The NCHS girls basketball postseason banquet featured a great meal provided by the senior parents Tuesday night at LEMS. Head coach Deb Murray and assistant Rich Murray presented awards after the crowd enjoyed the beef and noodles with mashed potatoes, salads and desserts.

Three seniors Taylor Gaukel, Ashley Christianson and Sadie Sturman each earned their white letter for four years of varsity, while classmates Kianna Blackburn, Mackenzie Lyons and Juliane Graham each lettered for the third time. Sophomores Riley Shaw and Courtney Rowley won their second letter, followed by five first-timers- Senior Peyton Kottwitz, junior Lucy Ceaglske and sophs Anna Richardson, Jozalyn Potter and Bryn Bruch.

Christianson (4), Lyons (3), Shaw (3) and Potter (1) all joined the 10,000 shot club, while Graham earned the Most Improved Player and Blocked Shots awards. Blackburn won the Defensive Excellence Award and Lyons and Sturman won the Coaches Award. Christianson (4), Sturman (4), Lyons (2) and Blackburn (1) all earned Iron Lady Awards.

Christianson won the Free Throw Ladder for the second year in a row, best free throw percent, Handle Award and Offensive Efficiency honors. She also finished with the fifth best free throw percent in school history (.683). Her .722 FT pct this season is the seventh best in school history and she joins Hannah Shoults, Tami Tully and Amy Nelson as the only players with multiple seasons in the top 15.

Gaukel won the Rebounding Award, 3 Point Award and broke Andrea Bruch’s 24 year old school record for career steals with 233. She wrapped up one of Lusk’s most impressive careers as she entered ten different all-time Lady Tiger stat leader categories. Among them, she ended up fifth in total points (954), eighth in three pointers made (37), fourth in free throws made (241), fifth in total rebounds (664) and is the new record holder for total games played (103).

Gaukel was a finalist for the Bob Carey Award, while being named to the 2A All State team, All SEWAC (3x) and 2A SE All Conference (3x) teams. She was joined on the All SEWAC and 2A SE All Conference team by Christianson while Blackburn and Lyons were included on the 2A SE All Conference team.

Among the JV/C squad honors was Richardson with the Offensive Efficiency Award, Potter with the Handle Award and Peyton Kottwitz with the Defensive Excellence Award. Abby Kottwitz won the Rebound Award and Most Improved, while Harlee Blair won the Free Throw Award and Lucy Ceaglske took home the Coaches Award.