The selection marks Drake’s fourth time receiving an Independent Player of the Year nod. She was also selected as the Volleyball Player of the Year in her junior and senior seasons, along with a girls basketball All-Area first team and a volleyball All-Area third team selection in her sophomore season. She said that she wanted to thank head coach Dan Westby, backcourt-mate Taleigha Bigler and the rest of her teammates for helping her continue to grow over her time as a Tiger.

Over the course of the regular season, Drake led all area schools in assists with an average of six per game and tied Westbrook-Walnut Grove’s Leah Carter as the area scoring champ with 19.3 points per game. Her 54% shooting from the field was a team-high, and her 41% shooting from 3-point range and 77% shooting from the charity stripe were also both top-3 on the team.

Even after being named the Independent’s Player of the Year last year, her numbers nearly improved across the board from last season’s averages of 19 points and six rebounds on 53-43-71 splits.They also showed growth from her averages of 14.7 points and three assists in her first All-Area selection in the 2023-24 season.

“After practice, I’d just stay after for a little bit even if it’s just 10 minutes to shoot around a little extra,” Drake said. “I would always stay after practice and make 10 free throws in a row before I leave. I feel like little things like that not only build me as a player, but build that confidence as well.”

Photo by Samantha Davis: Reese Drake smiles as she walks back on defense after a Marshall basket during the 2026 Section 2AAA girls basketball championship game in St. Peter.

Heading into the season, expectations were high for the Tigers. Marshall was coming off a season in which it finished as Class AAA state runner-up with a 29-2 record, including a 20-game win streak to start the season.

Not only did they build themselves a reputation as a program, but they brought back four of their five starters from that season in Drake, Bigler, Avery Schneekloth and Avery Fahl, with Danielle Nubile carving out a role for herself in the front court after a breakout performance in last year’s state championship game.

Seniors Drake, Bigler and Fahl all started for Marshall this season, with Bryn Webb also contributing off the bench. The quartet brought an infectious competitive drive to practice every day that helped push the younger girls to want to be better each day, Drake said, adding that she really wanted to savor her last run with the team.

“I felt like almost kind of taking it all in, trying to take it one game at a time not only game-wise, but mentally, and really enjoy every moment you’ve got with your teammates,” Drake said. “Whether it was practice, bus rides, pasta feeds, little things like that, just really tried to soak in the moment with all of them.”

The Tigers’ embarrassment of riches in terms of depth of talent prompted them to schedule one of the most difficult schedules in Class AAA this season. Marshall scheduled eight ranked teams in the regular season, including the state runner-up in Class 4A (Hopkins), Class 3A (Stewartville) and 2A (Duluth Marshall). Hopkins and Stewartville both entered their respective state tournaments as the top seed.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Drake passes the ball to her teammate during a game at Southwest Minnesota State University on Dec. 30.

Marshall’s gauntlet made for a less dominant regular-season performance. Facing off against No. 1 Hopkins and No. 7 Delano in the first two weeks of the season, the Tigers lost as many games in their first seven this year as they did all of last season. Still, Marshall knew those bumps in the road would only make them better when it mattered most.

“It definitely feels better to win than lose, but in those games, I thought we were able to take away things that we need to work on as a team and were able to work on in practice the next week,” Drake said. “Those games helped us get better overall as a team and pushed us, rather than just playing easier teams that we don’t get much out of.”

After the loss to Delano, Marshall transformed into a juggernaut. The Tigers rattled off 11 straight wins, including victories over Class 3A No. 5 Hill-Murray and 2A No. 5 Duluth Marshall. That stretch helped set the tone for what would be a 27-5 finish to the year.

Whenever a team reaches the level of success that Marshall has attained over the last few seasons, it comes from having a talented group with plenty of chemistry rather than just one individual. The Tigers were loaded with talent, but the wins started with the All-State backcourt duo of Drake and Bigler. Drake cited the group’s chemistry and ball-movement as a whole as a key ingredient for its consistent ability to contend for section and state championships over her time with the team.

“Me and Taleigha have played together since we were really little and we’ve always just had great chemistry growing up,” Drake said of her fellow guard. “We’ve been able to find each other on the court, and Taleigha does a really nice job of working hard to get the ball up the court for us, which helps the rest of our team get shooting opportunities. I feel like me and here are very unselfish, work really well together and help find those open opportunities for our teammates.”

Independent file photo: Drake surveys the court while holding the ball during a game in her freshman season with the Tigers.

Drake and the Tigers rolled right on through the section tournament, qualifying for the section championship game for the eighth consecutive season and advancing to the state tournament for the third time in Drake’s four years with the team.

Over the course of the section tournament, Drake averaged 27.3 points, eight assists and 5.7 steals per game, including a 34-point, eight-assist, seven-steal effort in an 84-69 section championship win over Jordan.

As the state tournament came back around, Drake continued to put together masterclass performances. She racked up 16 points, seven assists and five steals in a quarterfinal win over Totino-Grace, and went off for 21 points with three assists and three steals in Marshall’s loss to Benilde-St. Margaret’s in the semifinals. Despite the loss, the Tigers bounced back two days later and defeated Cretin-Derham Hall in the third-place game to head home with some hardware.

This wasn’t the first time Marshall needed to be resilient in the state tournament. While the Tigers didn’t need to take the court again after last year’s loss to Benilde-St. Margaret’s in the state championship game, they did need to return to the hardwood after falling in the state quarterfinals Drake’s freshman year. Like this season, the Tigers also bounced back by winning their next game in the consolation bracket Drake’s freshman year, though they settled for a sixth-place finish.

“After losing that game, there’s definitely a mood shift,” Drake said. “Freshman year [compared to] this year was a lot different, just knowing that third-place game would be my last game. I just wanted to make the most of it and be ready to go out in my senior season on a win.”

Photo by Jake McNeill: Reese Drake shoots a 3-pointer during a girls basketball game against Worthington, Dec. 15 in Marshall.

Both Drake and Bigler were named to the Class AAA All-Tournament team for their performances.

After being a two-sport standout for the last four years for Marshall, Drake has one last season as a Tiger without sports.

“It’s definitely weird, especially going home right after school rather than going to practice,” Drake said. “Also knowing that we don’t have that next year, it’s a little sad. But I enjoyed my time here with all my teammates, and I still get to see them all at school, so I’m still going to spend time with them.”

While the end of the season marks the end of her Marshall athletics career, Drake isn’t done making her mark in local sports. She’s slated to head to Southwest Minnesota State University to join the Mustang volleyball team in the fall. She’ll be going for an outside hitter role again, and will be joining her older sister Kennedy Drake on the team. Reese says she will be studying business and marketing.

“I’m going to miss being a Marshall Tiger and getting to play the two sports I love, but I wish my teammates the best of luck next year,” Drake said.