SISSETON – Hannah Leverson is all about the sport of basketball.

The Sisseton senior has participated in basketball and softball while in high school, but fell in love with the hardwood at an early age.

“I think it’s my favorite just because I’ve been playing it longer and it was the first sport that I actually loved playing,” Leverson said.

Leverson is a guard for the Redmen and plays a key role in being the floor general and leader for the team. She also takes the role of defender seriously as she works to make the opposing team’s scoring efforts as difficult as possible.

“I feel like I see the court really well and help get the team going on offense,” Leverson said. “And then on defense, I’m getting in people’s grill, just getting kind of feisty with them.”

Sisseton coach Sara Lincoln also sees the leadership role that Leverson has while on the court.

“We’ve been very blessed in Sisseton with this group of girls that just love the game,” Lincoln said. “Having Hannah lead them out there on the floor, being a really strong point guard, it’s nice to see.”

Last season, Leverson played an integral role in Sisseton’s run to a state tournament berth, where the Redmen finished with a 22-3 record and a third-place finish.

“It was super, super fun,” Leverson said of last season. “That was one of our goals was to make it (to the state tournament), then we did, and I thought we proved a few people wrong. It was super exciting to play with that team and those girls because we all have the same goal and we all knew what we had to do to get that goal and we all worked for each other.”

This season, the goal is still the same; make the state tournament and bring home a state championship. If the Redmen succeed, it would be the first state title for Sisseton since claiming the Class A crown in 2011. Leverson said it will take hard work, team buy-in, and trust in each other to bring home the title.

“This year our main goal is to win (state), and so far, I think we’ve been doing really good as a team, playing for each other and trying to get to that goal,” Leverson said.

Sisseton, 7-0 and rated second in the last Class A poll, plays at 6-0 Aberdeen Roncalli on Friday night.

Leverson transferred from Rosholt before her sophomore year of high school and says it has meant a lot to play for Sisseton the past few years despite changing schools.

“Going from the team I had before to Sisseton, it was a huge change school-wise and sports-wise,” Leverson said. “So far, I think it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Lincoln noted she saw Leverson’s drive and love for the game as soon as she stepped foot on the court in Sisseton.

“That fit well with the other girls that we had on the team,” Lincoln said. “They meshed really well because they really love this game and it’s fun to see.”

Leverson is one of the shorter players on the team, standing at 5-foot-5, and regularly works to get the ball to teammates Chloe and Krista Langager, who stand at 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-2, respectively. She says she has had to learn to play with and against players that are taller than her.

“I’ve always been one of the shortest ones on the court, so I’ve really learned to play against taller people, like learning how to finish around taller people,” Leverson said. “And then playing with more girls that are that height, some passes make it easier because I can just throw it up over the defense and I’ll know they’ll be able to go up and get it.”

Lincoln said she has seen several of Leverson’s intangibles improve over the past couple of years, which has turned her into an all-around player.

“I tell her all the time that sometimes the stats don’t show what she actually does,” Lincoln said. “Even just her defense alone; she helps out so much and she’s so quick with everything she does on the floor and so precise. There’s no doubt that she can score, there’s no doubt that she can pass, but there’s so many little things that she does that doesn’t get noticed also, like the way she talks to everybody on the floor and the way she manages the floor. It’s just really nice to have.”

Next fall, Leverson will attend college at Minnesota State-Mankato to play basketball and study exercise science; but for now, she is looking to enjoy her last season as a Sisseton Redmen. “I love it in Sisseton,” Leverson said. “It’s like a family. I love my teammates and coaches. We all get along so well. It’s just super fun.”