High school girls basketball: Selinsgrove's Deckard named to all-state team

By Matt Corbett
The Daily Item

Sun, May 18 2008

— Selinsgrove guard Danica Deckard reached a career milestone in late December when she scored her 1,000th point in a win over Shikellamy.
Deckard achieved another milestone Wednesday, when she was named to the Associated Press girls basketball all-state Class AAA third team.
The 5-foot-8 junior, who led the Seals to the Susquehanna Valley League and District 4 Class AAA titles, was also named the SVL Most Valuable Player.
In SVL play this season, Deckard averaged 18.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 steals and two blocked shots a game as the Seals finished a perfect 16-0 in the league, on the way to a spectacular 26-2 season.
"That's pretty cool, though I'm a little surprised," Deckard said after learning of the all-state selection. "I think everyone did well on our team. It was a tough way to go out (a 51-33 loss to Muhlenberg in the first round of the PIAA tournament), but I'm definitely satisfied that we won the league and districts. Winning districts along with the (Selinsgrove) guys was really neat."
The District 4 title was the first for Selinsgrove in 17 years.
Seals coach Scott Kerstetter said Deckard, in addition to excelling individually, made the players around her better.
"I think (her selection) is awesome. When you look at the number of good schools and the number of kids playing the game, it really is a reflection of all the time and hard work she's put in as a player, not just for her game but to elevate the game of her teammates," Kerstetter said. "I think she started to recognize that she could contribute more than just scoring, just being active out on the court and being a threat to score anytime she got the ball."
Deckard is the daughter of Steve and Kathi Deckard of Selinsgrove.
Deckard, The Daily Item Player of the Year as a freshman and a three-time SVL MVP (she was co-MVP as a sophomore), said the biggest improvement in her game this season was mental.
"I think I was a lot more calm this year. I handled (difficult) situations a lot better," she said. "This year was a lot different from past seasons because we had more people willing to step up, and that was a lot of fun."
Deckard is being looked at by several colleges, but said she isn't close to a decision.
"I'm definitely considering several colleges, but I don't know yet," she said. "I'm just keeping my options open for now."

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