Missouri: Wilkerson scores girls MVP honors

With an entire state watching her every move this season, Miller’s Hannah Wilkerson destroyed nearly every kind of record imaginable, making choosing a Show-Me State Most Valuable Player on the girls side of the basketball equation rather simple.

As Wilkerson made a run toward, and eventually broke the state’s career scoring mark, which was held by former Morrisville/Marshfield star Melissa Grider, Web sites and newspapers alike counted down her every point each time the Cardinals took the court.

Wilkerson finally made the record her own on Feb. 4 in Miller’s 75-54 win over Marion C. Early in Morrisville with a free throw in the second quarter. The 21-point win over the Panthers was the second of 12 straight triumphs that carried coach Brandon Weiss’ squad into the Missouri Class 2 semifinals.

A 71-60 loss to eventual champion Harrisburg ruined the winning streak. But Wilkerson and the Cardinals were able to play one more contest, allowing the 5-foot-8 senior to break several state tournament records as well.

Wilkerson scored 3,648 points in 118 games during her high school career and led the Cardinals to a four-year record of 89-29.

She also became the first girl or boy to score 40 points or more in back-to-back Show-Me Showdown contests in the same season. The Missouri State recruit holds the two-game tournament scoring mark (83 points), as well as the single-game mark (43 points).

Wilkerson’s name also sits atop the tournament records charts for field goals in a game (18), field goals made in two games (32), field goals attempted in a game (41) and field goals attempted in two games (71).

During her final season running the point for the Cardinals, Wilkerson averaged 34.5 points a game while connecting on nearly 53 percent of her 671 shots from the floor. She sank 285 of 332 free throws and scored 1,139 points in her final season.

Wilkerson ripped the cords on 51 of 118 3-pointers and averaged 9.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game in 2009-10.

Joining Wilkerson on Missouri’s Super Six girls basketball team are Incarnate Word Academy’s Jazmin Hitchens, Nixa’s Bethanie Funderburk, Bowling Green’s Anne Marie Hartung, Springfield-Kickapoo’s Casey Carroll and Hickman Mills’ Polly Harrington.

Of the six super-staters, Hitchens was the only one to win a state title. While leading the Red Knights to the Class 5 crown, the 5-11 senior averaged 17.5 points, six rebounds, 2.61 assists and 4.65 steals per game.

During the 52-43 championship win over Blue Springs, Hitchens scored eight points to go along with four rebounds, two assists and five steals.

Nixa fell 49-48 to Springfield-Glendale in the semifinals of the Class 5, District 11 tournament. But that doesn’t lessen the impact the Eagles (20-4) felt during Funderburke’s final season as she earned her second straight Super-Six honor.

Carroll, which averaged 12.7 points per contest, poured in 20 points and pulled down eight rebounds during the Chiefs' (25-6) 52-36 win over Fort Zumwalt West in the Class 5 consolation game.

Despite the presence of her 19.4 points per game average, Hartung and the Bobcats fell to North County Tech 64-61 in the Class 3 sectionals. Harrington averaged 17.5 points per outing in leading the Cougars to the Class 4, District 13 final before falling to O’Hara 52-41. Below is a look at the Missouri girls Super-Six, as well as the state’s all-class teams.

Missouri Girls Super Six
Jazmin Hitchens, Incarnate Word Academy 5-11 Sr.
Bethanie Funderburke, Nixa 5-8 Sr.
Hannah Wilkerson, Miller 5-8 Sr.
Anne Marie Hartung, Bowling Green 6-3 Sr.
Casey Carroll, Springfield-Kickapoo 5-10 Sr.
Polly Harrington, Hickman Mills 6-0 Sr.
MVP: Hannah Wilkerson

Second Team
Kaitlin Jaeger, Webb City 6-1 Jr.
Shelby Winkelmann, Hermann 5-9 Jr.
Jordan Garrison, Osceola 5-5 Sr.
Maggie Flynn, Troy-Buchanan 6-1 Sr.
Lindsay Vollmer, Penney 5-10 Jr.
Sierra Michaelis, North Mercer 5-10 Fr.

Class 5
Jazmin Hitchens, Incarnate Word Academy 5-11 Sr.
Bethanie Funderburke, Nixa 5-8 Sr.
Casey Carroll, Springfield-Kickapoo 5-10 Sr.
Maddie Stock, St. Joseph’s Academy 6-1 So.
CeeCee Burris, Blue Springs 5-11 Jr.
Maggie Flynn, Troy-Buchanan 6-1 Sr.
MVP: Jazmin Hitchens

Second Team
Amaya Williams, Columbia-Rock Bridge 5-7 Sr.
Morgan Stock, St. Joseph’s Academy 6-1 So.
Kelsey Jones, Fort Zumwalt West 5-8 Jr.
Chloe Nelson, Incarnate Word Academy 5-7 Sr.
Aqua Corpening, Columbia-Hickman 5-9 Jr.
Mary Beth Mathias, Nerinx Hall 5-11 Jr.

Class 4
Anna Vogt, Pacific 6-0 So.
Kaitlin Jaeger, Webb City 6-1 Jr.
Maggie Vossbrink, St. Francis Borgia 5-7 Sr.
Jane Morrill, Notre Dame-Cape Girardeau 6-1 Sr.
Polly Harrington, Hickman Mills 6-0 Sr.
Hailey Roderique, Webb City 5-9 Jr.
MVP: Kaitlin Jaeger

Second Team
Hailey Houser, O’Hara 6-2 Sr.
Taylor Johnson, Platte County 5-10 Jr.
Karli Sample, St. Joseph-Benton 5-11 Sr.
Brynn Williamson, Staley 5-11 Jr.
Rachel Connell, St. James 5-11 Jr.
Jennifer Rocha, St. Dominic 5-3 Jr.

Class 3
Shelby Winkelmann, Hermann 5-9 Jr.
Anne Marie Hartung, Bowling Green 6-3 Sr.
Kenzie Williams, Mount Vernon 5-9 Jr.
Hazaria Washington, Cardinal Ritter 5-10 Sr.
Kasey Painter, Marion C. Early 5-6 Sr.
Lauren McCurry, Pleasant Hope 5-8 Jr.
MVP: Kenzie Williams

Second Team
Jenna Mueller, South Shelby 6-1 Sr.
Tillie Bill, Southern Boone 5-9 Sr.
Shaya Kinsey, Belle 5-7 Sr.
Kaitlin Cramer, Stockton 5-9 Jr.
Rachelle Butner, Macon 5-9 Jr.
Meridee Scott, Maryville 5-7 Sr.

Class 2
Ashley Fisher, Harrisburg, 5-11 Sr.
Kaley Hebert, Thayer 5-3 Sr.
Hannah Wilkerson, Miller 5-8 Sr.
Lindsay Vollmer, Penney 5-10 Jr.
Jordan Garrison, Osceola 5-5 Sr.
Tori Niemann, Canton 5-11 Sr.
MVP: Hannah Wilkerson

Second Team
Brooke Taylor, Bismarck 6-0 Sr.
Whitney Mills, Thayer 5-8 Sr.
Molly O’Brien, Spokane 5-9 Jr.
Bridget Hanafin, Clever 5-9 Sr.
Shelby White, Purdy 5-8 Jr.
Chelsey Kroese, Harrisburg 5-10 So.

Class 1
Morgan Eye, Montrose 5-11 Jr.
Sierra Michaelis, North Mercer 5-10 Fr.
Jessica Redd, Marion County 6-1 So.
Chelsey Merrigan, Jefferson (Conception) 5-9 Jr.
Moriah Goodrum, Naylor 5-10 Sr.
Kendall Hart, Montrose 5-10 So.
MVP: Morgan Eye

Second Team
Kelsey Williams, Eminence 5-6 So.
Tristian Carrasquillio, Verona 5-6 So.
Taylor Redd, Halfway, 6-0 So.
Hannah Harman, Walnut Grove 5-11 Jr.
Destani Stensrud, Exeter 5-5 Jr.
Jacqueline Schulte, Northeast Nodaway 5-9 Sr.