GREENE COUNTY — A total of 20 area girls high school basketball players, and the winningest girls basketball coach in Ohio, received All-Southwest District recognition from a panel of area media members.
Ed Zink, Beavercreek’s long-time coach who is listed by the Ohio High School Athletic Association as the winningest girls basketball coach in the state with 732 wins, was named the Division I Southwest District Coach of the Year after leading the Beavers to the Greater Western Ohio Conference, National East division title and the District title game with a 21-5 record. (The OHSAA has Zink ranked with his wins total after 2016. He unofficially has a career record of 770 wins and 243 losses through this season.)
Cedarville senior Ise Bolender was the Greene County area’s lone first-team selection. The Indians career points record holder averaged 20.2 points per game this season as Cedarville advanced to the Division IV district championship game before ending the season with a solid 20-6 record.
Four area basketball standouts from four different area high schools were named to their respective All-District second teams.
In Division II, Bellbrook senior Cassidy Hofacker and Carroll sophomore Julia Keller were named to the second team.
Greeneview’s Frankie Fife was the lone Division III second-team selection, and Legacy Christian’s Emily Riddle was a D-IV second-team pick
There were no area first- or second-team selections in Division I, but Beavercreek’s Carmen Williams was named to the All-Southwest District’s Division-I third team.
Legacy Christian’s talented freshman, Emma Hess, was selected to the Division IV third team. The Greene County area did not have players on the third team in Divisions I, II or III.
Thirteen players were named to their respective Honorable Mention lists: In Division I, Beavercreek’s Bailey Draughn, Xenia’s Trinity Morton-Nooks and the Fairborn tandem of Evelyn Oktavec and Khala Powell were selected; D-II choices were Carroll’s Elisabeth Bush and Allie Stefanek, and Bellbrook’s Bekah Vine; Greeneview’s Sylvie Sonneman and Faith Strickle were recognized in D-III; and a pair of Legacy Christian athletes — Kathleen Ahner and Olivia Combs — along with Cedarville’s Maggie Coe and Yellow Springs’ Armani Wagner, got the Honorable Mention nod in D-IV.
A complete listing of the 2017-‘18 All-Southwest District Selections can be found online at xeniagazette.com as well as at fairborndailyherald.com.
The All-Southwest District Boys team selections are scheduled to run on Thursday, March 15.