Ostenson makes Newcastle history

The votes are in and post season awards have been handed out. Our Lady Dogies and one Dogie were recipients of All-Conference and All-State honors as the 2022-2023 hoops season came to a close.
Three Lady Dogies were named to the 3A East All-Conference team while two more received Honorable Mentions. Two Lady Dogies were named to the 3A All-State team as well. As for the men, they got one Honorable Mention to the 3A East All-Conference team.
Jaylen Ostenson and Shelby Tidyman were named to both teams, while MacKenzie Conzelman received All-Conference Honors. Hunter McFarland, Jayde Harrington and Quint Perino all received Honorable Mentions.
Ostenson made her fourth appearance on both the All-Conference and All-State teams in her final season of basketball, and was the only player in 3A who is a four-time all-stater. In addition, she was also named the Player of the Year for the 3A East Conference for the second year running.
Ostenson ended her career with 1715 points which puts her 14th on the Wyoming All-Time Career records list. She was fifth in free throws with 995 made and ended with 754 rebounds as well. She is also the top scorer in Newcastle history. 
“Jaylen had a nice year,” Ostenson smiled. “She led her team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks. She is also a leader/coach on the floor which is great to have. She and Shelby ran the show in the semifinal game, and they both enjoy it and both love it.”
Tidyman is a third year All-Conference and second year All-State player. She will join Ostenson on the Wyoming All-Time Career records list as 30th in assists with 290 throughout her tenure as a Lady Dogie. At the state tournament this year, not only did Tidyman assist her teammates in scoring, she also put her fair share of points on the board.
“Shelby had another great year, and she is an all around leader as well,” Ostenson nodded. “On the court her hustle, her defense and her communication is vital and it makes her pretty darned valuable for us. It’s also like having a coach on the floor. She calls out plays when they can’t hear me, and it’s almost always the play that I was trying to communicate.”
Conzelman made her second appearance on the All-Conference roster this year. Last year, she was eighth on the Wyoming All-Time Career Record list for made threes with 78 on the year and for her career is 20th on that list for made threes with 153. Those numbers are made all the more impressive given that she has only had two full years of starting.
“She didn’t have the year she had last year, but a lot of that had to do with the fact that other teams paid a lot more attention to her this year, and made sure she didn’t have as many opportunities as she had last year,” Ostenson stated. “That opens up more opportunities for everyone else, and overall it was still a pretty darned good year for her.” 
McFarland ended up just a vote or two short of making the team, however she got Honorable Mention for the second year in a row. McFarland was the Swiss Army knife of the team performing a variety of vital roles on the court. 
“Hunter’s one that does so many important little things that no one sees. She is one of our key defenders, she can play three or four different defensive spots, she brings the ball up when we need her to, she takes the ball out which is a vital part of the game, and she’s a threat from the outside and off the bounce,” Ostenson began. “She is an all-around good player, and I wish we could have got her in, because she deserves to be right there with the rest of those kids.”
Harrington made her first appearance on the Honorable Mention All-Conference list this season. The junior stepped up to fill the position vacated by Tiernan Stanton when she was sidelined due to knee surgery, and though Harrington isn’t 6’2” tall like Stanton, she did a nice job of stepping into those shoes as post for the Lady Dogies this year. By the end of the season, Harrington was a force on the boards and averaged 8.1 rebounds per game.
“What Jayde did this year was pretty amazing considering where she started and where she ended,” Ostenson nodded. “Toward the end of the year, she started dominating the boards and that was fun to watch. Everything we asked for she did, and she worked so hard, so the recognition was well-deserved.” 
“With us getting three All-Conference and being in the conference with the three best teams in the state, it’s tough to get more than that,” Ostenson concluded. “But, I felt like all five starters should have been on the roster.”
Perino was the only Dogie to be recognized by the conference. Head coach Allen Von Eye was pleased that his fellow coaches recognized the contribution Perino made to the team in what was a challenging season.
Von Eye pointed out that though Perino was undersized he was oftentimes asked to guard the opposing team’s biggest player because Von Eye knew he could count on him to give it his all. 
“Quint has been the epitome of hard-work, effort, and desire during his four years here. As evidenced by his play on the floor, he isn’t one to be outplayed,” Von Eye bragged. “His biggest contribution is the legacy he leaves with our younger players; a legacy of hard-work, maximum effort, and playing with passion!”