Subheader: Prescott’s Jordan Malmlov, Elmwood/Plum City’s Luke Webb named Player of the Year in respective conferences

The All-Conference selections for the Middle Border and Dunn-St. Croix Conferences have been released, and it’s no surprise that Prescott led the way with four of its starters earning MBC All-Conference recognition.

For Prescott, the selections included junior point guard Jordan Malmlov, who was selected as the Middle Border Conference Player of the Year and was a First-Team All-Conference player. Malmlov is joined by Prescott’s sophomore forward Dallas Wallin, who also earned First-Team All-Conference accolades.

Prescott junior guard Brandon Stuart and senior forward Aiden Russell earned All-Conference Honorable Mention as well. For Prescott, the play of those four players helped the Cardinals have one of the best regular seasons in the history of the program.

Prescott finished the year with a 22-3 overall record, in addition to a 13-1 record in Middle Border Conference play which gave them the title of Middle Border Conference champions. Throughout the entire season, Prescott was ranked as one of the 10 best teams in the state according to the weekly Wissports coaches’ poll.

Leading the charge for Prescott was the MBC player of the Year in Malmlov. He was easily the best offensive player in the conference throughout the year. Malmlov finished the season averaging 22.8 points per game, shooting 82% from the free throw line and 41% from behind the three-point line.

During the season, Malmlov scored his 1,000th career point. After that game, Prescott head coach Nick Johnson spoke about Malmlov’s scoring ability and what makes him arguably the best in school history.

“(Malmlov) is right up there with the best scorers that I’ve ever coached,” Johnson said shortly after Malmlov reached the mark. “He’s the first junior to ever score 1,000 points (in school history). He’s an elite scorer and is a weapon offensively.”

Malmlov’s offensive firepower was the catalyst for one of the best offenses in Prescott history. However, for as great as Malmlov is, he certainly didn’t do it alone. His right-hand man throughout the season was the aforementioned Wallin, who also earned First-Team All-Conference honors.

While Malmlov may be the best player in the conference, Wallin could easily be the most gifted. His lengthy 6’4” frame, ability to dribble and score at all levels give him nearly limitless potential. Earlier this season, Johnson spoke about what makes Wallin a great player.

“The difference between Dallas (Wallin) last year and this year is confidence,” Johnson said of Wallin. “Sometimes he needs to realize he’s a gifted player. The best thing about Dallas (Wallin) is that he plays both ends of the floor. He’s an amazing defender and every team we play, he’s guarding the best player.”

Wallin’s fantastic season solidified him as one of the best players in the Middle Border Conference, as was reinforced by his selection to the First-Team All-Conference group for the 2021-22 season.

Malmlov and Wallin got a lot of the press this season, but without Russell and Stuart, the team wouldn’t have been nearly as good. Both Russell and Stuart earned All-Conference Honorable Mention for the season. Russell was Prescott’s interior force, as he typically guarded the other team’s post player. His ability to offensive rebound and stretch the floor when needed improved an already dynamic Prescott offense.

Stuart spent half of the season as a starter and half of the season as the sixth man. When he was removed from the starting lineup, he didn’t pout or complain. Instead, he provided an instant scoring boost to the second unit and helped improve the team.

Russell is the only player of the aforementioned four that is graduating this May and won't return next season. Wallin, Malmlov and Stuart all return next year.

Ellsworth

Ellsworth senior point guard Jack Janke earned First-Team All-Conference honors despite missing half of the season with an ankle injury that he sustained during the first game of the year against Prescott.

For Ellsworth, the difference in the team’s performance when Janke was on the floor compared to the time he missed due to injury was night and day. He provided an instant spark to Ellsworth’s offense once he returned and made the Panthers a legitimately dangerous team in the playoffs.

Janke finished the season leading Ellsworth in two of the major three statistical categories. He averaged 20 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game, both team-high averages and 1.8 assists per game. His ability to get downhill and kick the ball out to open shooters helped generate open looks for teammates. Before Janke returned to the lineup, Ellsworth head coach Jordan Petersen spoke about what Janke’s return would mean to the team.

“It would be huge (to get him back),” Petersen said. “Just from an energy standpoint and getting one of the top players in the conference back. It would give (us) an extra boost of confidence and swagger. It would be another punch offensively.”

When Janke returned to the lineup, that’s exactly what it was – a punch offensively. His first game back was on Tuesday, Feb. 1, a home game against Saint Croix Central. That game ended as a 69-64 overtime win for Ellsworth, a game in which Janke had 33 points, 14 rebounds and four assists.

His play throughout the season – albeit limited due to injury – was outstanding and it earned him a spot on the 2021-22 First-Team All-Conference list.

Elmwood/Plum City Elmwood/Plum City’s lone First-Team All-Conference selection is senior forward Luke Webb, who was also selected as the 2021-22 Dunn-St. Croix Conference Player of the Year. Webb is joined by senior teammate Jarrod Pelzel, who earned Second-Team All-Conference honors.

Webb was, without question, the most dominant player in the conference this season. He finished the year averaging 18.4 points per game, 12.8 rebounds per game and 3.5 assists per game, all of which were team-high marks for the season.

Webb wasn’t only dominant offensively, but he was the best interior defender in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference and averaged 3.5 blocks per game. Perhaps the most astounding aspect of Webb’s numbers is that he is still efficient while being double and sometimes tripleteamed. Elmwood/Plum City head coach Kyle Webb spoke about Luke Webb’s game.

“Sometimes it’s hard for him to do what he wants to do while he’s getting triple-teamed,” Kyle Webb said. “He’s been able to dump the ball off to his teammates a couple of times and they have been able to get some nice buckets. He plays really hard.”

Luke Webb put the team on his back this season and helped carry Elmwood/Plum City to a 19-7 overall record including a 10-4 record in Dunn-St. Croix Conference action, which trailed only Durand and Spring Valley (12-2) in league play.

Throughout the 2021-22 season, Luke Webb was dominant in nearly every aspect of the game. For that reason, he was selected as a First-Team All-Conference player and as the Player of the Year.

His efforts were supplemented by those of senior guard Jarrod Pelzel, who earned Second-Team All-Conference recognition. Although Pezel averaged only eight points per game, he was a good three-point shooter (33%) and ran a majority of the offense when it wasn’t going through Luke Webb.

Pezel was a perfect duo for Luke Webb because he could dish the ball around the floor and hit open three-pointers when Luke Webb was getting double-teamed inside the paint. His supplementary role helped him earn Second-Team All-Conference honors for the season.

Spring Valley

The 2021-22 iteration of Spring Valley is one of the best Cardinals teams of the last 15 years. The success in Spring Valley this season happened in large part because of seniors Connor Ducklow and Tyler Bowman, who both earned First-Team All-Conference accolades this year.

Joining Ducklow and Bowman are senior Brady Bednarek and freshman Cade Stasiek, who both received All-Conference Honorable Mention this season. Those four, in addition to some important role players, helped Spring Valley reach the sectional semi-final game, win a conference championship and finish the year with a 20-6 overall record. Spring Valley head coach Rob Bosshart spoke about the duo of Ducklow and Bowman.

“They’ve both very dynamic,” Bosshart said. “Connor (Ducklow) can step outside, but he’s really a force inside. Tyler (Bowman) is our leading rebounder. He’s been hovering around 11 rebounds a game. He’s not afraid to go inside and mix it up. Their inside-out combination is really nice for us.”

Ducklow averaged nearly 18 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game, whereas Bowman averaged 15.1 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game. Their ability to play both ends of the floor was the difference-maker this season for Spring Valley.

In addition to Ducklow and Bowman, Bednarek and Stasiek both earned honorable mention honors. While neither of those players was going to fill up the stat sheet, both of them played important roles throughout the wildly successful Spring Valley season.

For Bednarek, it was running the offense, getting the ball to Ducklow and Bowman, and playing great defense on the other end of the floor. For Stasiek, it was bringing a spark off of the bench, providing some scoring and quality minutes when the starting unit wasn’t on the floor.

The four aforementioned players helped make the 2021-22 iteration of Spring Valley basketball one of the best that the school has had since their 2004 season when they made it to the state tournament.

Dunn-St. Croix Conference Player of the Year Luke Webb hits a midrange jumper during a game this season against Spring Valley. Photo by Reagan Hoverman

Spring Valley senior forward Connor Ducklow posts up during a game against Durand. Ducklow earned First-Team All-Conference honors this season. Photo by Reagan Hoverman

Spring Valley senior guard Tyler Bowman plays defense during the section semi-final game against Durand. Bowman was dynamic this year, both offensively and defensively, which earned him First-Team All-Conference honors. Photo by Reagan Hoverman

First Team: Ellsworth senior Jack Janke makes a tough pull-up jumper during the regional playoff game on the road against Osceola. Janke was a First-Team All-Conference player for the 2021-22 season.Photo by Reagan Hoverman