Courtesy:  Escanaba Daily Press

Nicole Elmblad made her first imprint on Michigan high school basketball in a memorable 2010 Class C championship game.

A year later, the St. Ignace LaSalle senior is the Associated Press Class C Player of the Year.

The University of Wisconsin recruit netted 36 points in a pulsating 68-66 double overtime loss to Flint Hamady. Two opponents from that thriller, seniors Porsha Fluker and Arlesia Morse, are also AP All-State selections.

Morse and junior Madison Ristovski of Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett were also Player of Year candidates and 2010 All-Staters with Ana Capotosto of Saugatuck.

Elmblad averages 24.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and five steals for the second-ranked Saints. She has 1,875 career points.

"That game opened a lot of doors for me," said Elmblad. "That really kind of put us on the map a little more. I couldn't have asked for a better time to have a game like that. It made everybody aware of us up here in the U.P."

The loss drives the Saints, who could face Hamady in Thursday's semifinals. "It made us more dedicated to get back down there and get back at Hamady," Elmblad said. "We take one game at a time, but we've always seen Hamady in our sights and we want to get back at them."

St. Ignace coach Dorene Ingalls said Elmblad "plays her best games in her biggest games. She knows when to step up. She is so versatile, she handles the ball, she posts up, she's a gamer, she makes everybody around her better."

The Miss Basketball candidate is also school valedictorian and reigning Upper Peninsula Division II girls golf champion. She is also an excellent hockey player and was courted by several colleges before selecting basketball.

Ingalls said the title game "validated the positive press she had been getting. They put their best defender (Fluker) on her, and they weren't able to stop her. She definitely proved herself that day on a big stage."

The rivalry between Elmblad and Morse may continue at the next level, with Morse signing with Marquette University. A Miss Basketball candidate, Morse averaged 26 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.8 steals. She had 26 points in that title game.

Fluker averaged 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.1 steals and 6 assists. She had 26 points and 14 rebounds in the title game.

Ristovski, a University of Michigan recruit, averaged 26 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. The Knights had six wins against Class A schools this season.

Capotosto, a Toledo University recruit, surpassed 1,000 points despite missing six games with an injury this season. She averaged 18 points, 8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2 steals.

Also selected All-State by a panel of sportswriters are seniors Chelsea Matley of Kalkaska, Kayla Engelhard of Saginaw Valley Lutheran and Kristy Droste of Pewamo-Westphalia and juniors Annemarie Hamlet of McBain and Morgan Berry of Napoleon.

Matley helped Kalkaska to a two-season 42-2 mark. She had a banner all-around season, averaging 22 points, 6.8 assists, 6.1 steals and 5.5 rebounds. She has scored more than 1,250 points.

Engelhard shot 51 percent from the field, and averaged 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. SVL's only loss was to Class B poll champion Detroit Country Day.

Droste averaged 14.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals. She had five double-doubles for the Pirates, whose only loss was to Inkster, ranked second in the final AP Class A poll.

Hamlet led McBain to a 17-3 record by averaging 17.2 points, 6.4 assists, 4.1 steals and 4 rebounds.

The 6-foot-3 Berry hit 58 percent of her field goals and 84 percent on free throws. She averaged 24.3 points.

Receiving Honorable Mention from the Upper Peninsula were Maria Almquist of Hancock, Emily Bray of Gwinn and Jaclyn Waara of West Iron County.

The AP Class C Coach of the Year is Wayne Gigante of Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett.