SHELBY — They finished first and second in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference standings and met in last week’s Division II district championship game.
It was only fitting players from MOAC champ Shelby and runner-up Clear Fork would be rewarded when the all-MOAC teams were released.
Shelby’s Sophie Niese and Haylee Baker were selected to the first team, along with Clear Fork’s Bekah Conrad.
An Ashland University recruit, Niese led the conference with 5.2 assists and 3.3 steals a game while averaging 8.8 points a game. The 5-foot-6 senior shot 86% from the free throw line while averaging 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 block per game.
The 5-foot-8 Baker, who will play basketball at Baldwin-Wallace, averaged 12.5 points a game. She was also good for 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.2 steals a night.
The 6-foot-4 Conrad was one of north central Ohio’s most prolific scorers and rebounds. She averaged 17.2 points and a conference-best 11.5 rebounds a game while shooting 57.4 percent from the field (175-for-305).
Other first-team picks included Marion Harding’s Justice Steinmen-Ross, Pleasant’s Kyla Columba and River Valley’s Hannah Logan.
Shelby’s Olivia Baker and Audi Albert were selected to the all-conference second team, along with Clear Fork’s Lilly Wortman and Galion’s Natalie Perkins.
Olivia Baker, who will play college basketball at West Liberty University in West Virginia, averaged a team-high 15.3 points a game for the four-time defending MOAC champion Whippets. She was also Shelby’s top rebounder at 5.3 boards a night.
A 5-foot-8 junior forward, Albert averaged 11.5 points and 3.6 rebounds a game. She connected on 62.1% of her field goal attempts.
A junior, Wortman helped the Colts match a single-season record with 21 wins. The 5-foot-8 forward averaged 10.1 points and 4.0 rebounds a game.
Perkins averaged a team-best 11.2 points a game for the Tigers. She ranked third in the MOAC with 8.6 rebounds a game.
Highland’s Emma West and River Valley’s Brooklyn Mosher also were selected to the MOAC second team.
Clear Fork’s Annika Labaki, Ontario’s Rylee Nigh and Galion’s Tenna Greter were honorable mention selections.
They were joined by Highland’s Brylinn Tuggle, Marion Harding’s Keyani Jackson and Pleasant’s Emmerson Williams.
