SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Our third finalist for the KELOLAND Media Group All-Star Player of the Year is Sioux Falls Washington senior Brooklyn Harpe.

Top-seeded Washington fell to eight-seed Jefferson in the quarterfinals last season, a disappointing moment that sparked Harpe for her senior year.

“One of the things that we saw during the summer is Brooklyn was the first kid in the gym, and other kids would be over putting their shoes on. And she’s already at a basket shooting shots working on simple things Mikan drill form shooting. She had decided on June 1 that that’s how she was going to lead,” Washington head coach Jamie Parish said.

That passion didn’t come overnight as Brooklyn grew up playing with her twin sister, Hannah.

“We started really young. We had this barn. I used to live in Idaho and we had this huge barn. And there was a six-foot hoop, an eight-foot hoop, a nine-foot hoop, and a 10-foot hoop to get us going throughout the years. Hannah and I would play all the time with our dad and our little sister and my mom,” Washington shooting guard Brooklyn Harpe said.

Brooklyn’s hard work led to her best season. This year, the senior averaged over 16 points and seven boards per game in leading her team to a state title.

“That’s why we’ve been the number one seed for three years in a row. That’s why we’ve been mentioned as championship contenders for three years in a row because a really, really great player like Brooklyn was willing to be a really, really great teammate and not worry about herself,” Parish said.

That effort helped earn Brooklyn a spot as a finalist for Player of the Year, though she credits her teammates for her success.

“Our culture about being a good teammate, it’s about the team. It’s not about you. I’m super honored that I’ve nominated for this award, but it’s my team around me that like has made me such a great player,” Harpe said.

Harpe will take her talents to Sioux Falls next year to play at USF alongside her sister.

The girls Player of the Year will be announced in our KELOLAND Media Group Player of the Year Special, which airs on Saturday, April 15 at 9:30 a.m. CT.