L-B's Gerken co-player of the year

The offensive prowess of Lauren Gerken and the bench leadership of Crain Mintz and Gary Kreinbrink earned those three top honors this week when media members of the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association met to select the all-Northwest Ohio girls basketball teams for the 2022-23 season. Gerken, a 6-foot junior at Liberty-Benton, was tabbed the Division II co-Player of the Year. An early signee with Bowling Green State University, Gerken averaged 19.8 points, 9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.9 steals and 2 blocks per game for an L-B team that was 9-0 in Blanchard Valley Conference games and 20-2 overall during the regular season. Mintz shared Coach of the Year honors in Division II by guiding Fostoria to a best-ever 20-2 regular season mark, a 13-1 slate in Northern Buckeye League games, and the first girls basketball league championship in school history. Kreinbrink, Leipsic's head coach for 37 seasons, was co-Coach of the Year in Division IV after mentoring the Vikings to a 20-2 season that included a perfect 7-0 mark in Putnam County League play and a runner-up finish behind state-ranked Delphos Jefferson in the Northwest Conference. Kreinbrink, who achieved his 500th career win this past season, shared coach of the year honors with three others. One is Patrick Henry's Justin Sonnenberg, who took a team that four won games a year ago to an 18-win season in 2022-23. Findlay had a pair of players selected in Division I, with Katelyn Stechschulte (10.2 ppg) earning third-team honors and Madilyn Stechschulte (10.2 ppg) among those receiving honorable mention recognition. Senior guard Riley Irwin, who averaged 14.8 points a game for L-B and ended her career ranked among the state's top 20 all-time 3-point shooters (268), was a second-team pick in Division II. Two Fostoria players – both sophomores – were recognized along with their coach, with Alycia Middlebrooks (13.4 ppg) on the second all-district team and Lyrique Johnson (12.9 ppg) on the third. The depth and strength of the area's girls basketball programs was especially evident in Division III with seven players earning spots on the first, second or third all-Northwest Ohio teams. Katie Kaufman, a senior center who averaged 10 points and 5 rebounds for Ottawa-Glandorf's 19-3, state-ranked team, was a first-team pick and freshman guard Karsyn Erford (9.3 ppg) was third team in Division III. Van Buren's Sasha Busey (16.3 ppg), Upper Sandusky's Kaidance Iles (11.2 ppg) and Elmwood's Cara Frank (13.5 ppg) were second-team selections, with Upper's Grace Walton (10.3 ppg) and Bluffton's Sami Scoles (14.9 ppg) joining Erford on the third team. Leipsic's Whitney Langhals, the Putnam County League Player of the Year who averaged 14.2 points, 3.7 assists and 3.7 steals for the Vikings, was first team in Division IV. Carey's Ady Stewart (12.7 ppg) and Columbus Grove's Lauren Auchmuty (17.2 ppg) were second-team all-Northwest Ohio. Riverdale's Mariah Bonham, who averaged a 15.5-point, 10.3-rebound double-double, was third team, along with Cory-Rawson's Paige McVetta (15.1 ppg), Ada's Courtney Sumner (16.0 ppg) and Hopewell-Loudon's Olivia Bishop (12 ppg).