in AISA All-Star game

By STEVEN G. WATSON

Sports Editor

Two Pike Liberal Arts basketball players are being rewarded for a year’s worth of hard work on the hardwood.

Seniors Clint Wallace and Shaunna Wheeler will represent the Patriots and Lady Patriots teams at Hunnington College Saturday in the AISA State All-Star game. The two PLAS stars were picked as one of 12 players on both the boys’ and girls’ teams that comprise the best AISA players from the East side of the state.

"This is a huge honor for both of these players because they were chosen by other coaches who had to compete against them all year," PLAS boys and girls head coach Jim Ryan said recently. "It’s a great opportunity for them to showcase their talents. They were leaders on our team and I feel they will represent Pike Lib well on this level."

Clint was what Ryan called a defensive specialist for the Patriots throughout the year. Playing hard-nosed defense and averaging 4.5 steals a game, the 6-foot-3 wingman saw his defense pay dividends on the offensive end as well. Wallace was one of the Patriots’ leading scorers as well hitting for 11.5 a game.

As a three year starter Wallace was a part of 52 victories as a Patriot and helped the PLAS boys pull an upset of No. 1 seeded Lee-Scott in the second round of the Region Tournament this year only to come up one game short of the State Playoffs, falling to Glenwood in the championship game.

Wheeler was a huge offensive threat down low for the Lady Patriots averaging 12.7 points per game in their 1999-2000 campaign. She helped the PLAS girls to a turnaround season as the Lady Patriots won more than doubled their win total from the year before and notched three Region victories, three more than the team has had in the last two years, on their way to a No. 3 seed in the Region Tournament.

The 5-8 forward shot 37 percent from behind the 3-point arc for the Lady Patriots, led the team in steals and gobbled up 6.7 rebounds per contest.

"Both of these kids have had excellent careers here at Pike Lib and they will be sorely missed next season," Ryan said. "For Shaunna I know that it was a goal of hers for a long time to be named to the All-Star team and for Clint I don’t know a lot of other players more deserving the honor. They are both just top-notch student athletes and deserve all the praise in the world."

The girls game begins at 1 p.m. Saturday with the boys following at 3.