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The five players selected to the all-Messenger area basketball team have several things in common.
All of them are versatile players willing to do anything and everything on the court to see their team succeed.
And this past winter, that's exactly what they did, combining to post a record of 96-26, including three 20-plus win seasons.
Bishop Garrigan's Jenna Boelter was the lone senior selected, as juniors Olivia Larsen of Newell Fonda, Madison Jones from South Central Calhoun and Taylor Houska of East Sac County joined her.
Rounding out the honor team is sophomore Chloe Lofstrom from North Union.
Boelter and the Golden Bears advanced to the Class 1A state tournament, Larsen and the Mustangs made it to the 1A title game and Lofstrom helped the Warriors reach the 2A semifinals.
To be considered for the all-Messenger area team, players had to earn either all-state honors from the Iowa Professional Sports Writers Association or Iowa Girls Coaches Association, be named all-regional by the IGCA or be first team all-conference.
ALL-MESSENGER AREA GIRLS BASKETBALL
First Team
Jenna Boelter, Bishop Garrigan, sr.
Bishop Garrigan senior Jenna Boelter helped end an 18-year state tournament drought for the Golden Bears this winter, as they qualified in Class 1A.
Boelter finished second in the entire state in made 3-pointers, knocking down 96. She averaged 20 points per game and was a 43 percent shooter from the field and 42 percent from deep.
Her 243 attempted triples ranked third in all classes. Boelter was also the team-leader for steals (89) and assists (77).
Boelter also secured first team all-state honors by the IPSWA and IGCA, along with first team Top of the Iowa Conference West division status.
During the year, Boelter scored 35 points against Lake Mills for her high. She hit seven 3-pointers in a regional win over West Bend-Mallard and also had 12 steals vs. Belmond-Klemme.
Olivia Larsen, Newell-Fonda, jr.
On a team known for spreading the ball around, Olivia Larsen still managed to post almost 20 points per game, ranking eighth in the state in total points with 531.
The junior shot 49 percent from the floor and made 43 three-pointers. Larsen was fourth in the state with 140 steals and also had 131 assists. She was just one of five players to record triple digits in steals and assists.
Larsen was also tabbed all-state by the IPSWA and IGCA to go with first team all-Twin Lakes Conference status.
The Mustangs advanced to the Class 1A state championship game and Larsen earned all-tournament honors for her efforts.
Larsen's season highs included 32 points vs. Manson Northwest Webster, eight assists vs. Pocahontas Area, 13 steals vs. OA-BCIG and 17 rebounds vs. Estherville-LC.
Maddie Jones, South Central Calhoun, jr.
To say Maddie Jones played bigger than her 5-foot-5 size would be a drastic understatement.
Jones, a junior for South Central Calhoun, averaged 20 points per game and was also led the Titans with 138 rebounds. She shot 56.5 percent from the floor, 70 percent from the free throw line and had an almost 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
She was second in the state with 147 steals and just one of five players to also record over 100 assists, finishing with 134 to place her 10th.
Jones earned first team all-state by the IPSWA and was named to the second for the IGCA. She also secured a spot on the Twin Lakes Conference first-team.
In a January win over Alta/Aurelia, Jones scored a seaosn-high 35 points. She had 10 assists vs. Newell-Fonda, 12 steals against Manson Northwest Webster and 11 rebounds vs. Emmetsburg.
Taylor Houska, East Sac County, jr.
With opposing defenses focusing on stopping her, East Sac County's Taylor Houska rose to the challenge.
Houska, a junior, averaged 19 points per game and led the Raiders in made 3-pointers (78), rebounds (120), assists (93) and steals (60).
She ranked second in Class 3A in made triples and was second in attempts with 201.
Houska nabbed second team honors from the IPSWA and was third by the IGCA. She also landed on the all-TLC first-team.
Her season highs included 33 points vs. Storm Lake St. Mary's, when she also made eight 3-pointers. Houska also had 13 rebounds and 10 assists in games vs. Southeast Valley.
Chloe Lofstrom, North Union, soph.
On a team with several standout seniors, 10th-grader Chloe Lofstrom settled right into key role.
She posted a team-high 17 points per game and also led North Union at nine rebounds a night. Lofstrom shot almost 61 percent from the floor and recorded 21 assists and 20 steals.
Of her 206 rebounds, 93 came on the offensive glass.
Lofstrom was named to the second team by the IPSWA and third team by the IGCA, along with first team all-Top of Iowa Conference West division for the Warriors.
North Union advanced to the Class 2A state semifinals before falling to eventual champion Cascade in triple-overtime. Lofstrom also made the all-tournament squad.
Lofstrom set career bests in points at 25 and rebounds at 16.
Honorable Mention
Abbey Holmes, Algona, soph.; Samantha Hagedorn, North Union, sr.; Taylor McKinney, Webster City, soph.; Aliyah Buscher, Algona, soph.; Heidi Hammen, South Central Calhoun, jr.; Molly Schany, Emmetsburg, soph.