Shyanne Loiland
Year: Sophomore
School: Crosby-Ironton
Sport: Basketball
Position: Guard
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Highlights: Finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds against Barnum and 18 points against Pequot Lakes
Shyanne Loiland is reaching new heights on the basketball court.
As a freshman, Loiland saw limited time and her numbers reflected that. This year, the Crosby-Ironton sophomore had the Rangers one game away from the state tournament.
In C-I's three Section 7-2A playoff victories leading up to Friday's championship, Loiland tallied 13 points and 12 rebounds in a 67-48 victory over Barnum. She posted 18 points in a 72-68 win over Pequot Lakes and finished with 11 rebounds and four points in a 48-46 win against Proctor in the semifinals.
Of the three games, the victory over Pequot may have been the strangest as four Ranger starters fouled out along with another player, but the Rangers still prevailed over their Mid-State Conference rival.
"It was tough not having my point guard out there," Loiland said. "She is always the leader on the floor and so that had to be me toward the end of the game having two eighth-graders and two freshmen out there. That made it tough so I was listening to her on the sideline a lot."
Loiland led the underclassmen down the stretch to advance C-I to the section semifinals for the first time since 2009.
"Her comfort level with all of her teammates is very encouraging and her leadership skills aren't just for older or younger players," said C-I head coach Sue Peterson. "They're for everyone across the board. So her having to finish that game with a bunch of younger players wasn't a problem. They had such nice teamwork on the floor. It was just nice teamwork regardless of the age."
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After scoring around 126 points last season, Loiland jumped up to 406 points this season. Through the team's first 18 games, Loiland was averaging 6.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.9 steals and 0.5 blocks.
"She didn't play as often last year as this year. I believe she had 126 points last year, which gives you an idea of how much more of an impact she's had on our team," Peterson said. "She's really matured into such an all-around player, an all-around asset for our team. She's expanding her leadership role on the floor."
Loiland entered the basketball season coming off a breakout season in volleyball. The added confidence helped combat the uncertainty of a new head coach and a new role.
This fall, Loiland earned All-Mid-State Conference honors in volleyball and was an honorable mention selection for the Brainerd Dispatch All-Area team as she posted 288 kills, 89 digs, 13 set assists, 66 blocks and 4 ace serves on 80 percent serving.
"The strongest thing about her is her competitive nature on the floor," Peterson said. "She is always a worker on the floor. There is never a question on her work ethic. She competes on both ends of the floor."
One area where Loiland's athletic ability has really shined is on C-I's press, said Peterson.
"We're enjoying some nice progress in our pressing situations," Peterson said. "She plays the point on our press because she anticipates well and she is quick enough to play that position.
"A big key to the success of our pressing is due to her anticipation and her instincts around the ball defensively. We look to her as being a playmaker. If she's not scoring she is usually a part of the scoring because she does well with assists. She feeds people well on the break. She is just a playmaker."
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And she's a highlight reel waiting to happen. Thanks to her work in volleyball, Loiland, who stands 5-foot-11½, can leap and touch the rim. She's not consistent with it, but her leaping ability does help.
"A couple of times, when I want to, I can touch the rim," she said. "There has been a few times, inconsistently, but yes. My vertical helps a lot. For me if I couldn't jump as high as I can, I wouldn't get a lot of the rebounds I do get. I don't like to box out and that's what they're trying to get me to do more and I'm trying to focus on that, but jumping has really helped me get rebounds."
Improvement on defense has been a season-long goal for Loiland, who said she's playing all over the court in whatever role best suits the team. It's a team she enjoys playing with.
"Going nine, even 10 deep, really helped us against Pequot," Loiland said. "I mean, if we didn't the athletic ability of the young girls that we do have, it would be a lot tougher than it is. Having all those extra pairs of legs running up and down the floor really helps a lot."
Other notable performances:
Basketball: Olivia Lane, Pequot Lakes, scored 31 points against Crosby-Ironton.
Shania Glenz, Verndale, finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds against Menahga and 21 points and 10 rebounds against Walker-Hackensack-Akeley.
Corina Ruud, Pequot Lakes, scored 26 points against Moose Lake-Willow River.
