The Osakis girls basketball team posted an undefeated (8-0) run during their conference slate to take home the 2023-24 Prairie Conference title. For that effort, five Silverstreaks were given all-conference honors: Bella Weisser (honorable mention), Haliey Walker, Carlee Muenzhuber, Greta Faber, and Madeline Anderson.
“We felt as coaches that this team could be one of the hardest-working teams that we’ve been able to coach in a very long time,” Osakis head coach Pat Kalpin said. “As we found out as the season started, the work ethic of this group collectively exceeded what we expected. When talking about this team, I always told people, they work so hard and are great kids who are fun to coach.”
Additionally, Anderson and Muezhuber were also awarded All-Section 6AA honors. Muenzhuber finished the year with 76 assists and 85 steals, while Anderson finished with 181 rebounds.
Osakis finished 14-14 on the year after upsetting Foley in the first round of the playoffs but falling in its second game at the section tournament.
“One of my favorite memories with this group will always be going to Foley and upsetting them in the first round of the playoffs and getting to play at St. John’s University,” Kalpin said. “We talk about making memories, and to me, those locker room celebrations are something I’ll never get tired of. It’s something that they’ve earned together. We had some other big wins this year, including beating Pierz and Minnewaska at home and winning at Upsala. All of those are fun times that made the season a memorable one. In the end, losing to Holdingford was tough, not because of the loss but because it ended our season. When a team puts so much time and effort into a season, and to see it abruptly end in the playoffs is probably the toughest part to accept from a coaching standpoint. You know it’s the last time this particular group will be together and the last time and moments you get to spend with the seniors. But it doesn’t take long after the sting of the loss to bring yourself back to these kids and realize that they had a great year and that the coaching staff is very proud of them. Thank you, girls, for everything this season.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Twelve athletes received letters: Greta Faber, Hailey Walker, Stephy Marthaler, Taylor Dirkes, Bella Weisser, Kaelyn Walker, Carlee Muenzhuber, Annie Anderson, Maddi Bouldin, Madeline Anderson, Maggie Dirkes, and Dari Meyer
The Silverstreaks also posted a stellar year in the classroom as 10 athletes received all-conference academic honors: Greta Faber, Hailey Walker, Stephy Marthaler, Taylor Dirkes, Bella Weisser, Kaelyn Walker, Carlee Muenzhuber, Annie Anderson, Maddi Bouldin and Madeline Anderson.
Additionally, Anderson and Hailey Walker also received all-state academic honors.
“As I reflect on the season, I think of seven words: resiliency, hard work, motivated, toughness, grit, determination, and family,” Kalpin said. “These are all words that this came up with. These are the words that they came up with in a classroom session when I asked them to write down our team at that moment. After we identified these words, we talked about why they chose the word they did. It was fun to hear their perspectives on the season. If you know our team, you can’t deny at various times that they did experience or demonstrate each of these. This is who we were this season, and again, I’m so proud to be a part of it.”
2023-24 Team Awards:
Most Valuable - Madeline Anderson
Most Improved - Hailey Walker
Defensive Player - Greta Faber
ADVERTISEMENT
Silverstreak Award - Dari Meyer
The Trust Project
