51¶ÌÊÓƵ

Crete  |  6-1  |  Senior

College:Ìý°ä°ù±ð¾±²µ³ó³Ù´Ç²Ô

Honorary captain

Super season: The most complete player in the state, Maly can score at each level despite drawing every look from the junk defense manual. Maly's versatility as a shooter, aided by a very quick and smooth left-handed shot, can overshadow some of her other great skills at times. She may be one of the top two or three passers in the state, her aggressiveness on the glass limits the opposition's chances to score, she has the strength to work through double- and triple-teams, and she brings a winning mentality to the court each night. Despite playing on an injured ankle, Maly helped lead Crete to its first Class B state championship since 1981. She had 20 points, 10 boards and five assists in the final against Beatrice, and had games of 36, 36 and 38 points this season.

Coach's take: "She can do everything. She can bring the ball up, she can shoot the three, she can post up, she's a great passer, a great rebounder. There isn't anything that she can't do, and that's what makes her so special." — Crete coach John Larsen.

Shoot around: Like most kids, Maly grew up shooting baskets at home, but Crete's high school gym, which opened four years ago, has served as a second home of sorts for the Crete star. "That's kind of easy because I've got family members that work here and coaches," she said. Known for her hard work, Maly said she typically works on ball-handling, conditioning and variety of shots when shooting around. "I don't hit a limit," Maly said. "I just go until it feels good and I make quite a few in a row."

Lincoln Pius X  |  6-3  |  Junior

College: South Dakota State

Super season: Completely healthy and stronger, Markowski emerged as the most dominating player in Class A, averaging 21.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 63% from the field. She finished with 18 double-doubles, including games of 29-11, 32-16 and 19-14 at the state tournament in helping lead the Thunderbolts to a Class A state crown. Some of her best games came against the best teams (32 points vs. Lincoln East, 34 vs. Fremont and 32 vs. Millard South). Option A in Pius X's halfcourt offense, Markowski showed she can be just as effective when the Bolts sped up the tempo, too. Markowski also is a standout volleyball player.

Coach's take: "I think the biggest thing that sticks out to me is how she persevered through having bodies around her consistently during every game and not really letting that bother her or affect her play and not complaining about it, but just doing her job. Just the amount of people that she's got on her and she still was very, very successful." — Pius X coach Ryan Psota.

Basketball home: In just two seasons, Markowski has racked up 902 points, and a lot of those have come on the hardwood at Pius X High School. It remains a place for Markowski to go shoot hoops in the offseason, and sometimes it's a family outing with her young siblings. But the roots of her success started in the backyard where the family has a basket. For Markowski, it's all about reps. "In the lane, five shots from each spot, make 20 in the paint," she said. "I do the five spots for threes and when I feel like I've hit enough or feel comfortable, I'll move spots."

Fremont | 5-9 | Sophomore

College: Has numerous D-I offers, including Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and Kansas State.

Super season: Simply put, McCabe is the best shooter in the state, and it might not even be close. She crushed the Class A single-season record for three-pointers, hitting 107 at a 42% clip. Only Minden's Brooke Kissinger (110 in 2011 in Class C-1) made more in one season. McCabe averaged 20.3 points per game and showed that she is more than an outside threat. The sophomore guard is great at moving without the ball and she improved on dribble-drives, giving defenses something else to think about. She also emerged as one of the top defenders in Class A this season.

Coach's take: "I think Taylor's always been a great shooter, she puts in so much time on her shooting, but she is — I use the term total package several times — the complete player. We talked about not putting your leading scorer on the other team's best player, just so they can focus on their own scoring, but Taylor is one that wanted to play against the other team's top player, and as coaches you wanted her to." — Fremont coach Kelly Flynn.

Shoot around: The Blair YMCA is where you'll find McCabe working on ball-handling, mid-range shots, floaters and, of course, three-point reps. When do shooting sessions stop, on McCabe's watch or on the YMCA's? "Sometimes both," jokes McCabe, who lives near Blair. "On not-good days is when I get kicked out of the gym. Usually it's like, 'OK, we kind of hit the target number for the day.'" McCabe's work ethic is on full display on the YMCA hardwood. She'll go there just about every day. Even during the season, McCabe can be found at the Y after practices on most days.

Millard South  |  6-0  |  Senior

College:Ìý°ä°ù±ð¾±²µ³ó³Ù´Ç²Ô

Super season: A three-time Super-Stater, Horan is one of the most versatile players in the state. She can post up inside or stretch to the perimeter and knock down threes while making her presence known on the glass. Her athleticism and ability to play inside and outside created matchup problems for just about every opponent. Also a Super-Stater in softball, Horan averaged 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest in helping lead the Patriots to the Class A state semifinals, and despite missing most of her freshman season, she surpassed 1,000 career points.

Coach's take: "She is the most committed to just how we're going to win games, and what we're going to do as a team and how we're going to do it as a team, those kind of things. It wasn't really anything individual ever. She picked her spots, and I felt like when she needed to take over a game, she would do that, but you could tell she wasn't going out there just to do her own thing. She wanted to be team-oriented." — Millard South coach Bryce Meyers.

Shoot around: A hop, skip and a jump from Horan's house is Willow Creek Park, which has an outdoor court. This is where Horan crafted her all-around skills, typically arriving at the concrete slab with her older sister. "We'd just come and play basketball for however long we wanted, then go home and then come back out," said Horan, who started playing hoops when she was 4 or 5. Horan shot from numerous spots, starting close to the basket and working her way back while putting herself in game situations, "like every little kid does. Like, 'Oh, five seconds left on the shot clock and you've got to get the shot off to win state.' I definitely did those scenarios in my head," she said.

Humphrey St. Francis  |  5-9  |  Junior

College:Ìý±·±ð²ú°ù²¹²õ°ì²¹

Super season: Weidner committed to the Huskers in November and followed with her best season with the Flyers. She averaged 25.2 points per game, including a 39-point performance against Mullen in the Class D-2 state semifinals. But what makes Weidner stand out above the rest is her ability to take over a game outside of the scoring column. She averaged 6.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 7.3 steals per contest. Weidner is arguably the best passer in the state, and her court vision and court IQ are big reasons why Amy Williams wants the multi-sport star in Husker red.

Coach's take: "On paper (her scoring average increasing from 19 as a sophomore to 25 points per game) would jump out at you, but I would tell you that she's always had that ability and maybe was more of a — and still is to some extent — a pass-first and shoot-second type player. To me her biggest growth this year was her defense. It just went to a new level." — St. Francis coach Bryan Reichmuth.

Shoot around: Weidner is never too far away from a court. Her family's farm has a big shed that houses a hoop, and the free-throw and three-point lines are marked. A ball rack is near by. With practice at St. Francis starting later in the evening, Weidner will go home and get some shots in, catch up on homework and then head back to school for practice.