MARSHALL — Dawson-Boyd, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton and Tracy-Milroy-Balaton led the Independent’s 12 area schools with two selections each to the Independent All-Area boys basketball teams, announced on Saturday.

For the Dawson-Boyd Blackjacks, which spent most of the season ranked as the No. 2 team in Class A, juniors Brayson Boike and Drew Hjelmeland were selected to the first and second teams respectively The Blackjacks also had an honorable mention nod in sophomore guard Gunner Liebl.

The Blackjacks’ towering frontcourt duo consistently provided efficient scoring. The 6-foot-7 Boike averaged 25.8 points per game on a 55.4% effective field goal percentage while Hjelmeland, standing at 6-foot-6, added another 17.5 points per game on 63.1% eFG.

Boike also surpassed Michael Lee’s program scoring record of 1,678 points, set back in 2015. Boike still has another full season to continue making program history.

On the defensive end of the court, Boike and Hjelmeland were a nightmare for opposing offenses in the paint. Hjelmeland’s 2.5 blocks per game were second in the area while Boike added another 2.0.

Murray County Central’s Bryce Hoekman led the area in blocks with 2.6 per game. The 6-foot-9 big man was also the Rebels’ leading scorer with 19.6 PPG on 59.4% eFG.

Dawson-Boyd went 26-3 on the season, finishing the year with a defeat at the hands of Minneota in the section tournament The upset opened up a path for Russell-Tyler-Ruthton to reach its third straight tournament.

For the third consecutive year, Drew Werkman was a key contributor on those runs. The reigning Independent Player of the Year put together another quality season, scoring 18.9 points per game on 59.4% eFG and adding 10.7 boards per game for a double-double. His 3.4 assists per game were also second on the Knights to Blake Christianson’s 3.7.

Junior Chase Christianson also had a breakout season for the Knights with 16 points per game. His 70.3% eFG made him the most efficient scorer on the All-Area team. He also added 6.1 rebounds per game and his 1.0 blocks per game led the Knights.

The Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Panthers made a leap from an 8-19 record last year to a 17-10 mark in 2023-24. Leading the way for the Panthers was the junior guard duo of Trevor Smith and Alex Munson.

Smith was the area’s leading scorer, averaging 25.9 points per game on 49.5% eFG. His 78 3-pointers also tied Canby’s honorable mention Michael Tol for the most among All-Area honorees.

Munson did a little bit of everything for TMB. In addition to averaging 18.4 points per game, 6.3 assists per game led the area and his 9.7 rebounds per game were a team high.

Isaac Simonson rounds out the All-Area first-teamers. The Red Rock Central senior center ran away with the area rebounding title, finishing with an astounding 17.3 rebounds per game. He was also no slouch on the offensive end of the floor, leading the team with 18.1 points per game on an efficient 57.5% eFG. His five assists per game were also the most among first-teamers.

Simonson became the ninth player in Red Rock Conference history to surpass the 1,000-rebound mark in his career. He also finished his prep career with over 1,000 points and set the Red Rock Central rebounding record.

Junior guards Alex Franson of Marshall and Hudsen Jenniges of Westbrook-Walnut Grove each also were selected to the All-Area second team.

Jenniges’ 21.6 points per game on 46.4% eFG trailed only Boike and Smith among area players. He also added 10.5 rebounds per game to average a double-double. On the defensive end, he averaged a block and a pair of steals.

Franson led the Marshall Tigers with 18.4 points per game on 51.8% eFG. His 3.2 steals per game were also the most among All-Area honorees.