was the team leader in rebounds (8.7 per game), assists (50) and blocked shots (32).

All-North Central Conference Teams

Girls Basketball

First Team

Player Gr School

*Taylor McKinney Jr Web City

*Grace Renaud Sr IF-Alden

*Aliyah Buscher Jr Algona

*Sara Faber Jr Cl. Lake

*Abbey Holmes Jr Algona

Katie Meyer Sr IF-Alden

*Unanimous Selection

Second Team

Player Gr School

Madalyn Juhl Sr IF-Alden

Kameryn Etherington Jr Algona

Julia Merfeld Sr Cl. Lake

Darby Dodd So IF-Alden

Zoe Fasbender So Cl. Lake

Raven Kinnetz So CGD

Third Team

Player Gr School

Grace Hoversten Jr Web City

Erin Flattery Sr St. Ed

Nicole Smidt Sr Algona

Lexi Fasbender Jr Cl. Lake

Courtney Harle Jr CGD

Mady Lange Jr Humb

Courtney Miller Jr H-D

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