UMSL bound Breanna Diestelkamp

Will Johnson, Sports Editor
Posted 7/10/19

As if one Diestelkamp was not enough in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), there will now be two during the upcoming 2019-20 NCAA Division II women’s college basketball season.

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UMSL bound Breanna Diestelkamp

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As if one Diestelkamp was not enough in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), there will now be two during the upcoming 2019-20 NCAA Division II women’s college basketball season.

While Hailey Diestelkamp will enter her senior season at Drury University (DU), her younger sister Breanna will join the college hoops ranks as a freshman at the University of Missouri - St. Louis (UMSL).

“I’m very excited to follow both the girls,” Julie Diestelkamp said. “Watching both of them next year will be a basketball mom’s dream.”

Playing together for just one year in high school, Breanna and Hailey made the most of it.

Under Steve Tappmeyer, Owensville Dutchgirl basketball made a run that is still being talked about today.

As one of a handful of seniors during the 2015-16 season, Hailey averaged 23 points a game helping the Dutchgirls to a third-place finish in MSHSAA Class 4 Girls Basketball.

Making the varsity squad as a freshman, Breanna made the most of it.

It only took her two games to reach double digits in the scoring column.

In their second road game that season against Fatima’s Lady Comets, the younger Diestelkamp scored 11 points and just missed her first double double pulling down nine rebounds in Westphalia.

Her first and only double double of her freshman season came in the 2016 portion.

Facing Wright City’s Lady Wildcats in the first round of the Hermann Tournament, Breanna got her double double and flirted with a triple double putting together a stat line of 11 points, 10 rebounds and six steals.

Hosting Hermann for the third time that season in early February, Breanna picked a good night for a new season-high scoring number.

Netting 15 points against the Lady Bearcats, the younger Diestelkamp helped Owensville score a key Four Rivers Conference (FRC) victory 54-49 after losses to Hermann in the title games of the South Callaway and Hermann Tournaments.

Breanna’s best game in the postseason as a freshman came in the third-place game against Incarnate Word when she scored six points and pulled down four rebounds off the bench.

As a sophomore, Breanna led a young Dutchgirl team under first-year head coach Ryan Flanagan averaging nearly 18 points and eight rebounds a contest.

In the scoring department, her season high as a sophomore came against California with a 34 point outburst.

Three weeks prior to her 34-point effort against the Lady Pintos. Breanna achieved another first in her outstanding Dutchgirl basketball career.

Facing St. Clair in their FRC opener, Breanna netted her first triple double in spite of a 56-54 loss with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. She nearly made it a quadruple double adding six steals.

Only producing one double double as a freshman, the Lady Triton to be recorded seven of them during her second year of Owensville Dutchgirl basketball.

Scoring 30 points or more on four occasions as a sophomore, Breanna’s junior season saw six games of at least 30 points.

Reaching a new milestone, Diestelkamp dropped 40 points on Montgomery County in spite of a 57-55 loss to the Lady Wildcats in the seventh-place game of the South Callaway Tournament.

Also in that game, Breanna attacked the glass to the tune of a career-high 19 rebounds.

Averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds a game as a junior, Diestelkamp gave opposing defenses nightmares putting up 15 double doubles as a junior.

Of those 15, they included a streak of five straight double doubles in games against St. James, Northwest (Cedar Hill), Salem, Fulton and Bourbon.

Torching the nets for 31 points against Belle in late January of her junior season,  three of those pushed her over a major milestone in high school basketball.

Splashing home a 3-ball in the opening seconds of the third quarter, Breanna joined her sister Hailey Diestelkamp, Teresa (Holzschuh) Schulte and Kati Davis amongst the 1,000-point club in the history of Dutchgirl basketball.

Playing in all 27 games of her senior season, she was able to amass at least 10 points in every contest.

Pulling down 19 rebounds her junior season against Montgomery County, Breanna established a new career high in boards during the 2019 Peoples Bank Holiday Classic at Sullivan High School.

Helping the Dutchgirls tame Salem’s Lady Tigers 66-60 in the consolation title game, Breanna scored 34 points, grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds and nearly made it a triple double with seven blocked shots.

Good for 20.6 points and 10.3 rebounds a game as a senior, Breanna netted an eye-popping 15 double doubles out of 27 games played.

Scoring 1,752 points and pulling down 890 rebounds as a Dutchgirl, Breanna will look to post similar if not better numbers at UMSL.

Family was a strong bond between the Diestelkamp’s and the UMSL women’s basketball program.

“We’re excited about having Breanna come play for us,” UMSL women’s head basketball coach Katie Vaughn said. “We know Breanna comes from an involved family and we’re very much looking forward to having them support us over the next four years.”

Off the court, Diestelkamp liked the atmosphere of the UMSL campus.

“What led me to UMSL was they had a great atmosphere around the campus,” Breanna said. “The buildings are super nice. Their coaching staff is kind and was very welcoming.”

Breanna will major in Criminal Justice while at UMSL.