PLAYER OF THE YEAR — Fairmont’s Brylee Miller (right) fires a running jumper over Blue Earth Area’s Katherine Armon (2) during regular-season basketball action at Cardinal Gym in Fairmont. Miller has been named as the Sentinel All-Area co-player of the year. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Post up in the low blocks, square shoulders, ball fake, spin move, flip of the wrist — two points.

Hard drive, stutter-step hesitation, step-back maneuver behind the arc, elevation, quick release — three more points.

Wherever they were located on an area hardwood court, Martin County West junior Emily Anderson and Fairmont sophomore Brylee Miller both could find a way to snap the nets with a basketball.

The potent inside-outside tandem topped the Maverick and Cardinal programs’ statistical charts in six major categories — points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocked shots and 3-pointers made — during the 2023-24 hoops campaign.

The 6-foot Anderson poured in 20.2 points per outing to move into the No. 4 career scoring spot in Martin County West history with 1,434 points. She became just the 12th girls basketball player in the school’s three plus-decades history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark.

The three-time all-Valley Conference choice, who netted a Maverick girls’ single-game record of 37 points this season, nearly averaged a double-double by pulling down a team-best 9.4 rebounds to help power the blue-and-black attack to a 19-7 overall record.

The three-time Sentinel All-Area selection also paced Martin County West by distributing 80 assists, pocketing 68 steals, blocking 62 opponents’ shots and connecting for 62 trifectas to cap an outstanding basketball season.

Only 15 miles to the east, the 5-11 Miller also edged closer to averaging a double-double performance every time she stepped on the hardwood court this winter.

The two-time all-Big South Conference first-team choice poured in 15.9 points per game to eclipse the 800-point career scoring plateau with two seasons remaining.

The repeat Sentinel All-Area choice improved her rebounding prowess to pace the Cardinals with a clip of 9.1 boards per outing to complement rejecting 30 rivals’ shots on the season.

Miller helped engineer Fairmont’s 16-12 overall record by topping the roster by doling out 119 assists, pocketing 56 steals and burying 39 treys during 2023-24.

For all of their contributions to their respective programs, Anderson and Miller have been named for a second consecutive year as the Sentinel All-Area girls basketball players of the year.

Here’s an inside glance at the rest of the 2024 Sentinel All-Area girls basketball selections.

Katherine Armon (Blue Earth Area) — Fierce competitor.

The all-Big South Conference choice demonstrated her determination by netting a second-best team scoring clip of 11.5 points per game.

The 5-5 senior guard paced the Bucs’ defensive effort by pocketing 2.5 steals, pulled down 4.3 rebounds and dished out 1.9 assists per contest to cap a brilliant varsity hoops career.

McKenna Benck (GHEC/Truman/Martin Luther) — Tenacious.

The three-time all-Valley Conference playmaker produced solid all-around numbers to help guide the Jaguars to a 21-7 overall record.

The three-time All-Area selection scored 12.5 points, grabbed 4.8 rebounds, pocketed 3.5 steals and dished out 3.0 assists per game in 2023-24.

The 5-6 senior point guard sank 47 trifectas this winter to finish as the Jaguar girls basketball program’s all-time leader with 122 made 3-pointers.

Benck closed out her varsity basketball playing days with 974 points, 359 rebounds, 247 steals and 191 assists.

Naomi Jones (North Union) — Speed & quickness.

The two-time All-Area selection topped the green-and-black attack by garnering 74 steals and doling out 60 assists this winter.

The 5-7 senior guard/forward produced the No. 2 scoring clip of 11.4 points per game for the Warriors, while also utilizing her outstanding vertical leap to pull down a second-best team total of 5.8 rebounds per outing.

The Top of Iowa Conference West Division second-team basketball selection connected on 98 of 242 field goals for 40.5 percent to help guide North Union to a 17-6 overall mark.

Lola Lundquist (Blue Earth Area) — All-energy.

The all-Big South Conference selection converted her seemingly endless stamina into a team-leading 17.8-point scoring average to close out her second varsity campaign.

The two-time All-Area sharpshooter used every inch of her athletic 5-4 frame to haul down 4.1 rebounds per outing.

The sophomore playmaking guard distributed 2.5 assists and pocketed 1.8 steals per game to round out her stellar season.

Olivia Mattson (GHEC/Truman/Martin Luther) — The ultimate multi-tasker.

The perennial all-Valley Conference choice delivered 10.1 points and a team-leading 8.4 rebounds per outing.

The 5-10 senior forward also topped the Jaguars’ statistical charts with 3.9 assists to complement 2.0 steals every time she stepped onto the court.

The two-time All-Area selection closed out her brilliant prep playing days with 828 points, 525 rebounds, 194 assists, 145 steals and 100 blocked shots.

Nevaeh Rahm (Fairmont) — Solid as a rock.

The repeat All-Area choice proved double-double trouble for opponents in the low blocks during her senior basketball season.

The 5-11 post player compiled the second-best scoring average (14.9 points per game) on the Cardinals and collected the No. 2 rebounding total (199) to help engineer the team’s 16-12 overall record.

The two-time all-Big South Conference selection also displayed her deft passing touch by generating 72 assists from the paint.

Rahm added 27 steals, 13 blocked shots and a 161-for-248 field-goal performance for 64.9 percent to close out a stellar prep hoops career.

Ainsley Ulrich (North Union) — Rookie of the year.

The 5-5 freshman guard displayed her court savvy by topping the Warriors in both scoring — 14.6 points per game — and made 3-pointers (40) in 2023-24.

The Top of Iowa Conference West Division first-team choice pocketed a second-best team total of 58 steals, grabbed 73 rebounds and distributed 44 assists during her varsity debut campaign.

Ulrich played an integral role in guiding North Union to a 17-6 overall record.