Prep Hoops: Kastelitz is All-State
GLACIER FORWARD Cohen Kastelitz goes up for two against Missoula Sentinel during a January game. Kastelitz, the top rebounder in Class AA, was named All-State. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
The Class AA coaches have selected their basketball honors teams, and Glacier’s Cohen Kastelitz leads the list of Kalispell honorees.
Kastelitz, a 6-foot-3 senior who led Class AA in rebounding at 10.6 a game, is the lone local All-State pick, as signified by his selection to the Western AA first-team.
Kastelitz ranked sixth in the league in scoring at 12.9 points per game, and everyone ahead of him was first-team all-Western AA and All-State as well.
The list includes Helena’s Tevin Wetzel and Jaxan Leiberg, Missoula Hellgate’s Easton Sant and Butte's Hudson Luedtke. Luedtke and Sant were chose co-most valuable players on offense for the league.
Wetzel and Lieberg were 1-2 in the conference in scoring, at 17.1 and 16.2 points per game. Luedtke, a sophomore, was right behind at 15.8.
Sant averaged 15.3 points a game and he and his co-MVP each averaged 5.9 assists per outing.
Wetzel, Lieberg, Luedtke and Sant were all All-State a year ago as well.
Glacier and Flathead both had players get honorable mention: junior guard Liam Ells for the Wolfpack, and junior forward Lyric Ersland for the Braves.
On the girls’ side Flathead’s Kennedy Moore and Glacier’s Reese Ramey were second team all-Western AA.
Moore, a 6-2 senior, finished fourth in the Western AA in scoring (14.8 points per game) and first in rebounding (9.7). Ramey, a 5-7 junior, was seventh in the league in scoring at 13.2 ppg and was seventh in 3-point percentage, making 22 of 65 (.338).
Glacier senior Noah Fincher was also honorable mention.
Missoula Big Sky junior Kadynce Couture led the first-team selections, and was the Western AA’s offensive MVP.
Couture, Moore and Hellgate’s Chloe Larson were all All-State for 2022-23.
Western AA
BOYS
First Team*
Easton Sant, 5-11, jr. Missoula Hellgate
Hudson Luedtke. 6-2, so. Butte
Tevin Wetzel, 6-0, jr. Helena
Grady Walker, 6-4, sr. Missoula Sentinel
Jaxan Lieberg, 6-3, jr. Helena
Cohen Kastelitz. 6=3. sr/ Glacier
*-denotes All-State selection
Second Team
Cole Dawes. 6-5, sr. Helena Capital
Zane Gillhouse, 6-4, so. Missoula Hellgate
Isaiah Reed, 5-8, jr. Missoula Big Sky
Chance McNulty, 6-0, jr. Missoula Hellgate
Kyler Meredith, 6-1, sr. Helena Capital
Lincoln Rogers, 6-5, so. Missoula Sentinel
Tocher Lee, 5-8, jr. Butte
Honorable mention — Carson Towe, jr., Missoula Big Sky; Lyric Ersland, jr., Flathead; Liam Ells, jr., Glacier; Dylan Boche, jr., Butte; Rueso Batterman, jr., Butte.
Co-Offensive MVPs — Hudson Luedtke, Butte, and Easton Sant, Hellgate.
Defensive MVP — Dylan Almquist, Capital.
Sixth Man of Year — Parker Link, Hellgate.
Coach of the Year — Jeff Hays, Hellgate.
GIRLS
First Team*
Kadynce Couture, 5-9, jr. Missoula Big Sky
Chloe Larson, 5-11, sr. Missoula Hellgate
Cadence Graham, 5-5, fr. Butte
Emily McElmurry, 5-9, sr. Missoula Sentinel
Avery Kraft, 5-6, sr. Helena
Avory DeCoite, 5-7, so. Missoula Big Sky
Second Team
Kennedy Moore, 6-2, sr. Flathead
Taylor Sayers, 5-8, sr. Capital
Madi Todorovich, 5-10, sr. Helena
Reese Ramey, 5-6, jr. Glacier
Elly Reed, 6-0, so. Missoula Hellgate
Audrey Hale, 5-5, sr. Missoula Big Sky
Honorable mention — Kylie Gardipee, sr., Helena; Brityn Stewart, jr., Butte; Mo Mastro, sr., Sentinel; Gianna Passuccio, so., Hellgate; Katie Sheridan, sr., Capital; Noah Fincher, sr., Glacier; Kaitlyn Hammett, jr., Sentinel.
Offensive MVP — Kadynce Couture, Big Sky.
Defensive MVP — Chloe Larson, Hellgate.
Coach of the Year — Maddie Keast, Hellgate.
Eastern AA
BOYS
First Team*
Kellen Harris, 6-1, sr. Bozeman
Dean Blair, 6-5, jr. CMR
Jack Repscher, 6-1, sr. Gallatin
Kash Embry, 6-1, jr. Bozeman
Braden Zimmer, 6-6, sr. Billings West
Second Team
Ben Erbacher, 5-11, jr. Billings West
Tayshaun Williams, 6-3, so. Billings Skyview
Grant Vigen, 6-6, jr. Gallatin
Rylan McCollim, 6-5, sr. Belgrade
Zad Rodarte, 6-1, sr. Gallatin
Honorable mention — Cooper Tylson, sr., Billings West; Rocky Lencioni, sr., Bozeman; Silas Walton, sr., Billings Senior; Jonah Van Tassell, jr., CMR; Troy Hugs, sr, Gallatin; Maclain Burckley, sr., Billings Senior; Anthony Schacht, sr., Skyview; Zakai Owens, jr., Skyview; Scott Klinker, sr., Great Falls; Daniel Marinko, sr., Belgrade; Josh Goudy, sr., Billings Senior; Quaid Ash, sr., Bozeman; Braden Glyde, sr., Belgrade.
Offensive MVP — Kellen Harrison, Bozeman.
Defensive MVP — Ben Erbacher, Billings West.
Sixth Man of Year — Tayshaun Williams, Skyview.
Coach of the Year — Michael Claxton, Gallatin.
GIRLS
First Team*
Breanna Willilams, 6-3, sr. Skyview
Kourtney Graham, 6-0, sr. Billings West
Jada Davis, 5-8, so. Gallatin
Halle Haber, 5-11, sr. Billings West
Ave Odegard, 5-10, so. Gallatin
Rae Smart, 5-9, jr. Skyview
Second Team
Macie Wheeler, 5-11, sr. CMR
Brooklyn Pierce, 6-3, so. Billings West
Rhema Pace, 5-5, jr. CMR
Taryn Salverson, 5-9, jr. Skyview
Emma Hardman, 5-11, jr. Gallatin
Ava Epler, 5-11, sr. Bozeman
Honorable mention — Kyesha Farmer, sr., Great Falls; Angel Martin, sr., Skyview; Eva Blatchford, so., Billings Senior; Dylan Simonson, sr., CMR; Maykayla Coleman, so., Gallatin; Reagan Soucy, so., Billings West; Piper Jette, sr., Billings Senior; isabelle Blossom, jr., Belgrade.
Offensive MVP — Breanna Williams, Skyview.
Co-Defensive MVPs — Kourtney Grossman, West, and Jada Davis, Gallatin.
Coach of the Year — Randy Chase, Skyview.