5 named AP All-Ohio Girls Basketball
Five Highland County girls basketball players have received 2014-15 All-Ohio basketball honors for Divisions II, III and IV, as their play on the basketball court this past season put them among the best basketball players in the state.
This season is a two-player improvement from last year when Highland County had three players reach the pinnacle of high school basketball in the state.
Returning to that list is McClain senior Shania Massie, who was ranked the highest of all the Highland County players, earning Division III third-team honors. Last season, Massie was also a third-team selection in Division III.
Also earning All-Ohio honors were Hillsboro senior Kaylynn Bell in Division II, McClain sophomore Taylor Polley and Lynchburg-Clay junior Ali Little in Division III and Fairfield senior Kaitlin Evans in Division IV. Those four players all received honorable mention selections.
As for Massie in her senior season, not only did she surpass the 1,000-point club (the fifth Lady Tigers in school history to achieve that feat), she also became the second all-time leading scorer in the history of the program with 1,419 points, including 451 points in her senior season.
Massie was able to score her 1,000th career point in the second game of the season at McClain High School against the Wilmington Lady Hurricane.
Massie also totaled 500 career rebounds, 326 steals and 238 assists in her four seasons with the Lady Tigers. The 5-8 point guard averaged 17.8 points per game this past season with 5.6 rebounds per game, 3.7 steals per game and 2.5 assists per game.
The Lady Tigers finished 21-4 overall and district runners-up.
"Shania has put a lot of hard work in to put herself in a position where she can play at the next level," MHS head coach Jarrod Haines said. "She's been a great example for our younger players to see that hard work pays off.
"She is undoubtably one of the best players in our district and will go down as one of the best players in our storied program's history. I wish her nothing but the best at the next level. I know she will continue to work hard and get better. She's going to use basketball to further her education, and that's every coach's wish for their players."
Polley gained her first All-Ohio honors for her play this season. The 5-5 point guard averaged 10.7 points per game in her sophomore season. Added to that are stats of 4.2 steals per game, 2.9 rebounds per game and 2.6 assists per game, all mixed with her stifling defense play this past season.
"Taylor is deserving of this recognition," Haines said. "She does a lot of things that don't show up on the stat sheet after games. She's like an annoying fly that just won't go away when she guards opposing point guards.
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"The hours she puts in the gym have really paid off for her, all of this while obtaining a very good grade point average. This is only the beginning for Taylor with the work that she puts in. She could be a very good player for our program in the future."
Evans is also a first-time selection for All-Ohio honors. In her senior season, the 5-5 point guard scored 15.4 points per game with 4.8 rebounds per game, 3.0 assists per game and 2.3 steals per game.
"I'm very happy for Kaitlin," FHS head coach Chad Hamilton said. "She works extremely hard and deserves every honor that she receives. Kaitlin is a great athlete and will be truly missed by our program."
For Bell in her final season with the Lady Indians, the 5-8 guard finished the season with 12.3 points per game, and along the way added 5.8 rebounds per game and 4.9 assists per game this past season. Bell started 92 consecutive games for the Lady Indians, every game the past four seasons played by the Lady Indians.
The HHS senior also scored her 1,000th career point this season in a game at Wilmington High School. Bell ended her career with 1,157 points, playing the final four games of the season with a torn ligament on her shooting arm.
"Kaylynn has an outstanding career in her time with us," HHS head coach JR Moberly said. "She was a leader for us from the first practice her freshman year, and we are going to miss her a great deal."
In her junior season with the Lady Mustangs, Little (a 6-1 post player) totaled 14.1 points per game, with 13 rebounds per game for a double-double average. She also collected 4.7 blocks per game.
"I'm super excited to see Ali get the recognition she deserves for being such a talented and gifted athlete," LC head coach Whitney Lewis said. "We are extremely fortunate to have her on our team.
"As a junior, she really stepped up her game to literally just dominate the competition at times. Averaging a double-double and helping lead our team, I am excited to see what her senior year will bring."