Spread his wings and fly

The third straight season Grafton High School’s Alex Huibregtse made the North Shore Conference first team in basketball was the proverbial charm.

The sharpshooter who knocked down two-thirds of his two-point attempts and nearly half of his three-pointers was named NSC Player of the Year.

 “I thought that was a huge accomplish-ment for him and a huge accomplishment for our program,” coach Damon James said.

Huibregtse averaged 24.2 points per game this season, leading the league among players who appeared in more than 20 games.

He shot 115-for-177 on two-pointers (65%) and 79-for-167 on three-pointers (47.3%). He made 74 of 86 free throws (86%).

“You talk about a guy that averaged 24 points a game but shot it and scored at a high clip,” James said.

“It’s just a reflection of his IQ and his feel for the game.”

Huibregtse crossed the 1,000-point mark early in the season and finished his career with 1,312 points.

His skills went well beyond shooting. Huibregtse was sixth in the league in rebounding at 7.2 per game and was second in assists with 4.5 per game.

“His court presence allowed other players to play a little bit more freer,” James said.

“Having him in the program has been huge, a big part of turning things around in the last four years here at Grafton.”

Huibregtse was also named to the all-state first team.

He plans to play basketball for Wright State in Dayton, Ohio, next season.

Huibregtse’s teammate, Brock Heffner, made the second team.

Heffner, a junior, was seventh in the league in scoring among players with more than 20 games with 17.1 points per game, including electrifying slam dunks that ignited Black Hawks’ fans.

He was seventh in rebounds per game at 7.1

It was a comeback season after Heffner missed the previous year due to injury.

“Missing his sophomore season, we didn’t know how he would bounce back. Obviously, the intangibles were there. The skills were there,” James said.

“He was a tough guard on the block. At 6-7, to take him off the bounce could be a match-up problem.”

James said he hopes Heffner could be in the conversation for Player of the Year next season.

“We are ecstatic and looking forward to him taking him a huge leap into his senior year,” he said.

Port Washington four-year varsity player Evan Lilly made the third team after breaking a few of the Pirates’ long-range shooting records.

Lilly set Port’s single-season record for three-pointers with 62 and the career mark with 199.

He broke the career record in fewer games than the previous holder, Tim Setzer, a 1992 graduate, who had 135.

Setzer also had the single-season record of 59 three-pointers.

In addition, Lilly stepped up to be Port’s leader this season, after nine seniors graduated last year.

“I thought he did a really nice job. He did his best to lead by example, to show the younger players to take care of your grades, take care of offseason work,” coach Brian Hebein said. “He was a great role model for our program.”

Despite being the focal point of opponents’ defenses, Lilly averaged 15.5 points per game. He went 42-for-49 on free throws.

Lilly eclipsed 1,000 points in his final game and ended with 1,012 for his career, one of seven Pirates to reach the milestone.

Grafton’s J.P. Benzschawel earned honorable mention recognition after making the third team last season.

He averaged 10 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game.

“Obviously, he’s a special talent with football and basketball,” James said in reference to Benzschawel committing to play football at the University of Wisconsin.

“His presence allowed other guys on the perimeter to play freely and get shots. We look forward to him taking a huge leap next year as well,” he said.