Wrapping up Basketball Season

Let's put a wrap on the boys and girls basketball seasons.  Both teams made regionals, just a few schools in Ohio can say that.  Pretty good run for Orrville sports this season.  Tradition matters...simple as that.

Let's go over the post-season honors for our basketball teams and hit some other items.

Post Season Honors

Boys
Ohio Cardinal Conference
1st Team - Zach Wasson (4th year in a row on 1st team)
Honorable Mention - Jordan Ray & Devon Winters

All NE Inland District
1st Team - Zach Wasson - Full list here.

Girls
Ohio Cardinal Conference
Hannah Plybon - Player of the Year.
1st team - Hillary Plybon
2nd team -Maggie Davault & Sara Aultz
Honorable Mention - Ciera McCreary & Abby Reusser

All NE Inland District
1st Team - Hannah Plybon - Full list here.

All-Ohio
1st team - Hannah Plybon - The only sophomore in all 4 divisions to make 1st team. - Full list here

Final Wasson Watch
I have Zach for 1,534 points for his Orrville career, which is 3rd most all time behind Marcell Denson (1,722) and Kevin Summers (1,681). I don't know for sure, but I have to think Zach's 95 career games is 2nd only to Denson. Marcell played since pretty much day 1 of his freshman year and played in 20+ tournament games in his career, so I think he's over 100 career games.

Zach joins Denson as just the 2nd Red Rider to score 1,500 career points and grab 600+ rebounds.

Congrats to Zach for a very special career, and continued success at Malone next this fall.

All-Star games
Two postseason All-Star games to mention. First off is the traditional Berkey Classic at Smithville High School. This year's edition will take place March 22nd with Hillary Plybon and Sara Aultz representing Orrville in the girls game and Zach Wasson representing Orrville in the boys matchup.

The Ohio Cardinal Conference will hold it's 2nd annual All-Star Game at Ashland on Wednesday March 23rd. Sara Aultz, Emily Rehm, Hillary Plybon and Rochelle Lefever will take part in the girls game and Zach Wasson and Max Pirman will play in the boys contest.

Looking ahead
Future looks bright for both the boys and the girls team.  Girls bring back a 1st team All-Ohioan in Hannah Plybon and a nice supporting cast.  They'll lose some height in Aultz and Hillary Plybon, but there always seems to be girls ready to step up and step in.

Hearing whispers that the Lady Riders will once again participate in the Classic in the Country down in Berlin and that their 2012 opponent will be Findlay Liberty-Benton, led by senior-to-be and first-team All-Ohioan Caite Craft.  She's the younger sister of current Ohio St. Buckeye point guard Aaron Craft.  Should be a great individual matchup between her and Hannah Plybon....and a good team matchup as well.

For the boys, they'll return 4 starters (Winters, Brenner, Turner & Ray), and three sophomores (Neer, Landis and Smith) who saw significant playing time.  Looks like another year of solid depth for Coach Slaughter's team.  I like what I saw from Alex Smith in terms of long-range shooting, and think we'll be more of a balanced team next year.

Hall of Fame reminder
One last reminder about the Orrville Sports Hall of Fame nominations.  They can still be submitted, but you only have until April 1st.  Remember, the board DOES NOT nominate anyone, all nomination must be submitted from individuals.  Induction is this fall, and annual golf outing is in the first part of June.  More info to come on all of that.

Nomination form is here.

That's it.  On to spring sports....go out and support the tennis, track, baseball and softball programs this spring.