Bayli Sneller, Alana Almich and Abby Gullickson were the three upperclassmen for the Sting this season, and also were starters. The rest of the team consisted of freshmen and sophomores.

Following the end to YME’s season, Almich was emotional upon reflecting on what this team and season had meant to her.

“We overcame a lot. We lost a lot of girls [from the season before] … So, we kind of sat in a spot we weren’t comfortable in,” Almich said regarding what she was proud of about the team this season. “We used our height to our advantage, we got to run the ball. I’m proud of us for being strong with the little numbers we had.”

Although finishing below .500, YME still had a plethora of positives throughout the season.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Yellow Medicine East sophomore Bailey Mortenson looks to pass the ball out against MACCRAY in the Section 3A North subsection quarterfinals in Montevideo on Feb. 21.

Impressively, YME had three players on this year’s roster who had all surpassed 1,000 career points in Sneller, Almich and sophomore forward Bailey Mortenson, who were also the Stings’ three leading scorers this season.

Sneller, Mortenson and Almich were all sharp shooters throughout the season averaging double figures.

Mortenson led the Sting in the regular season with averaging 16.7 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals. She also was a 64% free-throw shooter.

Sneller averaged 13.7 points and 2.3 3-pointers on 36% shooting from deep and 70% from the foul line, while Almich put up on average 12.1 points a night along with shooting 35% at the perimeter with 2.2 makes a game and 8.8 rebounds.

YME picked up a postseason win defeating Lac qui Parle Valley 68-56 in the Section 3A North play-in round. The Stings’ season then came to an end in the subsection quarterfinals with an 82-52 loss to MACCRAY, who were the 2025 defending Class A state champions.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Yellow Medicine East senior Alana Almich lines up to shoot a 3-pointer against MACCRAY in the Section 3A North subsection quarterfinals in Montevideo on Feb. 21.

“We just never quit [this entire season]. We came in, and we wanted MACCRAY … We wanted that challenge,” YME head coach Lucas Christoffer said.

Being that the Sting held three seniors, they will return a large group of talent come next season.