Staff report
The annual District 9 Coaches All-Area boys and girls basketball teams were announced recently, and two players from Shelby County and three coaches from the Shelby County League took top honors.
DIVISION 1
In Division 1, Sidney senior Celena Taborn was named the Player of the Year after averaging 27 points and 12 rebounds per game for the Lady Jackets. She scored 40 or more points five times this season.
She was also recently named the Athlete of the Year in the Greater Western Ohio Conference American North.
• And in D-1 boys, Sidney sophomore Andre Gordon was named to the All-Area Team after leading the Yellow Jackets in scoring at 20.1 and in assists with 5.9.
D-1 Girls — Lily Stewart, junior, Piqua; Shalaya Heath, sophomore, Northmont; Willow Knight, junior, Vandalia; Olivia Schoenherr, senior, Vandalia; Tyree Fletcher, sophomore, Vandalia; Celena Taborn, senior, Sidney; Corrine Thomas, sophomore, Tecumseh; Presley Griffits, sophomore, Tecumseh; Trinity Morton-Nooks, sophomore, Xenioa; Erin Mangen, senior, Northmont.
Player of the Year — Celena Taborn, Sidney
Coach of the Year — Molly Bardonaro, Vandalia
D-1 Boys — Miles Joiner, senior, Vandalia; Isaiah Gable, senior, Greenville; Aaron Rich, senior, Greenville; Samari Curtis, sophomore, Senia; Andre Gordon, sophomore, Sidney; Clay Mastin, junior, Tecumseh; Danny Davis, senior, Springfield; Michael McKay, senior, Springfield; Leonard Taylor, junior, Springfield; Vinson Walker, senior, Northmont; Rodney Richardson, senior, Northmont.
Player of the Year – Danny Davis, Springfield
Coach of the Year – Isaiah Carson, Springfield
DIVISION 3
In Division 3 boys, Versailles junior star Justin Ahrens, an Ohio State commit, was named the Player of the Year. He averaged 23.8 for the Tigers this season and also grabbed 8.4 rebounds per game.
He was joined on the team by Anna junior Wyatt Bensman, who averaged 14.6 points per game for the Rockets.
Ahrens’ coach, Travis Swank, was named the D-3 Coach of the Year.
• In D-3 girls, Anna’s Macey Huelskamp was named to the All-Area team along with Kami McEldowney and Danielle Winner of Versailles. All three are juniors.
Huelskamp averaged 10.4 points and 8-2 rebounds for Anna, McEldowney 13.6 points and Winner 8.7 points for Versailles.
D-3 Boys — Justin Ahrens, junior, Versailles; Caleb South, junior, Bethel; Casey Hayes, senior, Northeastern; Ethan Bradds, senior, Greeneview; Mason Schneider, junior, Greeneview; Wyatt Bensman, junior, Anna; Kurt Waters, Northwestern; Logan West, senior, Miami East; Kannon Stillings, senior, West Liberty; Ethan Conley, sophomore, Franklin-Monroe.
Player of the Year – Justin Ahrens, Versailles
Coach of the Year — Travis Swank, Versailles
D-3 Girls — Abby Zerkle, senior, Northwestern; Macey Huelskamp, junior, Anna; Kami McEldowney, junior, Versailles; Danielle Winner, junior, Versailles; Lilly Yoder, senior, West Liberty-Salem; Mikalia McIntosh, senior, WL-Salem; Hayley Suchland, junior, Northeastern; Frankie Fife, junior, Greenview; Faith Strickle, junior, Greeneview; Kristen Dickinson, sophomore, West Milton; Stevie Johnting, senior, Arcanum.
Player of the Year – Stevie Johnting, Arcanum
Coach of the Year – Dennis McIntosh, WL-Salem
DIVISION 4
To no one’s surprise, Fairlawn senior standout Nathan Lessing was named the D-4 District 9 Player of the Year, adding to his player of the year honors in the All-County voting, and on the Associated Press All-Southwest District team.
Lessing became the first player in Shelby County history to score 2,000 points in his career this season. He finished his four seasons at Fairlawn with 2,223 points, and set a new single-season county record with 689 points, good enough for a 27.7 average this season.
In addition, his coach, Justin Tidwell, along with Russia’s Spencer Cordonnier, were two of the three coaches who were named Coach(es) of the Year in D-4.
Tidwell led the Jets to the county’s best record at 21-4 this season, and Cordonnier led the Raiders to the County championship with an 11-1 conference mark.
Lessing was joined on the All-Area team by Dillon Braun and Tyler Siegel of Fort Loramie, Cameron Arnold of Houston, Trey Helmlinger of Riverside, Brady Wildermuth of Jackson Center, Luke Bergman of Botkins, and Dylan Cordonnier, Cole Tebbe and Jack Dapore of Russia.
Wildermuth averaged an even 20 per game for Jackson Center along with 7.5 rebounds.
Braun and Siegel averaged 15.1 and 12.1 respectively at Loramie, with Siegel also pulling down 9.1 rebounds.
Helmlinger scored at a 17.8 clip for Riverside, Arnold was at 14.1 points and 7.1 rebounds for Houston, Bergman was second in the county in scoring at 22.7 per game, and the three Russia players, Cordonnier, Tebbe and Dapore, averaged 10.0, 10.8 and 11.3, respectively, for the Raiders.
• In D-4 girls, Jackson Center head coach Jeff Reese, in his first season with the Lady Tigers, led them to a County title and a state tournament berth, and for his efforts, he was named the District 9 Coach of the Year.
One of his players, Cassie Meyer, was named to the All-Area team, along with Jess Monnier of Houston, Sarah Bergman and Paige Lane of Botkins, Maria Herron and Laurissa Poling of Russia, and Reyan Frey and Sara Stang of Fort Loramie.
Meyer averaged 9.7 per game for Jackson, along with 3.5 assists.
Monnier averaged 8.0 points and 5.7 rebounds for Houston.
Bergman averaged 13.6 points and 8.6 rebounds, and Lane 10.9 points for Botkins.
Herron averaged 13.4 points and Poling 10.7 points and 7.9 rebounds for Russia.
Frey averaged 9.2 points and Stang 8.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for Loramie.
D-1 Boys — Dillon Braun, junior, Fort Loramie; Tyler Siegel, junior, Loramie; Cameron Arnold, senior, Houston; Andrew Lyons, senior, Southeastern; Trevor King, senior, Southeastern; Colton Spears, senior, Southeastern; Trey Helmlinger, senior, Riverside; Cosmas Catazaro, senior, Springfield Catholic; Brady Wildermuth, senior, Jackson Center; James Anderson, junior, Troy Christian; Ethan Bowman, junior, Mississinawa; Luke Bergman, senior, Botkins; Nathan Lessing, senior, Fairlawn; Gavin Richards, senior, Tri-Village; Trace Couch, senior, Tri-Village; Dylan Cordonnier, senior, Russia; Cole Tebbe, senior, Russia; Jack Dapore, junior, Russia; Nathan Blei, senior, Covington; Hadley LeVan, junior, Triad; Devyn Sink, sophomore, Ansonia.
Player of the Year — Nathan Lessing, Fairlawn.
Coach of the Year — Justin Tidwell, Fairlawn; Spencer Cordonnier, Russia; Brian Hecker, Southeastern.
D-1 Girls — Hailey Peters, Troy Christian; Cassie Meyer, senior, Jackson Center; Mandi Bates, senior, Bradford; Jessica Erwin, senior, Southeastern; Maddy McKee, senior, Southeastern; Mikayla Dodane, senior, Mechanicsburg; Samantha Whiteman, sophomore, Covington; Jess Monnier, sophomore, Houston; Allie Downing, senior, Tri-Village; Danika Mann, senior, Tri-Village; Sarah Bergman, junior, Botkins; Paige Lane, junior, Botkins; Maria Herron, senior, Russia; Laurissa Poling, sophomore, Russia; Ise Bolender, junior, Cedarville; Hayley Melton, senior, Cedarville; Corina Conley, freshman, Franklin-Monroe; Reyan Frey, senior, Fort Loramie; Sara Stang, senior, Loramie.
Player of the Year — Allie Downing, Tri-Village
Coach of the Year — Jeff Reese, Jackson Center
