The All-Ohio girls and boys basketball teams were announced this week by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association, and to some local parents and supporters, it seems that Knox County and vicinity student-athletes were underrepresented in the selections.
Six local boys and five local girls made the All-Ohio postseason honors list, none above Special Mention, which sits below Third Team and above Honorable Mention in the honors list. Northmor had two boys honored, while Danville, Fredericktown, Mount Gilead and Utica had one each. For the girls, Mount Gilead had two girls honored, while Danville, Fredericktown and Utica had one player each honored.
In boys basketball, no local players were selected for Division I or D-II honors.
In Division III boys basketball, a Special Mention selection went to Trenton Collins, Utica, 6'3, senior, 22.4 ppg.
Honorable mention went to KMAC Boys Basketball Player of the Year and top scorer Matt Bland, Mount Gilead, 6'0, senior, 21.5 ppg., and Kaid Carpenter, Fredericktown, 6'5, senior, 13.8 ppg.
In Division IV, Special Mention went to Grant Bentley, Northmor, 6'2, junior, 17.9 ppg and Spencer Payne, Danville, 5'9, senior, 14.5 ppg. Honorable Mention went to Jaxon Wenger, Galion Northmor, 6'1, sophomore, 13.8 ppg.
On the girls side, no local players were named to Division I or Division II teams. In Division III, Honorable Mention went to KMAC top scorer Cally Carpenter, Fredericktown, 5'7, sophomore, 15.1 ppg and Abbie Dickson, Utica, 5'5, sophomore, 15.2 ppg. On a side note, D-III Player of the Year was Corri Vermilya, Loudonville, 5'9, junior, 29.5 ppg. This is noted here because Loudonville will be joining the KMAC in 2024.
In Division IV, Special Mention went to KMAC Girls Basketball Player of the Year Madilyn Elson, Mount Gilead, 5'4, senior, 13.8 ppg. Honorable Mention went to Ella Proper, Danville, 5'6 junior, 12.7 ppg and Faith White, Mount Gilead, 5'6, sophomore, 9.2 ppg.
More about the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association (OPSWA) can be found at: ohsaa.org/news/OPSWA. The OPSWA was created in 1972 to support, promote and recognize coverage of high school sports across Ohio and is endorsed by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
