Leading her team in rebounds, blocked shots, points scored, free throws shot and free throws made, sophomore Ally Tow was named named Offensive Player of the Year for the Sweet Home High School girls varsity basketball team during the team’s annual awards dessert held Monday evening.
She led the team in turnovers too, said Coach Steve Brown, but that happens when someone handles the ball as much as she does. The steals she grabbed from blocked shots help offset that statistic too.
Voted to the Sky-Em first team, Brown said, “one of the coaches said, ‘She was the best athlete in the league.’”
Sophomore Bethany Gingerich was named Defensive Player of the Year.
“Beth started out a rough-cut piece of wood,” Brown said. “She gave me lots of splinters. But the more she played, the smoother her play got. She is still a work in progress, but her improvement from our first game to the last is outstanding.”
If she continues to improve through open gym and summer basketball, “she will become that previous piece of wood with a high value on it,” Brown said.
Italian exchange student Chiara DiMola received the Coach’s Award.
“Chiara is a coach’s player,” he said. “She goes 110 percent all the time. She gives her best effort. She would run hard, play hard and shoot hard. I know she was frustrated at times, but she endured. Her never-say-die attitude and her willingness to do whatever she was asked, she receives the Coach’s Award.”
Senior Brittany Brownell was named Most Inspirational.
Injured mid-season and missing a number of games, Brownell still “played an intricate part in our team,” Brown said. “If I needed a post, I asked Brittany. If I needed help with the press, I asked Brittany. She was an important cog in our wheel of success. Her injury at Yamhill-Carlton was hard to see. But her desire to be a part of this team was seen by her willingness to help where she was able.”
The girls wrapped up their season two weeks ago, finishing 0-10 in league and 3-19 overall.
Brown urged returning team members to keep up their passion for the game.
The team is young, with just one senior next year; and Brown is optimistic that it will keep getting better if they work out in open gyms and summer ball.
Earning their first letters this year were sophomores Kayla Miller, Gingerich and Hailey Silver and seniors Ashley Wickline and Di Mola.
Brownell, Tow and senior Kaitlynn Autry earned their second letters.
Receiving certificates for playing varsity minutes this year were junior Kaylee Lewis and seniors Kendra Montoya and Kayla Bennett.
The junior varsity teams put together seven wins this season, said Coach Karyn Hartsook. “A couple we lost significantly early, we came back and won the second round.”
The team improved a lot during the season, she said.
Earning awards were Elizabeth Chelstad, Most Inspirational; Madelyn Neuschwander, Defensive Player of the Year; April Underwood, Offensive Player of the Year; and Kennedi Waldrop, Coach’s Award.