Three Lake Region athletes made their respective all-state teams this season: Wylee Delorme, Deng Deng and Dane Hagler. All three of them were also nominated for Mr. Basketball, which was ultimately awarded to Deng.
Deng had the most points per game among the nominees with 27.2. He shot 56% overall and put up eight rebounds per game. He was named to the Division A All-State First Team. Led by Deng in the Indians’ first year competing in Class A, the Indians finished the regular season ranked No. 3. Deng became the second player in FW/M history to win the Mr. Basketball award.
Also named to the Division A All-State First Team was Delorme, who won state tournament MVP in the Firebirds’ championship run. He averaged 17.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He also shot 29.7% from three.
Hagler, meanwhile, was named to the Division B All-State First Team after posting an even 21 points per game. He led the Bearcats to the Division B championship game, where they fell to Westhope/Newburg.
Hagler reached 2,000 career points during the district tournament. North Star was the champion of both the District 3 and Region 2 tournaments, and the championship game loss was only its second defeat all season. Hagler added 7.3 rebounds per game and shot 31.7% from three.
In addition to Deng being named Mr. Basketball, Four Winds/Minnewaukan got another award: Travis Mertens was named Assistant Coach of the Year. Mertens is a former Mr. Basketball himself, earning the accolade in 2006 for Devils Lake. He helped coach an Indians squad that was ranked No. 3 in its first season competing in Division A.
