Six area girls named All-Ohioans

By LONNIE McMILLAN

Sports editor

Six area girls basketball players were named to the All-Ohio team as either special mention or honorable mention Monday as released by the Ohio Prep Sports Writers Association.

Mohawk’s Emily Klopp and Carey’s Ady Stewart led the way as special mention selections in Division IV. Riverdale’s Mariah Bonham received honorable mention in Division IV, with Upper Sandusky’s Kaidance Iles and Grace Walton, as well as Wynford’s Grace Stucky, earning the same accolade in Division III.

Klopp, a 6-foot-3 senior forward, was a force inside, averaging 13.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 59.1% from the field. All of those ranked either first or second in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference.

“This is my third year of coaching, and I really think she’s developed,” Mohawk coach Bruce Hannam said. “I saw her play as a freshman, but the development she’s made has been really special to watch with her confidence in what she was doing out there, her willingness to work hard at getting better.”

Hannam gave credit to assistant coach Natasha Mullholand for much of Klopp’s improvement this year.

Things were frustrating at times for Klopp because of all of the attention she received from defenses with constant double teams, but she was up for the challenge. Teams without size had no answer for her.

“She even told me this, she kind of had a rekindling of her love for basketball this year,” Hannam said. “That showed on the floor. The biggest challenges were the physicality when you’re that tall and that much of a focus, teams won’t make it easy for you. But even as the season prolongs with that, her effort and attitude was always good, and it comes with that perseverance to handle that load throughout the season. It was the fun.”

Stewart, a senior guard, became Carey’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made and shot them this year at a 35.7% clip while leading the league as an 83.1% foul shooter. She averaged 12.2 points and 2.0 steals per game.

“She’s worked hard for that honor,” Carey coach Keith O’Flaherty said. “Even back when she was in her younger years in junior high and stuff, she put in a lot of time with basketball, working hard. She deserves this recognition right now. She’s worked hard. She’s been a great asset on the court, a good scoring threat. People had to guard her. She’s just a great teammate out there too. It’s a very good compliment to her for her career she’s had.”

Bonham, a sophomore guard, averaged 15.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. She shot 43.9% from the field, including 25.9% on 3-pointers, and 69.0% on free throws.

“I hope it shows her how her time and commitment she put in last summer, how much that improved her as a player from her freshman year to playing her sophomore year, and I hope getting these honors will continue to drive her to keep excelling and getting better at the game,” coach and mother Mickie Bonham said.

As young as she is, Bonham was forced into a team leader role as the only returning player with varsity experience.

“It was a load to put on her shoulders, and it was hard on her at times, but defensively if teams were shutting her down, she was there to rebound,” coach Bonham said. “She had to guard against a lot bigger players. She had to guard the big girl. It was a lot on her. I expect a lot out of her. She worked hard. She was a good role model. I hope she continues to do that.”

Iles, a senior wing and forward, finished her season with averages of 10.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 3.6 steals and 1.0 block per game. She shot 48.7% from the field overall, 26.2% on 3-pointers and 60.2% on free throws.

“She didn’t have a real good end to her junior year with the injuries, but for her to bounce back to get recognized is a very big accomplishment for her,” Upper Sandusky coach Jerry Vent said. “Basically a four-year starter for us, and nothing was ever given to her. She worked really hard, put in a lot of time in the offseason, especially this offseason, to be ready to go for her senior year. I’m really proud of her effort she’s always put in, especially this offseason. She’s definitely a player that deserves to be honored at that level.”

Walton, a sophomore guard, finished her year with averages of 10.0 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 steals per game. She shot 40.6% overall, including 30.7% on 3-pointers, and made 66.2% of her free-throw attempts.

“Anytime you have a leader out there like Grace that can dictate the tempo for us offensively and defensively, people recognize that, how she’s able to affect both ends of the floor. Her being horned at that kind of level for such a young player, they all see how she changes the game for us at both ends of the player.

“Anytime you get two players recognized is pretty amazing. It says a lot about our team and the success we had this season and the respect for our girls this year.”

Stucky, a senior guard and forward, provided versatility with averages of 11.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.4 blocks per game through the regular season. She shot 26.7% on 3-pointers and 80.8% on free throws.