Belanger named best in the NSC

Grafton didn’t quite have the best girls basketball team in the North Shore Conference this season, but it had the best player.

Junior guard Hannah Belanger was named the league’s Player of the Year.

Belanger led the conference in scoring by averaging 19.2 points per game and led her own team in nearly every offensive category.

She shot 65% on two-pointers and 52% on threes. She shot 82% at the free-throw line and grabbed four rebounds per game.

“She’s a pure scorer. She can finish with either hand at the rim,” coach Mike Grzesiak said.

Belanger also distributed the ball to her teammates, put the team on her back when need be and held most of the players she guarded to less than their scoring average.

Beyond the stats, Belanger brought intangibles to the Black Hawks.

“I think Hannah’s biggest growth and development this year was that she was a vocal leader,” Grzesiak said.

“She was the epitome of leadership for us. She did it vocally and by her play and by her work ethic.”

Belanger tirelessly worked on her game and her body over summer, her coach said.

“I’ve been coaching various levels of basketball for 12 years, and seven of those years in high school. Hannah is probably the hardest-working kid I’ve ever coached,” Grzesiak said.

He’s not the only one who notices.

“I think the other girls see the amount of work she puts in and see the success she has and how that translates to success as a team,” Grzesiak said.

The Hawks finished with 18 victories this season and were second in the conference at 14-4. Slinger won the conference with a 16-2 record and knocked Grafton out of the playoffs. Coach Tony

Dobson, after his defense held Belanger to 13 points in a 54-31 playoff victory, said she was the best player in the conference “and it’s not close.”

In December, Belanger eclipsed 1,000 points, and she is on pace to become the school’s leading scorer for girls. She enters next season 123 points behind leader Rachael Hencke.

Grzesiak was miffed that Belanger didn’t receive any all-state recognition. Nineteen players were honored in Division 2.

“I have no explanation for it,” he said.

Grafton had two players earn all-conference honorable mention: senior Sarah Schmitz and sophomore Lexi Hilgart.

Schmitz was second on the team in scoring at 7.8 points per game, a big jump for last year’s three points per game.

The Hawks’ other team captain was also a captain in volleyball.

“What Sarah brought to the table was a multi-sport athlete that kind of understands a lot of different things,” Grzesiak said.

When Belanger was smothered by a plethora of opponents’ defensive schemes, Schmitz stepped up.

“She likes to be a slasher around the lane and play off angles, similar to volleyball. She just did a heck of a job. She was very comfortable shooting that 15-footer,” Grzesiak said.

On the other end of the court, Schmitz, who stands at 5 feet, 10 inches, guarded the other team’s best inside player.

“She bought into it and did what she had to do, more than held her own,” Grzesiak said.

In addition, Schmitz comprehended the game well and would often step in for Grzesiak to lead drills when the Hawks included eighth-graders at practice.

“The nice thing about Sarah is she understood things, and she understood them to a point where she could explain them,” Grzesiak said.

Hilgart averaged 7.1 points per game, an improvement over her freshman year when she scored a handful of points per contest.

At 5-10, Hilgart has the reach of a post player but the quickness of a guard.

“Lexi brings the ability to be a stretch four. She can play inside or outside and is learning to be comfy inside,” Grzesiak said.

When she heads outside, Hilgart can take defenders off the dribble.

“She is pretty quick for her size. She has the ability to stretch the floor for us,” Grzesiak said.

Port Washington junior guard Lizzie Egan was a bright spot in a difficult season that only included one victory for the Pirates. Egan averaged 10.4 points per game and earned NSC honorable mention.

Coach Jakob Wahl said “it was a big deal” to earn all-conference recognition, given the good players in the league.

“It was good to see improvement from her sophomore season,” he said.

Egan usually drew each opponent’s top defender, but she never complained. Wahl said he is glad to have her back next year.

“I know she’s going to work as hard as she can. I’m looking forward to her taking the next steps in her senior season,” he said.