Grove's Auchmuty, McComb's Kern earn top league honors

ALL PCL/NWCColumbus Grove's Lauryn Auchmuty made it a clean sweep her senior season by being named player of the year in voting by coaches in both the Putnam County League and the Northwest Conference.A 5-foot-7 guard who will play her college ball for the University of Findlay, Auchmuty averaged 24.6 points game. She also continued a record-breaking career that has seen her set school records for points in a game (42) and career (1,828 entering tournament play), along with 3-point baskets. Her 279 career 3s tie her for 15th place in Ohio girls prep basketball history.Nicole Nesby, a 6-foot junior center who helped the Bulldogs win an outright NWC title (7-0), finish second (6-1) to state-ranked Ottoville (7-0) in the PCL and go 20-2 overall, was first team all-PCL and second-team all-NWC.Bluffton's Ayla Grandey, a 6-2 senior center who averaged a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double, was also a first –team selection by the Northwest Conference coaches.Pandora-Gilboa's Ava Huffman (11.9 ppg) was a second-team pick in the all-PCL selections. ALL BVC Judging from the all-BVC selections for the 2024-25 season, the future of Blanchard Valley Conference girls basketball looks strong.Not just next year, but beyond.Eighteen girls were selected first-, second- or third-team all-league in voting by BVC coaches. Fourteen of the 18 are underclassmen; eight of those 14 are sophomores, including five of the six first-teamers.Headlining the list of young talent is McComb's Morgan Kern, a 5-foot-9 guard who was named the 2024-25 BVC Player of the Year. Kern led the league in scoring at 17 points a game, and was among the league leaders in rebounding (6th, 7.8 rpg), steals (7th, 2.5 spg), free throw shooting (3rd, 74 percent) and 3-point accuracy (4th, .330).Liberty-Benton's Chad Lieb was named the BVC Coach of the Year. L-B had a 90-game BVC win streak snapped and fell out of first place in the standings with a Jan. 2 loss to Van Buren. The Eagles rebounded, though, with Lieb guiding them to clutch late season wins over McComb and Riverdale – who would share second place in the standings – that earned them an outright league title.Liberty-Benton's Megan Gerken and Corra Dehart, Riverdale's Mariah and Marissa Bonham and Van Buren's Brooklyn Wilkin completed the all-BVC first team.Gerken and Dehart both averaged 12.7 points a game. Gerken, a 5-11 wing, also averaged 4.8 rebounds and connected on 38 3-pointers; Dehart, a 6-3 post, averaged 8.3 rebounds.The Bonham sisters led Riverdale to a runner-up finish and second place tie with McComb. Marissa Bonham, a 5-9 sophomore point guard, averaged 10.4 points and led the BVC in rebounding (11.4 rpg), assists (5.6 apg) and steals (5.1 spg). Mariah Bonham, a 5-9 senior, averaged 13.7 points and 6.3 rebounds.Wilkin was among the top post players in the league. The 6-foot sophomore post was averaging 14.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game before being sidelined by injury.McComb's Kacey Like (10.2 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.5 spg) is the lone senior on an all-BVC second team that includes five juniors – Pandora-Gilboa's Ava Huffman (11.9 ppg) and Savannah Knueven (12.5 ppg), Arcadia's Addy Colman (10.7 ppg, 40 3-pointers), Arlington's Jada Smith (11.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg) and Elmwood's Selina Deal (13.4 ppg).Arcadia's Liberty Voges (11.3 ppg), Vanlue's Olivia Secord (11.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg 3.9 apg, 5 spg), Elmwood's Molly Barringer (10.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg), Ada's Anna Conley (11.7 ppg, 9.4 rpg), Liberty-Benton's Avery Knepper and Riverdale's Annalese Woodruff comprised the all-BVC third team. ALL-BVC GIRLS BASKETBALLFIRST TEAMMorgan Kern (McC) 5-9, soph., 17 ppg; Marissa Bonham (Riv), 5-9, soph., 10.4 ppg; Megan Gerken (L-B) 5-11, soph., 12.7 ppg.; Mariah Bonham (Riv) 5-9 sr., 13.7 ppg; Cora Dehart (L-B) 6-3, soph., 12.7 ppg; Brooklyn Wilkin (VB) 6-0, soph., 14.4 ppg.SECOND TEAMAva Huffman (P-G) 5-7, jr., 11.9 ppg; Addy Colman (Arc) 5-5, jr., 10.7 ppg; Kacey Like (McC) 5-8, sr., 10.2 ppg; Jada Smith (Arl) 5-9, jr., 11.8 ppg; Selina Deal (Elm) 13.4 ppg; Savannah Knueven (P-G) 5-10, jr., 12.5 ppg.THIRD TEAMLiberty Voges (Arc) 5-8, soph., 11.3 ppg; Olivia Secord (Van), 5-4, sr., 11.9 ppg; Molly Barringer (Elm) 5-10, soph., 10.6 ppg; Anna Conley (Ada), 6-0, jr., 11.7 ppg; Avery Knepper (L-B) 5-9, sr.; Annalese Woodruff (Riv).HONORABLE MENTION:ADA – Lexi Poling, Kenley Poling. ARCADIA – Jade Johnson, Ryleigh Bostic. ARLINGTON – Mea Alexander, Madison Ernst. ELMWOOD – Aubrey Johnson, Madi Lee. LEIPSIC – Brooklyn Cunningham, Jazelle Perez. LIBERTY-BENTON – Mylie Modd, Ally Ferris. MCOMB – Sarah Rider, Rylee Scheff.PANDORA-GILBOA – Kelsie Carlson, Maddie Rutschilling. RIVERDALE – Kinsey Shull, Harlee Gonzales. VAN BUREN – Bailey Lance, Kami Bowman. VANLUE – Adrienne Phillips, Candace Saltzman.