The best in Kettle Moraine girls basketball

Posted: Jan. 6, 2010

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Kelly Schwerman (KM Class of 2000)

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Kelly Schwerman (KM Class of 2000)

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Chuck Delsman looks at Pewaukee, Kettle Moraine and Arrowhead and singles out the all-time best girls basketball players in each program, then finishes with the All-Time Lake Country area hoops team. Check back each week for another installment of the four-part series.

Kettle Moraine High School has a storied history in girls basketball, putting together one of the best nine-year runs in Waukesha County history, from 1996-2004, and capturing the WIAA state championship in 1999.

The state championship team was coached by Greg Vock, who is the only coach in state history to win a state title as a varsity football coach and a girls basketball coach.

In that nine-year span, the Lasers played in six state tournaments in Madison, winning a game in 1998 and dominating three teams in 1999.

At that tourney, the Lasers set three state tournament records in shooting percentage for a tournament (55 percent), title game (56) and single tournament game (66). Junior guard Kelly Schwerman shot a tournament-best 58 percent (17 of 29) from the floor.

The top six players in KM history:

Adrienne Norris

The 2001 graduate is the best post player ever at KM and arguably the best shooter ever. Norris, whose 1,147 points are the second-most in KM history, played NCAA Division 1 college basketball at Boston University, playing in the NCAA tournament once against No. 1 ranked Connecticut. Norris played professionally in Europe for several seasons.

Kelly Schwerman

The energetic 2000 graduate excelled on defense, is the best penetrating guard in school history and one of the best free-throw shooters ever to play for the Lasers. She's the all-time leading scorer at KM with 1,233 points and went on to have a very good college career, playing four years at Marquette University.

Shelly Rucinski

The 5-9 guard-forward was one of the first standout players in Kettle Moraine history. The 1985 graduate was an outstanding scorer and excellent defender, and she went on to play at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where she enjoyed a fine career.

Wendy Wangerin

The 5-11 forward was outstanding offensively working around the hoop. Wangerin played three years for the Lasers before transferring to Waukesha North for her senior season after the 1990 campaign, and was recently inducted into the UW-Oshkosh athletic Hall of Fame. She ranks third in KM career scoring with 833 points.

Betsy Boenning

The 6-0 center was a four-year varsity player, strong on offense and a rock on defense. The 1988 graduate also was a particularly outstanding rebounder. Boenning played collegiately at Carroll College in Waukesha.

Michele Janicki

The 5-11 forward helped the Lasers advance to the WIAA state tournament for the first time in school history in 1996. She led the Lasers that year in scoring and rebounding and presently ranks fourth in career scoring with 772 points. She played collegiately at Cardinal Stritch in Milwaukee.

Honorable Mention

Four honorable-mention choices round out the top 10 players in school history.

• Stacy Tomic, a powerful center-forward, ranks sixth in career scoring and was the first KM player to compete at the NCAA Division 1 level. Tomic played for Army at West Point and is still in the military.

• Aubri Rote had no limitations when he came to range from beyond the arc. Rote ranks fifth in career scoring and played college hoops at UW-Milwaukee.

• Mickey Logan was an outstanding guard for the Lasers, specializing on defense. She ranks eighth in career scoring.

• Stacey Schwerman, younger sister of Kelly, was one of the best point guards in school history. She was outstanding with the ball, a good defender and excellent free-throw shooter.

"From the Rafters" continues next week.

Online now - Pewaukee

Jan. 14 - Arrowhead

Jan. 21 - Best in the area