SHABBONA – The days of being a three-sport star for Indian Creek are finally over for Josie Diehl.

She will narrow her focus to basketball as she moves on to University of Wisconsin-La Crosse after a standout career for the Timberwolves that is capped by her being named the Daily Chronicle Girls Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row.

“I’m excited because it’s probably my favorite sport and it’s what I want to do,” Diehl said. “It’ll be good. It will definitely help me get better. I mean all three sports – volleyball and soccer have helped me as a basketball player, too.”

Diehl was a goalkeeper for the Timberwolves and was a major part of the volleyball team that advanced to a regional final. However, her impact was felt the most on the basketball court, where she helped the Timberwolves to the best season in school history.

She led the team in points (14.4) and rebounds (10.6) to give Indian Creek a third-place finish at the Class 1A state tournament and an overall record of 32-2. It was a team that captured the hearts of the surrounding communities, Indian Creek coach Paul Muchmore said.

“I think that was the really nice thing was that the girls realized as we were going on the run and more and more people were coming to games – I even talked about it at Christmas time, you’re going to see more people and more people,” Muchmore said. “It was great to have the amount of people we had our games and have different people coming to watch and people that weren’t connected to the school other than the fact they might have went to Shabbona or they might have went to Waterman. It was a lot of fun.”

In the 56-50 win over South Holland Seton Academy in the third-place game, Diehl put up another double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds – along with blocking three shots on defense. With a decorated prep career finally over, Diehl said it that postseason run is one thing that she’ll likely remember most.

“There will be a lot to look back on,” she said. “Definitely playing with all my friends in all three sports will be the biggest thing. The state tournament and the entire run to get there will definitely be the No. 1 thing I think of. Not every kid gets the chance to go down there. None of us thought it would happen, so when it did, it made everything a lot sweeter. I’ll always remember that.”

She’ll join the UW-La Crosse team that went 7-18 last season and plays in Division III as a member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Muchmore said that Diehl played with an unselfishness around the team – even saying possibly too unselfish at times – but that she will adapt to life as a college athlete.

“Her nature is to include everybody and that’s the great thing about her and a great thing about the team,” Muchmore said. “They accepted roles and played together and I think ultimately that’s what helped us make the run. She’ll be all right. She’s a smart kid and she works hard. She’ll do what she’s told. I have no concerns. I’m happy she’s going to try and play because I know she’s capable of playing at the collegiate level.”