6-5, senior, forward

Gurss averaged 14.9 points and 8.8 rebounds a game for Tonganoxie, which finished 12-11 and reached the 4A sub-state championship in Hiawatha. He also has a 4.0 grade-point average and ranks No. 1 in his class.

“Bryan was a cornerstone for us,” THS coach David Walker said. “He led us in all categories  steals, rebounding, scoring and assists. He meant a lot to us on the court as well as off the court. He’s a fantastic leader.”

Andy Hannon, Baldwin

6-0, sophomore, guard

Hannon, the lone sophomore among the J-W’s top 15 players selected, averaged 14.8 points, 3.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds while playing point guard for the Bulldogs. He shot 44.2 percent from three-point range.

“Andy was instrumental in our team success and reaching our full potential as a team, particularly at the end of the year,” BHS coach Jeff Haas said. “He improved quite a lot from the summer time into the start of the season. There are athletes and basketball players. Andy’s a basketball player and he happens to be very athletic as well. He still has a lot of growing to do.”

Shawn Howard, Perry-Lecompton

6-4, senior, forward

Howard, a third-team all-area pick last year, averaged 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds a game to lead the Kaws to an 11-10 record, the school’s first winning season in 14 years.

“He was steady offensively,” P-L coach Pat Hupfauf said. “We knew we could go to him, go to him in the low post, and he could shoot the perimeter shot as well. He was real valuable and we knew we would count on him to score.”

Adam Spratt, Ottawa

6-0, senior, guard

Spratt, a repeat all-area pick, capped his career among the state’s all-time leaders in assists. He finished with 592 for his career and 244 his senior year to rank third all time in both categories. Spratt, who averaged 8.3 points a game, had 13 games with 10 or more assists and had a season-high of 18 assists.

“When we really started playing well he started playing well,” OHS coach David Grover said. “He had his eye on every assist record there was. When he started scoring some, his assist numbers went up as well. You have to coach him to appreciate what he does.”

Ross Thompson, Ottawa

6-7, junior, forward

Ottawa returned four starters from last year’s team and Thompson wasn’t one of them. Thompson, though, emerged as Ottawa’s go-to player, averaging 19.4 points a game on 69.1 percent shooting from the field. He also led the Cyclones in rebounding with 11.8 boards per game and finished with 16 double-doubles.

“They let a kid who scored four a game as a sophomore step in Nathan Steward’s hole and lead us,” OHS coach David Grover said. “His numbers were incredibly consistent. We haven’t had an consistent inside presence like that since 1998.”

All-area girls capsules

Janelle Arnold, Santa Fe Trail

5-10, senior, guard

Arnold, a third-team all-area pick as a junior, was a versatile performer for the Chargers. She averaged 10 points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists a game for SFT, which finished 21-2 with the two losses coming to 4A state qualifiers Spring Hill and Topeka Hayden. Arnold has signed with Cloud County CC.

“Janelle Arnold was an indispensable asset to our team this year,” SFT coach Brenda Dahl said “She absolutely played at a higher level this year. I think this being her senior year had everything to do with that. Janelle was an incredible floor leader for us, not so much with her words, but her actions. She is a very hard worker and has a great passion for the game. She has been a coach’s dream and will be missed a great deal.”

Liz Burks, Ottawa

5-9, junior, guard

A second-team all-area pick as a sophomore, Burks averaged 12 points, seven assists and four steals a game to help Ottawa return to the 4A state tournament.

“She definitely emerged as a coach on the floor,” OHS coach Cliff McCullough said. “It was her team to take control of and keep everybody on the same page. She matured so much from last year to this year. She’s a vocal leader on the court and kept us calm.”

Lindsey Dieterich, Ottawa

5-9, senior, guard

Dieterich, a three-time all-area pick who finished with 1,287 career points, averaged 19 points and six rebounds a game to lead Ottawa to a 24-2 record and third-place finish at the 4A state tournament. She averaged 20.7 points in three games at the state tournament.

“She’s absolutely our scoring leader,” McCullough said. “She became more of a vocal leader since she was the most experienced. When things weren’t going well, she would take it upon herself to keep us in games.”

Colleen Kivett, Baldwin

5-8, senior, guard

Kivett, one of two repeat-selections on the all-area team, averaged 12 points and five rebounds a game for the 19-4 Bulldogs. She shot 80 percent from the free-throw line, 48 percent on two-point attempts and 40 percent on three-point attempts.

“She was our best defensive player,” BHS coach Eric Toot said. “She’s always the one that got the best defender from the other team. She was the last one to leave the gym every night. She constantly worked on her shot and game.”

Lauren Kracl, Eudora

6-0, sophomore, center

A second-team all-area pick last year, Kracl averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds a game. She scored a career-high 41 points in a 69-43 victory over Oskaloosa.

“She was our go-to player,” EHS coach Gretchen Schreiner said. “Several times she stepped up big. She always was our leading rebounder. She recovered for so many of our defensive errors with her long arms and quickness.”