INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — The Highlanders may not have finished the basketball season like they wanted, but the postseason awards can be considered a celebration of their championship season that ended one game short of back-to-back state titles.

Incline went undefeated on its way to winning the Northern League, swept through the Northern Regional and were led on the journey by the best class 2A player in the state, TT Valosek.

The super sophomore earned Co-Most Valuable Player at the state tournament and was also the solo winner of the league’s MVP award.

Seniors Finn Gottlieb and Tyler Knight earned All-State honors as three of the five Incline starters received top awards.

Valosek, a guard, averaged 20 points, seven assists and just over four rebounds per game. He scored from long range. He scored driving to the rim. He scored a lot and teams had no answer all season.

“TT was hands down the best player in the state this year,” said Incline head coach Tim Kelly. “Nobody could stop him.”

If Valosek wasn’t on the team, we might be talking about how Gottlieb might be the best player in the state.

The senior transfer from the east coast averaged 18 points, five rebounds and three assists per game. He could also dial it up from deep as well as drive to the cup.

The Valosek-Gottlieb one-two punch was too tough for anyone to stop during the season.

“Finn, I’m really proud of how he played this season,” Kelly said. “With transferring across the country and dealing with other stuff during the season, he’s just a great kid.”

Knight, a dead-eye from the 3-point line and a tough defender due to his length, averaged about 11 points per game and was second to Gottlieb with 3-pointers made in the regular season. He hit more 3s (51) than 2-point shots (38).

“Tyler showed at state that he has much more game than shooting the ball,” Kelly said.

As happy as Kelly was for those three players, he was just as disappointed that his two other starters, Brad Rye and Brody Thralls, weren’t named All-State.

The two didn’t score in double digits per game, but probably could have if needed. They were the team’s best defenders and averaged about seven steals per game between them.

“It’s a shame because we had the best five players on the floor to start any game we played this year,” Kelly said. “But overall, these awards, it’s a celebration of how good we were this year. One loss no matter how heartbreaking doesn’t ruin what we accomplished this year.”