The Loudonville Redbirds had a plethora of accolades this year, and while many of them went to players on their way to graduation, others show that the future looks exceptionally bright for the girls’ basketball team.
This season they set a number of team records and went all the way to the Division IV Final Four. Their 26 wins was the school and Ashland County record. One of the top reasons for their success was the play of Corri Vermilya, who was named Division IV Player of the Year by the OHSAA.
“When you talk about thousands of players in Ohio, across Division IV, it's obviously a remarkable accomplishment to be named State Player of the Year,” said Coach Tyler Bates. “For Corri to earn a State POY honor (after winning in DIII last year) in back-to-back years is incredible. It shows that not only did she earn the respect of everyone in our program, but also a number of people who watched her play, across the entire of state of Ohio.”
Vermilya was one of the top players in the state of Ohio and next year will be playing at Ashland University, where her Redbird Coach Tyler Bates sees her having a big impact. Bates was the runner up for Ms. Basketball Ohio this year making her the second best in the whole state to repeat winner Dee Alexander of Cincinnati Purcell Marian. She also won the Mid-Buckeye Conference Player of the Year and the All-Northeast Inlands Division IV Player of the Year honors through the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association.
This season Vermilya averaged 26.3 points, 3.9 assists and 12.3 rebounds, to go with 6.4 steals and 1.3 blocks on defense. She broke her own school record with 736 points and also set the record with 178 steals, eclipsing Celeste Ryman’s 150 steals. She also beat Emily Seboe’s rebounding record for a season and her career, with 345 in a season and 1,255 in the career. The former record was 951 boards.
This season she also set career records for points (2,407) and steals (553), stamping the legacy of her being an all-time Redbird. The points are 10th in OHSAA history, rebounds are 13th, steals are seventh, and her 525 made free throws are 10th.
But it wasn’t just Vermilya who shined this season for the Redbirds, and really the past four years. Sophia Spangler and Jena Guilliams are a pair of seniors who were integral in the team’s success, and were first team All-MBC this season.
Spangler was most recently selected to the All-Ohio team for Division IV as an honorable mention.
“As a former point guard myself, I really pushed Sophia over the past few years,” Bates said. “She works so hard and is such a talented kid. She was capable of putting up much more prolific scoring numbers at times for our team, but did such a great job of running the show and setting the table for her teammates, while defending the best player from the opposition on many nights.”
In their four years, the seniors at Loudonville they won the MBC title each year and never lost a game. The trio finished with a career record of 89-16, which is not only a school record, but also tops in Ashland County history.
The trio were selected in the Telegraph-Forum All-Star Game on March 20. Vermilya will be playing at the Ohio-Kentucky All Star Game on April 20 at Thomas More, where Bates will be serving as the assistant coach to Fairland Head Coach Joe Buchanen’s. Vermilya will also play at the Ohio North-South game on April 26 at Olentangy Liberty.
While they will be sorely missed, young players like Mya Vermilya are ready to lead the charge for years to come. Vermilya was a special mention for the Division IV All-Ohio team and was first team All-MBC. She was a second scoring option to her older sister, and proved to be a force with 377 points at 13.5 per game. Bates said with her totals expected to increase exponentially, the sky is the limit.
“Mya made big shot after big shot this year for our team - providing us with an added dimension offensively,” Bates said. “She is gifted beyond her years. Mya is mature enough to understand that her Freshman season is in the past now and while she is grateful for the recognition, it doesn't mean much for the future. She will be a much improved player next winter.
Addison Wolford made second team All-MBC this year in her sophomore season, and Alesha Felix finished out her junior year strong as one of the team’s top defenders.
They scored 67.9 points per game on offense this year, and allowed 31.9 points per game on defense, which is a new school record.
“I am really proud of that because we preached defense all year,” Bates said. “Obviously the 16 or 17 running clocks helped. We also averaged. 20.1 steals per game for the season, which is a new school record.”
The 2024 Loudonville Redbirds had one of their best seasons ever, but it is the end of an era at Loudonville High School, as Bates recently that it was his last season coaching the Redbirds.
Bates, who was the MBC Coach of the Year, has coached six 1,000 point scorers, including Emily Seboe, Grace Vermilya, Nikki Weber, Shalen Guilliams and Ryman. During this time the teams have had 14 All-Ohio selections, with three more tentative for this year. There have been 10 players who went on to play in college, and they were recognized as a top academic team in the state multiple times. In 11 years he had a 202-69 record, with the wins being an Ashland County and Loudonville record. The trip to states this year was the first time since 1992.
“While working at Loudonville, God has put some amazing players, coaches, families and colleagues in my life,” Bates said. “Having the opportunity to share some of the positive memories with my family and friends is something that I'll be forever grateful for.”
