“I’m really proud of the kids and I think this gives people an idea of the kind of kids we have. We’ve got girls in AP classes, advanced chemistry classes and they’re playing hoops. They’re doing great things in the classroom and that’s what it’s all about in the long run.””

Head Coach Jason Janke

Fewer than 20 Division 3 high school girls’ basketball teams in the state had at least eight varsity players qualify for the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic All-State team, and Ellsworth was one of them.

Because of the Lady Panthers’ academic success individually, Ellsworth finished with the second-highest cumulative team GPA in the state for Division 3 basketball. The Panthers’ 3.954 GPA was second only to Tomahawk’s 3.968.

“I’m really proud of the kids and I think this gives people an idea of the kind of kids we have,” Ellsworth head coach Jason Janke said. “We’ve got girls in AP classes, advanced chemistry classes and they’re playing hoops. They’re doing great things in the classroom and that’s what it’s all about in the long run.”

The WBCA honored the top three teams in each division for their academic success. Each program’s GPA was based on the credits of the top ten varsity players on each team. Those players’ 10 GPAs were averaged to produce the team’s overall rating on a 4.0 scale.

Ellsworth was bound to be in the running, as eight of the ten players considered had already earned Academic All-State honors individually. That list included senior Ashlyn Townsend, juniors Aubrey Wittenberg, Kayla Kressin, Molly Janke, Maria Harrington, Jillian Griggs, Ava Brookshaw and sophomore Morgan Halverson.

While Jason Janke knew his kids were doing well in the classroom throughout the year, he didn’t quite realize just how exemplary it was until he started doing the calculations near the end of the season.

“We’re on a 12-point scale instead of a 4.0, so day-to-day we’re not really looking at it in that regard,” Janke recalled. “When I did the totals and checked the transcripts I said to my wife, ‘There’s almost no way we’re not going to be on there.’ It was really neat for our girls and they were excited.”

The 2022-23 Academic All-State honor is the first time that the Ellsworth girls’ basketball team has finished in the top three. Last season the Panthers narrowly missed the list, as they had the fifth-highest GPA in Division 3 basketball.

Ellsworth’s coaching staff took pride in the fact that the Academic All-State distinction truly was a team award. The Panthers didn’t have a single player with a GPA below 3.6 – everyone pulled their weight and earned the honor.

Ellsworth even had a couple of girls get rounded down to a 4.0 once their GPA was converted from the Panthers’ 12-point scale because of weighted AP courses. Jason Janke spoke about how everyone contributed to the team’s academic success this year.

“None of them were under a 3.6,” Jason Janke said. “It was a true team award because it wasn’t like we had some kids with 2.8 that were pulled up by other girls. Everyone was between 3.6 and 4.0 and that was really neat.”

Molly Janke receives First-Team All-Conference honors

While Ellsworth junior Molly Janke was elite in the classroom, she was just as good on the basketball court. Janke was one of six players in the Middle Border to receive First-Team All-Conference honors.

The 2022-23 distinction is her second consecutive year on the First-Team All-Conference list and third All-Conference selection in as many varsity years. Janke was named Second-Team All-Conference in her freshman season with the Panthers.

“That stuff becomes a little bit of a statistical race,” Jason Janke said. “She was second in the conference in points, second in rebounding, top three in assists and steals and was the leader of our team. It was nice to see her get that recognition from the other coaches.”

Molly Janke finished the year averaging 19.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Janke also grabbed 3.2 steals and blocked one shot per contest. All of those were team-high figures for the Panthers this season.

She proved throughout the season that she could drop 30 points on any given night. She had 28 against Altoona on Jan. 24 in a big Middle Border Conference game. Her season-high came in a 32-point performance at home against Hastings in a non-conference border battle on Dec. 13.

Molly Janke was Ellsworth’s lone selection to any of the Middle Border All-Conference lists. She was one of a small handful of players seriously considered for the Middle Border Conference Player of the Year Award, which ultimately went to Osceola senior guard Hattie Fox.

Notable Ellsworth players who didn’t make the All-Conference lists include juniors Maria Harrington and Kayla Kressin. Both Harrington and Kressin served as two of Ellsworth’s elite defensive players.

“As far as interior defense and keeping the ball out of the inside, Kayla’s one of the best basketball players I’ve had,” Jason Janke said. “Osceola’s coach mentioned that Hattie Fox was kept to under double-digits twice in her career – once as a freshman and once by Maria in late January.”

While Jason Janke would have loved to have seen several of his players on the Middle Border All-Conference lists, he acknowledged that only winning five league games is a big reason why Ellsworth wasn’t better represented.

“I think the big thing from a voting perspective is that you’ve got to win more than five games in the conference,” Jason Janke said. “Especially when we’re in a position to win a few more, it’s hard to expect a lot of individual stuff.”

Next year will be a pivotal year for Ellsworth, as nearly every player that saw significant time this year will enter their senior campaign. The exceptions include Morgan Halverson, who enters her junior year and departing senior Ashlyn Townsend who will graduate in May.

Ellsworth finished the 2022-23 season 12-13 overall and 5-9 in Middle Border Conference action.