Hancock’s Bella Hebert drives in on Houghton’s Stella Wickstrom during a game this season at the Houghton Gym. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)

HANCOCK — As the girls’basketball schedule turns to the postseason, coaches from around the WestPAC recently casted their votes for their best players and top coach of the regular season. Several local players and a coach received top accolades.

Topping the list as Player of the Year was Hancock senior Bella Hebert. Her coach Ward Helakoski was honored as the Coach of the Year, and Houghton senior Stella Wickstrom earned Defensive Player of the Year.

The Hancock Bulldogs were undefeated in the WestPAC and went 19-1 on the season. According to Helakoski, Hebert was a big reason for a near-perfect season.

“She is well deserving of the honor,” he said. “She has had a great year for us averaging more than 18 points per game.

Helakoski, now finishing his third year, has had Hebert on the varsity squad since he arrived and says that she has only gotten better each season.

“Everything she does is elevated,” he related. “She is a better rebounder. She is deceptively fast with the basketball and can drive to the hoop or hit a variety of shots including the three.”

He added that she works hard and is certainly a team leader.

“She is consistent in her work ethic and leads by example but has gotten more vocal this year,” he stated. “If there is a play to be made on the court, Bella has more often than not been there to make it for us.”

Helakoski attributes his WestPAC Coach of the Year honors to his team.

“It is all appreciated but a lot of this have to do with wins and losses,” he said. “The girls worked hard this season, and I got a plaque. So, I couldn’t have done it without their winning performance.”

In other voting, WestPAC Dream Team members included junior Ella Mason, of Negaunee; senior Meghan Trewhella, of Houghton; Jenna Maki, junior of Ishpeming; Danica Shamion, junior of West Iron County; and junior Laina Kariniemi of Calumet.

All-Defensive team members included junior Caitlyn Strom, of Calumet; junior Lana Aho, of Hancock; sophomore Aubrey Johnson, of Neguanee;  junior Danica Shamion, of West Iron County; and senior Lena Pleaugh, of Gwinn.

Earning First-Team Copper Division accolades were senior Kaisa Salani, of Hancock;  junior Isabella Loukus, of Calumet; junior Caitlyn Strom, of Calumet; junior Lana Aho of Hancock, and senior Annika Peterson of Houghton.

Local players earning honorable mention accolades were Cassie Pietila, a senior at Hancock, and senior Gwen Markham of Houghton.